Ka Ena Point- North Shore Side

At long last, I am back to hiking.  It is nice getting some fresh air and exercise, and Hawaii is the perfect place for that.


The day didn't start out well.  The hiking trail I wanted to do this morning on Schofield Barracks was closed due to training.  What kind of training you ask?

If you get this reference, then a virtual high five to you

Since I didn't want to get shot at or blowed up, I set out to find a different hike.  There were several in the area, but I wasn't prepared to be out all day or ascend 2000 feet using ropes.  I decided to try out a trail that I had started twice before but never finished.

This either means "show love to Ka Ena Point," or "I'm going to steal the valuables out of your car while you're out here."

Ka Ena Point is the western tip of Oahu.  It is about as far away from Waikiki as you can get and still be on this island.  It's also one of the best places to find solitude on an overcrowded island.

At one point in time, they tried to make a road that wrapped all around the point of the island, connecting the Waianae coast and the Hale Iwa north shore coast.  It was a good idea on paper, because the trip from Waianae to Hale Iwa is well over an hour, but is only a few miles as the crow flies.  Unfortunately, mother nature did not agree with this project and decided to sweep away part of the road using her strong ocean currents. The terrain is still passable most of the way using a 4WD vehicle, but it also makes for a spectacularly easy hike.

There are two ways to reach the point, from the west side or from the north side.  I have done the west side before, and it was a pretty incredible stroll along the coastline.  I have twice before attempted the hike from the north shore, and both times I was forced to turn around due to the crabbiness of a toddler.  Well, this time I was prepared (by that I mean without kids).

The trail itself is pretty plain.  As I said, it's a 4WD dirt road that you walk along.  You are treated to views of small mountains to the left, and a rocky ocean shoreline to the right.  There are several coves and lookouts that one can stroll to and along.  Some good views, but mostly nondescript.

The very end of the trail is a nature preserve.  It is somewhat of a bird sanctuary and a monk seal safe haven.  The below sign is posted at the gate to warn people of the dangers of bringing dogs to Ka Ena Point.  After looking at the sign, all I could think of was how much fun my dogs would have digging up the birds out of their holes.  I know, there is something wrong with me.

The terrain gets sandy once you enter the gate.  You walk past bushes and bird holes as you approach the navigational aid.  Next to the navigational aid there is a small, abandoned building.  I read a news story that some artist spray painted a mural on the wall, so that was one of the reasons I was thinking about this hike on this particular day.  The article also said the county considers this graffiti and has already painted over one of this guy's other works.

Now, I'm not really one for art, but I can appreciate what this guy can do with a can of spray paint.  If I tried to do something like this, I would just end up with a brownish blob of paint that roughly resembles the spaghetti stain my kids get on their clothes every time we eat Italian.

Just past the navigational aid is a rocky area where monk seals like to hang out.  I caught this little guy sunbathing while I was eating my snacks.

No Monk Seals were harmed in the production of this blog.

The crab, however, was delicious

While I was resting, I decided to play around with the 105mm macro lens that my dad sent me.  That basically means I can take really up close pictures of small objects.  This thing can really come in handy.

I have been reading books and watching videos by this photographer named Bryan Peterson.  He has a fantastic beginner photography book titled "understanding exposure," where he goes through the basics of exposure theory and makes it easy for the laymen to understand.  Bryan is also big into texture photographs. I decided to try my hand at a few of them while I was out there...

Purple pattern on one of the rocks

Rust on one of the metal boxes lining the nature preserve area

the last time I tried to make brownies

And with that I will leave you with more pictures from the hike.  Enjoy and Mahalo for reading!

The Kauai Frontier

Welcome to the thrilling conclusion to my Kauai blogilogy (blog trilogy).  In our last episode, our heroes were admiring the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and watching a beautiful sunset over Barking Sands.  This installment will cover the eastern and northern sides of the island.

Let me start by explaining the terrain on this part of the island is vastly different than the south/west parts due to the climate.  But isn't it all a tropical island?  It's not that big, how can it have different climates? Believe me, the windward side is much greener and wetter.   Due to the weather patterns, this part of the island gets more rain than the other side.  This means it's a lot greener and more lush.  It also means there are plenty of waterfalls to ogle.

We began our journey travelling to Lihue from Barking Sands, then heading north from there.  It's a fairly short but scenic drive up the coast to the major resort area of Princeville.  Just past Princeville, there is a fantastic scenic overlook that looks out into the valley below and the mountains in the distance.

As we were exploring the north coast, it started raining on us.  We didn't get to stop at many of the places we wanted to either because it was raining or because we couldn't find parking.  The lighthouse below was one that I really wanted to stop and photograph.  It was raining so hard that I just hopped out of the car, snapped a few quick ones, then hopped back in.

After a night's stay on this side of the island, we took some time to explore some nearby waterfalls.  These falls are so easily accessible that you literally park the car, walk 100 feet and you have a fantastic view.  It was again raining on and off, so we didn't linger too long taking photos.  

The highlight of the trip by far was the helicopter ride we took on the last day of our vacation.  It was just under one hour long, and it took us to many places that are inaccessible by land.  We saw many waterfalls (including the infamous Jurassic Park waterfall). We floated along the fabled Na Pali coastline, which is as amazing as promised.  We even flew into the crater of the volcano that formed Kauai (now a lush green landscape with flowing waterfalls).  I was a little worried about the kiddos, but the baby slept the whole flight, and the toddler was amused to be in a helicopter in the first place.  Here are some highlights.

We only spent one night on this side of the island, and I wish we were able to spend at least one more.  While I really enjoyed my time on the south and west parts of Kauai, I feel I had ample time to see everything there is to see there.  We barely scratched the surface of the east/north coasts.  At some point in my life, I will return to attempt the 11-mile hike (each way) along the Na Pali coast.  It truly is amazing to see.

Now I will leave you with some sunrise photos and an image of a tiki torch for no apparent reason.  Enjoy and Mahalo for reading.