Let me begin by saying that hiking is not easy for me. Flat feet, two foot surgeries and a once fractured elbow all cause me some trepidation whenever I hear that I've been scheduled for a hike. That being said, however, my hike today with Hike Maui in the lower Makamaka'ole Valley was quite physically manageable and what normally would have been a second hike to the upper valley, while longer in length, would have even involved fewer elevation changes.

Our day began with a hotel pickup at the Napili Kai Beach Resort. Fortunately for all in our group, our driver, Alex Buttaro, elected to drive us around the top of West Maui to reach the valley which lies almost all the way to Wailuku. Along the way Alex gave us detailed geological, ecological and cultural background of the areas we passed.

The views mauka (toward the mountains) and makai (toward the ocean) today were especially stunning. We were able to see whale spouts miles and miles in the distance. We stopped briefly in the small isolated village of Kahakuloa which is home to about 100 people, two churches and several roadside stands where friendly locals offer a pleasing stop along the drive. We stopped by the ever popular Julia's Banana Bread stand which is hard to miss with its brightly painted facade.

The drive over to Makamaka'ole Valley took about ninety minutes. What followed was about a two hour hike down through the lower valley. The trail takes you past several waterfalls, including one which involves a steep climb down and back up. I passed on that, but those who did climb down loved the views. The Makamaka'ole Valley is filled with ancient Hawaiian archeology, particularly walls built for numerous purposes and an old portion of the Piilani trail.

Let me begin by saying that hiking is not easy for me. Flat feet, two foot surgeries and a once fractured elbow all cause me some trepidation whenever I hear that I've been scheduled for a hike. That being said, however, my hike today with Hike Maui in the lower Makamaka'ole Valley was quite physically manageable and what normally would have been a second hike to the upper valley, while longer in length, would have even involved fewer elevation changes.

Our day began with a hotel pickup at the Napili Kai Beach Resort. Fortunately for all in our group, our driver, Alex Buttaro, elected to drive us around the top of West Maui to reach the valley which lies almost all the way to Wailuku. Along the way Alex gave us detailed geological, ecological and cultural background of the areas we passed.

The views mauka (toward the mountains) and makai (toward the ocean) today were especially stunning. We were able to see whale spouts miles and miles in the distance. We stopped briefly in the small isolated village of Kahakuloa which is home to about 100 people, two churches and several roadside stands where friendly locals offer a pleasing stop along the drive. We stopped by the ever popular Julia's Banana Bread stand which is hard to miss with its brightly painted facade.

The drive over to Makamaka'ole Valley took about ninety minutes. What followed was about a two hour hike down through the lower valley. The trail takes you past several waterfalls, including one which involves a steep climb down and back up. I passed on that, but those who did climb down loved the views. The Makamaka'ole Valley is filled with ancient Hawaiian archeology, particularly walls built for numerous purposes and an old portion of the Piilani trail.