Wahiawa Hills Exploration

I did a more inclusive hike this weekend. Somebody said I should do more of these. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Met up with Aida, Dale, Marilyn, Matt, Quan and Tessa in the city of pines.

We cut through the eucalyptus forest to start our hike.

Dale capturing the moving clouds rolling through the hills. Photo by Aida Gordon.

The group coming down the heavily rooted slippery slope.

Matt using the balancing shovel as he made his way across the log. Whatever works. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Going down the right (left) junction to stay on trail.

Dropping down to cross the longest stream on the island.

Fording the wide and shallow stream.

There’s a reason why this place is called Wahiawa Hills and not Flats. Photo by Marilyn Bermudez.

Hike down. Hike up. Repeat until your desired destination is reached. Photo by Marilyn Bermudez.

Detouring off the loop trail.

The sunlight poked holes through the dense forest canopy. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Descending our way down to the irrigation tunnel.

Watching our steps as the rocks underfoot were slick and shifting.

Matt wanted to explore further down the stream before wading into the tunnel. Lucky I brought my webbing along. Photo by Dale Yoshizu.

Thanks to Quan for letting me borrow her spikes for that added traction on that slippery log. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Exploring downstream that was cluttered with lots of trees that must have been swept down from the numerous flash floods that engorges the streams. Photos by Matt Vidaurri.

Dale and Marilyn tried their footing on the slick log as we climbed our way back up.

The water depth changed as we moved deeper into the tunnel, but the temperature remained constant. Cold. Ice cold. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Approaching the light at the end of the tunnel.

The poor man’s waterfall.

Matt the beaver worked his way through the tree branches blocking the gate to see what was on the other side.

Group photo left to right: Dale, Tessa, Marilyn, myself, Quan, Matt and Aida.

Some of us found it harder to leave than the others. The draw of the photoshoot was stronger than plunging back into ice cold water. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Aida approaching the end of the tunnel. Photo by Dale Yoshizu.

Tessa keeping all her goodies dry. Well not all of them. Photo by Dale Yoshizu.

When you don’t offer a helping hand, but give a stick instead.

Quan coming up the steep hill. Cardio hill has nothing on this one. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Dale had to leave the hike; but Ani, Cathy and Edgar joined the group at the top of the hill.

Behind the production scene. Photo by Ani Lagpacan.

Only Matt made the cut. The rest of us have to stay on the sidewalks.

I guess most of us are not getting our diplomas. Photo by Ani Lagpacan.

When the 2D and 3D worlds collide, expectations fail to meet reality.

Taking a break from the uluhe ferns that dominated the trail. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Ani approaching the over 100′ tower that was built in the 1920s.

Angles and perspectives.

Group photo in the Ku Tree Reservoir, left to right: Ani, Quan, Cat, Edgar, myself, Marilyn, Matt, Aida and Tessa.

Climbing out of the empty lake. Photo by Aida Gordon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9g9kVueNoI

Video by Edgar Gamiao of our valve tower exploration.

We picked up another hiker in the form of the forgetful hiker who met us at the top.

Somebody was making the most out of finding a gold ring.

The dancing stopped as soon as somebody realized there were no dollar bills being taken out.

We wanted to be all you can be; so we headed down the road to test our speed, endurance and agility. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Only one of us could monkey the bars. Two-way traffic on the balance beams. Somebody thought it was the place to practice their bachata moves.

The course evaluators relaxing in the shade. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Easy Peasy Japanesey. Being politically incorrect.

We all got over the bars in our own ways. Some more graceful than others.

Most of us swung around without any direction until we got stopped and then jumped to the ground. Not exactly how it’s supposed to be done. Matt the Hawaiian Ninja Warrior was the only one to tap the top.

How do you get up there?

Stretching those legs.

Nothing to see here. Move along. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Somebody wouldn’t have popped up early if there was machine gun fire over our heads. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Scrambling our way out of the hills.

Walking our way out. It’s still daylight! Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

I hear you knocking, but you can’t come out.

Our fun exploration day covered over seven miles in the rolling hills of Wahiawa that gave us cardiovascular and physical exercise all rolled up into one hike. Post hike meal at Chicken in a Barrel. I guess it’s all in how you say it.

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: kaukonahua stream, ku tree reservoir, obstacle course, underworld, valve tower, wahiawa hills