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Hike: Nu'uanu-Judd |
Time Started: 12:11 PM |
Party: Wayne Shibata, Devin Nakayama, Stacie Young, & Alex Okihara | |
After parking in the dirt lot, we made our way down to the
stream. From here, we made the unfortunate mistake of
crossing the stream immediately. We ended up on an
overgrown trail, searching for the bamboo grove mentioned
in the Hikers Guide. After about 15 minutes of searching in
the wrong direction, we retraced our steps.
Here is the correct stream crossing that leads to the bamboo
grove.
And here is what the bamboo grove looks like immediately
upon crossing the stream.
From the forest we began to work our way up the trail.
After several minutes of walking, we entered the Charles S. Judd
Memorial Grove of Norfolk Island pines. It is an amazing
place, and walking through the forest feels magical. Here,
Stacie goes long for a pass.
This is the junction of the Nu'uanu and Judd trails. Turn left
at this junction to reach Pauoa Flats.
After 25 switchbacks, we reached the top overlooking some nice
views of downtown Honolulu.
Along the way toward Pauao Flats, there is a rope tied to a branch of a
tree that you can swing on. This picture was taken several weeks later
on my return to Nu'uanu-Judd.
A little further up the trail, we took a group shot.
Here is the junction with the 'Aihualama Trail.
There is a huge tree just past the 'Aihualama Trail junction.
The Nu'uanu Overlook marks the end of the trail. Here is a shot
of the Nu'uanu Reservoir. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to reach
the lookout from the bottom.
Looking to the
right of the previous picture are the twin peaks of Konahuanui.
The right peak (elev. 3150 ft) is the highest point on
the Ko'olau Range.
Here is a shot of the Jack Ass Ginger pool. Doesn't it look cool and
refreshing? This shot was also taken when I returned to Nu'uanu-Judd.
The Story:
Earlier today, we met at the park by Kuakini hospital to help clean up the Nuuanu Stream. After 2 hours of cleaning, we were rewarded with bentos! Many people who were supposed to show up didn't, which meant more bentos for everyone. I had two bentos!
Anyway, after lunch we drove up the Nuuanu Pali Drive in search of the Nuuanu-Judd trail. It wasn't hard to find. However, a chain blocked off the dirt parking lot. So my friends lifted the chain so we could park our car in the lot.
At 12:11 PM, we started on our journey. We crossed the stream immediately, and headed upstream in search of the bamboo grove. We didn't find any, but continued on. We started to climb on a trail through thick ferns. It was very scratchy. There was no mention of this in the Hiker's Guide, so I was pretty sure that we were on the wrong trail! A look at the map confirmed my suspicions, and instead of going exploring, we decided to head back down the hill in search of the correct trail. This little misadventure costed us about 40 minutes, so we actually started out on the hike at 12:50 PM.
Heading downstream, past the dirt lot, we found the bamboo grove mentioned in the book. We crossed the stream and entered the grove. After crossing the stream, there are 3 trails that branch out in different directions. We took the wide trail heading away from the stream as recommended by the book.
The trail heads away from the stream for a little while, and then turns to the right. All along the way, up to the junction point (point B in the Guide), there are many, many side trails.
We then started climbing on the switchbacks. I didn't bother counting them, but Ball says that there are 25 total.
Once clearing all the switchbacks, we were in for a rather long walk going up and down to the lookout point. We finally arrived at the lookout point at 2:39 PM. What a view! It was such a nice day! Konahuanui looked very inviting. There weren't any clouds covering the peaks.
We went up on a trail that heads up onto the ridge in the opposite direction of Konahuanui. Stacie had decided to stay behind.
The trail was narrow, and some sections had that nice element of danger! Along the way, we encountered some people who were going back to the lookout point. They said that there was no trail leading back down from where they had come from. I thought that this was a little strange. We decided to push on. We went through many ups and downs. However, we didn't get a chance to explore as much as I had wanted to. It was about 3 PM, and Stacie had to get back early enough to meet her friends for dinner at 6, so we decided to head back.
At 3:24 PM, we were back at the lookout point, and started back the way we came. Along the way, I thought about the ridge trail that we were on. I was sure that there was a side trail that would lead up to it. Finally, I found one located next to some ferns. I will have to try it next time.
We started heading back down, and since it was getting late, we decided not to stop off at the Jackass Ginger pool. I'll have to do this next time too.
We arrived back at our car at 4:26 PM, and my second bento was waiting for me in the car.
Notes:
There are many side trails on this hike. If you can stick to Ball's directions, you'll do okay.
This hike is definitely one of my favorites. I like walking through the pine tree section at the bottom, and the forested area at the top. I feel like I'm in a maze. The views from the lookout point and all along the way are superb. The tradewinds create cool breeze at the top.
I definitely have to go back. I want to try going to Konahuanui from that trail. I haven't gone to Konahuanui yet, but soon I will.
Looking back, we shouldn't have parked in the chained-off dirt lot. Someone could have parked in front of the chain and blocked our exit.