30 by 30

30 by 30

1. Publish my book
2. Win a jiu-jitsu match in competition
3. Shoot a desert eagle…the gun, not a bird
4. Go rock climbing
5. See a professional sports game
6. Watch a meteor shower
7. See a 20+ foot wave
8. Go to a concert…with a good band playing
9. Be part of a triathlon relay team
10. Play Hotel California all the way through…the acoustic version…on the guitar
11. Win a Texas Holdem poker tournament
12. Complete a Tough Mudder
13. Shoot a medieval style longbow
14. See a great-white shark…preferably from inside a steel cage
15. Swim with a turtle...again
16. Cliff dive
17. Begin writing my second book
18. Dip my fingers in the chocolate business
19. Bake a cake…I wonder if I can make it with whiskey...yeah, whiskey cake!!
20. Hike olomana…all 3 peaks
21. Scuba dive
22. Start a bon fire
23. Draw a gracie triangle in my facial stubble
24. Jump out of a plane…and land safely
25. Earn some $$ by writing
26. Create a video that gets 1000+ hits on YouTube
27. Mix a whiskey mint cocktail…that tastes awesome
28. Ride a Harley across a desert
30.  Participate in Run for your Lives...as a Zombie!

Red Hill Ridge Hike

Nice size group heading off

Group hike time again! It's been a while since my hiking buddies got together to actually hike and we had one heck of a group. 15 people!! And we had one heck of a hike. About 10 miles along mountain ridges starting at Moanalua Valley going up to the summit at the back of the valley, and then loop around another ridge back to the start.

Knowing how challenging this hike would be (10 miles is nothing to shrug at), I got me some new gear. First I got myself a camel back. Dang that thing made carrying and drinking water so much easier. Plus the pack had plenty of room for food and a jacket in case the weather turned bad. Next I got some pants. I always hiked in shorts and my legs always ended up all cut up from shrubs and thorns and I don't want that anymore. Good thing too because some of the ferns scratched up a lot of people and my legs were fine. The best part about the pants is they can convert to shorts too. Win win!

Camel back, good people!

 

We got started at Moanalua Valley Park and were immediately greeted by some steep inclines. The legs got to burning pretty quickly. Those familiar with the trail assured us that the first portion of the hike was the steepest. I'm glad they were right.

 

After a mile or so we got through the steep section and the view told us just how much we climbed. We were well above the valley floor and could see the ocean in the distance. Nice view, and nice sunny weather. Onto the ridge trail!

 

We followed the trail up...and up...and up some more. It wasn't really steep but it was all uphill. The trail wound through tunnels of trees and around lush hillsides. We came through one area that felt like a tree nursery. Young trees were growing, their trunks were no thicker than my arm, among older mature trees. It was like the parent trees were raising their young. It was a cool sight.

 

During a break she busted out her hiking food: pizza...Brilliant!!

There were a few rope sections. I like climbing up ropes. But it wasn't a vertical climb, more like a steeper than usual section with questionable footing. The rope helps to keep stable. There were a couple rope sections where the ropes served as handrails because the trail went across an open ridge. The kind of ridge where there's nothing on either side to hold onto and death awaits if you lose your footing and fall. The handrail ropes are a great idea.

 

The sun was growing hot and the question came up, would you rather have it hot and sunny or cloudy and rainy? Everybody I asked chose sunny because rain meant muddy trails...and mud sucks. It felt like the sky was listening to us because soon after that conversation some clouds rolled in and it started to rain. It was a “light shower” as the weatherman would say. I thought it was refreshing.

 

View from the top

We made it to the summit and enjoyed a nice view of the opposite side of the island. We hung out there for a while, relaxed, ate, took some pictures. My camel back was more than half full so I was feeling good about not running out of water. I ate an apple, some li hing mui mangoes, and beef jerky. Good lunch!

 

When it was time to continue on we went back the way we came for a bit then turned onto another trail that led down a different ridge. The rain had stopped and the sun was back out. The weather held for the rest of the hike. The trail led us down the ridge which offered some nice views of the valley. It took a while but we eventually hit the valley floor and followed a stream. A while later we hooked up with a road that led us back to where we started at Moanalua Valley Park.

 

Heading down the ridge

While following the road we spotted a rescue helicopter airlifting somebody out. It was crazy to see the helicopter fly off with somebody dangling from a rope. I kept thinking two things: 1) I hope whoever was rescued would be okay, and 2) how fun it would be to be attached to that rope and fly over the valley and city...ya know, unhurt. Towards the end of the road we ran into some pig hunters that had just hunted down a wild boar. After talking with them a bit we learned that one of their friends was the guy airlifted out. Apparently he was trying to kill the boar and somehow he and the boar fell off a 30 foot cliff. Again, I hope the guy is okay and heals up quickly.

We made it back to Moanalua Valley Park mid afternoon. We were hiking for a little over 6 hours. It was time to relax at the park's playground and have a mini celebration. Some brought out snacks, some brought out beer. I brought some coconut water and red wine. Cheers!

Good hiking everybody, looking forward to the next one!

Check out some video from the hike on my YouTube Channel: Click here