This section of Waikiki is a great place to come for a photowalk at dusk.

I came here recently to grab some shots of and on the jetty by Queen’s Surf Beach.

Step out on to the jetty and you can get unique views of Waikiki.

Crowds come out here every night to watch the sunset. On Friday nights, you can see the fireworks show from the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

When night falls, if you have a tripod, you can get some fun long exposure shots.

Walk out to the very end, turn around and look towards Diamond Head to see this view.

It’s a long jetty.

The city lights come alive at night as well.

As I was leaving I stopped to take a photo of this banyan tree.

See also:

• For more info and directions see Queen’s Surf Beach on Yelp.

We spent a weekend last month backpacking through a very remote section of Maui. A friend had scouted this area for some time and planned a route that would take us to several seldom seen waterfalls. I was lucky to get an invite when a couple people from the original crew dropped out.

I can’t say much about this trip but I can share a few photos. The hiking was extremely rugged but sometimes that’s what it takes to find seclusion.

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Hiking safety is a tricky topic because part of the appeal of hiking is to push yourself to do things that you wouldn’t ordinarily do. During a hike you have to do some risky things to get to your destination. Sometimes that involves climbing up a rock face, crossing a waist deep stream, or simply pushing your endurance limit on a very long trail. It’s through these challenging experiences that we discover our physical and mental potential and also learn our limits.

So on hikes, we take risks. That’s kind of the point.

But if you are new to hiking, it’s super important to consider hiking safety. When something goes wrong on a hike, it’s much worse than it would normally be. Even small injuries are a big deal. For example, if you twist your ankle on a basketball court, you can just limp to your car and drive to the emergency room. On a hike, if you bust your ankle, you need to call for a helicopter. Yep, a helicopter. Then you get to read about your injury on the news and see all the comments on the news websites and Facebook where people will make fun of you and blame you for wasting their tax dollars. All that for a sprained ankle. Now imagine the consequences of a more severe injury.

Aside: I witnessed a helicopter rescue at the Makapuu tidepools. They were pros.

Since I have all this hiking info on my blog, I wanted to make sure that people know that hiking safety is a big deal to me. Here are a few things I think are important to keep in mind.

Be mindful of each step.

Hiking, in general, is pretty simple. It involves walking on rugged terrain. Sometimes you walk uphill, sometimes you walk downhill. But, I encourage new hikers to take it more seriously than that. You do not want to be stuck on a trail, miles from civilization, with a twisted ankle.

The trails in Hawaii are bumpy, full of holes, sometimes made up of loose slippery gravel and many times overgrown (which hides holes in the ground). I’ve seen many friends walk on trails like it’s a sidewalk. They’ve got their eyes up or looking at the scenery, not paying attention to the terrain, and tripping all over the place.

When I hike, I’m mindful of almost every step I take. Especially on narrow ridges. For each step I take I try to think about where my foot will land, what angle I should place my foot, if I should put it down with my heel or toe and I also think about where the next few steps will be. I’m always trying to spot holes I might step in or roots that might trip me. It sounds like a lot of work but the process becomes second nature after a while.

When using a rope.

Don’t trust it. The ropes out there are old and weathered. Try not to put 100% of your weight on the rope if you don’t have to. And while climbing up or down a rope, look around for branches and roots to grab onto in case the rope were to snap. Think of the rope as an aide.

Hike in a small group of people you know.

I know this isn’t always possible but, it’s much safer to hike with people who know you and care about you than with strangers. Friends are more likely to watch each other’s back, wait up for each other and be willing to take breaks whenever someone needs a rest. Smaller groups also work better because it’s easier to keep track of people.

Know your limits.

If you get really bad vertigo from heights, certain trails with narrow ridges may not be so good for you. If you are not so good with directions (like myself), you should stick to well known and well defined trails. I know I started this post by writing about how hiking is all about pushing ourselves but we must also be honest with ourselves and know when to pass on a hike that might be beyond our skill level.

If you are scared of heights, hiking is not the best way to face your fear. Rock climbing (where you’re on a rope) or skydiving (where you have a parachute) are much safer options. If you’re very competitive, you probably want to tame that tendency when hiking. It can lead to bad decisions. There are plenty of safer ways to compete with others.

Read the “Hiking Saftey in Hawaii” brochure.

I picked this up from the DLNR a little while back. I couldn’t find it available anywhere online so here it is.

The largest Fourth of July fireworks show in Hawaii went off last night. The show and celebration is held annually by Ala Moana Center, the awesome outdoor mall over here. They’ve been doing it for 21 years.

The fireworks were launched from Magic Island, the small peninsula that separates Waikiki from Ala Moana. Thousands gathered around the beaches and streets to watch it. Boats (those lights you see out in the water) crowded around as well.

At the end of the show you could hear cheering all throughout the streets. Followed by sounds of honking horns and really bad traffic.

I happen to live right in Ala Moana and have a pretty decent view of Magic Island. These photos were taken from my apartment building.

I really dig specialty stores.

They can get brands and selections that major retailers cannot.

We have a specialty store in Hawaii that sells outdoor gear called SoulTrex.

There’s stuff here that you cannot find anywhere else on the island.

I usually come to SoulTrex to buy hiking shoes. But on this day, I came by to talk to Linda (pictured above) and drop off some Hawaii Bouldering tank tops. SoulTrex has agreed to stock them at the store for a limited time. If you live on the Windward side of Oahu, be sure to cruise by.

Linda is the store manager. She probably doesn’t remember this but she sold me two pairs of hiking boots last year. She was super knowledgeable about the brands (one was a pair of Merrells, the other Keens) and was totally stoked to hear that I was buying shoes for a backpacking trip. I remember her being really helpful.

I also remember being appreciative of the fact that SoulTrex even existed. It’s pretty risky to open up a store like this with such a niche customer base. I haven’t met Jacinda (the owner) yet but I definitely appreciate her efforts in bringing this type of store to Hawaii. Without SoulTrex we would have to buy everything online. And that doesn’t work so well when you want to try something on first or need something at the last minute.

After I dropped off the shirts, I was interested in learning more about the products at the store so I asked if Linda could show me around and tell me about the special items they carry. And then I ended up buying a bunch of stuff.

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