My mom, dad, the kids and I made our way to the southeastern side of the island to walk up the Ka Iwi State Scenic Shoreline Trail to see the historic Makapuu lighthouse. It was intense!
State's description - A 1-mile hike (one-way) along the former roadway to the lighthouse. At various points there are sweeping views of the southeastern O'ahu coastline - whales may be visible. Uphill climb to 500-foot elevation under hot, dry, and windy conditions. No drinking water or restrooms available.
Eme's description - WHAT WERE WE THINKING!
Instead of the umbrella stroller and backpack carrier, I thought it would be best to bring my sister's double stroller. Being that it was already HOT, wearing a backpack wasn't very enticing, plus the double stroller had canopies to help protect Brianna and Carl from the sun. Looking back, maybe distributing the weight would have been wiser, but hindsight is always 20/20! After making it to the first little plateau I was already glistening and rethinking this adventure, yet I was determined to get to the top. If the views here were this amazing, imagine what the top would be like!
We wanted to make sure we got a photo of my parents and the kids together while in Hawaii. I'm so happy both my mom and dad came on this outing, because I love this picture!
I wish I would have packed more water but we managed to the top. Internally I was thinking I didn't want to push that much more weight... silly me! My parents captured my efforts in pushing the stroller. Don't worry, I did look up every once in a while to take in the scenery. To give credit, both my mom and dad took turns pushing. I was grateful for the rest. And going down was just as difficult. I had white knuckles holding on so tight and my legs were burning.
We ALL made it to the top! Brianna had a short meltdown on the path. It was very unusual for her. I made sure I was giving them water and I had snacks for them to help keep them occupied on the climb. But all of a sudden she just lost it. My mom tried to take her hand because she didn't want to ride anymore, but all she wanted was me to carry her. I felt so bad because I didn't know what to do to help her, and just rushing down the hill would take too long, especially if I had to carry her. THANKFULLY, there was a little spot of shade just ahead. Plus a women had taken refuge under the shade with her two dogs, just the distraction from the hot sun we needed. I love dog people! She was so friendly and even picked up on the fact that B was hot and upset. She tried to engage her and said she could pet the pups. B liked that, I think she was missing Eko too!
Since the top was literally right there, after we all calmed down and cooled off a little we walked the 30 yards or so to the top overlook. My dad walked the few extra steps to capture a few pictures of the lighthouse. Just beautiful...
On the way down I noticed a strange movement in the water. Nothing surfaced while we stopped to watch, but we were pretty sure we saw a dorsal fin, probably a shark feeding. It may or may not have been, but I'd like to think we saw something. It would be neat to go back there during whale season, since they travel right along this shoreline.
On the way home, Brianna asked to take pictures with my mom's camera. They turned out to be mostly of just her but she did get some other shots. She thoroughly enjoyed using the camera. I don't know how many pictures in total she took, it was just a lot.
This adventure was a lot of work, but so worth it. It also had a wonderful view of KoKo Head. Maybe I'll get to climb that next time...
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