IAO TRAIL

It’s hiking time! Ever since we did the Waihee Ridge Trail hike we’ve had a yearning for that feeling of accomplishment. We wanted to do another beautiful hike but not the same one. It would be hard to match the beauty of Waihee’s views but we were still game.

I go to Iao Valley maybe twice a year if not less. A brief description of Iao is like being up in Hana without the long curvy drive. Yet they have the same quaint outdoor qualities. Iao Valley was our decision for our next hike. The weather was right. Not too many people to dodge. Let’s begin.

I forgot how tough it is to get into that hiking groove. It took me a while because this trail was a lot different than the ridge trail. This trail was a lot narrower and a lot rockier. Majority of the hike was spent hidden beneath the trees. Only a few yards did we spend with the sun glaring upon us. We hiked along Iao stream which provided us the sounds of the flowing water below. It was a great distraction from having to concentrate on how long a hike we were in store for. Fruit flies! Fruit flies! Fruit flies! They were everywhere. They feasted on the many guavas that were on the trees and splattered on the ground. The fruit did bear a bit of a stench but it was nothing unbearable. And the flies really weren’t all that bad. There were enough of them to have the irritating buzzing sound in your ear but not where they were flying in your mouth and making you slap yourself like you were a crazy person.

There were so many forks in the trail that you could easily do this trail a half dozen times and probably end up at a different finishing point. At first my main concern was that we would stray too far off course and have tough time finding our way back. We decided to take all the lefts and see where we ended. As we ventured on, we came across a few people that were on their way back. One particular couple wasn’t familiar with the trail and decided to turn around way too early. Luckily right when they turned downhill, we were on our way up and convinced them to turn back up and continue. After battling a steep, step less ascent, we find out that the finish is right around the bend. We follow the trail slight right and reach our destination. It was a great sight from the belly of the valley. We realized that we hiked around a small mountain which gave us our current bearing. Iao Needle was nowhere in sight. We didn’t seem to be as high us as I thought were going to be but nonetheless, the view was great. The lost couple we found on the way up ended up beating us because of our many breathers slash which-fork-to-take decisions. As they left us, 4 girls from New York joined us. After a few pictures taken and a breather, we ventured back.

There’s a certain mystique that Iao Valley and Iao Needle holds. Centuries ago a great battle once took place there. The stream we were walking beside is said to have run red with the blood of the fallen warriors of this battle. The island warriors of Maui were won over by eventual king, King Kamehameha the Great. History runs rich in Iao. We were fortunate to have walked the footsteps of these great warriors. And it’s for that reason that this hike was epic.