It was that time of year that we all gathered again to celebrate Mr. Lawrence Murray’s another year around the sun or is that rainbow?
Shout out to Aileen, Menchie, Mona and Sandra for arriving early to secure our spot and for decorating the picnic shelter.
The girls testing out the party blowers.
All those years working at Napoleon’s Bakery finally paid off.
The man of the hour, none other than Larambo or Rainbow Man arriving to his party.
Meet and greet.
Group photo by gender – she/her/hers.
Group photo by gender – he/him/his.
Group photo by mixed gender – they/them/theirs. Do PB&J identify as nonbinary?
Matt blessed our bounty of food and company.
We all enjoyed the grilled chicken (Andrew), Pork Adobo (Ferlino), Garlic Eggplant with Tofu (Christine/Scott), Dumplings (Sandra), Deviled Eggs (Allison), Poke (Maria/Mona), Pork Hash (Edgar), Pancit (Chris), Lumpia (Dale), Potato Salad (Leslie), Rice (Mona), cake and brownies (Mari), cold drinks (Chico/Allison) and paper products (Susan). Kanak attack. Who’s hiking after this?
Eating food and talking story.
A Cinderalla Story. If the Shoe Fits. Role reversal.
Birthday dance for the birthday boy with his birthday cake. Happy 80th birthday! Glad we got numbers instead of individual candles.
We took turns swinging at the rainbow pinata stuffed with bite sized candy with varying degrees of accuracy hampered by disorientation and temporary blindness. Thanks to Aileen for setting it up. The modern day pinata evolved from a blend of religious customs and pagan beliefs to the party favor that it is today.
A bunch of us split from the food group to set foot on the hiking trail established in the 1970s from land that originally was home to the OR&L Aiea Loop Railway that ran from 1898 to 1947.
Branching off from the loop trail as we made our way through thick stands of invasive strawberry guava trees whose dropped fruits invaded the air with its sweet and fruity smell.
Over and under.
Chico testing out the 138kv power lines that carries bulk electricity to the substations which further reduces it to 46kv and then reduces it to 120 volts for household consumption. It’s not the volts that kills you, it’s the amps.
We left the lemon scented eucalyptus trees and followed the mango tree down to the valley.
Descending down the steep trail with the help of webbing, trees and friends.
Jasmin squeezing her way through some of the trail “obstacles.”
Our stiff climb down was thankfully interrupted by the valley floor.
Mountain apples or ohi’a’ai were brought to the islands by seafaring Polynesians over 1,000 years ago. Considered bland in taste, it is still a refreshing trail snack.
Rock hopping our way up Kalauao Stream, which was barely trickling.
The only “climbing” I did all day.
When life gives you dry waterfalls, bring your own water.
Group photo at the stagnant pool and dry falls.
We soon contoured past the dry falls to make our way upstream to connect to a spur ridge after a little “exploration.”
Mari going under the “doorway” of a banyan tree.
Ferlino climbing and contouring his way around a downed tree.
Andrew next to the “copycat” rock.
Making our way up through the uluhe corridor as the ridge steadily took us out of the valley.
Are we there yet?
Our last group photo at the junction where the Kalauao Loop Trail, Aiea Loop Trail and Aiea Ridge Trail intersect.
Bench with a view.
We arrived back to the starting point to find out that birthday boy and church slut and others long since gone. I guess it was time to go home.
Our birthday hike covered 4.71 miles with good friends. Happy Birthday Laredo!
Thanks to everybody that came together to make Laredo’s special day. Mahalo to Aileen Agustin, Akira Suzuki, Andrew Green, Blaine’s mom and family, Chico Cantu, Christine Laforga, Chris Bautista, Dale Yoshizu, David Johnson, Edgar Gamiao, Ferlino Carinio, Jasmin Nepomuceno, Leslie Pelton, Mari Saito, Maria Neil, Matt Vidaurri, Menchie Bautista, Mona Guillermo, Sandra Walter, Scott Dea, and Susan Katz. Good times. Good laughs. Good memories.
Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.
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