Well worth the hike

Another busy week at work! The installation piece of the effort is wrapping up, and the test program is underway. It will culminate with a final test in a few months where the system has to detect and destroy a missile - pretty cool stuff. There was a ceremony on Friday to kick off the test program. A lot of navy brass were in attendance, and it was neat to hear them discuss the background of Aegis Ashore and how the Navy came to run a land based operation (usually would be Army). I also found a group of guys on base that play pickup basketball a few days a week during lunch, so I'm real excited to get back on the court. Pretty cool view from the court.

Saturday was the highlight of the week, and my time here thus far. I undertook the challenging hike to Hanakapi'ai Falls, along a portion of the Kalalau Trail, which is a 12 mile trail into a region of the island that is not accessible by car. It's that green part on the northwest side of the island.

I got up at 5am for the 2 hour drive to the
north shore, and was on the trail by 730am before people started to show. The first stretch of the trail was along the cliffs of the Napali coast - the views were awesome. Lots of changes in elevation, and lots of rocks and small streams to traverse, but overall not too bad. The first 2 miles took me about an hour and lead to a small, secluded beach. When I got there, it was just me and few people that had camped overnight - very serene.  I didn't go for a swim, partly because of the extremely intimidating signs saying how many people have died swimming, partly because of the 15-20 foot waves I was staring at, and I think mostly because I was just excited to get to the waterfall.

Then came the 2 mile stretch into the rainforest. This stretch of the trail isn't really a trail, except for a few pink ribbons someone has tied around trees every 5-10 minutes of the way, which saved my butt a few times as it was very easy to get lost. I ventured in, and the terrain quickly became much more difficult. Very rocky, very slippery, very steep. There were also five or so times where I had to traverse a stream / river (depending on how much it has rained). It rained a lot this week... I found myself waste high at times, fighting a strong current. Kind of scary to be truthful.

I lost track of the pink ribbons at one point, and briefly felt the fear that I was literally lost and alone in a rainforest. I guess because I was! But after 20 minutes or so of some backtracking, I found the pink ribbons again and pressed on. And finally, I turned a corner, and saw this.

I almost slipped on my rear end running the rest of the way! It was an amazing sight. A 300 ft waterfall, a large pool to swim in, and I was the only one there... I found a little cave to block my things from the strong mist coming off the falls, ate some lunch, and went for a swim. The water was cold and refreshing. After about 15 minutes on my own, a few others started to trickle in, which was good because I was able to get in some pictures. The hike back was exhausting, as my body was worn, and the sun was high overhead. But 8 miles, 5.5 hours, 6 water bottles, and 2 sandwiches later, I finally made it back to the car. This was one of the more challenging things I have ever done, but very well worth it.

Sunday I found myself back at Kalipaki Joe's at 8am to watch the Snow Bowl - another awesome win by the birds! I also played some beach volleyball with a few people from the base, but boy were my legs dead from the hike. After that I stopped by a BBQ that a co-worker was having to thank and say goodbye to all of the team members that have been here working hard on the installation effort for a few months and are leaving this week. Meals of the week: just a classic fish and chips (probably tasted so good because it was right after the hike) and smoked ahi tuna with pepper flakes.

Next weekend I am going to the island of Oahu to check out Honolulu, Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor, and whatever other adventures I can find. I am staying on the couch of a friend of a friend (Andy's girlfriend for my Atl readers), so hoping she has some good tips for me. And the following weekend I'll be home for
Christmas! A HUI HOU