#WaterfallWednesdays

Mo'ole 7 - December 28, 2017

Erik had a week day off, so with rain in the forecast, we decided to go look for waterfalls. #WaterfallWednesdays. Yesterday, on Tuesday rain pummeled the island. It was a lot of rain in a short amount of time. We knew water would be flowing off the mountains. The first two options were tubing and Ahiumanu. However, the day started off with no rain, so we chose options C ~ Mo'ole. 

Meeting time was at 7:45am. Erik and Aprille picked me up at 7am and he drove us to the Nuuanu Hunter's Check in. There, we would meet Ryan and Matt. It was us 5 for the day. 

Crossing the Pali Highway proved a challenge as it was still rush hour. We ran across the highway laughing like most crazy hikers do when they cross the busy Pali Highway. I haven't done Mo'ole since Daniel's birthday in 2014 or 2015. The first part of the hike was following the old irrigation ditch which usually takes about 40 minutes. The ditch ends at a tunnel. The water level was somewhat high today, but not high to cause worry. 

After the tunnel, the first waterfall appears. I was freezing cold. I knew it was cold and layered appropriately, but it didn't matter, I was still cold. We spent a considerable amount of time at the first two waterfalls. Ryan, Erik, and Aprille were trying to get silk, but with Erik's filters he can decrease the f-stops to the point of blackness which he then opens up the shutter to allow more light creating a smoke like effect from the water while keeping the stationary items in focus. You can tell a great waterfall shot where the water looks like silk or smoke, but the stationary items like the rocks and trees remain in deep focus and razor sharp. The amount of patience it takes requires some discipline as a tripod is needed and multiple attempts are made.

Here's a photo from Aprille from IG. This is Mo'ole #2

We bypassed #3 and went to #4. #4 isn't too exciting and we went on. I kept on complaining about overeating the last 4 days from my Christmas Parties. That old saying, "you are what you eat" is so true. I felt like shit. Matt said its okay to eat like shit during this season. Although I agreed, I had to eat good today. All I packed in my bag were bananas and nuts. 

Aprille and I did some trailclearing as there were many blow downs. It was pretty bad. I'm not sure what kind of trees these were getting blown down, but they were uprooted. Aprille and I tried to saw while Erik and Ryan were taking hundreds of good shots. They are developing their craft. 

Mo'ole Waterfall #1

Mo'ole Waterfall #2

Mo'ole Waterfall #7

We got up to Mo'ole #7 or #8 before heading back. Heading back was quick and only took us 1+ hour or so. The entire hike took us about 6 hours since we spent about 2 hours taking pictures. Post hike meal was at Bangkok Chef in Nuuanu. It was a perfect post Christmas healthy meal. Nothing like Thai or Vietnamese food to blast your insides. Erik and Aprille took me home. Jared was taking a nap in my room, so I joined him. Usually I'm not this tired after a hike, but today I was tired.