Remember last week when I talked about enjoying easy, non-athletic hikes (i.e.: Kaʻena Point)? Yeah, the upper Makua Caves isn’t one of those. I spent my last full day at home hiking and swimming on the west side with my friends Brandon and Mamba. We drove to Waiʻanae and parked on the side of the road in order to access the trail. The hike itself, while short, is incredibly steep so I had to stop halfway. I have a horrible fear of heights and I stubbornly didn’t want to continue, but the boys encouraged me to face my fears and climb to the top. The hike is full of dirt and loose rocks, which makes it hard to make it up and down easily. Because I used to climb the makeshift rock wall at school fairs, I was able to find stable rocks to pull myself up to the top. The caves aren’t that great but the view is phenomenal. We stopped to take pictures and regroup because we weren’t sure how to get back down the mountain without falling. While Brandon insisted on climbing back up a part of the mountain in order to get down (he pulled on loose rocks and almost fell off), I squatted and crawled down on my hands and feet. We were lucky enough to make it down alive and spent the rest of the day eating and swimming at Nanakuli beach. Just another day in paradise.
