Purification: Waiakeakua part 2 and 3

One of my favorite hikes on the island is Waiakeakua Falls.  It is technically a hike that you are not supposed to do, so I won't give directions here other than to say it is in the Manoa Valley, (there are 6 waterfalls besides the famous Manoa Falls in that valley, so go and explore to find some!) Anyway, we are in the middle of the rainy season, so the falls on the island, devoid of natural sources, are flowing amazingly well these past months.

When I got home from helping my Mom with her work in July, I was super excited to get back out on the trails again, and the first hike I wanted to do was Waiakeakua Falls.  The first outing I took was with a friend I have done a few hikes with and was planning an epic October mainland road trip with.  We had become quite close on our hikes, as hiking partners do, so I was excited to show her my favorite most zen place on the island.

As we started out on the trail, there were some major differences from the last time I hiked it with my boys.  First off, there are 4 areas with downed trees, and these trees are massive!  I mean, seriously I am glad that I wasn't there when they fell, as I certainly would not be here any longer.  The first two downed trees block the trail, but are maneuverable without adding in any additional detours.  The largest downed tree, is over one of the bridges on the road, and poses a bit of an excitement factor as one has to wonder if adding your additional weight to the downed tree and bridge will be the straw that breaks the camel's back and sends you tumbling into the shallow river below.  Luckily, this did not happen to us. 

The only unfortunate event on this particular outing was the top portion of my trusty hiking stick that I found on Mt. Haleakala broke off!  I was clearing the path ahead (we have had too many spider web run ins, so I have taken it upon myself to use my walking stick to lead the way), and "snap!" it just broke off in my hand.  The stick was a tad bit too tall for me anyway, so the remainder of the length was still perfect for my height, it was just sad that the leather wrapped detail I put on was now useless.  Knowing that it is best to release those things that no longer serve you, I tossed the broken piece into the brush and continued on with our hike.

The second downed tree is very close to the first, and once again doesn't need to be detoured around.  The third downed tree (that is newly down, there is another large downed tree that was there the first time I went earlier in the year) does require a change in route.  There are two ways to circumnavigate this downed tree, the first is to cross the river and go along another foot path on the opposite side.  There are a few ways to cross, you can pick your way across the rocks in the stream, or you can be more adventurous like we were and balance your way across a downed limb over a tiny little falls.  (I wouldn't recommend the balancing, it took years off my life.)  The second way to detour it is to head into the vegetation just before you hit the main section of the downed tree.  If you look carefully, you will spot an orange path marker, keep heading upstream, and eventually you will reconnect with the original trail and the flight of random stairs in the forest. 

The fourth downed tree (which wasn't down until my 3rd outing) has fallen in the middle of the river just below Queen's Bath.  This tree blocks some great photo opps, and I have half a mind to go back out there with a saw and remove it, because that place is generally a great open, serene spot.  Queen's Bath Falls also marks the exact midpoint of the trail, so once you go across the stream there, and head up the old stairs, you can sit on top of the falls and take a little break.  The rest of the trail is fairly simple to follow, so there shouldn't be any issues there.

On my original outing, with my hiking partner, we made it up to the second tier of the falls.  It had been raining throughout the week, so the water was deeper, and running faster than I had seen it before, however, I was determined to climb up the falls.  I set out and where other bloggers had mentioned the water only being waste deep, there was a point where I could no longer feel the bottom of the stream and had to take a leap of faith to catch the rope on the side of the falls. (I am 5'9" for reference here). 

Climbing up the falls was a huge rush!  I have never felt more invigorated, refreshed, and terrified in my whole life!  The amount of focus that you have when you are climbing is astounding, literally nothing else in the world mattered, nothing else was important, just the goal of attaining the next step, and reaching the top was the only thing in focus.  Unfortunately, I tired out about 3/4 of the way up the falls, and ended up repelling back down into the stream.  From there we took our snack break, and took the time to meditate with Buddha.  As I was posing for Buddha pictures, it began to rain, and as we continued on and reached Queen's Bath it rained harder.  It was an amazing hike!

Now, the reason I've done this hike twice in the last month.  The first time I went, I took a friend who I had been quite close to, and this hike to me is one of the most amazing hikes on the island.  I honestly find this hike to be my go to whenever I need to clear my head, so to me this hike is sacred.  Well, shortly after I took this friend, we had a very large rift come between us that is irreparable and broke my heart.  The memory of her on the trail with me, knowing what had happened between us, was too much for me to bear.  So, the weekend of the most recent hurricane, my neighbor and I went and did this hike again to clear the trail of the painful memory for me.

Water is the element of purification, and since this trail needed purification in my emotional memory, going during a hurricane was definitely the best time to go.  There were no additional major changes to the trail, however it rained nearly the entire time we hiked.  When we reached Queen's Bath on the way in, my neighbor decided to be a ninja and climb along the top of it to stand just beneath the top, and the heavens opened and began to rain even harder. 

When we reached the falls, we scaled the side wall to the first tier, found the contour trail to the left of the second level, and climbed up to the third and tallest tier of the falls.  This was my first time reaching the top level of the falls, and it was glorious!  The heavy rain meant the water was flowing even harder than it had been the time before, and the power of the water around us was evident.

For anyone who is wondering, climbing up the side of a 50+ foot waterfall on a day when it has been raining, when you are slightly overweight and carrying a backpack is hard! My neighbor, April, led the way, making it to one of the ledges and waited for me to catch up to her on the ledge. Once there, we soon realized that it was not roomy enough for two, and April continued up the rock face to the top of the waterfall.  I however, was running out of energy quick, and although I was so close to finishing the climb, I knew that I needed to head back down, or face the real possibility of not being able to get back down later.  So, I started my decent.  As I was going along, footholds that were obvious on the way up were seemingly nonexistent on the way back down.  I ended up losing my footing and slipping a few feet, screaming bloody murder the whole way, until my feet magically found a ledge and I was able to recover my balance and footing.

Right when I was starting to feel a tad bit safer, April let out a scream.  Turns out as she was trying to get a shot over the top of the water fall, she lost her footing, and only managed to grab on to a tree on the side of the stream at the last moment before she would have been sent pummeling over the edge!  Exciting stuff, right?  As I continued down, I reached the trees to the left of the rope, and thinking I could use the roots to aid in my efforts, I placed my left foot on what I thought was a solid hold, turned out it wasn't and I got my lower thigh wedged into a cross in the tree roots very firmly.  I struggled, and screamed (because it hurt) and April, being afraid for my safety and well-being, started to frantically pick her way down the side of the falls.

Luckily for me there was a very solid foothold where I was stuck for my right foot to take advantage of while I struggled against the wet tree roots to free my leg.  I still had about 10 feet to go until I reached the safety of solid ground.  I pulled with my hands, pulled back with my leg, everything hurt, and the angle I was at made it so a directly straight pull was impossible.  Right when my foot started to go numb, I was finally able to pull the roots far enough apart with my hands, and yank my leg forcefully enough to free myself and continue down to the rocks below.  By the time April reached me again, my leg was just slightly tingly and I was certain I would be 100% fine to finish the trail.

The rain continued as we made our way back down the contour trail of the second tier and down the side wall of the first tier of the water fall.  We made our way to the large rocks at the base of the shallow pool there and sat to meditate before continuing on our way.  Once again, the rush, excitement, and adrenaline spent on the adventure lent a surreal air to this spot, and the meditation was amazingly peaceful. 

As we continued off the trail, when we came to the midway point at Queen's Bath I searched for a side route to get to the face of the falls, as I had never gone to the face of that particular falls on this trail.  It was easily found, however there were some spots where I needed both hands, so I took my trusty hiking stick and tossed it down below me (after the fiasco on Mt. Olympus you would think that I would really stop throwing it ahead of me) and it bounced off the rock and into the stream, over a small fall and down it went.  I was quite disappointed, but figured if I was meant to have it, it would be down at the shallow area waiting for me when we finished.

Going to the front of Queen's Bath Falls was amazing!  It is such a pretty falls, and would be worth it just to hike there and turn back around (when the water is flowing heavily that is).  We picked our way to the front of the falls, took a few pictures, sat for a moment longer and then once again continued on our path.  As we rounded down the old stone steps with the water flowing down them, I looked to the left, and sure enough, there was my hiking stick, good as new and freshly cleaned. 

As we reached the second of the fallen trees, the rain stopped and the sun began to shine, when we got to the trailhead the day was turning into a muggy, sunny day, and I knew my purification hike was complete.  I felt better, my sacred place was returned to me, and I reached a higher height than I thought I could attain.  Our motto at the end of this particular adventure has now become "But did you die?" 

Moral of the story on this hike, trust yourself and take the leap of faith.  Even if you end up being hurt, all of that pain can be washed away with time.  And most of all, don't let the fear keep you from trying, even if you don't reach the top, it was still an experience worth having... because as we now like to say, "But did you die?"

Until the next hike...

Vacations and Catching Up: Camelback Hike AZ and Pu'u Pia, round two!

It has been a busy month.  We went as a family to go out to the mainland in July, I was still finishing up the last couple of weeks of classes, the boys were going to stay with our in-laws while I went traipsing around to different family member's homes helping my Mom with her interior design and painting business.  It was a lot of work, and quite the whirlwind, however it was totally worth it. 

Getting out to the mainland from Hawaii is always a bit of a hassle.  We luckily qualify for Space Available flights, which helps with cost, however it is the equivalent of ultimate stand-by, with flights subject to change without notice, and absolutely no guarantee that the amount of seats projected to be available will actually be there when you show up to attempt to make a flight.  After 3 days of waking up absurdly early trying to catch flights, having flight times changed in the middle of the night, and not being selected, we finally made it onto a flight out to CA. Our first stop for family was AZ, so we got to road trip straight through from where we landed in northern CA to the Phoenix area over the 4th of July weekend!  Crazy traffic, and very little sleep.

However, once we arrived, we were afforded the time to relax and spend some quality time with our family there.  It was a great visit getting to see most of them for the first time in nearly 4 years.  And we enjoyed the food and family as much as we could in such a short time.  I however, was flying out to my first project on the 5th of July, so I decided to get up early on the 4th of July to do a sunrise hike at Camelback, on the Cholla Trail side. 

Cholla Trail is a popular trail in the Phoenix area to be sure.  I saw many people there early in the morning (with the temperature already reaching the low 80s before sunrise!) to take advantage of the cool before the heat of the day set in.  The trailhead is up in a residential street that doesn't allow for parking, so you have to park on the main road that intersects it, and then walk up to the trailhead.  The trail was beautiful to be sure, stretching around the side of a well manicured golf course and then up into the 3 peaked hill.  There were so many rock steps, and covered in arid dust, that footing is of course a subject for concern.  Bring plenty of water and good gripping shoes on this hike! 

As I started up the trail, I was almost immediately rewarded with a very expansive view of the Phoenix valley.  I am not normally a fan of AZ and the desert climate, being very Irish myself and basically allergic to the sun and heat, so this hike was a wonderful respite and a great opportunity for me to witness the beauty of the desert climate.  The vibrant colors of the sunrise were visible for miles in all directions, and created such a magnificent landscape, tinting the whole world in pink, reds, and orange glows.  If any of you visit the Phoenix area, I absolutely recommend doing this hike early in the morning, it is worth the beautiful sunrise views, unimpeded by foliage or clouds!

After the wonderful July 4th celebration with family, and a short plane flight to SeaTac, I was onto the second leg of my journey, with Buddha in my carry on bag! (makes for an interesting search at security to say the least!) At my sister's house, we were definitely put to work! 

We planned on repainting almost every room in her house to include painting the dated wood trim to a crisp white, and creating a last minute idea of a feature wall in the main living room.  Luckily we were able to each focus on areas of work to bring this mammoth project together in 6 days!  (HGTV eat your heart out, lol.)  All the while Buddha sitting watch on the kitchen table, as I struggled with demolishing the original mantle and marble fireplace surround, building a new floor to ceiling frame, creating and hanging the custom live edge mantle, hanging drywall on the floor to ceiling surround, tiling the surround, and finally adding the reclaimed lumber that was painstakingly aged and stained by my sister while I brought the rest of the project to life. 

 

There were definitely emotional highs and lows in this project, words exchanged in anger and frustration, cursing at the tools and inanimate objects, however at the end of the week, the long days and nights of work, many many doses of ibuprofen and copious amounts of caffeine paid of, and the family room and home was painted with fresh, airy and neutral colors, and the main entry was now a retreat from the hectic world with the rustic charm of a secluded log cabin!  Our work there was done, and on to the next job we went.  Driving from Olympia, WA to Swan Valley Idaho, where my Mother's business is based. 

I was lucky enough while there to work hard everyday, and spend truly quality time with my parents every night.  We cut down fallen trees, collected branches, weeded landscaping, trimmed the bushes and hawthorn trees back, re-stretched and secured my mother's Teepee, cleaned windows (inside and out), re-upholstered some outdoor stools, distressed and stained truck load after truck load of heavy rustic beams, and managed to get all the laundry done to boot!  It was a hectic couple of weeks, however it was a wonderful feeling to go to bed exhausted and feeling accomplished.  When it came time to leave and go back to Hawaii I was honestly sad to leave. 

As soon as we got back, my oldest son started school, and we set back into getting comfortable in our house, getting back into the daily routine of life.  So after a week of adjustment, I decided getting back into the saddle of hiking in Hawaii would be with an easy starter trail, Pu'u Pia.  This trail is frequently used by mothers' hiking groups for early walking children, and was a hike I had accomplished before with my two boys in tow.  Last time we hiked this trail it was bone dry, however we are currently in the midst of hurricane season, and have received a fair amount of rain over the last few weeks, so the once dry streambed that lay next to the beginning of the trail was flowing quite well.

With the soothing sounds of the small stream we set off up the trail.  There was definitely more mud to be sure, however this is a short hike I highly recommend to anyone who wants to get in a little bit of a workout, have some beautiful scenery, but maybe doesn't have time to be in the mountains all day.  We hiked with a good friend of ours up the trail, and had great conversation about being in touch with nature, spirituality, and community.  Hikes with friends are always the best places to have the deep philosophical conversations, surrounded by nature and Gaia, it's hard not to feel more of a connection to one's inner self and innocence.

The top of the trail has a wonderful bench on it, the perfect place for a quick rest, maybe some meditation if that is what you would like to do, and then the downward journey back to the trailhead.  There are a couple of flat clearings that allow for the great views of the ridgeline surrounding Pu'u Pia, and each one of these spots is peaceful, just calling out for you to take a moment to rejuvenate yourself. 

What I learned from this chaotic and busy month.  Enjoy time with those who matter most to you, and take the time to replenish yourself in the most natural setting you can find.  It doesn't have to be an earth shattering hike or journey to be able to find yourself becoming more grounded and in touch with the person you are and the potential you possess.  Surround yourself with a community of love and support, and you will be happy and thrive.

Until the next adventure!