hiking pipiwai trail

So, I still haven't shared all the photos from our second trip to Hawaii...in May. And now that it's November and the weather is getting cold here in Virginia, I thought it would be nice to relive some of our springtime adventures in Maui...

We stayed on the northern part of island at Tom Sewell's art estate in Haiku for the beginning of our trip. After three nights there, we took the road to Hana to wild and isolated eastern Maui. After surviving the narrow winding road (620 curves in 68 miles!), spending the evening resting and enjoying the view of Hana Bay from our balcony at the Bamboo Inn, and getting a great night's sleep listening to the ocean from our bed, we woke up relaxed and ready to hike and explore the rainforest.

(What wasn't relaxing was the terrifying drive to our hiking spot - wet curvy one-lane roads cut into the side of a cliff. There were several times when we had to back up to let another car pass and felt the wheels slipping off the road! Fortunately, Larry's expert driving skills and my pep talks got us there and back in one piece.)

Our hiking destination was the Pipiwai Trail in Haleakala National Park. The park has two entrances on opposite sides of the island that allow access to two very different ecosystems. A few days earlier, we had explored the volcanic landscape from Haleakala's western side. Now we were on the eastern side which consisted of waterfalls and tropical rainforest, accessed from the Kipahulu entrance.

The day of our hike it was pouring rain, but since we were hiking in a rainforest, we didn't let that stop us. Photography was a challenge, and by the end of the hike we were soaked (from the rain, sweat, and walking through a stream) and caked with mud. My camera came very close to a life-threatening tumble. But it was all worth it because along the 4 mile trek, we came across the coolest banyan tree in the world, hiked through a magical bamboo forest, and ended up at a 400 foot waterfall - Waimoku Falls.
















After our hike through the rainforest, we took a quick jaunt through some Dr. Seussian trees, to a series of natural pools, known as the Seven Sacred Pools at Oheo Gulch. During gentle weather, swimming is allowed in the pools. After a full day of rain however, it's hard to imagine this area being swimmable! Obviously, the treacherous conditions on the day we were there meant there was definitely no swimming, but the pools (which had turned into one big waterfall flowing into the Pacific) were pretty to look at.








After a long, exhausting, and dirty day, it was back to the inn for happy hour (AKA dinner - there are very few options for eating out in Hana) with a view on the balcony and a dip in the jacuzzi to soothe our aching muscles.