stairway to heaven: hiking up the back (legal) way to the haiku stairs | oahu, hawaii

Hiking up the Haiku Stairs has been on my bucket list for a while now, so once our flights to Oahu were officially booked I started scheming how to make it happen. It seemed like an epic and mysterious quest with a well-earned view at the top - to be able to peer down at the rest of the island from the clouds? Dreamy.  There are soooo many ridge hikes on Oahu (and I’m sure on most all of the Hawaiian Islands), but I got my little heart set on this one. Poor Meg.

photo by Mike Karas

Once we started our research, it became clear pretty much immediately that hiking up the Haiku Stairs (or as many call it, “The Stairway to Heaven”) is now illegal. Though the 4,000 steps were built during World War II to allow access to radio transmission stations at the tippity top of the island’s peaks, they technically closed the trail to the public in 1987. Over the past few years, they’ve become stricter about enforcing the unlawfulness of the trail by placing a guard at the entrance of the stairs and handing out $1000 fines and mandatory court dates to hikers who dare to risk it.

So, the scheme started to evolve… was there a back way to get up to the top? Yes. But a lot of those cut-throughs were through people’s backyards and homes and we read a lot of stories about how locals were woken up at 2am, 4am, 5am, 7am every night by young tourists trying to rig the system for a piece of their adventure. Though I was willing to be a bit risky (again, poor Meg) and attempt sneaking around the guard (because bucket-list-tunnel-vision-obsession), I just didn’t feel comfortable disrupting the locals. It felt super disrespectful. It’s just not how we roll. (Meg is now relieved)

We then heard about another trail that lead up to the top -- not a cut through -- a trail that was harder, but legal. Though we’re experienced hikers and up for researching a trail ahead of time and giving it a go, this one was recommended to make sure to go with a local, someone who knows the trail. So we found a dude (info at the bottom) and joined a group, and made some friends along the way!

Hint: look for a little blue dot... it me!

We met up with our group around 6:30am at the trailhead to start the hike up. We ended up with AMAZING weather! Considering the week we had had thus far, we didn’t know what to really expect. We had beautiful blue skies to hike up the ridges and into the clouds at the top. It made the conditions for the hike manageable. Our guide told us that of the hundreds of times he’s hiked this trail it’s been slightly different every time depending on the ever-changing weather. It was a relief to just focus on the hike and not have to worry if we were going the right way or had reared off-trial. He provided gloves and shoe spikes which were really handy (if you’re going at it on your own, I would totally recommend). There were stretches where you had to climb up a ridge one-by-one holding onto a rope and it made you feel a bit steadier.

photo by Mike Karas

photo by Mike Karas

We’re so glad we chose this route to the top - we felt like we got a 2 for 1! An epic ridge hike where you could see all the peaks and valleys (and ocean) on both sides of you AND the mysterious world at the top! When we finally crawled our way up to the end of the trail, the top is where the top of the Haiku stairs began. It was like we were in another world. It got cooler once we were up there, as we were in the clouds and it all felt so mystical. I wandered down on the stairs a bit and they were overgrown by weeds as though it was out of scene of Jumanji. The stairs went on for what seemed like forever. Abandoned territory, graffitied posts, and secret lookouts made it feel like you were walking through time. It gave me memories of hiking the Great Wall of China though they are definitely from a different era (like thousands of years).  

photo by Mike Karas

Even though I only went down a few tiers, they were a b*tch to climb back up! At least the ridge hike was varied, climbing up the stairs the whole way may have been brutal. We spent a hour at the top wandering around, eating lunch, and resting before we headed back down. Some people hike up the back way and then choose to take the stairs all the way down. We did not. We hiked back down along the trail we came up, and it was quite rewarding (and our car was waiting for us there). Having a nice crew made it more enjoyable too :)

In the end someone tracked that we hit over 30,000 steps and 10+ miles in over 8 hours. Worth it.

Unless you are afraid of heights…

I made her turn around and pose for this. 

Notes:

• Start early: You never know how crowded the trail may get. We were lucky even though we were on a Saturday morning and the first clear day all week. I would have even liked to hike the first part of it in the dark so we could see the sunrise as we started the assent (heart eyes).

• Watch the weather: You don’t want to get stuck on a muddy trail or in the middle of a storm. I don’t know how much the shoe spikes will help you then.

• What to wear: layers, comfortable hiking socks and boots boots (Meg used trail runners, but you do have to walk through shallow streams at a few points so you have the potential to have a wet foot…)

• What to pack:

  • 2-3 liters of water per person. We love our little blue backpacks.  

  • Snacks - we’re a big fan of the pb&j at the top of the hike as well as easy to eat bars, fruit, and nuts. I even got fancy and roasted some sweet potatoes that were easy to grab and eat and they were so tasty.

  • Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses

  • Layers - we each brought a long-sleeve that we could take on and off as well as a raincoat (matching of course) in case the weather turned. You will get muddy.

• What to expect: If you are a moderately in shape person, that is you do some kind of exercise/physical activity 2-3 times a week, you can do this hike.  This is not the hike for you if you have a fear of heights, are adverse to copious amounts of sweat, or have knee pains/problems. The trail is just over 5 miles in each direction with the first 3 miles being relatively flat, which means you are ascending/descending 2500 feet give or take in about 2 miles.

• Go local: Don’t disturb the neighbors. Don’t get a ticket. Get dirty hiking up the harder way. DM Mike on Instagram and chat about hopping on his next hike. He’s nice, prepared, chill, and knows the trail thoroughly. (We have NEVER gone with a “guide” on a hike and our egos were a bit hesitant on this one, but we are so glad we did.)

• Directions: If you would rather go out on your own, I have found that this guide is a pretty accurate description of the hike, including how to access the Moanalua Middle Ridge Trail. However, be warned that we have heard several people saying that they got lost. We highly recommend using microspikes and please be wary about trekking this trail when it is wet.  We had a sunny day for hiking and the trail still had quite a bit of mud from the day before (as evidenced by our dirty bums). Also, the parking lot at the trailhead gets full pretty early in the morning so I would consider an early start time.

how far i’ll go | oahu

Two weeks.  Those days, marked one by one in ink on a physical calendar, served as a strong motivator at the end of what turned out to be a very long winter of waiting.  Not because the waiting was especially troublesome or traumatic but simply because I wanted to plan out my life. Despite my love of impromptu travel, I love a good plan, particularly those that involve calendars and checklists.  And when it comes to the big life stuff like career, community, and places to live, I want to be able to organize it all into neat and orderly boxes. Instead of being in Type A nirvana, I found myself in my own personal purgatory beginning last fall when I applied for a new position of sorts, one that would take me away from NYC.  I submitted my application just before Thanksgiving and as the stagnancy of the unknown sunk in with the approaching winter, I spent a solid 4 months wondering where I would be come summer.

The decision to seek out a different home base was not a new, and certainly not a sudden, realization for me. I have wanted to leave the city swing of things pretty much ever since I moved there more than a decade ago.  In fact, I half-heartedly attempted to move out when I spent 6 weeks in Jamaica a couple of years ago only to return and make the arduous trek from Brooklyn to the Upper West Side.

I have nothing in particular against New York City.  It’s just that generally speaking I don’t really like living in cities.  In order for me to be a functioning human being, I need a whole lot of outdoors time and that can be a bit hard to come by in the ole concrete jungle.  Yes, you can seek it out and find those pockets of green and sun and mountains and sand (a certain Grace Freeman excels at this). But it requires quite a bit of effort and also leads me to be in a constant state of wanderlust, always wondering where and when my next escape will be.  Case in point, I traveled to five states from when I submitted my application in November to when Grace and I left for our trip to Hawaii this past March.

Yet, while I told myself that I wanted more than anything to move away from NYC, I have had a hard time taking the steps to actualize that goal.  Except for a 1 year stint in Uganda, I have spent my entire life living in the state of New York. The move out of my childhood locale to the big city was more of a natural progression than a leap into the unknown.  A far cry from the drive and excitement that typically surrounds an NYC transplant. My relocation to the closest city from where I grew up was mostly due to ease and a bit out of necessity.

This is not to say that there are not parts of New York that I love – my lovely friends, the closeness of my family, the nearby mountains to explore (…or large hills), and my easily attained salt air fix to name a few.  Despite the difficultness that is life in NYC, in many ways it was easier to stay and so that’s what I did. I would talk about my grand plans to leave but sign another year lease, putting it off for just another 12 months, all the while daydreaming about what was next (and complaining about the present to a few lucky individuals).

However, when this opportunity presented itself last year, I somehow managed to take the bait and submit an application.  As fate would have it, the week before Grace and I left for Oahu, I found out I had been accepted to the program and would be moving from NYC to the far away land of Washington, DC in just a couple of months.  I am not sure why now seemed like the right time for my life to get flipped turned upside down.  The DC area has never been at the top of my list of places to move to and it is a far cry from my wanderlust of escaping the urban madness.  I feel like I should have some explanation that pulls it all together, like some sort of profound insight, but instead all I’ve got is this.  

As we boarded the plane at JFK, I wanted nothing more than to spend some lazy days on the beach with one of my best friends, breathing in some salty air and letting my winter skin soak in the tropical sun.  That may not seem like much of a vacation plan but it was all I could think about from when we booked our flights until our plane touched down on Oahu. This was not my first foray into Hawaiian life and unbeknownst to me, I had some strong feelings and expectations leading into it - mainly lots of sun, sand, and ocean time.  What we ended up with was an absurd amount of rain, cloud cover, and chilly temps. Even my non-planning plans were stymied by Mother Nature. I would like to say that I handled the disappointment with grace (heh in a way I did) but to be honest I was pretty bummed about it and still dealing with all the emotions of finally moving.  Let’s be honest, I am probably still dealing with those emotions and I have been living here in DC for almost a month.

All of this is to say, I was not my best self.  But you know what? It didn’t really matter. Grace and I were still able to have an amazing trip.  And not because the sun decided to shine at just the right moments or I finally figured out my life.  But because I was traveling with a friend who knows me (and loves me, if I do say so myself :) ) well enough to put up with my mopey, emotionally confused bum, hold me accountable when needed, and scope out all the contingency plans the crazy weather called for while I aimlessly drove us all over the island.  In other words, Grace and I still explored all the things (in matching raincoats, of course), ate an absurd amount of açai bowls, and even squeezed in some epic seaside naps. And in case you were worried about us living out all of our Moana dreams, don’t you fret. Our last morning in Oahu was full of sunshine, which was perfect for some outrigger canoe surfing courtesy of some kind folks.  

All in all, our trip ended up being just what I needed.   

notes:

we will have another post up next week that provides a breakdown of the how, what, where, etc. but until then we highly recommend you sign up for HawaiianMiles - the rewards program for Hawaiian Airlines - to get early notice on flight deals. (we don’t get anything for you clicking that, it is just how we managed to get a sweet flight deal on our trip to Oahu.)

you doubted me on the Moana reference in the title, didn’t you.  if you somehow have not yet seen Moana, it is still streaming on netflix.  you will not regret it.

i'll take it | Brooklyn

We'll take it: spring, summer, the whole thing. 

“More than the fuchsia funnels breaking out
of the crabapple tree, more than the neighbor’s
almost obscene display of cherry limbs shoving
their cotton candy-colored blossoms to the slate
sky of Spring rains, it’s the greening of the trees
that really gets to me. When all the shock of white
and taffy, the world’s baubles and trinkets, leave
the pavement strewn with the confetti of aftermath,
the leaves come. Patient, plodding, a green skin
growing over whatever winter did to us, a return
to the strange idea of continuous living despite
the mess of us, the hurt, the empty. Fine then,
I’ll take it, the tree seems to say, a new slick leaf
unfurling like a fist to an open palm, I’ll take it all.
”

— "Instructions on Not Giving Up" - Ada Limón, 1976

Yes it's true, we wait for these suckers every year. They make my heart so happy. I don't know if it's the anticipation of change finally coming or all the pink, but they particularly made me swoon this year. Winter was really tough; I worked through some messes and lot of hurt. Like I tell so many of my friends: "it's just a season - and all seasons have an end," I had to remind myself of that too. I had to find a way to teach my heart to be patient through this difficult season. 

Spring (and summer) eventually arrived, and my insides are relieved. Life's better through rosé colored glasses, right? 

Since we're in the happy place, we'll be sharing some recent adventures soon! California roadtrips, Miami beach escapes... and ICELAND! 

notes:

- photos are from a spring afternoon at the beginning of May with my friend Mara at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. i always keep a close eye on their cherrywatch, and this year we went toward the end of the bloom, which is why there are so many flower petals on the ground -- like pink snow! hint: Tuesdays are free! 

- i love this poem - i heard it read at my gym nonetheless! (it's not your ordinary gym...) it struck a chord with me, so i had to share. 

the peace of wild things

Two thousand sixteen. There's been quite a bit of hubbub about you. Much of the chatter debating or perhaps even proclaiming the given moniker of the worst. year. ever. And there's time for that. Time for the mourning of lost friends, hopes diverted and dreams not yet realised.  I have a sneaking suspicion that some themes from this past year will have a reprisal even with the change of calendar. But instead of focusing on what has been and what is to come, I am going to spend some time relishing in the present in my own little place here on earth, acknowledging the grandeur of things greater than myself, gently greeting the new year. I invite you to do the same. 

The Peace of Wild Things -- Wendell Berry

When despair grows in me and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.

I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting for their light.

For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Happy New Year, friends!

note: 

these photos are from a woodsy stroll we took at anthony's nose the thursday after election day. one of my favorite places to think all the thoughts and feel all the feels should you find yourself needing some perspective. 

thankful

If there's one thing we've entered the holiday season with, it's gratitude.

Since today is the Winter Solstice, we look back on autumn. We always wait for Fall to come, and then it is a whirlwind once it finally arrives. To be honest, this Fall was a bit rough. Our work, school, extra work projects, and pre-arranged travel left us with not enough time for rest as we would have liked. Too busy. And once the shock of the election hit in November, we were left pretty raw. 

After some heartbreak in my life, I found myself needing some new Thanksgiving plans. I received several invites from friends to join them in the city, but once I got the text from Meg saying: "Oh, duh, of course you're welcome to join my family!" my heart just sank in a big exhale. I knew that's where I needed to be to find any sort of peace.  I probably sound like a broken record by now, but everyone should be so lucky to take a lesson in hospitality from the Murray's. The moment I got on the LIRR to head their way, my heart felt a little lighter. They offered me a warm, cozy healing cocoon. A place at the table. Good wine and lots of cheese. Rest. The type of rest I just couldn't facilitate on my own at that moment.

The time was such a breath of fresh air and rejuvenation.  I mean with the days full of the ocean, fall walks, eating, fire places, dog cuddles, and Hallmark marathons, what more could you ask for? Meg offered me companionship. Oh this friendship we've got. It's special and I'm just so grateful. I should find a more articulate way to express it, but I'll say it over and over again how good it is for your soul to have some deep friendships in your life. The ones who you not only celebrate and adventure with, but the ones who have sat in the valleys of grief with you. There's a different sort of gravity that exists there. We took beautiful long walks talking about everything, scheming up our next trip (yes, we may have booked tickets to Iceland), and skipping through the last of the crunchy colorful leaves. 

We also stood and took in the ocean in silence. Sometimes you have everything to say and you don't even need to say it at all. 

Lessons for this holiday season: Gratitude should always be a daily practice. It makes your perspective shift, allows you to feel a little lighter. Friendships too. 

Nature is also pretty rad.  

indian summer

“The Indian Summer of life should be a little sunny and a little sad, like the season, and infinite in wealth and depth of tone, but never hustled.”

— Henry Adams

Oh Indian Summer, won’t you stay a little longer? As if we couldn’t soak up enough summer while we were in the thick of it, we don’t mind letting it linger either. Hey, I may have celebrated “the first day of Fall” on the beach in the Rockaways. September is becoming a favorite month…it’s gone by way too quickly, but it’s just beautiful. Everyone starts buzzing with classes and jobs, but we’re still able to enjoy some blue skies, green parks, and cotton candy sunsets (though they get earlier and earlier) before we all become winter hermits.

So, here we are lingering on summer. You should too. Heck, I just danced in a dance festival where we danced IN the pool. (We were synchronized swimmers in our piece, and I dare you to watch us and not smile.) It was this massive public pool in Washington Heights and you can only imagine what is was like swarmed with thousands of teenagers a few weeks before. And here it was silent, calm, and empty with a few fallen leaves bouncing around on the ground in the sunlight just a week after Labor Day.

In celebration of summer and the last day of September, we’re reflecting on our favorite stomping (or moreso beach bumming) grounds. You found us hopping on over to Fire Island (Meg’s family are pros at this - highly suggest tagging along), gazing over city rooftops, floating in pools, and eating all the rockaway tacos. (I know, I’m basic AF, but i’ve been consistent in this eating habit for about 5 years so sue me.) It became a regular habit for me to hop on my bike and ride 10 minutes down the Hudson River Park and meet a friend on the pier for the sunset. The nights and sunlight felt un-rushed and that is something so special in the middle of city culture. 

2016 Summer Frequents:

• Beaches: Davis Park, Fire Island + Rockaway Beach, Queens (friends at Station Surf Shop and Rockaway Surf Club)
• Hudson River Park: with pitstops at Lobster Boat, Fish Bar, Christopher Street Pier, Boat Basin, Pier 84 
• City Rooftops: Mara’s pool (if I told you where, i’d have to kill you) & other frequent offenders