Koko Head

Ry and I hiked Koko Head Monday morning (my legs are STILL sore). I was thinking that it was going to be a bit harder than Diamond Head, but manageable. What I didn't know is that it's literally a railroad that the military used back in the good ole days. Seriously, who puts TRAIN TRACKS on a mountain?! So we were using the boards for steps--they were far enough apart(and high) that it felt like I was doing lunges. Or like I was on stairs and taking them 2-3 at a time.

Here we are at the beginning--bleary eyed and all. We were up late and then up by 6:30am to do this thing.



Like I said, we were using the boards of the tracks. They seem close together here, but it was like taking very large steps upward.

The trail is 1100 steps. There were little markers on the rails every 100. It was at each of those that we took some small breathers. I may not be in the best of shape, but this hike was killing EVERYONE on it.

Oh, and then we get to the part where there isn't any ground under the boards. Lovely. It was actually the easiest part for me (cause the boards were closer together in this section), but it freaked Ry out. There was also the problem of losing balance if we didn't place our feet just right. I had a couple instances where I didn't lean forward enough and almost stumbled backwards (which meant I would have fallen down/backwards down the mountain). I think I gave him a few heart attacks.

Can you see the trail? We were so winded at this point. I think it was about the time that we hit the 800 mark I truly wanted to sit down and cry because my legs hurt so bad and I didn't think I could climb another step.

Like I would actually give up! We made it to the top (and about passed out).

Even though it was overcast, it was still very beautiful up at the top.

One view--this is Hanauma Bay.

I was trying to catch the sun rays coming through. If you squint to the left, you can see the next island over--Molokai. It's about 40 someodd miles away.

Insult to injury--this was taken near the very top and the trail becomes very steep. Ugh. We saw this one couple who brought their small dog with them. The dog set a very fast pace up. The three of them were practically sprinting up. They made it up and back down in about 15 minutes. There were crazy. Absolutely nuts. It took us about an hour (maybe a little less) to go up and down.

Anyway, this pic was taken on our way down. We ended up jogging the entire way (and having to watch where we landed our feet) because it was easier on the knees than climbing down sideways. We couldn't just walk down because of how steep it was (again, it'd be like walking down the stairs but taking it 2-3 steps at a time...gotta be careful!). It was a surreal feeling because our legs were shaking soooooo bad the entire way down. I think my body was in shock (well, my lower half least). When we came to the bridge, Ry and I crawled--it was easier and safer. No chance of losing balance and pitching forward to a painful death.

Hooray, we made it! Really, I'm equating this to having a baby: labor is AWFUL and painful and women vow never to do it again cause it hurts so stinkin bad. And it takes time to recover. Yet, by the time we recover we're thinking "Hey, that wasn't so bad".

Yeah, I can finally walk now without feeling like I have to constantly stretch my calves. My hamstrings aren't hating me anymore. So here I am thinking "Hey, that wasn't so bad." We're planning on doing it again next month before he leaves. :) And I'm quite sure I'll be reminded then why I wanted to cry the first time around.