Maui Waterfall Hike

Mark and I went on a guided hike with one other couple into the West Maui mountains. Randy, our guide, and Romi and Raoul, the couple, were great folks. We took so many photographs, but I will give you some highlights.
First we drove back to the scary road we abandoned the first day, parked the car in a lookout point, and walked down to a the edge of the road. I never would have found this trail on my own. We followed this stream along a trail of wild ginger plants, bamboo, and some amazingly beautiful trees. Saw no animals, except a millipede, which I had no desire to see closer, and some cardinals.




There were three waterfalls, each with it's own little swimming hole. The water was frigid, though, and Mark was the only one of us brave enough to take the dive.


Randy taught us so much about the local history, plants, and myths of the area. Where we were was all sugarcane farming, with the occasional bloody battle. We asked him all kinds of questions about the native culture and their modern day situations, stray cats, and ooh, what tree is that?



One interesting fact: Since the Hawaiian islands are all volcanic and fairly new geologically, most plants and animals were brought over by the settlers. Not many indigenous species. And there are no snakes or poisonous plants. A hiker's dream. Just watch out for those pesky daily flash floods.

We took a break here and munched on dried papaya, pineapple, and chips. I could have stayed here all day.


I realized that I much prefer wooded places with streams and little hideaway ponds over beaches and mountaintops. They say you are either a forest, ocean, or air person. Which one are you?