The Hawaiian Waterfall Gods Were Watching Over Me

Back in 2006, just weeks after I first started dating my now wife, I went on a two week trip to Hawaii for the first time. I spent a week in Oahu staying with a college friend, and then a week in Maui. The trip left a lasting impression on me, but there was one point where I was lucky to have survived.

My greatest resource when I was on both islands was the Oahu Revealed and Maui Revealed books. Perhaps my favorite part of the books was how they highlighted where all the hidden paths were located to get to secret waterfalls and beaches that most tourists were unaware of their existence. So one day on Maui, I decided to pull off the road and explore a trail. I had my bathing suit and a shirt on, flip flops, my phone and my camera both in plastic bags and in my bathing suit pockets. The Maui Revealed book promised a spectacular waterfall at the end, so I tossed that in my pocket too.

The first thing I noticed was you randomly pull off the road at certain mile markers, and just find a place to park on the side of the road. In most circumstances, you have to pull the vehicle into vegetation as roads are narrow and curvy, and you need to make sure you keep the parked vehicle out of the way to traffic. I remember the vehicle surrounded in tall grasses and bamboo, as I narrowly squeezed out of the car. So once I felt comfortable, I started my way down the path.

060522 Maui Path to Waterfall 1

As you can tell from the photo, the vegetation was dense, and the surroundings were wet. So I carefully made my way through the cover. I felt like a kid in a fort as I made my way through the dense bamboo forest. It was beautiful!

060522 Maui Path to Waterfall 2

Eventually, as I made my way down a hill, carefully holding onto the bamboo to support me, I came across a gulch with a small log traversing the opening. Even though it was only a several foot wide opening, the fall was quite extensive. So I very carefully made my way across, and then transcended through some more bamboo.

Crossing the river required climbing across giant boulders and several other crazy maneuvers to continue on the path on the other side. Then, within a several minute walk, I finally reached my destination. A spectacular waterfall all to myself. I literally just stood in amazement staring at the falls.

060522 Maui Waterfall 1 060522 Maui Waterfall 2

I do not recall exactly how long I stood watching the falls, but eventually a group of 3 or 4 other people my age arrived to see the falls too. No longer did I have my secret Hawaiian hideaway. Eventually the group decided to head back, and I decided I had seen enough too, and followed them back to the car.

As we came back to the river crossing, I was at the back of the group, crossing the same large boulders, and I seem to even remember some Tarzan-like vine swinging. As I made my way across, I slipped on one of the rocks, fell in, and continued to wash downstream between the rocks. I eventually fell into a pool between rocks, but I could not get out. Luckily, the other people in the group realized what had happened, and came running to assist me out. I was grateful for their assistance, because if I had been alone, I am not quite sure what the outcome would have been.

So soaking wet, I eventually made my way back to the vehicle. However, that is where I learned the consequences of my mistake.

1) I wore flip-flops through a hike-like setting. Trying to climb up slippery slopes when wringing wet myself was a feat in itself. Wearing tennis shoes would have been a better decision when heading into an unknown hike.

2) Remember that camera and phone I had inside bags in my pockets. Well in the process of getting swept downstream, both bags opened, and my camera and phone were soaked from sitting in water. At this point I was only within my first week of the trip, so to be without a camera in the beautiful land of Hawaii was such a disappointment.

So as soon as I got back to the car, I proceeded to try and dry out both electronics. The big problem was my phone was the only line of communication I had to my friend back on Oahu, as well as my family back home or any other civilization, and now I am out in the wilderness of Maui. The phone was my lifeline, and if I truly got into a situation, I was stranded. Even in 2006, pay phones were pretty much obsolete and unavailable.

3) I always knew the rule, but on this trip, when I was alone for a good part of it, I could not follow the “always bring a buddy” rule. What if I really would have been alone and got hurt or into a predicament? I was out in the middle of nowhere with probably no cell phone reception. My friend was an island away. Looking back, while I did get to experience a spectacular waterfall, it was plain stupid to venture out alone. I could have easily jeopardized not only the rest of my trip, but also my life. I considered myself fortunate for how the scenario played out.

For the rest of the day I continued to make my way around the island, with the windows open trying to dry out my phone and camera. Eventually I did get my phone to work again, thankfully, but my camera was fried. Needless to say, for the rest of Maui I did not get to capture any more photos, and back then the camera phones were not very good either to use to my advantage. Fortunately, once I got back to Oahu, I was able to use my friends camera for the remainder of the trip.

So make sure to really think about the what-ifs when venturing out on some of those hidden trails leading to beautiful waterfalls. You never know when fate may not be in your favor.

24 thoughts on “The Hawaiian Waterfall Gods Were Watching Over Me

  1. Well, though it cost you a camera still sounds like an awesome adventure. The best part about this post…the use of the word “gulch.” I used it a couple weeks ago and the wife insisted that it wasn’t a word. When I proved to her that it was, she then insisted I was the only person on the planet to actually use it. Wait till she sees this!

  2. My hub and I did the Hawaiian cruise with my inlaws… for 2 weeks. With. The. Inlaws. They’re in their 80’s. ’nuff said. We did have some very funny times. And managed to take over 400 photos. You just can’t be with a camera in Hawaii.

    Getting swept downstream is unforgettable for sure!

    • InACents says:

      That is too bad, but at least you were able to enjoy those special memories! Fortunately, I absolutely love my in-laws, and they don’t slow us down because they are younger. I equate them to the perfect travelers because they go at the same pace that I think is comfortable to go with little ones…just slow enough not to tire out the boys, yet fast enough to keep up with Daddy.

  3. My hub and I did the Hawaiian cruise with my inlaws… for 2 weeks. With. The. Inlaws. They’re in their 80’s. ’nuff said. We did have some very funny times. And managed to take over 400 photos. You just can’t be without a camera in Hawaii.

    Getting swept downstream is unforgettable for sure!

    • InACents says:

      Yes, unfortunately my Tarzan adventure ended all wet, but even though I lost my camera for the rest of my time on Maui, I was alive to share my story. 🙂

    • InACents says:

      I found a new appreciation for bamboo on that trip. Every year when I am working on my garden, I think back to the beautiful bamboo forest in Hawaii, and wish I could replicate it. Somehow I do not think Ohio weather is ideal though.

  4. We all have a tendency to forget common sense and safety rules when we are on vacation – it’s a good thing those waterfall gods were watching out for you! I would have been hysterical if I had lost my camera in Hawaii – don’t think that I would have ever been able to look back on it in such a calm manner.

    • InACents says:

      Yes, I would never consider replicating my adventure alone now that I have a family to think about. It was sad to not be able to capture more photos for the rest of my time on Maui, except my horrible camera phone back then, but at least I earned a story in exchange.

  5. This is why I limit my waterfall viewing to places like Niagra. You can drive right up to it and have a meal in a restaurant while admiring it’s beauty. If you want to pretend you’re the only person there, just squint. Very little danger of being washed away downstream.
    Glad you made it out though. Is Maui on the itinerary this summer? That’ll give you a chance to replace the photos (but maybe let your wife hold the camera).

    • InACents says:

      Maui was originally in the schedule this summer, but we opted to cut it out and only go to Oahu and the Big Island. Even though we will be in Hawaii for an extended period of time, the logistics of being able to squeeze in a third island did not seem to feasibly work out. Maybe in my younger days I could have pulled it off, but with all those “kids and suitcases” in tow, we decided to make it easier on mommy and daddy. 🙂 How is that for a play on words?!

  6. I thought you were going to say you got lost and couldn’t find your way back out of the jungle. I guess that could never happen in Hawaii though, where other tourists are never far behind. In your case, that was a good thing.

    • InACents says:

      That is an excellent point too! Where everything is unmarked, I could have easily missed the trail head back and lost my way. That could have been a catastrophe too. The trail I was on was far from civilization, so I was fortunate to have had another group of people join up with me.

    • InACents says:

      Yes, sometimes we have to sacrifice ourselves in order to capture a memory to share with future readers of a blog 6 years later. 🙂

  7. I’m really glad you were ok. I would have been devastated to lose my camera, but that would be better than what could have happened if you had been totally alone. Hawaii is somewhere I’ve always wanted to get to go.

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