Wailua Headwaters (Blue Hole)

I was invited to an outer island hike organized by Scott and guided by Rito, that was attended by a total of 11 fellow hikers.

We flew into Lihue and met up with the others in our party, collected our rental jeeps and drove to the local Foodland to gather our food and drinks for the day.

Our jeeps still in 2WD, we came across a new bridge being built near Keahua Arboretum. Stopped in our tracks, talks of the hike ending prematurely floated around until Rito spoke to the workers who soon let us pass.

The primeval forest shading us on our bumpy ride to the trailhead.

Splish, splash, the jeeps were taking a bath. Mud bath. Photo by Theresa Youn.

Welcome to Jurassic World. All that was missing was the sign. Fill in with your imagination. 4WD country from this point. A rough ride was in store for us. Much to Rito’s delight.

Group photo at the trailhead, with the summit of Mount Waialeale soaring 5,148′ in the background, left to right: Madelene, Amanda, Rito, Wendy, Marcus, Brian, Will, Scott, myself, Theresa, George and Matt.

Radio check. Let’s follow the ribbons. Oh wait, there are no ribbons. Let’s follow Rito instead.

Out of season. No trail snacks for us today.

Matt relaxing in the stream. All he needed to do was fart and he would have his own personal jacuzzi. Photo by Brian Connors.

Taking the side trail to the left …

… switching to the side trail on the right. Back and forth. Theme of the day.

Rito leading the way. Photo by Brian Connors.

“Help. I’m stuck in the mud and can’t get out.” When a plant won’t do, Will’s helping hand will do.

Looking back as we traveled deeper into the valley and leaving civilization far behind.

The group approaching Guardian Falls. Photo by Amanda Knauf.

Matt took the cold plunge and swam to the base of the three waterfalls. Three?

The third waterfall off to the side. Photo by Amanda Knauf.

We soon contoured to get above the falls and picked up the trail again.

The tabi footed group rock hopping along the stream.

Will and Amanda passing one of many side streams spilling into the main stream.

Looking back at Matt as the canyon walls seemed to contract closer behind him, seemingly further isolating us from the outside world.

Waterfalls in the distance. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

We soon gained higher ground as we left the gurgling stream below us.

Waterfalls were seemingly sweating out of the pores of the mountains. Lack of rain prevented us from seeing the full waterworks effect.

We will be back.

Marcus passing through our one and only gate.

As we crested the hill, our destination popped into sight.

We have company. Helicopters brought aerial gawkers at regular intervals. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

The group making their way down the eroded trail.

Panoramic photo by Will Braitsch.

Closing the distance to the inner gorge. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

The group getting up close and personal to the wrap around cliff that is fed by springs and water draining from the summit.

Far group photo. Can you see us?

Close group photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Playing misty for myself. I failed to look up to see the “blue hole” effect.

Panoramic view of probably one of the oldest rocks in the islands by Matt Vidaurri.

We took our leave of the wall of cascading water and started to stream out of the gorge.

The helicopters continued to descend with the clouds in tandem.

Perhaps we should have plucked one of these red flowers as we were looking for a shower, but not a storm.

We are back. Jumping, sliding and splashing. Some of us. The rest of us were content to stay dry and dirty.

Making our way out of the gorge.

Tip or not to tip? Where is the caveman when you need him?

Cramps and mustard do not mix well with George.

Scott refreshing himself under the cold, flowing falls.

The group heading back down the stream.

Theresa using momentum to avoid getting bogged down in the mud.

Rock hopping across the stream.

Leaving the bamboo forest behind us.

Washing our muddy bottoms, shoes and spikes at the weir.

We returned to our jeeps and cracked open ice filled coolers to gather our beverage of choice to slake our collective thirst. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Blue 1, 2 and 3 going over the rutted road and returning us to civilization. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Post hike meal was originally supposed to be at the iconic Hamura Saimin. Standing room only. So we moved next door to Lihue Barbecue Inn. Hmmm. No barbecue items on the menu. Oxtail soup it is. Some of us sampled the Wailua water collected by Matt while we waited for our food in the bustling restaurant. Fun day spent with old and new friends. It was also another kind of day. Happy Birthday Amanda.

Note: I have been made aware the 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.

Tagged as: blue hole, guardian falls, jurassic park gate, kauai, kehau stream, mount waialeale, wailua headwaters, waterfalls, weeping wall