People do some crazy stuff. You can die here. There are memorial plaques mounted in the rock for those that ate it. And there’s a sign posted with a code to give 911 operators so they know where you are if something goes wrong. Nevertheless, when I came here to check out the view of the cliffs, there were some guys jumping.

This is the famous cliff jump over the Spitting Cave at Portlock Point. When the ocean swells are right, water and air rush into this cave and a plume of sea spray gets spit out with a loud whoosh and gurgle. The guy at the bottom watches the swell. He’s looking for a nice gap in the waves where the jumper won’t get pushed into the cave when he hits the water. When an opportune moment presents itself, he calls up to the jumper and it’s bombs away.

Last weekend we hiked into the Manoa Valley rainforest and climbed up a 50 foot waterfall. Although I live only 10 minutes away, I haven’t been into Manoa in a couple of years. It’s easy to forget how lush the forest is back there. It feels like a different world.

The trail follows Waiakeakua Stream to the back of the forest. You come across several cascade waterfalls of different sizes with pools of varying depths. At the end of the trail you’ll see the waterfall pictured above and, if the rope looks sturdy, you can climb up the side of it. It’s risky (it’s hard to tell how old the rope is) but since we survived, it was super fun.

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If you’ve “liked” Volcanic Rock Gym’s Facebook page, you’ve probably heard of this place. It’s a big pile of boulders right on the ocean that people are starting to explore. There are problems everywhere. Nothing is named or rated yet. The landings are all crazy and you’ll need plenty crash pads and spotters to keep things safe. I’ve got pics of several problems you can do here but there’s much more to be climbed. This place is awesome.

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My man Cory took us up to this super cool koa tree last weekend. I’m not supposed to say where it is but I don’t think I could even explain how to get there if I wanted to. It sits atop an unnamed ridge and you have to blaze your own trail through thick uluhe ferns to get there. Luckily for us, Cory had been here several times and lead the way, creating a trail for us through the thick ferns.

When we reached the tree and climbed up it, all that work paid off. Some of us (not me) climbed out on the branches as far as possible with hundred foot drops below. We opened up our snacks and nommed and a few folks shared a brew.