We took a stroll through the forest the other day.

This is Josh, the guy who runs the 808 Goonies hiking blog. He’s leading the way to a few spots in the forest where we can get some interesting photos.

Our objective was to hike to some streams and try out long-exposure photography.

The location Josh picked out was a forest in a valley on the Windward side of Oahu. It had rained recently and the streams were flowing nicely.

This outing was more of a photowalk than a hike. It was just two people on a mission to take photos. Josh knew a few spots and at each one we would sit and take our time experimenting with different compositions and camera settings. We weren’t rushed to get to a summit and we didn’t have to worry about holding up a group of hikers.

We ended our day when we decided that we had enough photos in our cameras for this session.

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This huge rock was found in a Hawaiian rainforest a few months ago.

The lines on it are some very hard high-ball boulder problems.

This place is called the Paradise Boulders. Do not look up in the trees.

I’m not sure if I’d be so fascinated by this giant rock if I never tried rock climbing. But these days, the sight of a gigantic free standing boulder has me in awe. Especially when it’s sitting in the middle of the forest in Hawaii. It seems so out of place.

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Sometimes overcast days yield the best sunsets.

As the sun approaches the horizon, it can burn through the clouds.

On this day, the trade winds picked up right at dusk and opened holes in the sky for the sun to peek through.

This stand up paddler had the right idea.

As you can see, the more clouds there are, the more interesting the sky will look.

Clouds reflect the glow of the sun and the water reflects the glow of the clouds.

There was vog (volcanic smog) in the air on this day which made they clouds firey.

In December, the sun sets more towards the south. That means that if you live in Honolulu, or are staying in Waikiki, you’ll be treated to sunsets directly over the ocean. (Most months of the year, the sun sets towards the West behind the mountains.)

These photos were taken from Magic Island (the park at the end of Ala Moana Beach Park).

See also:

• Sunset of Magic Island

The Arch at Kaena Point.

Justin Ridgely hanging over the rocks and water at the Arch.

Justin at Zombie Meadows.

Nancy under a giant rock in the forest.

These are the photos that were shown in the “Bouldering in Hawaii” photo exhibition.

The photos are meant to provide a glimpse into the bouldering scene on the island of Oahu. Four climbers are featured in the photos: Justin Ridgely, Matt Lutey, Nancy Nguyen and Hiro Watanabe.

There are 21 photos in all. If you didn’t get to see them printed out and hung on the walls, please enjoy this photoset.

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When I buy gifts for people I try to find something that would be useful to them and something they might not normally buy for themselves. So a lot of times I’ll choose brands that are known for being on the more expensive side, or something that many people would like to have but don’t necessarily need.

Gift giving is tough these days though. Even if you know you want to buy hiking gear, there are so many products out there to choose from. To help, I’ve put together a list of items that I think would make a Hawaii hiker happy.

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Haleakala Crater is a special place on Maui.

It’s at the top of the huge (and probably dormant) volcano that makes up the entire east side of Maui.

They say it feels like you’re on Mars up here.

I think there’s some truth to that.

The last time I went to Maui, I went hunting for waterfalls. On this trip my main interest was Haleakala. I’ve seen countless pictures of this place but the view of inside the crater in person is totally different.

It takes some time to drive up to Haleakala. 1 to 2 hours depending on where you’re coming from. But, in my opinion, to spend just a few hours at the top is worth the drive. We picked up some snacks and water and drove up in the afternoon. The plan was to stay until sunset.

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