Hike Club floats, eats and leaves

Sadly no hike this week, but kayaking right off the beach at HCHQ helped make up for it. And we’ve proven that Moksha floats! Papillons are supposed to hate the water, and while I wouldn’t say that he loves it, he tolerates it well. I’m not sure if he enjoys swimming or is terrified or a little of both…

We followed up kayaking with a foray to my new favorite watering hole. OK, now I know this isn’t sophisticated, but I’m serious. Where in Honolulu can you find a huge bar with dark wood and chandeliers and sofas and a trivia machine, except…. The Spaghetti Factory?! We were drawn there by a craving for starch and cheese and a certain lightness of the wallet. We’ll go back to sprawl on the sofas with a $15 bottle of sangiovese and to maintain our high score on the trivia machine.

Hike Club and a Half

All the way around the rim of Koko Crater!

Koko Crater in Hawaii Kai is a striking landmark, holding the Koko Crater Botanical Garden in its basin. Circling the rim of Koko Crater is like doing two very different hikes. The ocean side ridge of the crater is somewhat challenging in spots but features superlative views along the entire ridge and overall is a great hike. (Some people approach the ridge from Halona Blowhole, but this brings you out a good way along the crater rim toward the top. If you approach from the Botanical Garden in the center of the crater, you can climb the entire ridge from the beginning.)

At the highest edge of the crater rim the trail meets up with the top of the “Koko Head Stairs.” The inland side of the crater rim from the stairs back down to the Botanical Garden isn’t really a trail at all – just a scramble along a narrow and treacherous ridge with a precipitous drop-off on both sides. While it is satisfying to have met the challenge of circling the entire crater and surviving, I can’t really recommend the inland crater rim experience. Not only is it death-defying, but the view is relatively uninteresting. And you are likely to get yelled at by the botanical garden’s guard for your trouble! Do it if you must, but I reserve the right to say, ” I told you so.” I must admit that Hike Club feels a little proud for having done it…

Waimano Pools with HTMC

This is a great hike and a great place to swim under a waterfall. Can’t believe we haven’t done it sooner! The trailhead is in Pearl City, way up at the end of Komomai Road. This is an old residential neighborhood, full of modest 1950’s houses. As I went further and further up the road I started thinking, “Why would anyone live here? It isn’t close to ANYTHING.” Well, it is at least close to one of the prettiest waterfalls on Oahu.

The trail follows an old road for a bit and then takes off down a big hill criss-crossed by tangled tree roots. From there it is pretty much just down, down, down for a few miles. A little mud. Some nice orchids. A really huge mango tree at a recently-used campsite. And the big payoff at the end is a series of three pools with two waterfalls, a larger one at the top and a smaller one below.

The uphill climb on the way back (after a dip in freezing cold water) makes you feel like you really earned your beer.