Sunday
For most of the way, this is one of the most enjoyable trails to hike. Much of the time, we spent concentrating on climbing up, over and down rocks, ensuring we stayed on the narrow paths and absorbing the breathtaking scenery. Many of the views of the city are obviously similar whereas those into the deep bush and mountains are amazing. Each hike, although in relative close proximity to each other, is unique. We really enjoy Honolulu provided we are at least two miles distant; it gets better as we move further away.
We realize this is an opinion. We also are aware of what we enjoy. City life with the traffic, high-rise buildings, crowding and noise is not our idea of an uplifting environment. The world, closer to its natural state, is what finds its way into our souls. You probably knew this already but just in case, we thought we would commit our thoughts to paper, briefly.
Oahu is a dichotomy. Whereas two of the islands, Maui and Kauai, reflect the flavor of the islands; Oahu, populated with 85% of Hawaii’s residents, appears to be both a commercial city/state and a hiker’s paradise. It is easy to leave the airport, travel to Waikiki and believe you are in another American coastal town. That was certainly our first impression. However, the mountains that we hiked and, many more viewed, are spectacular. From our perspective, they take the breath away.
Most of the trails are empty. In five hikes on this island so far, we have seen very few people. Perhaps that’s why the state spends very little money on maintaining the trails—for whom. We find the hikes rugged, overgrown, challenging, strenuous and quite dangerous. However, they are extremely rewarding, especially when one returns ‘in one piece’.
We mentioned that we enjoyed this hike immensely. It took us along the ridge with steep drop-offs on either side. It was an up and down kind of hike. In the end, we lost the trail—perhaps the trail lost us—which meant that we meandered through some very tight and scratchy parts. However, that wasn’t sufficient to dampen a wonderful experience in the slightest.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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