Papali Ridge to Kaluanui Stream

Lilyn drove Art, Quan, Tessa and myself to the red tree town to chase waterfalls this weekend.

We walked our way down the road where sleeping dogs don’t lie.

Leaving the road for the hau tree trail.

Group photo at the bench, left to right: Art, Lilyn, myself, Quan and Tessa.

Switch backing our way to the ridge line.

Dancing for dollars. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Making our way up the hilly ridge.

We saw water trickling down a chute on the opposite ridge.

To pluck or not to pluck the wood ear mushrooms? Did we pack a pan for stir fry?

Getting as comfortable as we can amongst the mossy trees.

Quan arriving at the signed junction and mountain music provided by ELO.

Group photo by Tessa Bugay.

Going out on a limb. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

We left the junction behind us, but not the music.

Making our way up the grassy climb.

Climbing up the short and stiff hill. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Art the Redeemer.

Entering the 378 acres reserve that sprawls over the Windward mountains and valleys. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Lilyn making do with the fence when there’s no pole around. No dollars deserved this time. Imaginary or real.

Quan stepping over the gate as she held on tight to her dreams.

Going down the trail that has seen better days.

Who needs the beach? Photo by Art Young.

Heading down into the cloud soaked valley.

Is this what the real thing feels like? Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

“Strange Magic” floated through the mossy trees.

Lobelia plant sighted. Where is the resident botanist?

Crossing the stream to seek temporary sanctuary. Photo by Art Young.

All we want is a roof over our heads. A tent will do.

Rolling up the door as we sat on the wood floor and had our lunch before we headed down for stream exploration. I also found out that one of my slippers had fallen from my pack somewhere on the trail.

Our packs stripped to the bare essentials, we headed out.

Lilyn trying to move the rock out of the way. Not very successful, I might add. Photo by Art Young.

Rock hopping our way down stream.

Quan wading through the waters that are home to all five of Hawaii’s native fresh water fishes.

Lilyn at it again. Some people just don’t learn or they are forgetful.

If you can’t beat ‘em, sit on ‘em. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Waiting for the rest of the group to catch up. It was serenely peaceful as the waters gurgled around my legs and the cloud soaked valley dampened the sounds and amplified them at the same time.

We came around the bend and found ourselves at the top of the gushing waterfall. It was quite a sight, a feast for the visual and auditory senses.

Climbing down to the base. Photo by Art Young.

Lilyn spotting Quan coming down.

Everybody getting wet. The power of the falls was visibly felt as the water spray kept us at a safe distance.

Group photo at the twin waterfalls. An uncommon view from my last time here, when the falls were barely flowing.

“I don’t want to get wet” said the already wet hiker. Photo by Art Young.

Heading down stream.

Step on that spot. The one covered by water.

Catching a side waterfall on our way down stream.

The girls climbing down with Art’s tangled webbing. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Taking the higher ground as the water coursed its way through the jumbled rocks.

The end of the stream for us as the waters kept cascading over the rocks and into a series of pools before eventually feeding Kaliuwa’a or Sacred Falls.

Group photo. Glad we made it this far.

It was time to head back, before we lost the daylight hours. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Tessa with one of many white hibiscus flowers that populated the stream banks. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Climbing back up the side of the small waterfall. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Tick tock. Time waits for no hiker. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

The girls contouring around a mudslide in the stream.

Approaching the twin falls. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Heaven forbid that we forget to take the butt grabbing photo. Somebody was half-assed.

Climbing back up the muddy hill. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Making our way back upstream as the weather conditions favorably improved. Photo by Art Young.

Approaching the cabin after hours of rock hopping.

We all wished Lilyn a Happy Birthday with a cupcake in a cup topped off with a ghetto candle. Art can relate.

Good morning from the best campsite ever. Well, that’s what somebody said. The area had taken a heavy pounding from rain showers that swept the valley last night. So we decided to scuttle the original exit plan and go back down the same way we had come up.

We swept out the cabin and left with nicknames, some old and some new. All wrapped up in kindness and fun company.

Slip sliding our way across the stream. Pays to have spikes on. Photo by Art Young.

Heading back into the “magical” forest.

Going up the not so magical overgrowth on the trail.

What are we looking at? Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Looking at the meadows, ridges and valleys carved out of Mother Earth. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Is it 1 hr? Or 1 hr 5 minutes? Somebody needs to be exact. Photo by Art Young.

Leaving the fence line behind us as we went down the trail.

Tessa approaching the small saddle known as “the pig wire.”

Do you need a spot? A spot of tea perhaps.

Group photo in the field of flowers. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Not sure if we are going the right way as the sign is upside down.

Are we there yet? Photo by Art Young.

Running across three hikers ascending the ridge. One of them was barefoot, whose shoes were left further down the ridge. A bit further. Art also found my slipper on the trail. Now my pair was complete.

Winding our way down through the stand of paperbark trees.

Lilyn trying to catch up to hear the ELO music on our way down to the bench.

Wash day in the stream that rarely flows as we saw 37 Hawaiian flags fluttering above us.

Getting back on the road where we bumped into a group that was clearing the surrounding areas that had covered an heiau in this ancient fishing village. We chatted with the group and a sweet talking woman who gave us an abbreviated version of the local history and even got some pineapples as a refreshing treat. Mahalo.

One of our best camping hikes ever covered 9.2 miles through pristine wilderness, raging waterfalls and verdant vistas all around. Some of us just can’t get it of our heads, the music that is and not the priceless memories we took away. Post hike meal at North Shore Tacos where indoor seating trumped over the lack of outdoor seating at Papa Ole’s. The expensive food coupled with mediocre customer service failed to win us over, the pineapple drink notwithstanding. A most memorable camping hike with good friends.

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.

Tagged as: hauula, kaliuwaa falls, kaluanui stream, maakua ridge trail, papali ridge, water falls