LA'IE FALLS

We woke up Saturday and decided the beach needed a break, so we headed 5 minutes (literally) inland for some hiking. The preface to the hike (see sign below) was a little daunting as were the pictures posted along the trail of a hiker gone missing (see what Boe is looking at). We had already packed our homemade burritos and celery sticks and Kenz was sure we were going to see some princesses in the forest, so we pressed forward. This area was 30 min into the hike. The dead, white needles that hung on the trees and lay on the ground blurred the surroundings, creating the illusion that your eyes were out of focus. In addition to the surreal lighting, I felt like I was on a fake movie set.
This is looking back somewhere between the Scrambling Hills and Pine Forest portion of the hike. If you zoom in, just right of the mid line is Laie Point.

Approaching the Pine Forest.

The Cook Pines. Indigenous to New Caledonia and the Isle of Pines in the South Pacific.

The mountain on either side of the path is so steep the trees have a hard time resisting gravity. That's why this picture looks crooked.

I was afraid K's little brain was getting all jumbled as we treaded over the increasingly treacherous terrain, so we ditched the wagon-cart and Boe carried her the rest of the way. Kenz and I digging into the food rations.

Finally...the Falls. After two hours of hiking, I was expecting something a little more spectacular, more along the lines of Niagara.

The anticlimactic hike back home.