Day 3 - Surviving Waihe'e Ridge Trail
Waihe'e Ridge Trail is a 4.5 mile round trip hike. The hike takes you about 1,560 ft high. It promises breath-taking views and invigorating hiking.
Not wanted to get caught at the peak of the heat we decided to get an early start. We arrived around 7:30am. We started out with great enthusiasm that turned into survival mode.
The first mile was steep and a bit muddy, nothing unusual. Took pictures of the amazing view. It was enjoyable.
The trouble began at mile 2. The trail became narrow, steeper and a whole lot muddier. To complicate problems my shoes didn't have the traction necessary to deal with mud, none of our shoes did. The rocks where slippery, our feet would slide down on muddy terrain and we had to grab hold to the mountain side. There was a point when we where turning a corner and I slipped. I couldn't get traction I was just keep slipping and slipping. I had gotten ahold of a rock and tried to pull myself up but my shoes just weren't griping. My cousin was in front and offered out her hand but I couldn't reach for it. I was so scared to release the hold I had in fear that I would continue to slip. My cousin behind me was trying to see if she could push me but because of the narrow turn it was to tricky. I was praying so hard for strength and wisdom. I really didn't know what I was going to do. I thank God I didn't freak out and make matters worse. I finally felt secure enough to reach out for the hand and she was able to pull me up. I turned around to see what was behind me. I was a few feet away from the edge of the mountain.
Despite this harrowing experience we we continued our trek. We keep saying that the view at the peak would be worth it. It wasn't. The peak was covered in thick mist. You couldn't see anything. Now we had the unfortunate task of hiking down this trail.
Just as we started hiking down, it began to rain. Not droplets of water or drizzle but strong rain. It was bad enough coming up dry but going down wet was going to be ridiculous. With each step I prayed for protection. The trail had becoming sleeker and muddier from the rain. The mud caked onto the bottom of our shoes taking away any grip they had. The corners where steep and a challenge to go down. We hugged the side of the mountain, bent down close to the ground to crab walk some of the turns, human chained a few corners and continually encouraging each other to move forward. The rain eventually subsided.
There was a point when my cousin, who was leading, slipped and started going forward toward the edge but we manage to grab hold and she grasp toward the mountain. It was very frightening! Coming down this trail was intense, dangerous and completely crazy!
Once we reached the 1.5 mile marker the road became less dangerous. But we weren't out I the woods yet , literally and figuratively. The rain had made the trail muddy and slippery. Though it wasn't as treacherous, it still was an obstacle.
I have never been so happy to see our car. We had officially survive Waihe'e Ridge Trail. We went up fresh and clean came back a hot mess. My shoes had enough mud to make pottery. Clothes had mud, our hands and legs looked like they had a mid bath. We had wipes which we used in vain to clean up with. This experience goes under the category "What was I thinking!!"
The stress of the morning hike was wash away by the soothing waves of the Pacific. Once we got back we headed straight for the water. It was refreshing and exactly what we needed to remove the stench of the morning.
Thank you God for protecting us!
Not wanted to get caught at the peak of the heat we decided to get an early start. We arrived around 7:30am. We started out with great enthusiasm that turned into survival mode.
The first mile was steep and a bit muddy, nothing unusual. Took pictures of the amazing view. It was enjoyable.
The trouble began at mile 2. The trail became narrow, steeper and a whole lot muddier. To complicate problems my shoes didn't have the traction necessary to deal with mud, none of our shoes did. The rocks where slippery, our feet would slide down on muddy terrain and we had to grab hold to the mountain side. There was a point when we where turning a corner and I slipped. I couldn't get traction I was just keep slipping and slipping. I had gotten ahold of a rock and tried to pull myself up but my shoes just weren't griping. My cousin was in front and offered out her hand but I couldn't reach for it. I was so scared to release the hold I had in fear that I would continue to slip. My cousin behind me was trying to see if she could push me but because of the narrow turn it was to tricky. I was praying so hard for strength and wisdom. I really didn't know what I was going to do. I thank God I didn't freak out and make matters worse. I finally felt secure enough to reach out for the hand and she was able to pull me up. I turned around to see what was behind me. I was a few feet away from the edge of the mountain.
Despite this harrowing experience we we continued our trek. We keep saying that the view at the peak would be worth it. It wasn't. The peak was covered in thick mist. You couldn't see anything. Now we had the unfortunate task of hiking down this trail.
Just as we started hiking down, it began to rain. Not droplets of water or drizzle but strong rain. It was bad enough coming up dry but going down wet was going to be ridiculous. With each step I prayed for protection. The trail had becoming sleeker and muddier from the rain. The mud caked onto the bottom of our shoes taking away any grip they had. The corners where steep and a challenge to go down. We hugged the side of the mountain, bent down close to the ground to crab walk some of the turns, human chained a few corners and continually encouraging each other to move forward. The rain eventually subsided.
There was a point when my cousin, who was leading, slipped and started going forward toward the edge but we manage to grab hold and she grasp toward the mountain. It was very frightening! Coming down this trail was intense, dangerous and completely crazy!
Once we reached the 1.5 mile marker the road became less dangerous. But we weren't out I the woods yet , literally and figuratively. The rain had made the trail muddy and slippery. Though it wasn't as treacherous, it still was an obstacle.
I have never been so happy to see our car. We had officially survive Waihe'e Ridge Trail. We went up fresh and clean came back a hot mess. My shoes had enough mud to make pottery. Clothes had mud, our hands and legs looked like they had a mid bath. We had wipes which we used in vain to clean up with. This experience goes under the category "What was I thinking!!"
The stress of the morning hike was wash away by the soothing waves of the Pacific. Once we got back we headed straight for the water. It was refreshing and exactly what we needed to remove the stench of the morning.
Thank you God for protecting us!
Comments
Post a Comment