KOLOA GULCH June 2013 -

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TRAIL I HAVE EVER BEEN ON ! ... This is an intermediate waterfall trail located on the South Shore of Oahu in a town called Laie. You will need to park at Laie Beach park to access this trail. But please note that the lot closes at 7 pm. I under estimated my time on this trail and upon returning to my truck found the chains up. Luckily the local caretaker returned concerned about my vehicle and eventually dropped the chains so I could leave at around 745pm lol. Talk about luck. Thank you to that caretaker. I wasn't able to get his name . But would like to acknowledge him in this blog. Because this is my second attempt I was determined to make it all the way in. But starting at about 1pm in the afternoon really did no justice for my desire to really enjoy this waterfall. If you are deciding to take up this hike, please start at no later than 9am to ensure that you will make it out before night fall.ABOUT 5 hrs with rest breaks roundtrip Packed with snacks,drinks ,music and my new tracker dog "ELMO" we set off. THE ENTRANCE is rather tricky. After parking you will need to cross the highway to the opposite side. You will immediately see a fruit stand. You will need to walk along the highway past the fruit stand to a dirt road that lays about 40 yards over going Honolulu bound. Take a right unto the roadway and continue upThis trail is accessible through permit only which you can apply for at the Laie Shopping Center at Hawaii Reserves Inc.You will approach a monument which documents a little boy who died during a boy scout hike which ended his life in a flash flood. I said a little prayer asking God for permission to enter. And on ... we continued. A majority of this hike will require you to trail directly up large boulders and rock ponds to access the right of way. Expect to cross the river 20 or more times before reaching the destination of this waterfall. I would NOT recommend children or non experienced waterfall hikers to attempt this one ... as I myself being very fit and active ... struggled. Continuing on you will approach a opened field with a boy scout campsite and a couple manufacturer containers. Directly to the left towards the pined forest is the opening to the trail head. I am not sure if I recalled a pink ribbon marker set on the pine tree directing the entry way. But hiking knowledge will allow you to visualize the opening and set you on the right path.This trail is very well marked with ribbons set every 30 to 40 ft or so. You will immediately ascend to the ridge line. The panoramic views from atop left me breathless. Its the kind of beauty that you wished would remain the same, never changing with time. About 45 minutes in ... the trail will direct you to descend toward the valley floor. My first attempt weeks prior. I met with a flash flood on the trail and could feel the force of the river from atop as vibrations below my feet trembled like thunder not allowing me to proceed that day. On this day however, it was clear blue and no rain in site. And I did not hear the river until I reached the bottom. Once on the river trail many markers signify crossings. As you will need to zig zag your way to the end point. The surroundings are very lush and tropical. It probably explains why I took so long to get in and out. This is by far my most favorite trail on Oahu. The ponds are endless. And clean. Some are deep enough to swim in. And others you will need to climb through. The smell of fresh mountain yellow ginger fills the air here and the sound of the birds are very relaxing. I was surprised that my pandora program continued to play after about 2 miles in. Stilled I ended up shutting it down to embrace the whole nature thing. JUST AWESOME! At several points I had to stop for my puppy. And many areas through the river water required he be carried through. And because we are on the floor of this canyon. We had to watch for many falling rocks. Some were the size of dimes. Some the size of car tires. This is what makes this trail very dangerous to hike on a recent down pour. PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO LOOK UP AT YOUR SURROUNDINGS I was thinking to myself about half way through " when the hell am I gonna get there ? " well after 2 1/2 hours I was in fact only half way there. I decided to rest, have lunch and to cool the sweat off my body. It was very rewarding. Refreshed we continued. We stumbled across and an open fire stove made by probably hunters and I take it they must be regulars to the area. Because they left their pots back and hauled all their rubbish out. There are several area's which look primitive along the mountain side which were probably used by Hawaiian natives at one point. And its understandable because if I were living on Oahu back then. This would be a perfect spot. About an hour half maybe more I realized I was approaching the end. Wild Kalo came into sight as there is no mistaking its full tear shaped leaf. Its gold to us Hawaiians as it is the source of "POI". Across the river I saw the plastic container with the sign in book and the orange lid. Although I did not sign in. It let me know the end was close. This is not the end ... about 100 yards from this point is a fork. One leading to the right and one to the left of the canyon. I continued on towards the right which lead me to the falls. Upon taking the right I could hear a faint gushing of water in the distance. I was so excited that my mind was only determined to see what the waterfall looked like. And the thought of actually how long it took for me to get here ... or the fact that I might get stuck overnight ... here didn't matter anymore. What a sight at 5:30 pm fast pictures and we trail ran back out before we lost light. And it seemed so much easier running back out than the amount of time it took us to get in. My puppy was happy and lead the way. With me jumping and climbing the mountain rocks and river bed behind him. We made it to the ridge top and back to our truck in less than two hours.MISSION ACCOMPLISHED I enjoy moonlight dinners on the shores of our lovely beaches, camping in tents , fishing and traveling. But most of all the mountains of Hawaii. Holds peace of mind for me. I am glad god has blessed me with my new hiking companion. Who will watch over me as I continue exploring these mountain ranges. He is the best partner I could ask for. As he is able to keep up with me and even outlast my energy. This pretty much covers Koloa Gulch Waterfall. As I mentioned earlier the road forks and the trail to the left will lead you to the magnificent Kalo Falls which I will complete in the future. I have never been on these trails. All I can say is anyone who decides to take this on will be astonished at the landscape of this area. Please excuse my pictures as it was taken off a SIM to a desktop which isn't compatible with my phone. As my camera was reserved to lock down in a plastic zip lock because of all the water I crossed. You will need protection on any given day for your electronic's because again you will get wet Happy Hiking Every One ... And this one ... you'll need OFF SPRAY. The mosquito's here are cannibals :) and at the least 2 large bottles of drinking water per hiker. And a flashlight just in case. Oh and you might want to have a first aid packed as well. HAVE FUN !

Valley Of The Temple's 4/2013

Located on the windward side of Oahu in a little town called Kahaluu lays the resting area of those who have past in a valley like setting called " Valley Of The Temple's ". This unique name will describe the many mausoleum's which currently decorate the little hill's along the valley. Owned by private owner's who value their deceased so preciously by entombing their loved one's for secret visitation's in a free- standing tomb above ground. As you approach the entrance the Catholic and Christian Temple's will be the first to greet you. Offering serenity for those who mourn the lost of a loved one. As you continue to drive toward the rear of the valley . You will past many different grave site's all of which have been divided by denomination of religion & faith. On a late afternoon the monstrosity of the Koolau mountain range overshadow's the beautiful landscape bringing an awareness that the hour nears to allow the dead to rest. Continuing on you will approach a turnaround which allow's for beautiful photography of the Buddhist temple from afar. It sit's bright red in color and Asian decor construction. Peacefully surrounded by pond's filled with Koi fish , swan's , a few duck's and a variety of bird's. Offering it's many visitor's the opportunity to meditate and to offer up incense at the alter of the great teacher " Buddha ". Buddha was a man many believed to be a very wise prophet. Buddhism which derive's out of the great doctrine's he preached as a prince is a religion that many still continue to practice all over the world. I myself have studied many different religion's in truth of how human kind came to be. And from a very young age excepted Christ as my truth. I do believe however that Buddha was blessed with a gift that only come's from the creator of us all. The lord GOD. On this particular day. My intention's were to bring to remembrance the live's lost in the Boston bombing's which took place the day before. And also to continue on to another trail I desired to hike in the area. Before entering the temple the tradition is to ring the bell which sit's toward the left of the entrance bridge. It is to show your respect's to the spirit world. Upon entering the shrine you are asked as in most Asian custom's to remove your foot ware before entering. As the inside of the temple is considered the alter room. There in the door entrance sit's a statue of Buddha himself above an alter of candle's , flowers and incense. His facial expression can only be taken as " One Who Is Sit's With Wisdom ". With the aura of patience many are made wise. Time is a true teacher. Because with time it reveal's the path of life , intention's , and our destiny as individual's. Many religion's believe that each person's fate has been planned by the almighty creator prior to each soul entering the earth realm. Christianity also based the " Word Of Life " on this same belief. But the singular difference between the many religion's and Christianity is " Faith " . God teaches us " Faith without work's is dead ". For example : your car dies out for no apparent reason. Do you sit there and believe eventually it will come to it's senses and start back up on it's own , that the universe has somehow blessed you with supernatural power's to do such a wonder ? No ! With " Faith " you would believe that if you hopped out of the car and open it's hood. You just might find the problem to why the car died out in the first place. You may just learn that you actually caused the problem when recently changing your battery. You failed to tighten the bolt's on the terminal's which cause a non - fusible link to short circuit the battery in the first place. By tightening the cable's the problem would be solved. Religion's such as Buddhism teaches deep meditation , contemplation and much analyzation to determine decision making. Lacking faith and leaning toward science to offer up a solution instead of the confidence of " One's Self " and the faith of true love that our creator has ordained for us from birth. But this is another subject in which I cover in a blog called " In Jesus Name " written by me of the word's I have come to trust which come from " One Who Know's All " . As you continue around the garden's you will notice how each pagoda and statue is so eccentrically placed as if the engineered master plan had a meaning for these placement's. There is a gift store on site. Deva's also known as " Hindu Avatar's " stand in the doorways of this gift shop. Which hindered me enter because of my belief in Christ. In Hinduism these " Deva's " represent the different deities of various god's they worship. For me my belief ... is that it is better to believe in something.... Than nothing at all. The landscape is filled with beautiful rock gardens , waterfall's and bridge's. I was able to enjoy these peaceful surrounding's until 3 tour buses pulled up at the admission booth out front. It was my sign that my quiet visit was expired. I have visited this site on many occasion's and often come here to relax and enjoy the fresh air. There is something so tantalizing of it's architectural design that fascinate's me with each piece of tile set on it's roof top's down to each piece of gravel that is so perfectly manicured in it's rock garden . I hope each person who visit's this site will find peace and serenity to close one door in their life to allow the many door's that yet await each person leading them to happiness that was destined for them from the beginning of time. Happy Hiking !! Direction's : On Kahekili Hwy from Kaneohe Town continue North bound and the site located to the left across from Teple Valley Shopping Center. The landmark is Kahaluu McDonald's. Admission : GENERAL : $3.00