I Hate You Koko Head!!!

So, I don't know how this happened, but beb convinced my brother, sister, and mom to climb Koko Head on New Year's Eve. I decided to join them because I didn't want to be a chicken and I could use the workout.  Beb woke us up around 7am (which made me uber grouchy), we went to WalMart to buy my mom $13 pair of shoes because she didn't have any (my brother had those Five Finger shoes, so ugly but he likes it), and then we got there around 8am to hike. 

This is the view when we first started the hike.  My brother and sister who are pretty fit being that they are in the Army are all up there somewhere with Beb who is pretty fit as well.  Me and my mom were all the way down here (I'm so not fit so I took forever to climb this stupid rock and my mom just stayed with me the whole time).

This is the view I took while taking one of my many breaks.  It looks like we went far but we weren't even halfway.  I think this was about the point that I thought "I'm not even halfway so I should give up now while I still have the chance"... Just writing about Koko Head gives me a tummy ache right now thinking about how much it SUCKED to climb it... My mom, on the other hand, wasn't breathing hard, drinking, or even breaking a sweat.  In fact, every time someone passes by, she says "Happy New Year!" to them...

Still not halfway through... I was probably sitting down here drinking my gatorade and trying to to figure out if I should quit already... My mom wasn't even breaking a sweat here, so she carried my bag, her large bag, and me... kind of.. lol... I held her hand most of the trip up and down for support... we were getting pretty close to the "bridge" where the dirt and rocks disappeared to make a hole... if you don't want to climb the bridge like me, there's a path on the side, which is still a bit dangerous...

This show-off was carrying about a 5 gallon thingy of water up the trail while I was puking a little on the side... There was also a lady who carried her baby in that front baby carrier thingy which I thought was a little dangerous, but I kept telling that baby that "you're lucky that your mom can carry you up here coz my mom can't", and the mom said "oh she'll be climbing this with me when she grows up"... Hate you... lol... Man that trail really tested me.. lol... but my mom kept pushing me, passing my gatorade and towel, telling me stories, and holding my hand...

This is the view of Haunama Bay from the top when I finally made it... I couldn't take pics during the actual vertical part of the trail because I had to stop every 10 steps or so because it hurt too much, and I did a couple of exorcist-like pukes of Gatorade and breakfast during that time.  My brother came down to find us because I guess he was impatient at the top that he tried to pull me up to get me to finish faster, but he pulled me up too fast that it made me do those pukes (I hate fit people... lol...).  Then Beb and my sister came and tried to help too, but I could only help myself. I got up there eventually though and I was so glad it was over...

This is one of the many beautiful views from the top... There were no railings so my mom kept saying that some of the people there should tie themselves down or they might just fly away... There were these two girls who looked like they were only 10 years old who looked like they could fly away if the wind was strong enough and they were brave enough to stand on top of that shaky roof for pics, unlike me... My friends from church went up there a couple of months ago and graffiti-ed some walls with their names, so I only remembered to bring a sharpie or something when I was already up there.  Luckily, my mom had one in her mysterious bag of hers and I wrote our names and the date we came...

This is the view of Hawaii Kai from the top. Going down wasn't as bad but it took us a while because the dirt was slippery and we were tired... My mom held my hand the entire time going down and we had to stop a lot going down too because I had the craziest runny nose, but good thing my mom had her large bag because I needed a lot of tissue!  Halfway through our trip back, my sister called me and said that they (my sister, brother, and Beb) were going to the store and buy drinks... Ai ai ai... those fit people... eventually, we got back down and my legs were like jello, it was uber weird...

So today is one of the first days that I feel like normal because, for the last couple of days, my muscles were soooo sore... it was crazy.. So for some notes:

LOCATION: Hawaii Kai near Koko Head Marina Shopping Center

COST: Free admission

DURATION: 1-3 hours depending on how slow/fast you are... I saw someone did it twice! WTH!

FOOD: None. Bring your own 5 gallon water bottle... lol...

BATHROOMS: There's one in the park right before you begin the trail... It's best to use it right before you start like I did because, if you're like me, you're going to take a while to do this hike...

PARKING: parking is free, but to find the trail, you would just need to follow the people who look like they're going hiking because it's past the baseball field in the bushes.

RATINGS:1 cherry for me because I really hated the hike... I almost blacked out and it really tested me... but I guess most people who've completed it will give it 5 cherries because it is a great accomplishment... 5 cherries for it's entertainment value and it's price (free all the way), but -10 cherries for the probability that I'll ever return.. lol.. I still have a stomach ache just thinking about it...

NOTE: Beb is right that we have to go early before dark (even though I hated waking up early) because it gets pretty hot when the sun comes out (the sun comes out from that side of the island, that's why), so be prepared for it by bringing water, a towel, a hat, and wearing some sunblock. Bring a camera for pictures and bring a sharpie or a marker if you want to leave your mark (although I'm not sure if it's legal.. lol..). Stretch/do some warm-ups before you go and wear proper shoes.