11/23/10

Island Trails' 2010 Video Summary

It's been an interesting and memorable year. I totaled thirty-one hikes, eleven shy of the amount I did in 2009. Still, I covered a lot of ground, literally. I hiked a bunch of trails I never did before, and a bunch I will probably never do again. I met a lot of new people that are highly esteemed and recognized in the hiking community, and I also made some brand new friendships that I'm sure will be long-lasting.

The whole hiking community has been really active this year, and I've noticed that more and more people have been getting into hiking. In addition, a lot of dangerous and unused trails have been resurrected and completed. Notorious hiking trails such as True Manamana, Bear Claw, and Lanihuli East (just to name a few) have been completed, forcing some to attempt other trails that are downright suicidal. But what sticks out and is most surprising is how Piliwale Ridge, a very dangerous trail that was used rarely, is now used more than it ever was since it was pioneered. It is an amazing feat, how in the several decades since its inception, more people have done Piliwale Ridge in one year than in three decades. The proof is obvious: hiking is growing on Oahu.

Personally, my blog has been getting record-setting views compared to last year. With the addition of the amazing GoPro camera I purchased, I was able to capture some unreal video footage to share with everyone here on the blog. GoPro even approved my blog for advertising, which is why there are a few GoPro banners on the blog now. If you want to capture footage on the trail, I highly recommend purchasing it. It's worth every penny.

Finally, if you haven't noticed, I'm posting the video summary a month before the year ends. What about December you ask? Well, I'm taking a break from hiking until 2011. In the meantime, I'll be catching up with my first love: surfing. It's been long overdue. Still, I will be squeezing some hikes in between every now and then to keep my stamina in check. I now live in Wahiawa, and my backyard is the forest, so I'm gonna see what kind of trails I can find. I might even trailblaze one to the Ko'olau summit. Who knows. For now, enjoy this video I made. It's a collaboration of some of the best moments from 2010. Aloha.

Island Trails' 2010 Video Summary from Island Trails on Vimeo.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

my hero for sure capt. k

Unknown said...

I do enjoy your blog a lot! It keeps me entertained when I can't sleep. Although, there are a few I can't imagine trying, but you never know! I love the hiking here, in the short 7 months I've lived here, I've done 9 hikes.

Good luck surfing, that is something that still scares me, not a huge fan of deep water :)

Shannon said...

I also enjoy your blog. I have been hiking 1-3 times a week for the last few months. I'm hooked! Keep up the good work and have fun surfing, I'll be looking forward to see what January brings for island trails :)

Unknown said...

So i've been reading you blog obviously :) anyway i noticed you haven't done the Ma'akua Gulch hike yet, do you plan on doing it? if not, why? do you think it's to dangerous, i'd probably say not since i've seen some of your pictures :) but i've been wanting to do it, i think it's the appeal of it being "dangerous" and or closed that makes me more interested in doing it. what's your opinion on it??

kaleo said...

regarding ma'akua gulch: ma'akua gulch is closed, and for good reason. just like the trail to sacred falls, ma'akua has great potential for rockfalls. as you may know, in 1999, 8 people were killed and many others hurt during a massive rockfall on the trail to sacred falls. after that incident, the state deemed the neighboring gulch of ma'akua unsafe and closed that trail also. people still do ma'akua and sacred falls, but to this day, rocks fall on a frequent basis, and i'm not one to take the risk of having a boulder the size of a car fall on me or one of my hiking companions. i'm sure it's a beautiful hike, but i'd rather play the safe card. if you do it, let me know how it goes. i'd love to see some pics and hear an account of your adventure...