Hawaii Day 3: Muddy Memories on the Olamana Trail

On Monday morning our group decided to divide up to do some more intense hiking.  Brooklyn stayed with Annika while Talia, Eli, Jason and I tackled an epic hike.  The hike would have been too strenuous for Annie, and while we missed Brooklyn, she needed the time to complete some school assignments.  Not to worry--Brooklyn and Annie still had plenty of fun.  They slept in, swam at the pool, went to the beach, and enjoyed a very swanky breakfast at the hotel.  Apparently the server was quite impressed by Annika's ability to consume copious amounts of pancake.

As for the hikers, we made our way to Mount Olamana.  Eli had found and researched the Three Peaks months before our trip.  To get to the trailhead, we had to wander through a private golf course, accompanied by a chicken, of course.

Apparently six people have fallen and died hiking past the first peak, so we decided early on that one peak was plenty for us. Besides, rumor has it that the views are best from there anyway.

Despite the hike being extremely muddy, especially at the beginning, we had a glorious time.  The views were beautiful, and it was so interesting to hike through foliage unlike anything we'd ever experienced.

But the red dirt?  Now THAT was familiar.

While Brooklyn and Annika dined on pancakes, we enjoyed our wasabi peas with a side of mud.

You got mud on your face, you big disgrace...  Just kidding Talia, we love you!  

Talia scored lots of extra bonus points because she gave me her sneakers and wore my sandals after I discovered that I'd brought the wrong shoes. With little traction, her hike was even more slippery than for the rest of us.

The hike gets technical and involves lots of climbing toward the end as you approach the ridge.  Fortunately there were ropes available for support if needed.  S

Definitely not a hike for the faint of heart!  I think Jason thought I was crazy in a few places for suggesting we continue on.

But oh, the feeling that you get from reaching the summit is oh-so-worth-it!

Clouds obscured our view a bit, but we could still make out the sharp outlines of the two other peaks.

Yup, hiking is definitely the best.  I'm so glad Jason's knee allowed him to do this!  (I'm even more grateful that he didn't get injured in the process.)

As for the trek down, well, it was muddy and VERY slippery.  Talia and I fell a dozen times, Eli practiced his baseball slide, but Jason managed to stay upright!  #blessings

Knowing that Brooklyn and Annika were waiting, Jason and Talia ran back, Tom Cruise style.  Mission Possible.

They say take only pictures for your memories, but I'm pretty sure we brought some of the mountain home with us as well.  You should have seen us waltzing past all the fancy shops and into the lobby of the Sheraton Waikiki. 

 

What can I say? Mud makes memories.