Celebrating Like it's Our 40th in O'ahu

It's been 17 years since we've been to Hawaii. Our 39th anniversary is this month, so we decided to go back to celebrate. 

It seems like a big trip like this should be saved for a 40th anniversary, doesn't it? Well, let me tell you why it shouldn't.

While sitting on the deck of our North Shore accommodations and enjoying my morning coffee, a beautiful rainbow appeared. 

It felt like a smile from my mother, and suddenly their 40th anniversary party came to mind. You never want to start your first day of vacation crying, but I couldn't help it.

My mom wanted so badly to go to Hawaii to commemorate that big milestone, but she was in a fight for her life with stage 4 cancer. So instead, we brought Hawaii to her. 

Sadly, she never got to see a 41st anniversary. Life is too short; so I say go now. Although...life is also hard; and so going where we want to go is not always possible. 

But if you can make it happen, don't wait. Don't hesitate, don't make excuses, and don't feel guilty. That's what I'm trying to tell myself, anyway. 

Beauty and pain...that's the deal while we are here. I say drink in the beauty whenever you can. Happy "glad to still be here" trails. Our week's itinerary is below for anyone planning a trip and looking for ideas. Aloha!! (Also some short video clips are on YouTube)

Day One) Got in late to our hostel on the North Shore. I kinda wanted to keep this place a secret so it doesn't get too popular (as if I have some huge audience) but I doubt many people will be very into it. Sharing a bathroom is not everyone's cup of tea. We were fine with it for the price and great location.

Not exactly luxury 

Day Two) It's a half hour to the farthest point west you can drive, and then you can walk about 3 miles of the trail there to the actual furthest spot at Ka'ena Point. It was a cooler day, which you want to choose because it's surprising how hot you'll get hiking even on flat ground with a nice ocean breeze. We saw whales spouting in the distance, a monk seal taking a bath, and tons of albatross nesting! (Which only happens in March - how lucky were we?) 

The toppled lighthouse has been decorated

Day Three) Snorkel day!! Three Tables Beach is literally across the street, so we went first thing while the tide was favorable and the swells low. (March is not ideal here, unless you're a surfer.) Then it's walking distance to Shark's Cove which is an amazing spot with large tide pools that are easy and safe to snorkel with tons of fish. If you keep making your way east you'll come to the more open cove and this is where we came across the two sea turtles. We swam with them for a solid 10 minutes. One of the most magical moments of my life. Then we drove further east to the Turtle Bay Resort where you can just walk on through their pool area and order at their bar even as a non guest. Great service and beautiful seating looking out on the ocean. We still had time before sunset so we drove to the apropos Sunset Beach - it didn't disappoint. 

Day Four) Check out is at 10 am without exception (and 3 nights is their minimum btw) but that worked out for us because low tide at the Mermaid Cave was at 11 am and it was an hour drive. During my internet searches while planning I came across this "secret place" (ha ha) which was made famous by IG posts and is somewhat notorious because people don't check the tides and have gotten themselves in trouble. (Or killed, as the many memorials there attest to.) Normally it's not something I'd be into, but it was close to where we were camping, and like I said, the timing was too perfect. 

Then it was a trip to Walmart (my favorite thing to do on vacation - ugh) to pick up some camping supplies and because we had time to kill we went to Ko Olina Lagoon 4 which is part of the Disney Resort.

Our one rain shower was thankfully short lived

 

Again, all are welcome, even non guests (Hawaiians are so generous!) but what I didn't realize is that we were supposed to check into our private campground before 4 pm. (oops!) When we got to Camp Palehua not a soul was there! It all worked out, but it was a strange experience. But cool too -- and what a view!!  

Only a chicken to welcome us ;)

Day Five) We packed up and drove to the other side of the island to pick up our kayak at Active Oahu Tours. Micheal was amazing and gave us lots of tips and helped us get the kayak on top of the car. He showed us on a map where we were supposed to launch, but also pointed out that Lanikai Beach would cut our paddle distance in half if we could find a parking spot there.(Not easy, but we did it.) Thank God because holy cow it was windy and that was a bumpy and exhausting one mile ride! Low and behold, March is not ideal here either. Though the plus side was we had Moku Nui Island all to ourselves! Well, except for the THREE monk seals laying on the beach (including a pup)...the magic just kept coming. 

Zoom in to see seals behind us

After returning the kayak, we drove a hour north to the Malaekahana Beach Campground where I had gotten a site online. This is a very economical way to visit Oahu, and they are not difficult to reserve.You do need the kind of gear you can fit into a suitcase, but that's already taken care of if you are a backpacker like me. I will warn you that the wind on this side of the island never stops this time of year, which will wear on you. I don't think we could have taken it for more than one night...oh and there are no hot showers. But there will be roosters to wake you up in time for the sunrise, which I promise you don't want to miss. 

 

They are ON THE JOB ;)

Day 6) I really wanted to do another hike, and the Kahekili Trail was right on our way back to Honolulu. This is another place famous for people dying, but as long as you are not planning on doing the thru hike up on the ridge and back down to Crouching Lion, it's pretty safe. I only had to go up about a mile for these views. 

Then it was to Waikiki Beach to soak in some non-windy sun. We were clueless where to park, but got a tip that the International Market is easy peasy and reasonably priced, which it was. Our room at Aston at the Executive Centre was a huge upgrade from our other nights and a great way to end our trip. (HOT SHOWER BABY!)

Day 7) Nothing much to note, except that the international airport in Honolulu is the most beautiful I've even been to. Take time to visit the gardens if you can.  

Wrecked at Elfin Lakes

I usually like to tell a story when I write up my trip reports, because I live to entertain. Then at the end I'll give a "things to know" list for day hikes or a daily itinerary for backpacks. Amusement first, then information. 

Our second snow camp! Click here for Crater Lake

But after this quick one nighter, I'm just too beat to do anything but give the basic deets. Doing over 14 miles with two and half thousand feet of gain (or 22 kilometers and 752 meters - it was in Canada after all) will wear me out...but now I know that doing it in snow will absolutely destroy me. 

You know how when you go to get a burger and beer after your trip and have to get up to go to the bathroom and suddenly you feel like your legs won't work? But then you suck it up and at least fake like you are not dying so as not to draw attention to yourself, right? Well, I couldn't even do that. I hobbled thru the restaurant* like I had broken both my ankles. Also, I literally had to use my arm to pull my leg up into the car. Bathtub Lakes was my #1 ranked hike as most painful...but this one beat it. 

Though folks do it all the time. Lots of folks. The Diamond Head area in Garibaldi Provincial Park is POPULAR - but for good reason. It's a skier's paradise (if you don't mind leg power over lifts) and only a 20 minute drive from Squamish. I actually didn't know much about the skiing when I purchased our permit to camp at Elfin Lakes, though I knew the hut there was totally booked with what I assumed were mostly skiers. 

We did go in to warm up, but it was extremely packed

Though I certainly didn't expect to have skiers and snow boarders galore passing us from almost the moment we started up the trail. It looked so fun and created some jealousy - plus it made the idea of hauling ass up the mountain just to walk back down instead of gliding a really stupid one.  

So anyway, enough non-story telling. Here's what you need to know if you feel like destroying yourself too:

1) Permits are obtained here. Scoring camping is easy in winter, but you'll have to fight for it in the summer. I'm not sure if the hut is always difficult to get, but it certainly is on a President's Day weekend.

2) Bring chains, and put them on in the chain up area even if there is no snow there. We really thought we could make it in our car, but just about 300 feet from the parking lot we got stuck. Putting on chains on an icy hill is a bad idea -- I would have been in a really bad situation if my husband wasn't there to help. 

3) Once you get to the first warming hut at about 3 miles in you need to follow the orange snow stakes because Alltrails is not going to help you.** We were doing that, but then they just stopped. We got lured into following the skiers short cut, which is a really bad idea in snowshoes. You want to go around to your right instead of straight across (I think we missed a sharp turn) - if it's not obviously stomped down, you are probably off trail. Oh, and FYI the warming hut has a large pot and gas you can use to melt snow for water. We did this on the way down because we were totally out. 

4) If it feels like this is way longer than you expected because Alltrails has it as a 12.9 out and back, just know that Alltrails cannot be trusted. Plus you should always tell yourself (and your husband) 13 miles instead of 12 because you know 12 sounds better and you couldn't help focusing on the lower number. (Marketers always play to this weakness by advertising prices as $12.99 instead of $13 and I'm a sucker for it!!) So prepare yourself for a total of near 15 miles because I really think it's closer to that. 

Sammie is over it! ;)

5) Besides the hut you can stay in, which has heat and beds and everything,*** there is another shelter for the campers to use for cooking. It is actually fully enclosed, so it's a great place to hang out to get out of the snow and change your wet clothes. It is not heated though, and camping inside is prohibited. There is a nice bathroom (by backpacking standards) right next to it. 

Good thing the bears are sleeping! ;)

 

*Shout out to The Watershed Grill in Squamish. Great service, good food, decent prices, nice view and casual enough that you don't feel awkward even though you look like hell. 

** Actually, if you download the Red Heather Meadows to Elfin Lakes Winter Route, it will help you. I used Elfin Lakes Trail via Round Mountain which is the summer route and not all that helpful. 

***Not everything; I just found out the bunks don't even have mats! Important to know if you plan on staying there--don't forget a sleeping pad! 

Disappointmentless at Long Beach Washington

"Disappointmentless" may not be a real word, but I'm using it anyway. A title of "Cape Disappointment Did Not Disappoint" sounded lame to me. Plus it's not entirely true. We found the famous Washington lighthouse to be a bit of a let down. But only the first one. Maybe I should start over.

My friends and I planned this little girl getaway over the MLK holiday months ago. Winter can be a rough season for hiking addicts (sorry, I mean enthusiasts) so we knew we'd be desperate for an outing come January. A snow camp maybe?...but the beach just sounded so much better. Staying at a cabin with a hot tub looking out on the ocean is adventurous, right?

Hats make it seems more outdoorsy ;)

Okay, not really. And the hiking options in the Long Beach area are not exactly thrilling either. Though we knew if we timed it right, we should at least be able to get some good sunset pics at the reputable landmark of Cape Disappointment.  

After less than a mile's walk you'll come to the lighthouse and it's...okay. I guess I had high expectations. We took the short jaunt down to Dead Man's Cove for a few more shots of the setting sun, and then Heidi mentioned the other lighthouse.

Other lighthouse? "Yeah, there's the newer North Head Lighthouse. We should drive back tomorrow and check it out," she says.  "Well, where is it?" I ask. "Oh, just a couple minutes drive," she answers. A couple minutes?! We all agreed to get a move on while there was still a little light left!

As far as getting our photography fix, this was the highlight of our trip. On our last day we did stop to check out Waikiki Beach where you can get the iconic shot of the older lighthouse; but with no giant waves, it's pretty underwhelming. 

A classic shot I stole off the internet

Way less impressive in person

Our other attempt at a hike was pretty much a total bust. The "Bearberry and Bay Loop" at Leadbetter Point started out as a nice beach walk. Then it got mushier...and mushier... (Heidi's new shoes were getting quite the baptism) until finally I hear Heidi say, "Oh Hell's Bells, no way!" 

Woo hoo, this is great!

Hell's bells, this is not ;)

I convinced her we could make it over the water by balancing on all the deadfall, because none of us wanted to trudge back through the mush. This worked, until we came to yet another "hell's bells" situation that we could not find our way around, try as we might. (I actually started to feel a bit panicked because it was proving very difficult to find the trail again. My solo trip from Whatcom Pass to Ross Lake kind of gave me PTSD when it comes to getting lost.)

Our VRBO's private beach was the place to be

 

But let me be clear: I would not call any of the above a disappointment. Even soggy feet are fun when I'm with my girls. Obviously we made it out alive; though after that little adventure we decided hanging out at our rented beach cabin was excitement enough. Actually it was more than enough - it was pure heaven. Happy "hanging with your gals can be better than hiking" trails...or maybe I should say non-trails. 

You MUST drive on the beach! So fun!

And fly kites! We bought ours right in town

And Sammie says not to forget to visit Oysterville