1 The old carriage road - so impressive to think about all the work laying these stones to make the traverse over the Pali easier. Generations of Hawaiians had been hiking over a treacherous route, produce on their backs. Unbelievable.
2 More of the carriage road, wider here. We followed this through more trail, then connected with the Old Pali Rd, built in the early 1900s to improve the conditions for the first cars.
3 Mom enjoying lots of advice about which stick to use. :) Such a good sport!
4 Always fun to use a root swing to get down a steep step!
5 A bit tricky in the slipperies! But Sam and I love a good rump slide.
6 Nice face! Richard isn't tired yet, so we'll continue on.
7 A few more switchbacks then hook up with Old Pali Rd.
8 My boys! I love you, Sam! Such an adventurer! Just like Jackie Paper and Puff, we can't let a day go by without some kind of adventure! Ok, maybe tomorrow we take a day off? This was a big one!
9 Walking along the Old Pali, under the new Pali.
10 The graffiti here is pretty impressive.
11 Climbing back up to the trail after crossing under the Pali Hwy.
12 On the Old Pali, looking at the new Pali.
13 Not tired yet? Cool, because it would be fun to know how far this whole route is to the Pali Lookout! (I have had to section-hike this previously due to having small kiddos with me, but Sam is up to just about anything I want to do carrying Ben now so we are able to do some adventures which had been put off for a while.)
14 Huge flower! Big as Ben's head!
15 Looking from Old Pali down to the tunnels built in the 1940s.
16 Can you see the open patch of green in the middle of the photo? That is the golf course and church, where we started, 1000' and 3 miles ago!
17 SOooooo incredibly windy and cold. We're huddling and chomping quickly.
18 All suited up now, ready to head to a less windy spot for more snacks!
19 Ben is walking now. Once you put this kid down, he does NOT want to get carried again. He is really strong.
20 This was a tad tricky but thanks to grown-up helpers it was no problem.
21 Richard grabbing Ben!
22 Spotting Sam and Gramma.
23
24 Whew! That was fun!
25 More snacks! These kids eat all my food! I have to pack so much food and water for growing boys that my pack is incredibly heavy. Pushing 60lbs now. Sam carries his own water, but I carry the food, water, first aid, rain jackets, diapers, GPS, etc.
26 Funny faces! We always have a great time. Sam is such a fun guy to hike with.
27 Hiking under both sides of the Pali.
28 Ending up at Likeke Falls (which is really a man-made falls created by puncturing a dike while digging the tunnels for the Pali). Sure is fun to visit and play in the pools!
29 Mommy got to waterslide! This was really really slick!
30 Sam wanted to try, too!
31 More climbing - poor guy had energy to spare for exploring these roots but the grown-ups were ready to call it a day and go get some food!
32 And I still had to bathe two boys, feeding them lunch in the bath even (which they loved!), wrangle one into bed, and prep for a teleconference. Look at Ben striding out here!
33 Sammy having fun recreating a funny part of a favorite story, where a bear goes head-first into tall grasses! Thanks for a great day, boys!