Tag: trail

Mau’umae Trail aka Lanipo Trail

Posted on Posted in Hawaii, Koolau Mountains, mua'ame, oahu, Oahu HikesTagged , , 1 Comment

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Mau’uamae trail is also known as the Lanipo trail and can be found atop Wilhelmina Rise.  Look for the Maunalani Loop at the top, find the fenced, No Tresspassing, water board area and look along the right side of the fence for the trail head.  This trail is 3.3 miles to the peak for a total of 6.6 round trip.  It does connect with the Ko’olau Summit Trail, so you may add to the hike by following the KST to another location.  This hike is quite pleasant for the first mile with gorgeous and close up views of Palolo Valley and the Mu Ryang Sa Korean Buddhist Temple.  There are also distant views of Honolulu, the airport, Diamond Head, and Kahala.  After the bench, which is about .7 miles in, the path quickly becomes trickier.  The day I went the path was so overgrown that pants were definitely a necessity.  I thought I could cheat with long socks, but pants would’ve been much better.  Technically, this path is rated “hard”.  I didn’t find the elevation gain difficult, there are several bouldering spots and some rope sections, but the hardest challenge is in the over grown trail.  The ferns are so tall and thick that it is impossible to see where you are planting your feet, so tromping through the mud is inevitable.  I recently tracked 500 miles in Spain and thought my hiking shoes were still good because there are no holes in them, however I noticed rather quickly that I have very little tread left.  Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my micro spikes either, so I was slipping and sliding everywhere!  I did appreciate the gorgeous day and further up the trail you get great views of Ka’au Crater and the third waterfall on the Ka’au trail.  This is a nice ridge hike close to town with three peaks to climb over, scented pine groves, and grand vista’s. However, the challenges from the bushwhacking and mud, in my honest opinion, made for a not so comfortable trek!  I will be traveling here again, for it is very close to my house, but most likely will be turning around once I reach the second grassy knoll, at about 1.5 miles.  If your up for a challenge, go for it, but wear pants, bring plenty of water, have good tread on your shoes, and maybe bring a small machete!  Hike on my friends!

 

Hamama Falls

Posted on Posted in Hawaii, oahu, Oahu Hikes, windward sideTagged , , ,

Aloha friends!  I’m sure most of you have been to or heard of Hamama Falls.  This is a super easy 3 mile round trip trail located on Honolulu Water Board property in Kaneohe.  Please obtain a permit to be a good upstanding legal citizen before embarking on this adventure.  I’ve probably completed this trail 6 or 7 times, and love all the diversity in scenes and photo opportunities!  Chilly creeks, banyan tree forts, Jurassic Park scenes, Tag art, nature and of course WATERFALLS can be found on this adventure.  Having heard there was a second falls off the trail, I had never actually located Waihe’e falls until this visit!  Woohoo!  Another beautiful waterfall, chased and caught!  I am not going to divulge where this trail is exactly, for I prefer that fewer folks know how to get to a trail, for I appreciate enjoying my experience without the presence of many other people, like the crowded Lulumahu or Manoa Falls, for example.  This was an excellent morning spent and enjoyed with peaceful company.  I especially loved sticking my head under Hamama Falls with a stranger, finding a new waterfall and the rope section next to the cascading Waihe’e Falls.  Please enjoy the gallery of ShannonJammin’ Photography, plus two of me taken by Jaqueline Hansen, of my most recent waterfall adventure.  Contact me to make arrangements for your custom guided photography or hiking adventure!  Mahalo and remember “Malama Honua!”

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Likeke Falls

Posted on Posted in Hawaii, likeke falls, Oahu Hikes, pali highwayTagged , 2 Comments

Now having successfully trekked to Likeke Falls a second time, I wanted to combine the photos from my three visits to this beautiful destination.  The photo gallery slideshow includes yesterdays visit August 2018, then my first successful look at the falls in May 2018, and the visit in June 2017 where we didn’t quite make it to our destination.  This hike can start a number of ways.  Each time I’ve started at the Pali Lookout and ventured down the Old Pali Road.  I now know how to reach this hike from the Ko’olau Golf Club, which is considerably shorter but you don’t get the awesome views from the old Pali or see all the Graffiti artwork under the bridge.  This visit we were greeted by a new friend Roy, a retired Fireman who worked with search and rescue for 30 years, and his Chocolate Lab Ki’i.  He lived in the area and provided us with extra insights to the trail and area, plus showed us the way to the Golf course trail; the easy route.   Yesterday’s visit was quite nice for I took new friends, one was visiting from Wisconsin, and it’s so fun to experience the trails with newcomers who open your eyes to more of the wonderful things that you haven’t noticed lately due to familiarity.  Around every turn she was taking photos of the beautiful elephant leaf ferns to simple little morning glory flowers and we showed her the sleeping grass.

Sleeping Grass

We went on a sunny clear day after an awesome breakfast a Koko Head Cafe.  This visit to Likeke was more crowded than the last but it is summertime!  Looking back through my photos from all visits reminds me that even though I do many of these hikes over and over, there’s always something new to see and experience.  The first visit in 2017, Jacci and I didn’t make it to Likeke Falls but found this other mini falls that we mistook for the right one.  We were on the right path but just needed to venture a little further!  It’s fun comparing the pictures, the large graffiti has changed under the bridge, and the “mascot” has much more flair!  My second visit with Jackie was a much needed respite, for it was the first hike I did after a rather traumatic experience & I was so grateful for the quiet time in nature with a new friend and outdoor lover.  This valley is amazing, full of so many tropical beauties; guava, avocados, artwork, waterfalls, flowers and of course spending time in the woods is one of my favorite things!  I hope you enjoy this photographic journal of Likeke Falls, please contact me for custom built photographic or hiking tours.  And while your on the trail, remember to Malama Honua (take care of our island, Earth).

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