The boys and I hiked Tripler Ridge. It was going great - the boys were handling the incline and we got a call from dad on the submarine. We had made it off the paved trail and were working our way to the swing. Deep in the mountain, we ran into a pack of hunters with a ton of dogs and a HUGE pig they had killed. It scared me so I grabbed the boys and we basically ran back down the mountain. It was an adventure to say the least.
Makapu'u Lighthouse Hike
As we drove down the highway towards Waimanalo, I could see a lighthouse in the distance. It was pretty high up there and I suddenly regretted only bringing the single stroller. But we had already searched the house for a lost TV remote, calmed a meltdown over Rhett's hat and then we couldn’t find Landon’s tennis shoes (they were in the middle of the back yard) so we… I… was committed and we were going on that dang hike. I didn’t know what to expect other than I knew it was paved and “stroller friendly.” Good enough for me! I’m kicking myself for not bringing my big camera, but these iPhone pictures are still great.
We were immediately rewarded with amazing views. It almost looked like a valley of greenery leading out to the ocean. An iPhone couldn’t capture it, but the waves were crashing into the rocks causing water to shoot up into the air - Landon loved that.
Some of us enjoyed the views more than others :) Landon and I forged onward and upward. Despite the trail being paved, it was still a pretty tough incline.
There were numerous lookouts along the way so we stopped to rest and read the signs. At this particular spot I was playing around with the map on my phone trying to see what the land across the ocean was. A lady must have seen me because she told me they were West Maui (left), Moloka’i (center) and Lana’i (right). She went on a tour earlier in the morning and they said it was very rare to see all three islands. They are very faint, but all three are there.
Landon also lost his shirt along the way because, “this is what hiker dudes do, mom!”
We plan to come back in the winter since this is a good spot to whale watch.
And finally, after almost an hour, we made to the top. It was pretty incredible. The lighthouse was smaller than I thought it would be, but it didn’t disappoint. The views were breathtaking and the wind was nice and crisp.
There is a mountain along the top middle of the picture - we live in that area.
And then we started the walk back down the mountain. Let me tell you, the stroller almost drug me down the mountain. It was so tough that my watched pinged and asked if I was on the elliptical. And of course we had to end our hike at our new post-hike-tradition-shave-ice. We’ve been so often we should probably have our picture on the wall next to Obama.
We absolutely will do the Makapu’u Lighthouse trail again. It took us about 30 minutes to get there, there is a parking lot at the trailhead and there was a dog wearing a lei at the end. What more could you ask for?! :) It was a great hike to do with the kids and would be great to do with our family when they come to visit.