Ordering our lunch bentos
Walking along the Hwy to the trailhead
We had to climb thru this bush to acsess the opening of the trailhead, there is no marker but FYI after walking along side the Hwy climb over the first guardrail to your left thru the bushes and then you will see the clearing shortly after
This is the trail clearing after you get thru the bushes
Theres alot of Wild Orchid here and very jungle like
Berries
Hybred wild fern
Some Guava Trees
Damaged Markers
Facecutting grass
Inside the buncker with flash, Yes I felt brave enough to go in a take a picture, but its really dark in here
Kaneohe Bay
neighborhood below
The trail clears just a little
Not sure what this is but it has a Coast Gaurd marking on it
Noni growing wild
Wild Orchid
Removing the stickys out on Kam Hwy heading back to our car
Some bottled Guava Jam
The Guava BrewYesterday we did a hike out in Kahaluu. We wanted to actually do two hikes but because of the load of Guava we carried back out we decided to keep it simple and to get our bag of Guava home in good condition.
We started out from Ewa yesterday at about 8:30 am and headed over the H-3 out to Temple Valley. We reached our checkpoint at about 9:40 am and started ascending a 700 foot overgrown hilly trail.
I must admit so far this is probabley the showstopper for me as far as unmaintained trails go. By the way the grassy areas are head level and above, its clear to see that this trail is rarely used. Along the way to the Bunkers which would be our final check point we found ourselves climbing under alot of trees that block the trail way with obvious owl nest's and also walking thru face cutting grass. I would highly recommend wearing knee high pants and long sleeves for this trail and to have a pair of sunglasses handy. Stupid me thinking this hike to be grade school took along my $200 Steve Maddens which now thinking back if I had dropped them my husband would truely have an ulcer. Also because of the downpour over the weekend, there was alot of insects in certain areas thru this hike. We came across a clearing where my husband found a couple of MaryJane plants and really paid it no attention. We somehow got lost off the main trail and ended up down someone elses trail which eventually led onto a private fenced property. We managed to regain acsess back onto the Puu Ma Eli Eli Bunker trail after about 45 minutes. And continued to proceed up the rigid montain side. Some areas really call for you to haul ass up hill. But Ive been thru worst and so really I feel the ascending could be done by a child or inexperienced hiker. We reached the first buncker shortly after 11:45 am and proceeded towards the 2nd and final bucker where we took an 1/2 hour break for lunch. I was able to catch video & photo's thru this hike but still wish my camera girl had been along because I know Ive missed alot of great photos.
After lunch we proceed back downhill and it took us about a good hour or so to reach the front entrance. Along the way I asked my husband to pick some guava so that we could make some Jam. We managed to pick 5 lbs which yield about 12 / 2 cup jars full of finished product which I will use for my breakfast toast & gift giving to my neighbors.
All in all its a great hike for any outdoor person looking for a jungle like experience. We came across one clearing which I found remnants of an old campfire for cooking , so Im sure people have spent the night here.
Upon reaching my car I noticed alot of stickys on my pants which took about another 1/2 hour to remove and I eventually ended up flying my socks at a nearby trash can at the TIMES Supermarket right down the road.
All in all it was a great day, and Im so glad I was able to bring some Guava back home with me. Ive been on several hikes where I just walk past the fruits most of the time without thinking twice. This is probabley the first and last time I will do this hike but Im glad to say Ive done it. We completed the hike at about 1:15 pm or so but only because we got lost on the trail. Overall I would rate this to be about a 3 mile hike which shouldnt take more than a novice hiker 2 hours non stop to complete.
Directions: Turn Left by Kahaluu McDonalds on Hui Iwa Street in Temple Valley and park along side the townhomes. DO NOT park in Temple Valley Shopping Center THEY WILL TOW YOU. Proceed out to Kam Hwy and upon reaching the Hwy take a left along side the Hwy itself continue for about a good 70 yards and you will need to climb over the first set of gaurd rails to acsess the entrance. The trail cannot be seen from the road but you will soon notice it after climbing over the gaurd rail and proceeding thru the bushy grass. Continue on to the top of the trail always keeping left. There are many junctions along this trail and alot of the ribbons are out of sync. So pay close attention otherwise you will end up like me sidetracked for 45 minutes. Aloha
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