Tucked away in a neighborhood in Kahaluu (near Kaneohe) is the Tagami & Powell Gallery and Gardens.

The garden is full of exotic plants.

In the gallery, you’ll find the paintings of Hiroshi Tagami and Michael Powell, and the photography of fellow hiker and blogger Nate Yuen.

If you’ve ever researched a hike online, you’ve no doubt come across Nate’s blog, HawaiianForest.com. I’ve referenced Nate’s blog several times on my site as it’s been an invaluable resource for me to find info on hikes in Hawaii. Before I went on a backpacking trip to Waimanu (Big Island), Nate’s blog was the only place I could find photos and information on the secluded campsite.

Nate has been a member of the Hawaiian Trail & Mountain Club for over a decade now and hikes every weekend. He’s covered countless trails on Oahu and made several trips to the other islands to hike. And through hiking, he found a passion for photography.

Nate’s photography is different than most of the stuff you’ll see out there. It’s not just the typical mountain and ocean views you see on sites like … well, like mine. Nate focuses on the small things. On the trail, he has this uncanny ability to spot tiny animals, insects or plants that most people would hike right past. And he has the patience to sit and wait for the specimen to come into view of his camera to snap a good shot. So when you look at his work, not only is it beautiful, you learn something. His unique perspective is pretty much summed up in this video he created. It’s a video from a hike and you can see where his attention is focused and what he wants to share with the viewer.

In his own words, Nate says, “My body of work is at the confluence of hiking, conservation, and fine art photography. It is my goal to showcase the unique plants and animals that live at these places and give you a reason to protect them for future generations.”

Not everyone can get these types of photos. It takes years of education and experience on the trail to learn where the different species can be found. Looking at his blog you would think Nate is a researcher or scientist of some sort but nope, dude is an accountant. He’s got a regular 9 to 5. What you see in his photos and on his blog are products of his passion for being outdoors and on the trail over the weekend.

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No matter what hike I’m on, I always pack a headlamp. You never know what will happen. I’ve been on plenty hikes where we’ve stayed on the trail longer than we anticipated and had to spend some time hiking in the dark. On some occasions we’ve gotten lost and on others we voluntarily decided to stay out longer than we had planned for.

This is a Petzl Zipka Plus 2 Headlamp. I like it because it has a retractable head strap and is super compact. This model provides 50 lumens of light and is plenty bright. 50 lumens, by the way, is the minimum strength you want in a hiking headlamp. I recently upgraded to a 100 lumen Black Diamond Storm Headlamp for nighttime rock climbing sessions. On any hike where you know you’ll be using a headlamp, make sure to pack extra batteries.

When you buy a headlamp, check that it has a red led option. Most do. The red light lets you see in the dark without constricting your pupils. So, when you turn it off, you’re eyes will still be adjusted for seeing in the dark.

Also, remember that when you’re hiking with your headlamp on, never point your light towards a street or neighborhood. People on the ground could mistake your light for a distress signal and call search and rescue. This happened to me once. I hiked down with some friends from the Mokule’ia Crag in the dark and there were cops waiting for us on the street. (Oops!) Headlamps can be visible from miles away.

I use a CamelBak M.U.L.E. Hydration Pack hydration pack. There are many others to choose from but CamelBak has the best reviews because it seems to be the most durable. I tend to like the packs they make for mountain bikers as they are more narrow than a traditional hiking day pack. In general, hikes in Hawaii don’t require too much gear. I found that full size day packs are too bulky for my taste. The M.U.L.E. packs are super compact yet carry 3 liters of water. And if you need more gear, they have expansion storage compartments. Or, you could simply clip your gear on using carabiners. Perfect for a 4 to 8 hour hike.

This might not apply to everyone but, for me, a camera is an essential piece of equipment for hiking in Hawaii. Maybe it’s because I’m Asian. Or, maybe it’s because the views from the top of the ridges in Hawaii are epic. I carry a dSLR but any camera will do. For those of you that like to carry dSLRs, I’ll show you my method of carrying such a heavy camera on the trail.

Everyone I hike with packs differently and has different opinions on what would be considered “essential hiking gear”. If you are interested in what I would recommend, read on…

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Every now and again I get asked questions about hikes I’ve documented or if I know of any upcoming group hikes. I try my best to answer questions on trails but I know there are many folks out there that are more knowledgeable. And for group hikes I typically refer folks to the Hawaii Trail and Mountain Club (HTMC) website. But now, there’s another resource: the “Oahu Weekend Hikers” group on Facebook . What a perfect name.

I was added to the group by avid hiker Baron Yamamoto a few weeks ago. He and Giovanni Acosta are the creators and group admins. What I like about this group is that it’s active. (It’s currently much more active than the HTMC Facebook group.) Got a question? Post it and a bunch of people will try to answer. Group hikes are even organized through this Facebook group. Some hikes are open to all but some, because of their difficulty level, must be invite-only. Safety first folks.

If you’re looking to meet some local hikers, check this group out. Share stories and photos of a hike you just did or chime in on a conversation about a trail you’re interested in. I chatted with Baron before posting this and he confirmed that this is an open group and he encourages you to join.

Join here:

• “Oahu Weekend Hikers” on Facebook

If you know of any other open Hawaii hiking groups on Facebook, feel free to drop a comment. I’m sure interested hikers will appreciate it.

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.

• Visit Island Trails by Kaleo Lancaster
• More videos by Island Trails on Vimeo
• Follow Island Trails on Twitter