March 2 - We explore another corner of Oahu

     Ka'ena Point sits at the northwestern end of the island.  Railroad tracks used to go out around the point a long time ago.  Now the route is a rough 4WD track that serves as a 2 1/2 mile hiking trail out to the point.  There is no way to drive around the island on that corner - to get from Makaha on the west to Waialau on the north you have to drive south to Kapolei before heading northeast and then on to the North Shore.  Of course, Oahu isn't that big of an island - it's only 12% larger than Knox County - and that distance is only 36 miles.

Driving route to beginning of hike.

 

Trail in red.  Notice how it doesn't cross any contour lines.  We like that.

      We didn't really know what to expect on this hike. We knew we wanted to go, even if it was just an item on a checklist we could tick off.  Maybe we'd come across a few empty beaches and see some whales if we were lucky.    

      Boy, were we surprised.  Mark it down as perhaps the best walk of our trip. 

View up the trail.

Looking back at the starting point.  

And this is the view of the rocky lava cliff along the way.  Since this is the leeward side of the island, it's a lot drier, so instead of the jungle cover you see twenty miles away on the east side, there are mostly grasses and shrubs.

Twenty minutes further into the hike we had this view behind us:

Most of the land is owned by the military, so no towns, resorts, or even cattle to mar the scene.

Satellite dish and radar dome on the ridge.

And we did see whales.

You may think this is Diana showing off on a precipitous rock.  No, it's happiness in finding a bit of shade for our lunch.  If we had any complaint, it was the heat - 83 degrees with a wind coming off the ocean.  My, I think even I may have sweated a little bit.  I'll pause here while I accept your sympathy ... 

Munching on cheese and bread.

This is the only vehicle we saw the whole way. As you can tell, the 4WD track isn't kept up.  

We were watching the play of the waves on the rocks when I looked up and shouted:

"Hey look, honey, it's an Albatross!"  The hike had just gotten better.  We hiked along until we came to a gated fence allowing us into the bird sanctuary at the end of the point.  

A graceful as these birds are in the air ...

... they are just as awkward on land.  But then, they do spend their entire lives either soaring over or paddling along the surface of the ocean, going onshore only to breed.  These are Laysan Albatrosses, and are one of the smaller species of Albatrosses.  Yeah, they seemed downright tiny to me ... after all, their wingspan is only around seven feet.

We saw at least twenty birds sitting, walking or flying around the area, and there were probably more hiding in bushes.

This puffy gray chick is tucked under its parent.  

 

We were amazed that we were allowed to get so close, both by the birds and the State of Hawaii.  I didn't step over the guard cable defining the nesting area to take any of these photos.  And to tell you the truth, the birds didn't seem to mind us being there.

     

     We walked up to the lighthouse.  Really, it's only a navigational beacon. Then we went down to the shoreline.

There, sunbathing in a tide pool, were three monk seals.  

"Oof, I think I made one too many trips to the oyster bar."

 "Gotta work on this tan before I go back to Ohio."

     We hung around the point for awhile, watching northern waves collidie with those from the west, keeping an eye on the seals and albatrosses and whales, and soaking up the sun.  Finally, we headed back to our car.

     As you can see, this could be another entry under "Unexpected Oahu."  When we come back to Hawaii some winter, we'll surely take this hike again.