Hiking – Page 3 – SarahRuthSeeks

We live next to one of the most popular hikes in Oahu. In fact, we commonly encounter droves of people walking up our road to climb it. Imagine the sunrise view I get except ~1200 ft higher.

We haven’t gone on that hike… until today. I’ve still been having various health issues, but there’s a special occasion that pushed me to get this hike done (more on that in a later post).

The hike honestly wasn’t terrible. It has been really dry, so the biggest challenge is to not slip on loose soil.

There’s definitely some scrambling and it can get steep; but you have to slow down to scramble so you don’t really feel overly cardiovascularly challenged (except my poor lungs). I was more afraid about having to go back down and slipping. They do have ropes available at some (not all) dicey spots.

We of course couldn’t find our head lamps this morning *face palm* but managed to use our iPhones until enough first light was available. I am always practicing “composition”, and one really important component is leading lines. Leading lines are, if not already obvious, leading lines that direct your eye deeper into the photograph so it adds depth. I was trying to experiment with leading lines and the path. I did ok, but not like, WOW.

Here’s a photo dump.

Our condo is one of these.

“Three peaks” on the left (another popular hike) and enchanted lakes neighborhood in front.

The wind was doing something to my hair!

Overall, will I do it on my own, I think probably no. Would I do it if friends were out here or groups were doing it? Probably yes.

I got pretty nervous because it started to sprinkle and get really windy, and I let fear win and didn’t get up on the actual pillbox and started to go back down and sat on a ledge for a bit. I didn’t even grab a picture of it… Brian got on it. I am a little disappointed in myself, but the next time we do it I’ll have a little more confidence and hopefully get on it. It’s right on the edge of the cliff… so don’t judge.

Those are our condos in the background of this next photo. I actually think the first scramble isn’t that bad, and when I got at the top of that I almost chickened out, but I couldn’t do that to Brian today. Maybe I’ll just get there and take pictures to mix up my beach sunrise walks. I think for now my doggo greets, sea glass hunts, and low pressure morning walk is perfect.

My capacity for activity is coming back finally. On June 12th we ran a 5k in the morning at the marine corps base (future post topic when we get pictures) and then went and hiked Makapu’u Pont Lighthouse trail. It’s about a mile and half up and about 500ft in elevation. It’s a really nicely paved trail that winds around both sides of the island. The first picture shows the parking lot and looking backward toward where we live. You can just barely see the ocean in the distance. On the way up there are great views of Koko Head Crater.

This is a very popular spot for whale watching when that’s in season (December through April). There’s ocean for days. I guess I didn’t get a picture, but at one viewing point you can see three other Hawaiian islands. This is the first view of the lighthouse you get before reaching the very top.

The two “mokes” that you always see in my sunrise picture are about midway out in this picture. In the very far distance you can see the marine corps base. On the left is what is considered Waimanalo.

The path is very dry and hot, so highly recommend doing it when it’s cooler and with sunscreen/sun coverage. However, we did it at 2pm and it was fine. Once you turn to the windward side again it gets breezy.

Very doable walk, just be prepared with sunscreen and water. The views are really beautiful. There are tide pools going down a different path we didn’t really know about, but will go back for. The parking was a little packed but there were spots, I think it’s a high turnover parking lot because the hike isn’t that extensive. Have it on my list to go back to for a sunrise and tide pools.

Lanikai Pillbox Hike

Makapu’u Point Light 12JUN21