Return to Pueo Falls

The Kona Low pressure system was still lingering around the islands like a bad cold, so I decided if you can’t beat them, might as well join them.

We all met up and parked at Lilyn’s friends place and took a group photo with the resident peacock perched in the tree behind us. These birds from India, first arrived to Hawaii during the mid-1800s and has since established feral populations on all the major islands. In 2009, a woman beat a peacock to death with a baseball bat in this same area. She was found not guilty. If you ever heard a peacocks assortment of sounds which ranges from screams, honking, cawing, calling, squawking, clicking, screeching and cooing, you would understand.

Waterfalls spilling off the mountains all around us. It was going to be a wet day.

Approaching the gated community of Mauna Olu Estates in the shadow of Kamaile’unu Ridge.

Fording the swollen stream.

The firefighter assisting the barefoot hikers who threw their shoes on the opposite bank so that their shoes and socks would stay dry. On a waterfall hike. Things that make you go hmmm.

Somebody was excited to find paria leaves in the wild.

Passing a lo’i kalo.

The nearby creek was cranking.

What lies behind that gate and can somebody grab my sunglasses?

Group photo in front of the best preserved Hawaiian temple on the island.

Wat? Just taking a picture of the colorful bird of paradise flower native to South Africa.

The running water was making deep cracks on the service road.

Straight from the tap. Unfiltered.

Holding hands so that if one gets swept away, they all go together. Teamwork.

Intro to mycology 101. Tremella fuciformis or snow fungus.

Waiting at the BWS pumping station.

One would be hard pressed to not find any manmade structure, active or abandoned, that has not been touched by graffiti. Scott would beg to differ.

Not taking our shoes off again?

I guess not.

This particular tree serves as a marker to turn up towards the ridge named after a primate that made it big in Hollywood.

Some stream are for crossing. Some are for sitting.

Crossing another stream. Who said there were only a few?

How do mushrooms grow? I’m glad you asked. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium, which are root like threads, are found underground and in decaying matter like dead trees. Damp and dark conditions promote the growth of mushrooms on the surface which releases spores to spread more colonies of mycelium. You didn’t ask?

Somebody earlier was worried that the falls might be dry upon arrival. Losing bet.

More stream crossings than you can shake a tabi at.

Dry.

Wet. Rinse. Repeat.

Fleshy shelf tree fungi.

Sighting of fungal fruiting bodies perhaps Marasmiellus hapuuae.

No pooling or harvesting of bananas today.

Looks like the same mushrooms you can find in your local supermarket. Don’t know if it’s edible though.

There’s more than one way to climb a tree. Some chose easy. Some chose hard.

Or don’t climb at all.

Not all those who wander are lost. But it sure looks like it. Let’s turn around. Besides, I’ve got a Dyson Vacuum to buy!

Scott scrambling up the moss and rain slicked rocks.

High pitched voices announced that the flowing falls was near. Two got lost. One stayed behind as falling rain in a confined space was not always conducive to a waterfall hike.

Approaching the roughly 1,000′ multi-tiered waterfall cascading down from Mount Ka’ala.

Following the rapidly moving stream as we made our way up the slippery slope.

Getting closer to the roughly 300′ base tier of the waterfall. The spray and force of the water was very palpable.

Brown water was less than white water.

Everybody got their 15 minutes of photographic fame.

Group photo at the base of the thundering waterfall.

The unrelenting rain forced our early departure so we made like the red sea and split.

Getting out of the stream and back onto the trail.

What goes up, must come back down faster.

Back and forth stream crossings.

Walking through coffee plants that were left behind by the former Waianae Coffee Plantation.

Must be a female thing.

Colony of fungi that seemed to almost completely cover the bark of the tree.

Wash day. Just don’t get washed away.

360 degree view of the 16th century Hawaiian temple that was dedicated to Lono, the god of Agriculture and Fertility.

Not the view you would want.

The sign marks the spot. Harvest time!

Last stream crossing of the day. Wet from top to bottom.

Walking out towards civilization. Playtime was over.

Somebody ruffled his feathers and she still wasn’t impressed. Our waterlogged hike in every sense of the word, covered a little over ten miles with a fun group. Post hike meal at Coquito’s. Hearty food for a hearty hike.

Photos taken by Chico Cantu, Jen Odence, Lilyn Avendano, Marilyn Bermudez, Scott Dea, Tessa Bugay, and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

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.

Tagged as: kaneaki heiau, makaha valley, mount kaala, pueo falls, waterfalls