Saturday, June 4, 2011

It's been a while

I haven't really done any new hikes since the last post because of work and school. Kevin and I have been going back and checking out that hike at the pali where there's supposed to be a wreckage of an old WWII airplane. We found it in lots of pieces scattered around on the trail, and most pieces are being overtaken by the plants on the mountain.

For this summer, I'm gonna be working everyday until next week, so if anything i only have time to surf after work and can't really hike. We've been going out to tongg's, which has become a regular spot for us because it's fun and there's almost always street parking.

If we go on any new hikes, I'll be sure to put some stuff up about them.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Pali Hikes

Yesterday, Kevin wanted to check out the hikes at the Pali so we went down to the Pali lookout around 1:00. We went up the right side then came down and checked out the trail to the left. after doing some research, i found out that the right side trail is the Pali Notches trail and the left is the Pali Puka trail. For detailed descriptions, check out the Pali Notches and Pali Puka writeups from Island Trails. Also see the Pali Notches and Pali Puka hikes from Martyna and Allegra's Hiking Blog. Since we just came to see what the trails were like, i didn't bring a camera.

Straight from the parking lot, we climbed up the side of the mountain where a trail was visible, and into a forest of ironwood trees that would take us to the Pali notches. On our way up, we ran into another hiker, Ian, who was also climbing up the mountain that day. The climb gains elevation pretty quickly and within 15-20 minutes we came upon an opening where the forest ended and mountain terrain took over. It was exceptionally windy that day, and Kevin, having climbed up the trail before, said it was out of the ordinary. We were getting blown around just trying to stand. With the gales starting and stopping randomly, we decided not to try the notches that day and come back when the wind calmed down. We went up a little more then came back down and chilled for a little bit before turning around and returning to the parking lot.

To the other side where the bus parking lots are, we tried the Pali Puka trail that was hidden behind a bamboo forest. The rock wall that lines the parking lot is damaged where the opening to the trail is, so it wasnt hard to find. The trail climbs through the bamboo forest then opens out to a path along the ridge that looks like most Koʻolau ridge hikes. When the path takes you along the ridge, the path is about a foot wide or less, so don't slip. There are many plants to hold onto that are stable so it wasnt so bad, and the wind wasnt trying to pick us up off the mountain as much as it was on the notches side. At the end of the trail, you reach a hole in the mountain - the puka, and if you stand in front of it on a really windy day like the one we went up, it'd probably be like sticking your whole body out of the car window going down the H3. The winds coming from the puka are cold and intense, and if you can't balance, you'll be blown down the mountain. The trail only ends at the puka because there's a huge vertical about 50 feet tall that prevents you from getting any higher. There didn't seem to be any way up or around the vertical so we might come back with equipment and find a way to continue past the puka.

We didn't even get to the Pali Notches because of the winds, but on a calmer day, the notches will probably be lots of fun. The puka was kinda disappointing but if there's a way to continue on upward, we'll find it. Both of the hikes together took us about 2 hours, so not very long compared to other hikes. The puka takes about 30 to 45 minutes and the trail to the notches took us over an hour because we were battling the winds to move around on the mountain.

The next time we do the Pali hikes, I'll make sure to take the camera and get some good pics, and hopefully that'll be soon because the notches seem like a worthy hike.

Monday, March 14, 2011

The tsunami

I'm sure almost everyone has heard about the magnitude 8.9 earthquake that occurred on March 9th in Japan as well as the massive tsunami that happened as a result.

Hawaiʻi is pretty close to Japan, so with the news of the earthquake, a tsunami warning was issued, and places close to the water were even evacuated. The water in the Diamond Head area receded about 100 feet back, exposing the reef and sand below. The tsunami was scheduled to arrive around 3 in the morning on friday, Hawaiʻi time. No destructive tsunami came even though all the signs were there. In Waikiki, the water level and shorebreak rose high enough to reach the streets.

Initially, we all thought that the earthquake was another usual small one that Japan frequently experienced, but when we heard it was a magnitude 8.9 with some reports saying 9.0, everyone tuned into the news to see what was up. Almost every institution was closed, classes were cancelled on friday, and the destruction still continues in Japan, with the failure of nuclear reactors and tens of thousands of people missing or dead.

Our newspaper reported that the whole country of Japan moved about 12 inches as a result of the earthquake.

Of course, there will be a major impact on the world because of the earthquake, with Engadget reporting that the supply of gadgets will be affected on a global scale. Seeing as Japan is probably the most technologically advanced country, the earthquake will affect global economies and supplies of gadgets and technology.

In other happenings, here in Kalihi, just up the street from our house, someone crashed into and took out a telephone pole. On saturday, the 12th, we were watching the news around dinner time when the TV screen suddenly went blue. First, we thought the TV broke, but we found out the cable was out and some neighbors lost power. We later discovered that just up the street, someone had knocked down a telephone pole. I went up the street to check it out and I got some pictures. The whole street was closed and crews worked into Sunday to get a new pole up. The driver had to have been going pretty fast to do that much damage to the telephone pole.

Here's the accident



A closer view

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Swamp Romp the Second

Today, we just did the swamp romp, the second time since the swamp romp of 2009, and after missing it last year, i decided not to do the same this year. 450 teams participated, which comes out to 2700 rompers.

The course was mostly the same as the last time except that they moved the 4 foot wall that caused a traffic jam in last race. They relocated the wall to about halfway through the race and also had other small walls spread throughout the course.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Take a look at a Hawaiʻi driver's license...

...and you may see some really small font around the border repeating the words, "Aloha State." Well, i was reading these microscopic words and realized that there's a microscopic typo.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Check this out

I was looking at Nathan Yuen's site and stumbled across this entry where a bunch of people in the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club went on the Puʻu Ohulehule hike. But what's so special about this hike? Well Laredo, one of the Haiku guards went along for this particular hike. I heard he was in the club but hadn't seen any pictures of him and also realized I've been spelling his name wrong until now.

With the hike being close to Halloween, some people dressed up, and of course Laredo did as well. It shouldn't be a surprise that he dressed up as a character he can play all too well. Check Nathan's entry on the hike to see what Laredo was for this past Halloween as well as nice pictures of the hike and the wildlife.

I've never done the Ohulehule hike, but I've wanted to and just didn't know how to get there. Seeing as it's in Kahana valley, there are some nice views at the peak, and we might get around to doing the hike when we have time.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Zooming picture

After seeing this entry on Gizmodo, i tried a couple times to zoom while the shutter was open and also tried twisting the camera while the shutter was open as well. Those first tries were ok, but they didn't seem worth putting up.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Olomana Yet Again

On saturday, Nick, Dewey and I climbed olomana. I wanted some pictures for a class project so i thought pictures from the olomana trail would be good. It was the usual olomana hike, except we started around 5:30 in the morning because Nick had to be home before 11.

Monday, January 3, 2011

The New Year

I haven't been on any hikes worth talking about since the last time i put up a post, which was all the way back in October. I was busy studying for school and it paid off because i got some pretty good grades. Soon, I'll have to return to school and start studying again. I wish all my semesters could be as easy and relaxed as the first one, and I'm already near the beginning of my fourth one. Time flies when you're having fun.

And it's definitely been fun. We haven't been hiking recently because of the rain, but we've been out surfing when we can. Even though i can skateboard, getting good at surfing is like learning to skateboard all over again, except when i eat it i don't bleed all over the place.

Also, I got a new toy to play with - the Sennheiser HD 650s. Of course, headphones as good as those need a headphone amp so i just picked up a Total Bithead. The bithead probably doesn't do the 650s justice, but it's all i'm willing to buy now, and when i have more money i'll get a better amp. For now, I'll manage with the bithead.