4/17–Moleka Trail

Up and early, as usual.  we’re off on our normal morning routine (walk to the beach, coffee at Kalapawai) then back to the cottage to hang out, send emails and read.  After lunch (poke for me – as usual – I’m in heaven – eggs and taku for Ed – he’s in heaven too!), we head out to the Honolulu side of the island to hike up around the Round Top lookout.  We’ve done these trails before, but we like the view points and we’ve found a different trail to access the state park loop trails – so we figure we’ll try it out.

It takes us forever to get there – mostly because there is construction on the Pali Highway – which is the main road cutting across the Koolau mountain ridge to Honolulu. We don’t really care, since we’ve really got nothing to do. We finally make it to the Tantalus mountain and start the winding up hill drive to the summit. It’s a great drive, and Ed is enjoying the twists and turns.  We find the parking area at the top of the Moleka trail without any issues, park, douse ourselves in bug spray, and we’re ready to go.

The trail starts off downhill through a totally cool bamboo forest.  It’s sort of eerie in here- the bamboo crowding you on each side, then the wind picking up, making the bamboo clack and almost moan.  Creepy, but cool.

We follow the trail down, down, down, through the mud (ick – only negative to this particular trail – our sneakers are totaled.  Bummer) and leaves, across narrow little ridge line trails that remind us of the Lavadas in Madeira.  You can’t really get the whole feeling from the pictures, but when we look down into the Makiki Valley – it’s a long, long way down very steep inclines.  Great scenic photo ops – a little scary hiking – if you think too much about it.

Continuing on down the trail, we pass through banyan trees (which look like the fig trees in Australia) and all sorts of other flora and fauna – and oh yeah –more mud.  Yuck.  But the views of Honolulu, Diamond head and Waikiki are rewarding and the hike is very pleasant from the ankles up!

We circle back on the Ualakaa Trail, cross Round Top Road twice, only once turning the the wrong way (the hiking book doesn’t match the hiking trail posted signage) and make our way back to our car through the clacking bamboo symphony.  Except for the mud – excellent hiking on top of the mountain.

We wind back down Tantalus Drive, and catch the Pali Highway back to Kailua.  Relaxing afternoon out back, reading and hanging out – then steaks on the grill and another beautiful day on Oahu has ended.