Located in upper Wahiawa, there's a 35-foot jump spot into Kaukonahua Stream known as Missle Flats. The trail is easy, short (about two miles round trip), and offers a great workout, but it can get you lost fast. The trails above Wahiawa are endless, with numerous junctions and side trails. If you don't know where you're going, you can get really disoriented. Tall trees and a vast undeveloped landscape will make a dummy out of someone who is not familiar with the area. Directions to this spot are even more confusing to put on paper, or on the internet for that matter. So, if you're looking for directions here, I can't help you. My directions will make no sense, and it probably won't be correct. I know how to get there if I'm actually hiking there. Sorry.
On this outing, we were greeted to a raging stream, all due to the constant rains a couple days prior. The water was brown as brown could get, but we jumped in anyway. (Can you say "lepto?") Kinda gross, but we had a blast. Definitely gonna come back when the water level drops a bit and the stream color gets back to normal. A portion of this hike uses the Wahiawa Hills trail.
For more info on the Wahiawa Hills trail, check out the following links:
Wahiawa Hills - April 25, 2009
Wahiawa Hills - August 20, 2010
photo: D. Napoleon
photo: D. Napoleon
Kaukonahua Stream. As brown as it gets. (photo: D. Napoleon)
photo: D. Napoleon
Ryan Chang, taking the leap. (photo: D. Napoleon)
View of Ryan jumping from the water.
3 comments:
So freakin' cool and yup I can say Lepto but hey if no more open wounds go for it!=)
The tree that was right there at the jump spot has blown over into the stream.
The trunk goes right into the stream in the deepest spot now. Not that it was ever really deep, it used to be just deep enough for the jump. I went snorkeling there on a calm day and there's a bowl maybe 8 feet deep (on a calm day) you would aim for. Now the tree mostly blocks the bowl.
Then besides that the ridge on the top is all fucked up because the tree was uprooted, and the roots are still sitting on the ridge, pretty much blocking the whole thing and meaning you would now have to jump off the roots into not the deepest part of the stream.
I was standing on the roots today, it's pretty scary. The jump's originally about 30 feet, it looks more like 36 now (at least) and you can't jump into the deep part anymore. You'd probably make it ok but it would help to be a day with more water in it. There was a good flow today, but it was still only about 8 feet deep (and man is it scary).
I wish I had taken more pictures of that tree while it was still on the ridge because I bet it'll be there for years, slowly falling off the ridge and decomposing and floating downstream.
The tree is gone and it is jumpable again.
Good to go in and check where the deep part is first so you know where to aim because it's not a big target.
Also, since the tree on the top fell off now there's a big chunk taken out so you gotta clear a little bit of land. No problem really but you gotta commit.
I didn't hit bottom (it was 9-10 feet yesterday) but I slapped my arms on the water hard to slow down.
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