Oahu, Hawaii - An Outdoor Adventure

By Maddi Dolan

Roughly two thousand miles from the continental United States sits a chain of islands known for postcard-perfect beaches, colorful leis and hula dancing. But Hawaii has more to offer than just lounging on a beach, drinking out of a coconut or pineapple and watching hula dancers perform all day. From the lush mountains and forests to active volcanoes, Hawaii is one of the most geographical and biodiverse places in the world.

Back in the spring of 2019, I visited Oahu, Hawaii for one reason, to go on an adventure and see what the island had to offer. I don’t mean in terms of sipping cocktails out of coconuts and laying on the beach all day; I mean exploring the biodiverse land that seemed so foreign to me. Growing up in the state of Illinois has offered me no shortage of prairie landscapes and cornfields, but the extraordinary flora and fauna that the island of Oahu contains was like nothing I could ever dream of. I needed to see it for myself. As nice as it sounds, relaxing on the soft white sand of Waikiki beach was the last thing on my itinerary for my trip to Hawaii. I’d much rather stand under a waterfall or hike up the side of a volcano, so that’s exactly what I did.

Manoa Falls & Rainforest

The blaring sound of my alarm clock jolted me awake. I quickly silenced the obnoxious tune before checking the time, 7 a.m. Chloe, Sophie and I all groaned in sync.

“Do we have to get up now?” Chloe mumbled before pulling the white hotel sheets over her head.

“Not unless we want to miss the bus,” I replied before rolling out of the queen sized bed the three of us were sharing. I looked out the window of the highrise hotel we had been staying at on Waikiki beach and mentally cursed for being awake before the sun was fully rizen. Who’s idea even was it? Probably Chloe’s.

Sophie climbed out of bed after me and the two of us grabbed each side of the covers before yanking them off the bed.

“Noo!” Chloe yelled in a drawn out and pleading sort of way. “Five more minutes, I beg.”

“We can’t miss the bus,” Sophie said with no sympathy. Chloe quickly gave up the battle and got out of bed.

“Do you think it’ll rain while we’re there?” Chloe asked.

“It’s a rainforest Chloe, of course it’s gonna rain,” I laughed as I rummaged through my suitcase, looking for something to wear on our hike.

…

After a 15 minute bus ride on route #5, we finally made it to the end of Manoa Rd. Jumping off the bus platform, I felt as if I was entering a scene in Jurassic Park or an episode of Lost. The lush green rainforest surrounded us. I took a deep breath. Fresh air, as well as the earthy smells of vegetation, moisture and soil, filled my nostrils.

The three of us stopped in an old shack labeled “Paradise Park” to load up on bug spray before we were met with a wooden sign reading “Manoa Falls Trail” in bright yellow writing, as well as a short bridge signaling the starting point. We eagerly crossed it, ready to explore the 1.7 mile hiking trail along the sides of the deep rainforest valley.

At 8 a.m., the trail was quiet. Nothing but the sound of birds chirping, leaves rustling in the wind, the crunch of gravel under our feet, and the occasional passersby could be heard. Roughly 10 minutes into the hike, the early morning mist transformed into a light shower, trickling down on us at a steady pace. None of us seemed to mind the rain except that it caused the gravel and stone paths to become muddy and often slippery.

“I think we may have picked the wrong shoes to wear,” I said, looking down at all three pairs of our cotton running shoes, ruined by the thick clay-like mud. Before anyone could comment, I felt a tug on my backpack. Chloe had slipped on a wet rock and she was taking me down with her. We fell backwards like a scene in a comedy skit, hitting the ground hard, mud splashing everywhere. The three of us looked at each other in utter shock before we burst out laughing.

“You guys are going to feel that in the morning,” Sophie laughed as she helped us both up. She was right.

“We’re definitely not the most coordinated group on this trail, are we?” Chloe said, wiping the mud off of her legs.

“Definitely not,” I agreed.

Despite the discomfort I was beginning to feel in my lower back, I tried to make the most out of the hike. It was quite easy to get lost in the vast beauty of the forest and forget the pain I was starting to experience.

The views were breathtaking, so we took our time examining everything. People occasionally passed us on the trail, but we didn’t mind. We would make it to the waterfall eventually. We didn’t want to miss out on seeing some of the 5,000 different flora species that surrounded us.

The trail to the waterfall was dense with fern, bamboo, eucalyptus and banyan trees, as well as beautiful wildflowers and ginger patches. I had never seen anything like it, not to mention the vibrant shades of green that painted the forest. Green became my favorite color that day.

After about thirty more minutes of walking, I could hear the quiet roar of the waterfall in the distance. My heart started to pound. I had never seen a waterfall in real life before. I quickened my pace until Manoa Falls came into view.

It was better than what I could have ever imagined. Cascading 150 feet down the side of Koolau Mountain, an endless supply of water fell into the natural pool below. It felt like pure magic. I needed to get a closer look.

The last few hundred feet of the trail were the most challenging, as it required us to climb over large boulders to finally reach the falls. We did it nice and slow, making sure not to slip (again) on the wet rocks. It took some extra effort, but it was doable.

Staring up at the top of the waterfall, 150 ft felt more like 1000 ft. Chloe, Sophie and I wanted to do nothing more than jump into the natural pool below, but caution signs deterred us. The chances of getting hit with a falling rock or contracting leptospirosis was a risk we were not willing to take. But admiring the falls for its natural beauty was more than enough for us. We stayed for a long while before heading back the same way we came.

Diamond Head

If one hike didn’t seem like enough for one day, Chloe over-ambitiously planned a second hike for us: Diamond Head. Granted, she did make the day’s itinerary before we took a tumble on our hike to Manoa Falls. We contemplated the rest of our day before reluctantly hopping on bus #9, which took us from Manoa Valley to Diamond Head.

“Is this a good idea?” I asked as the bus came to a stop in front of a tunnel that would lead us to the entrance point of Diamond Head Summit Trail, inside the crater.

“Probably not,” Chloe and Sophie said in sync. We got off the bus anyway.

…

According to geologists, it’s estimated that Diamond Head was formed over 200,000 years ago, when the Koʻolau Volcano, which is nearly 3 million years old, erupted below sea level. During the eruption, volcanic tuff cones were created. Over the course of thousands of years, these tuff cones transformed into the famous craters we know today: Diamond Head, Koko Head and Hanauma Bay. Diamond Head is the youngest crater, having been dormant for only 100,000 years. What a relief, since I was about to climb up the side of it.

…

Diamond Head Trail is only 1.7 miles round trip, which doesn’t sound too bad, but after hiking (and falling) earlier that morning, the steep incline became my own personal nightmare. To say I felt a burn in my legs is an understatement. While it’s only less than a mile to the top, the elevation gain was a challenge. If you ever find yourself on the island of Oahu, please don’t make the overly ambitious decision to take on two hikes in one day, you’ll thank me later.

Besides the steep incline and my growing fatigue, the hike is not as bad as I make it out to be. Unlike Manoa Falls Trail, Diamond Head is paved the entire way to the top, and the steepest parts of the trail have stairs, which makes climbing a lot easier (and probably safer too.) There are also benches and lookouts spread throughout the trail for you to rest. I took advantage of every single one.

The first section of the trail was my favorite, but that might just be because it was the easiest. It consisted of a zigzag, or “switchback” path, that led us to the first lookout. The view was breathtaking, and only made me want to get to the top even more. At the first lookout, we could see the Ko’olau Mountains, which are dense with Koa and Ohia trees, as well as the sparkling blue Pacific Ocean.

The next section of the trail made all three of us regret the hike. It involved climbing an ungodly amount of stairs, something none of us were prepared to do.

“It’s not too late to turn back,” I suggested, looking up at the staircase we were about to climb. Sophie laughed and wiped the sweat off her forehead. The early afternoon sun was beating down on us with no sympathy.

“We can’t turn back now, we’re so close,” Chloe said. She was wrong. We were definitely not close to the top.

“Ugh, fine,” I groaned and took a sip of water.

After climbing stairs for what seemed to be an eternity, we were met with a dimly lit, 225 ft tunnel. We eagerly crossed the tunnel, thinking that the end would lead us to the 360 degree lookout at the top of Diamond Head.

As we reached the end of the tunnel, we did see another lookout, but it wasn’t the 360 degree lookout we were promised to reach at the end of the trail.

“Oh, F*CK,” Sophie’s mouth fell open.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” My heart sank.

Next to the lookout was a double headed arrow pointing in two different directions. Turn left and it’s a long, outdoor path with a combination of sloped paths and shorter staircases. Turn right and it’s a straight shot up a tunnel, consisting of well over a hundred steps. Both paths lead to the final lookout at the top of the crater.

“Which way should we go?” Sophie asked.

“I vote none of the above,” I said. Chloe and Sophie both laughed. I wasn’t joking.

Right before I was about to accept defeat and head back the way I came, with or without my friends, something amazing happened. A vibrant rainbow appeared in the sky. It was the sign I needed to keep going.

After admiring the rainbow for a while, catching our breath in the process, we made our decision: Turn left. This seemed to be the easiest route. While my feet felt like cinder blocks, we started the final section of the hike. After a few more zigzag paths and short staircases, we made it. And let me tell you, it was all worth it.

There we were, standing on the edge of a gigantic crater. We were on top of the world, at least that’s what it felt like. At the 360 degree lookout, we could see the entire island of Oahu: the city of Waikiki, the Pacific Ocean, the Ko’olau Mountains, the Waianae Mountains and even Koko Head Crater. It was a surreal experience.

“We did it,” I said before closing my eyes, enjoying the cool breeze that was hitting my skin.

“We did it,” Chloe repeated, taking out her phone to document the moment.

“We did it,” Sophie added in a triumphant way.

That day on the island of Oahu was one of the most exhausting days of my life, but it was worth every sore muscle. It gave me a new appreciation for the natural world around me; something that was once so foreign to me became something that I'd never forget. I’ve grown to know Hawaii for what it actually is, rather than what it has been portrayed to be.