THE DAY I ALMOST DIED

headed up the pali highway to lanikai for an adventure

So this day was bittersweet. I finally achieved a goal I set two years ago (and got to share it with family) but it was tainted by.. an issue. We'll get to that later. 

We headed down the H2 and went up the Pali to hike the Lanikai Pillbox trail. This is a short hike that gains elevation at basically a 45* for the first half and levels out a bit after. The reward at the top is an amazing view of Lanikai, Kailua, the Mokes and Flat Island. You start in a neighborhood that overlooks a country club and parking is severely limited so if you don't get a spot here.. well.. you'll be walking a bit.

If you find this you're good. There are people that live here that have to deal with hikers that may not be as respectful as they should. Don't be a dick. Don't litter. Don't be loud. 

we cute as shit doe. what up mokes!

what a crappy time for sunblock to get on the lens. the pillbox ledge is ~600 feet above a bunch of super rich people's backyards.

oh god what am i doing here i am not good with heights.

mike and kailey take a picture of me and min taking a selfie. flat island in the background. oh and that tiny rock top right is nicknamed "bird shit island" LOL

looking south you'll see rabbit island and makapuu point.

pillbox hike conquered! we're out of water and ready to continue the day's adventures.

So after we left the pillbox hike things went downhill (for me) without anyone knowing. We stopped by starbucks and I unknowingly drank a cup that was basically 13 shots of espresso. We headed over to Kailua Sailboards & Kayaks because no day is complete without kayaking half a mile into the open ocean!

I will spare you the crap involved in securing two two person kayaks on the top of a jeep but we made it to Kualoa Regional Park in once piece with two intact kayaks. We were ready to kayak far enough into the middle of the open ocean that getting caught in a current and being flung out to sea is a distinct possibility. Credit to Min for taking this picture just in case we never returned. Someone would have most likely found our camera in its waterproof housing and been able to document our loss at sea.

it doesn't LOOK that far... right?

HALFWAY THERE BITCHES!

I have a friend that lives here that let us know about the currents in this area that would sweep you south if you paddled straight out. We needed to start much further north than looked logical so we wouldn't have to fight the current to land on the island. We ended up in a rocky area where we just had to pull the kayaks up on the rocks... no beach to be found. 

the mountains look ridiculous from this perspective.

the summit was not conquered. we found out later the other side of this is much less steep. doh!

looking across kaneohe bay from the "secret" cove/beach where we ate lunch. in the distance you can see the marine corps base.

the tidepools here had some fish in them hanging out waiting for the next wave to wash across so they could escape.

these F-22s flew over us 5 or 6 times. pretty cool to see.

going always seems longer than coming.

We loaded everything back up, dropped the Kayaks off and headed towards Sunset Beach to catch a sunset and unwind.

(Warning, the video above is 8 minutes of us just sitting there commenting on the scene unfolding in front of us. Don't expect any action!)

So about the almost dying part. We got home and unloaded the jeep, took some showers and cleaned up. Well, those 13 shots of espresso somehow decided to wait until then to kick in. I laid motionless in bed with my heart pounding until 4am. NO BUENOS. I decided this would be a good time to cut back on my caffeine intake. Anyway, sorry for the delay in updates. We've been busy with house stuff lately. See you next time!