I joined Tom’s hike along with Chris, Glenn, Justin, Rebecca and Thessa to explore a waterfall tucked deep at the base of Mount Ka’ala.

Valley hike

We started off hiking up a paved road in a remote Leeward Valley. Overshot the junction just to put in some extra cardio.

Stream crossing

Multiple stream crossings in the lush verdant valley.

Heiau

Hawaiian temple restored to it’s 17th century details.

Cloudy mountain

Clouds rolling in between the ridges.

No name peak

Somebody give it a name already. Tom pointed out Razor’s Ridge. One day.

Where?

There!

Good flow

Bog fed stream.

Tree of life

Between a rock and a tree. Or something like that.

Hear that?

We could hear the waterfall spilling off the summit of Ka’ala.

Bushwhacking ahead

Kid gloves are off. Or on? It wasn’t that bad.

Pueo falls

We gained roughly 3,000′ in elevation from the valley floor to the base of the waterfall.

Up close and personal

Looking up at the multi-tiered 1,000′ waterfall dropping off the highest mountain on the island. Photo by Tom Engle.

Good flow

Group photo at Pueo Falls left to right: Tom, Rebecca, myself, Thessa, Chris, Glenn and Justin.

Looking back

The falls feeding the stream that flows down the valley. Photo by Tom Engle.

How does this focus work?

The freezing four.

Mahalo

365 days a year. Photo by Tom Engle.

Uncommon fruit

Purple lilikoi.

Banana Falls

Rebecca couldn’t get enough of being wet. Photo by Tom Engle.

Pigs?

A couple hunting dogs checked us out and went back into the bushes.

Green mangoes

Shoyu. Vinegar. Chill. Eat.

Which one?

The human mango picker. The meandering valley hike covered 10.92 miles through multiple stream crossings and minor bushwhacking with a majestic waterfall payoff at the end. Post hike meal at Tacos and More. Red? Green? Separate checks? Make my life harder. When does Makaha Gene come in?