If you’re into hiking I’m sure you already know about Island Trails. It’s Kaleo Lancaster’s hiking journal and it’s the best hiking blog on the island. I’ve been meaning to write a post about the site for some time now and once I saw this 2010 video summary, I had to share it.

I don’t know Kaleo personally but I met him once on the Olomana Trail. We crossed paths and talked story for a bit. I didn’t recognize him until he warned us about some bees at the top of the third peak. He told us how he and a buddy got swarmed once and took a hard fall. (It was this crazy story.) It was cool to meet him as, I have to admit, I’m a fan.

Most of the hikes I’ve done have been selected using Island Trails as a resource. I’ll send the videos to my friends to get them stoked and then print out the stories to use as a guide during the hike. But there are a lot of trails he’s covered that I won’t touch. Watch the video above and you’ll see why.

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I’ve been curious about this rock climbing spot for a while now. I kept hearing about it and I thought I knew the area around Makapu’u pretty well but for the life of me, I could not imagine where the crag would be. Well yesterday, Dan, Jack, Reanne and I set out to find it. Turns out, while it’s hidden from the road, the crag is super easy to access. It’s a small rock face with about 11 routes but for casual climbers like us, this spot was great. For more serious climbing go to Mokule’ia, but if you’re in the mood for a less intense session (like the day after Thanksgiving) or if you’re with beginners, Makapu’u is perfect.

UPDATE 7/30/2012: The Makapu’u Crag has been officially closed to climbing indefinitely. Learn about the closure here.

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My buns currently feel as though they were forged in steel. Last weekend, Reanne and I hiked a neat trail that starts at Dillingham Airfield (where you can go skydiving) on the North Shore of Hawaii. This trail isn’t difficult, nor is it very steep, but it’s lengthy and has a steady incline grade. For almost the entire hike you’re pushing yourself uphill and feeling the burn. When you get to the top you’re awarded with a view of Makua Valley, a very remote part of Oahu.

The hike we did started with the short Kealia Trail and continued on a series of access roads that lead up to the lookout point. It took about 4 hours.

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Up until last weekend I had never swam in a fresh water pool in Hawaii. I was always worried the water would leave me with that not-so-fresh feeling. By that I mean leptospirosis, a gnarly bacterial infection. Last Sunday was different though.

It was a sunny day but had been raining for a week before. Perfect conditions for checking out a waterfall. We did the short (3 mile round trip) hike to Waimano Falls and it was gushing. There are two pools you can swim in. The water was clear and moving fast so I figured all the funk had been washed away. After watching everyone else in the crew jump in the water, I did a quick check to make sure I didn’t have any cuts (i.e., entry points for bacteria) and took a swim. The water was cold but felt great.

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