the cosmic dance
these photos of the cosmic dance were taken during an early morning shoot at a location i call "pinnacles". it is on the south side of the island, along the heritage trail, somewhere between shipwrecks and maha'ulepu, kauai, hawaii.
light wave fly
the cosmic dance (of time and space)
stream of consciousness
how shapes take form
movement all around us (the flow of the universe)
graced by time
a slogfest to guardian falls
muddy. muddy. muddy! oh, slippery, too! full on jungle hiking/river wading/rock hopping adventure!
alas, no pictures of the bog because i was afraid i'd drop my camera and lose it forever in the deep, dark mud.
the trail to guardian falls starts where loop road ends, well passed the rainbow eucalyptus filled keahua arboretum at the end of kuamo'o road.
giant rainbow eucalyptus at the keahua arboretum
an african tulip tree at the beginning of loop road, just past the first water crossing where kuamo'o road ends
from this point on you need a 4 wheel drive vehicle to continue. the unpaved road has one (sometimes two, depending on the rains) water crossing and plenty of mud holes to drive through. fortunately, my fj loves these adventures and i am getting used to them, too.
there are several side roads that lead to various trailheads and waterholes but the main road leads to the trailhead for the blue hole (waialeale), guardian falls, and weeping wall hikes.
as i mentioned above, the trail is very muddy. some sections are literally knee deep. we hiked in tabis and although the mud greatly diminished the felt sole's rock-gripping-power of the tabis, they were probably a better choice to hiking shoes/boots as we were often off the trail and into the river. rock hopping was a little difficult on the day we hiked due to the high river, but over some sections of trail it was the better alternative to crawling on hands and knees under downed mossy trees and ewok abodes.
after about 2 hours of slogging through the bog and wading through the river (we hooked onto the wrong trail and got off course somewhere along the way) we came to guardian falls, a splendid waterfall with mt. waialeale in the distance.
guardian falls near the source of the wailua river
guardian falls with the flanks of waialeale and ever present clouds in the distance
just off to the left of guardian falls is a cool little gorge with a secondary waterfall. not sure if this area and fall has a proper name, but here it is...
originally we planned to continue on all the way to the weeping wall, but i broke one of my hiking poles sliding into an ewok hole so we decided this was enough for one day of adventure. we turned around and made good time on the way out. the trail seemed a little more straightforward and we were able to hike along the sides of the river a bit more, which also seemed to make the going easier.
a bamboo grove near to the end of the trail
all in all a difficult hike-- extremely muddy, wet, slippery, with lots of thick bush hitting you in the face and grabbing at your body. oh, and did i mention the mosquitos?!
if you venture out to guardian falls be prepared for amazing scenery and a pretty wild adventure.
aloha,
lee
it's gonna be a good one
when i looked out the window and saw the clouds-- light fluffy ones like icing-- and the little line of sky between the horizon and those clouds, i knew the sunrise was going to be good. i walked away from the window and went back a few minutes later and i knew it. i had to go take a look. i knew i didn't have much time so i hurriedly grabbed my camera and bag told naomi to meet me at anini 'cause i was going to work. and i'm glad i did.
below are some pics of this week's epic sunrise on kauai's north shore.
all of the photos were taken at a little spot that i like just before anini beach park.
aloha,
lee
it's gonna be a good one, anini beach, kauai, 6:50:22 am
rise and shine, anini beach, kauai, 6:51:22 am
anini beach, kauai, 6:53:09 am
sunstar, anini beach, kauai, 7:05:28 am
views and review of the kukui trail
the kukui trail begins with with gentle nature loop along the rim of waimea canyon and falls down to the waimea river below.
nature loop, kukui trail
you can find parking just mile marker 8 on waimea canyon drive. be prepared for a hike straight down nearly from the start.
morning dancer
the nature trail has placards indicating hawaiian flora and great views of waimea canyon and the kukui trail. when we hiked the trail in late february, 2014, the trail was in excellent condition. verdant canyon walls mixed with rich red clay and numerous waterfalls made for quite a view at each switchback.
the kukui trail
the hike down was steep in some areas, but there were only two sections that seemed dangerously narrow. and even these two areas weren't that bad. as always hiking sticks or trekking poles really made the hike easier.
naomi having fun on the kukui trail
once off the red clay you enter into a dense jungle. i read several reviews online stating that this section was difficult to navigate, but we found it to be pretty straightforward and easily recognized numerous trailblazers indicating the route. with that said, we didn't find this section to be particularly enjoyable as it was very buggy! the mosquitos were insane!
the reward of the buggy area
the campsite at the bottom wasn't much either so i think if we were to do the hike again we would stop were the red dirt ends.
verdant and red waimea canyon
the kukui trail from the start to the waimea river at the bottom of the canyon and back is 5 miles long. we started early and didn't see anyone until about a mile left to go (on our return trip back up the canyon). although the bottom (mosquito land) was muddy the main portion of the trail (canyon land) was dry.
all in all i'd give the kukui trail 3 stars. great views of the canyon, not crowded, trail is safe and in good condition, and it is a good way to get in some exercise.
aloha,
lee
pinnacles at poipu-- high risk, high return
aloha!
long time no blog.
i hope you have all been well and that your new year is off to a pleasant start.
in this blog, i want to introduce you to the pinnacles that run all along the heritage trail from poipu to mahaulepu-- on the south side of kauai.
pinnacles and time
the picture above is one of my favorite places to shoot on the south shore and on the day of this shoot, naomi and i woke up early so that we could get a few sunrise shots either on or in the pinnacles. this day was gonna be all about high risk-high return.
we arrived at shipwrecks early-- well before sunrise-- and affixed our headlamps and began our little hike to my favorite pinnacles.
although i knew where i wanted to shoot, and how to get there, i wasn't quite sure how i was going to get the sunrise and the pinnacles in the same shot. so when we arrived at the location i had to scout around a bit-- climbing up and down, over and in the pinnacle formations all the while keeping an eye on the horizon for signs of where exactly the sun would appear. climbing into the pinnacles was a bit tricky. and once when i thought i had a good spot i took out the camera and tripod only to have a big wave splash all over me.
um, this spots not gonna work.
now, how to get down safely!?
without injuring camera or body.
while the sun's beginning rise!?
this is what i call "high risk-high return photography." high risk because of the location-- proximity to heights and drop-offs, water and waves, strange or unfamiliar angles, and other compositional challenges. basically when shooting high risk-high return you're taking a chance that while some of your photos may turn out interesting or spectacularly unique, you are also risking the light, the gear, and pretty much the entire shoot.
i finally found a cramped little corner that would provide a glimpse of the sun, but the angle wasn't that great for the pinnacles. not too great of a return, but the adventure and challenge was fun. after getting a couple of shots here, i decided to climb down and approach the subject from another angle.
sun on the pinnacles (bw)
i like this one. the sun just off the lens, giving a hint of the warmth and light in the day. like the guru.
macbeth
the reason why i look shooting here so much is because of the mysterious quality of this specific section of the heritage trail. it's like another world. one from a different place and time. it reminds me of macbeth, where the time seems out of sync and the loose ends are frayed.
and continuously changing.
aloha,
lee