Life of Larisa or LOL

Mountain Monday!  Back to hiking!  We took the weekend off from hiking since it was my oldest sons birthday, he turned fourteen, and his special request for his birthday was "Please mom, no hiking."  Lol.  I honored his request and we spent a lovely weekend going to the movies, eating out, playing games at Dave and Busters, and spending many hours at the beach.  But his birthday weekend is over...and we are back to squeezing in some hikes together before high school and kindergarten (for my youngest) begin next week!   The Tantalus Trail System (not the official name) has been good to me.  We have hiked numerous trails that begin up Round Top Drive a.k.a Tantalus.  Today I was eager to hike Pauoa Flats Trail, a trail I had seen on three previous hikes---Pu'u Ohia, Manoa Cliff, and Kalawahine Trails.  I was determined to finally see what Pauoa Flats had to offer.  Since I feel pretty familiar with Pu'u Ohia (hiked it three times now), I decided we wo

Today's summer adventure started with a dip in the ocean on the North Shore at one of the six beaches my kids decided were MUST GO TO beaches this year.  Our morning started at Three Tables Beach down from Pupukea and Sharks Cove.  My boys made a list at the beginning of the summer of all the beaches they wanted to go to.  I'm on to them though---this was simply a distraction in hopes that we would go to the beach instead of hiking--- but, ha ha, I've been finding ways to do both.   Insert evil maniacal laugh here.   After a couple of hours in the sun and the sand between our toes, our tummies were starting to rumble...so we stopped in to The Beet Box Cafe in Hale'iwa for a refreshing Acai Bowl, a fruit smoothie, and a hearty vegetarian burrito.  This was our first time stopping into this cafe and we give it three thumbs up.  Parking was easy (in the Post Office lot next door), service was friendly and prompt, and the food was fresh and delicious.  No

If I had my way, I'd probably hike everyday---a short hike, a long hike, an uphill hike, a beach hike.  Something.  But that is not reality.  But, I do try to get outside everyday.  Luckily that can be a reality since the weather on O'ahu is relatively cooperative and outdoor options can look like a day at the beach, a walk in the park, a hike, a swim at the pool, or an excursion to the Lighthouse---the Barbers Point Lighthouse to be exact. Recently, I took the boys (aged 13 and 5) on a mini day time adventure to Barbers Point Beach Park (located next door to Germaine's Luau...if you haven't heard of it, your mainland relatives probably have) .  We parked our car in the beach park parking lot and armed only with my trusty iPhone, made our way across red dirt to the sandy beach and along a rocky coast to the Lighthouse.  I love lighthouses.  On O'ahu, the Lighthouses I had previously been to were: the popular Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail and the Diamon

You know you are obsessed with hiking when your personal Instagram Account is filled almost entirely with pictures from your daily hikes. You know you are obsessed with hiking when you open a completely separate Instagram Account ---just for hiking photos (you can check out my personal Instagram iheartkeanu or my hiking partner and I at haolegirlhikes ).  Now I've come clean, that's where I'm at.  Two Instagram accounts.  I have a ton of photos, a big list of O'ahu hikes to check off my hiking "to do" list, and a blog that used to be filled with posts on baking cupcakes---now devoted to my hiking adventures and sometimes misadventures.   Happily hiking obsessed. This weekend, our family revisited Mauna Lahilahi in Wai'anae. We first did this hike at the beginning of the new year, January 2017: http://lifeoflarisa.blogspot.com/2017/01/new-year-new-hike-mauna-lahilahi.html?m=1 Since our first hike up this cluster of rocks, I have hiked it on