Puu Pia Trail

I finally realize that I cannot effectively manage 6 blogs plus a Facebook and an Etsy account. My Artsy blog hasn't been updated for 2 months now, which ultimately affects my Etsy account because no art means nothing to sell. I have also failed to update the Pediatric Basketball blog with the more recent games. What have I been doing the past 2 months? I have no idea! I guess I just wasn't in the blogging mood with everything that is going on.  I am also sneezing up a storm this morning, which I blame on the vog (volcanic ash from the Big Island). 

I have been wanting to share this amazing hike that took place in March. Bryan and I have always loved Manoa Valley and will jump on any opportunity to hike the trails that allow us to explore the beauty of the valley. Puu Pia Trail starts above Woodlawn and ends at the top of a puu (hill) with a 360 degree view of Manoa. The trail is mostly gently sloping with occasional steep ascends / descends. The photo below attempts to show the steep and rooty parts of the trail.  

Near the beginning of the trail were bunches of hilo holly that I originally thought were Christmas Berry, which has thinner leaves. I love the rich red color of the berries.

Half way up the trail, we were surrounded by beautifully arched Eucalyptus trees. Though it was sprinkling a bit, we were well protected even if heavy rain fell.

Near the top of  the puu, we had a great view of the back of Manoa Valley. 

We walked a little further up and saw that the trail was suffocated with Fiddlewood. Though a major weed in the Koolau Mountains, a closer look at the string of tiny white flowers makes the weed look almost beautiful and wanted. 

Ah! We were at the top of the puu, looking at Honolulu city from the back of Manoa Valley.

Here is a closer look at the houses in Manoa. Bryan took this picture and he did a great job!

I stitched five photos together to create panorama of the Koolau Mountains that surround Manoa Valley. You can also see a little bit of the trail that leads to the puu. 

On the way back, Bryan stopped to poison himself with more delicious bug spray. When he was done, he almost stepped on this poor little toad who was enjoying his bask under the warm sunlight. Look! He gave Bryan a stink eye! 

After the hike, we went to refuel at Genki. We took this video for our great friends, Ryan, Emily, and Poki. Enjoy!

Green Heaven

One fine day, we decided to visit our favorite Ho`omaluhia Botanical Garden. So much has happened and so much more will happen at this special place. I could almost imagine myself at 90 years old (lucky I live that long), sitting beside the lake with my old old husband, reminiscing of the good ol' romantic years while enjoying the beautiful and peaceful scenery surrounding us. How wonderful to lie on the grass and let the soft wind lift all the worries and stress off our shoulders. Everyone needs a bit of green heaven.

On our weekend excursion, we discovered a small park near Ho`omaluhia.  Heeia State Park is not much as seen on the trail map, until you do a little exploring of your own. A short walk to the opposite side of the park is set of stairs that lead to a secluded area, that some tidying could transform it into a cozy wedding ceremony site. The arched trees form a passageway to a mangrove beach.    

The water was quite calm and clear. With the carpet leading to the beach, we were sure some lucky person found this gem and made this his special escape.

Aiea Loop Trail

As promised, here are my fabulous photos from the Aiea Loop Trail. This is one of my favorite hikes because it is a loop (if you have been on a 4 mile one-way hike, that's 8 miles round-trip, then you know loop hikes are awesome!), peaceful (rather secluded and quiet despite its proximity to the H3 highway), safe (you can walk without looking down and worrying about tripping or falling down a cliff), and interesting (slanted trees, sleepy hollow, colorful flowers). Our good friends came back from Baltimore and they invited us to go on this hike. Although it took us 4 hours to complete this hike, we had a wonderful time. We made up lyrics as we sang them, told jokes that no other would find funny, spread rumors about raspberry plants along the trail, and made up stories on trees eating people (wait, that was just me).  

Here are some cool dead trees we saw along the trail. They are hollow, hence sleepy hollow. Well, they are not creepy ... just hollow wood and ... hollow wood reminds me of sleepy hollow for no reason at all. I am full of irrational thoughts, or BS for short.

How about these slanted trees shaped by the winds and the sun. When you look at them, don't you want to slant with them to blend in?

[left] Weird tree with a tumor. [Right] Mutualism is amazing. Bryan says the big tree is being strangled by the little. Why can't people think positively? Two plants can co-exist without killing each other, just like how Bryan and I can co-exist without me killing him.

Trees dancing along the trail. How is it that some trees just decide to go coo coo and grow all over the place? 

Beautiful colorful flowers along the trail. Any idea what these plants are? Oh how I miss taking these shots.

Ryan and Bryan had this crazy idea to hike with a ginormous dead tree. What the heck, right? I think they were a little too tired to act rationally. So insane but incredibly hilarious.

Hiking in Makiki

Since I work for the State, I had Election Day off. Yipee! I really needed the day off as I was still recovering from the Maui field visits. Guess what I did to help me recuperate? I went hiking. STUPID Choo! Back in July, we hiked the Makiki Valley Loop Trail. This trail and many others (17 total) are part of the Honolulu Mauka Trail System (see map below). The highlighted areas indicate trails that HappyOblivion and I have already hiked.

The colors indicate separate trips. If I remember correctly, we hiked the Waahila, Puu Pia, and Kolowalu Trails shortly after we moved to Hawaii. Then, we hiked Manoa Falls and Aihualama Trails maybe 3 years ago. In July, we did the Makiki Valley Loop Trail. This past Tuesday, we decided to tackle the three trails that overlook Nuuanu Valley. I loved the hike. There were couple places where we needed to use a rope to help us climb over gigantic rocks. Fantastic views at the top. See for yourself. Make sure to read the notes for each photo.

East Maui Trip 2

Last week Monday to Wednesday, I was back in East Maui doing field work. Our crew went to the same locations to measure flows again, and again, and again ... zzzzz. WHICH IS why we had the most fun on Wednesday, when we had no agenda to follow, nobody to meet, just us and our best friend the 4WD vehicle. Since we had a LONG day on Tuesday - 7AM to 1AM (18 hour day and no kidding), we started our Wednesday at 8AM with a huge delicious breakfast (so glad it wasn't at McDonald's or 7 Eleven). I had teri loco moco with a super ono gravy. We took our time to get everything ready for our long trip to the Hana side. By 11AM, we were at Wailuanui Stream, making our way to the top of Waikani Falls. On the previous trip, we had walked down from the bridge to the stream. However, we didn't hike beyond the pond because it was getting dark. This time, we were determined to find Waikani Falls, a waterfall that all the Wailua farmers have been talking about.

The hike was treacherous. We were hopping over boulders, hoping we don’t take a wrong step and sprain our ankle. Instead of swimming across the pond, I climbed the side of the mountain to get to the other side. The photo below was taken right after I crossed the pond. Can you see me?

This was the view in front of me. Almost there, I can see the drop!

Finally! The top of Waikani Falls. The view there is amazing but scary because the drop is huge. We all took a butt load of pictures to commemorate the rocky hike.

In a week, I will be back on Maui for more field work. Different streams, different public. It will be interesting.

Makiki Valley Loop Trail

To continue our weekend of fun as partial sickies, we decided to go on a relatively easy hike. We chose the Makiki Valley Loop Trail which turned out to be a perfect hike for a hot and humid day. The trail began as a nature walk with a small collection of native Hawaiian plants along the trail. Then a wall of green (see picture below) opened our eyes to some of the most amazing scenes that are even more beautiful when seen from up close (as opposed to the freeway).

We love the trail because of the canopy that protected us from the intermittent rain and the ever shining sun. The mountain is covered with different species of plants, which gave us a pleasant surprise with every step we took. Oh yeah and we had to watch our step, otherwise we could've tripped on the intertwining tree roots that carpeted the forest floor.
  
On our way back, a small section of the stream caught my eye as it was bordered by an eclectic array of plants with leaves of varying shapes. There are the broad-heart shaped leaves of the taro and the broad-elongated leaves of the ti. There are also small nickel sized leaves like those of mini roses, star shaped leaves like those of sweet potato, narrow-elongated leaves like those of a bamboo, and the fan shaped leaves that resembles a green flower. I love this picture so much I nominated it to be the newest Pigture Champ.

Kuliouou Trail

Pictures from my most recent hiking trip at Kuliouou Trail, Oahu.

Bird in Wind

You know what's worse than being in an elevator where someone just farted? Well, being in an elevator with a couple, both wearing strong perfume. I have never felt so helpless with nowhere to escape for 10 dreadful floors. Not to offend anyone wearing perfume but if you do, little will do the job. Don't go drowning yourself in that chemical.

April is such a great month. Why? Well for starters, it's my birthday (details to come). April is also Earth Month, Ben & Jerry's birthday (thus free cone day), and Baskin Robbins' 31 cent ice cream day. To celebrate Earth Month, I volunteered at the Mauka to Makai Expo at Waikiki Aquarium on the 12th. At the event, I took a picture with an oopu (native Hawaiian fresh water fish) and a humuhumunukunukuapuaa (unofficial Hawaii state fish). Malama o Manoa had free tree giveaway the following weekend to encourage the planting of native species. HappyOblivion and I got a Mamaki tree, a palm, and a curry plant. I was lucky to have gotten the last Mamaki tree. Can't wait to make tea out of it, which is said to give the "buzz" without caffeine (people are crazier than I thought). This past weekend, I went to the Grow Hawaii Festival at Bishop Museum. At the native plants tour, I learned so many interesting stories about each plant that I wish I took notes. I also got a taste of the most delicious poi on Earth! Fresh poi is like taro mochi, chewy and sweet :) After the festival, we went on a short hike to Manoa Falls with some friends visiting from the mainland. Check out my Flickr account and Garden webpage for pictures and stories.

One of the exciting things that happened last week was capturing the next "Pigture Champ". I have always enjoyed watching the wind blow at the feathers of a bird. When I wait for the bus or sit at the park, I often find myself searching for cute poofy birds with messy feathers. At the Byodo-in Temple, I squatted quietly behind a tree just to take the picture below.

I absolutely love this picture. You can see that the wind has created a mohawk for the little birdie. The body also has a couple poofy parts. Aww, the wind has touched my heart.

In a PINCH!

~Sigh...I finally maxed out my Flickr account. My photostream will only show the most recent 200 photos I uploaded and disregard the rest. Hmmm, debating whether to upgrade the account and pay the stinkin' $25 a year or revisit Picasa, which I have neglected since I signed up with Flickr. Decisions decisions decisions, Choo-san PINCH! Suggestions are welcome.

I have been too busy lately to blog about my recent Aiea Loop Trail hike. Looking back, it was more like a walk in the park than a hike, except the last half mile when we did some trail running so we could finish before darkness spooks us all. Hiking in the dark would not have seemed so scary if my friend hadn't mention angry trees eating people alive, or hikers disappearing into the forest and never return. [shiver] Best not to think about it, yeah? Anywho, we were lucky to have hiked this trail in the late afternoon because we were all mesmerized by the soft rays of light seeping between the tall slender trees. My friend took a picture of the canopy dancing under the beautiful blue sky. We also saw an area full of mini Christmas trees with a color so green it made the trees look fake. Half way down the trail we could see H3 escaping into Halawa Valley. My favorite photo from this hike is the one on the left.

HappyOblivion and I have been spending a great deal of time saving Toad in SuperMario Galaxy for the past week. We played at least 2 hours a day and sometimes 4! We paid the price in the last two days when we were so pooped out we fell asleep watching the UEFA Championship games. I couldn't even wake up for work so I went to work one hour later than usual. So pathetic...who knew saving Toad could literally drain the life out of us. Gotta go, we have to go save Mailtoad now.

Lethargic

Ah, "crazy"...that's the word to describe this past week. I am still trying to remember what kept me from strangling everyone around me. I am sure some of you may have heard this from me either in person or via email, but I can't help thinking that reiteration might aid in restoring the vitality that was slowly drained out of me every minute I spent writing, reading, editing, and formatting five very important documents that were finally mailed out today, hopefully...maybe. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. However, as I have told one of my good friends, "Loving your job is one thing, working 10-11 hours a day and working through lunch for a week is another." Also consider all the misc. things one does everyday but couldn't, e.g. house chores, calling family, laundry, cooking, and blogging. Honestly, I am completely pooped out. The worse was Tuesday when I came home at 6:30 p.m. and didn't get to swim. I was going insane and my body was itching to jump in the pool until the next day, I was determined to swim however late I came home, which was 6 p.m. so I swam until dinner time. I must thank HappyOblivion as he was a great help in cleaning the house, cooking dinner, and washing the dishes, while I was desperately trying to stay awake enough to brush my teeth. For those that usually return home much later than 6 because of commute, don't blame me. Your fault that you live far from work. Ok, I feel good now that I have made some enemies, caught up with my life in my blog and with those that read this blog.

So, funny story. I think it was this past Sunday that I decided to go for a "short run" because the pool was closed. I asked HappyOblivion if he wanted to join me and he did. As I was getting ready, he looked up this mysterious trail that goes from UH to St. Louis Heights. Before we left, he confirmed that the trail was short and that there was nothing to worry about. Well, there went our Sunday evening. Stupid us kept on hiking and hiking until we reached the top because otherwise, we wouldn't be satisfied until we had done so. The trail was beautiful, hot, and slippery (dry dirt). We passed by a huge BWS water tank, couple dare devils, and a college student we wanted to follow because she had a cell phone. Yes, we were desperate and didn't know how long before dark it was going to take to reach the top! Finally we did and it was a nice park we had been before, but by car...unsurprisingly the NORMAL way. Anywho, the walk back down was dreadful because the roads were steep. Our knees were achy when we finally returned home. The hike took us 2.5 hours and hence, my "short run". Sorry, no pigtures because I had meant to go on a "short run" so I didn't bring a camera.

Koko Head Crater Stairs

This hike was all frakin' stairs...STAIRS! Some parts were scary because it was more like a bridge. I didn't count the number of steps but my legs were definitely shaking on the way down. We saw this fit and healthy asian girl jogging up and down the entire length TWICE! The time it took her to go twice roundtrip, we weren't even at the bottom yet. Her boyfriend (or so we assumed) was dark and buff. Bryan and I joked we would never be like them simply because we exercise to eat whereas they exercise to be healthy, and not to mention the good looking bods.


November 11, 2007. Koko Head Crater hike.

Kahana Valley

Looking back at my photo collection, I discovered two months of my life that I had completely forgotten, probably because I was frantically getting ready for my trip as well as preparing for my first day of work. Before the vacation (early September), we did a hike at Kahana Valley on the North Shore. I died many times on that hike as the frakin' razor grass was relentless in trying to carve out my skin. Every "ouch" was followed by profanity, then threats to kill my friend who convinced me the hike was "moderately easy". Then he tells stories of night marchers in the valley and that he had seen them before. If one of these night marchers see you, you die. Myth or truth, I definitely wasn't thrilled at the idea of bumping into one. I actually thought of hiding in the bamboo grove but then the bugs would get me. Despite the razor cuts and the ghost scare, the hike was fantastic! The forest was calm and filled with sounds of bamboo wavering in the gentle breeze. Bryan wanted a bamboo so he picked up a plant that looked like baby bamboo but was actually a baby razor grass that is now growing in my lanai. The fun part was hiking with poki, my friend's dog that I absolutely adore. I want to thank my friends for inviting me to this hike because it prepared me for the more strenuous hikes at work (to be blogged later).


Giant taro plant...NOT!


One of the river crossings.


Poki :)


Another river crossing.


Sea turtle at Lanikea Beach.

What the Devil!

Last 4 days were hectic. On Monday we hiked the 5 mile long Hawai'iloa trail. It took us approximately 4 hours roundtrip. There were so many beautiful vegetation along the trail. Most interesting was I spotted 2 orchids growing next to a rock. Since one of them looked like it was dehydrated and almost dying, I took it home and potted it. Since then I continued to flower beautifully :) I also took some strawberry guava cuttings with me but I think they all died. Oooops! Below are some pictures we took.

On Tuesday, we had to get ready for a retreat on the island of Molokai. We left in the late afternoon, took a 25 minute plane ride and arrived on the island around 4PM. The island was very peaceful and quiet. The sky was clear and stars were prominent. Ocean was sparkling blue and the air smelled fresh. Even though the island was larger than Lanai, it only took us 1.5 days to tour the entire island. It was fun spending a few days away from the busy streets of Oahu. Pictures below.
Coconut Grove

Papohaku Beach - 7 mile long

Moaula Falls

Halawa Valley Bay
Coming back to Oahu was not as I expected. It was very windy and even rainy. Then the dental appointment did not go very smoothly. I have 2 frakin' bilateral cavities, grrrr! They are not the kiddie ones either - hole on the top of the tooth. The stupid germs chewed up the front side of my two upper back teeth. I feel so depressed now. I thought eating less candies as an adult would protect me from the devils. My cavities are from floride in Hawaii waters, halo halo desserts, and little flossing. Crap, now I am going to pay for it. No pictures here.