There are some hikes you do that you almost immediately forget about. While you are on the trail, they are nice, but sometimes there is nothing terribly memorable or appealing about the path and scenery. That is NOT the case for the 3.5 miles of Hanauma Bay Ridge Trail. This past weekend I returned to the same trail I did for
my birthday hike last month. This time it was for my best gal pals big 40th birthday hike.
The weather couldn't have been better---blue skies with a slight breeze were the perfect conditions to do this uphill/downhill/rocky/no shade (save one lonely Kiawe bush) trail.
Since this was round two on this trail for me, I thought I would be better prepared. It's true I found parking and the trailhead with zero problems. But, that initial hill in the beginning...still wore me out! I tried to pace myself and even ended up walking backwards part of the time...which totally backfired when I lost my footing and tumbled abruptly onto my butt. No injuries sustained, just several hearty laughs and some asphalt pebbles on my palms.
Since it was just me and the bestie hiking (no kiddos), we did make good time back down the rocky terrain, through the only flat ground portion of the trail, and back up another hill to what was the end point of my previous hike on Hanauma Bay Ridge. A check of the clock told us we had time to explore a bit more. And I'm so grateful we did. Down more steep rocks we went and before we knew it we found ourselves where the land and the ocean meet. We also discovered a natural bridge that extended over rapid churning waters. We stumbled onto epic scenery and I was giddy with excitement. I love a surprise!
Of course epic scenery called for an epic photo shoot. We did not want the day to end with us becoming a catastrophic selfie statistic, so we quit while we were ahead, took a gazillion mental pictures and moved on to the last lookout that was beside a beautiful natural cave with waves crashing and A'ama crab scuttling all about.
We both enjoyed every minute of this (challenging for me) hike. I did my fair share of huffing, puffing, and rest stops, but I made it to the end and back and was lucky enough to share the experience with my best friend. I'm sure we will both remember this hike for awhile.
Although I am pretty much singing the praises of this hike, I do acknowledge that it can be dangerous. It's not a hike for everyone. The hills and heat can be rough on little kids or older adults. Bring water! The path to the ocean is uneven. Wear shoes with good traction! You could encounter rogue waves, in which case your hike may turn into a swim. Wear a life jacket! Just kidding. But definitely know your limits. Always take a hiking partner with you. Call your bestie to come along! And if they are more experienced and in better shape (as was the case for me), great! Tell people what your plans are. I had my phone with me, but of course I had no reception. If we had gotten into trouble, both our spouses knew exactly where we were and what we were doing.
That being said...the magnificence of nature really stole the show on Saturday.
Being swept to sea didn't seem like the worst way to go with such an epic backdrop.
Here's to not being swept away, but getting carried away from time to time, and sharing a gazillion more epic adventures---happy birthday bestie~
After hike birthday bash---we had to celebrate being alive! 😉
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