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WAIHE'E RIDGE
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Waile'e Ridge [626 Kb]
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I was in Maui for a short visit, with time only for two day hikes. For one of
the hikes, the obvious choice would be the
Haleakalā
crater. For the other hike, I wanted to visit a part of Maui more wet and lush.
The Waihe'e Ridge trail on northern part of West Maui certainly fit the bill,
especially the part about wet.
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Waihe'e River Valley [540 Kb]
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The trail starts in an open pasture at an elevation of about 300 meters, but soon
enters a forest as it works its way up the ridge on the north side of
the Waihe'e River gorge. Much of the forest is made up of Norfolk Pine, one of
many invasive species now infesting the island.
There are good views of the Waihe'e River Valley and the mountains beyond throughout
this hike, although much of the view was obscured by low lying clouds. Nonetheless,
there was a constant stream of site-seeing helicopters working the valleys and
ridgetops while I was there. There are also good views toward the port town of
Kahului, and of the ocean, where humpback whales could be seen breaching even
from high atop the ridge.
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trail end [589 Kb]
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The trail ends abuptly after 4 km at a high point called Lanilili, elevation 781 meters.
It was raining hard the entire time I was on the top, but I kept mostly dry under my poncho.
I waited for a while to see if the rain would end, but finally gave up after 30 minutes.
The rain ceased once I got about halfway down, but I suspect it was still raining hard
at the top. The rain did at least provide lots of water for the numerous
waterfalls which added to the scenery. I did this hike on March 2, 2011.
Other stuff:
Other pictures
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