Hiking: Aiea Loop Trail

I would have loved to explore a little on the Big Island or return to Kauai for our anniversary this year, but since inter-island travel in Hawaii is still subject to COVID quarantine, we decided to go for a hike. We have actually been checking hikes off our list, I just haven't blogged about it...until now. 

We choose the Aiea Loop Trail from the list of popular hikes for a couple of reasons: 

• it's a loop - which I prefer over an out and back 
• it's rated moderate - so not easy but also not hard
• it can be muddy and since we've been in a bit of a drought on Oahu, it was good timing

It was about a 20 minute drive to Keaiwa Heiau State Recreation Area for us. As we headed up the hill through the Aiea Heights neighborhood to the parking area, it started to rain. Ha! The weather app on my phone claimed it would only last about 30 minutes, so we went for it. I admit that I was in full hiking mindset and excited to be in my hiking shoes and hiking shorts again, so a little rain wasn't going to stop me.

It was our first time to this park and we were unfamiliar with the different parking areas in relation to the trail head, so we grabbed a spot in the first lot we came to. There were public restrooms and covered picnic areas under the massive trees. mrC spoke to a nice gentleman who had just finished his trail run who pointed us in the right direction and gave us his best tips.

Our hike began with a half mile warm-up walk UP the road to the trailhead. We passed camping areas and more parking before finally seeing the start. Starting at this trail head sign takes you counter clockwise around the loop, which at the time we didn't realize made that big of a difference.

The first thing we noticed was the beautiful Hawaii red dirt. mrC explained to me that is is a result of the island being created from volcanic activity and the soil has high iron content. 

It rained lightly off and on during the beginning, so by the time we made it to the first overlook, the benches were too wet to sit on. We got a great pic of the roots before moving on. When it was raining, I was in keep it moving mode, as if that would help us stay dry! 

Even though a ton of cars drove by us when we were making our way up the road to the trailhead, we weren't seeing many people on the trail at all. 

I had read a tip on the AllTrails app to explore the short side trails when we came upon them. The first one we had to climb up a short ways, but it gave us a great view over Aiea and all the way to Pearl Harbor. You can see a tiny bit of a rainbow.

The trail at this point was mostly flat. In some places it was very wide and others it narrowed quite a bit. The drop off could be pretty steep along the edge, so I liked to hug the inside. My knee did not like that.

This hike definitely had great views of the valley. If you wondered what fall looks like in Hawaii, here it is! Not being a plant expert, I can't tell you what we saw or what we smelled but the aromas were amazing!

Great background for a selfie with my hiking buddy!

Eventually we made it to another seating area that opened up to a large view of the Halawa Valley. 

It was occupied by some young hikers and their dads having a snack, so we didn't get to sit. They did help us get a pic though.

At this point, we were trying to take in all the nature around us and stay dry between the showers. 

Right after these steps, the trail became muddier and my toes started rebelling at being in normal shoes (not flip flops) for such along period.

The highlight of the trail is the amazing view overlooking the H3 Highway. This was the turning point of the hike. We got several glimpses that kept getting better and better until we came to the main overlook.

Another highlight along this trail is the wreckage of a B-24J. We weren't sure we would be able to see it, but it was right below the trail and easy to spot.

The rest of the hike, we took in the more of the nature surrounding us. I loved seeing all the Norfolk trees and can't wait to get one for our Christmas tree this year.

We kept things moving at this point. We stopped a couple times to take in the beauty and twice for me to administer a little first aid to my toes. Hiking lesson of the day: trim toenails and apply vaseline before putting on socks. Also, carry bandaids in backpack.

A little over a mile from the end of the hike, we realized that we should have gone clockwise on the loop to avoid some major uphills at the end on super tired legs and a cranky knee. The cherry on top was the steps we had to climb to get back up to the road and walk down to where the car was parked.

Back at the car we cleaned up at the rest rooms and changed into dry clothes. I carried a lot of mud with me off the trail.

Even though I enjoyed the hike, it felt really good to take my hiking shoes off and put my flip flops on. We were both impressed that my leaf band-aid held up so well. I wish I had thought to do it sooner than I did.

Overall, this was a great hike!

Maybe this will show our age, but we were a little achey, so we sat in the hot tub for about 30 minutes after dinner, haha! 

Have you hiked the Aiea Loop Trail?

Hiking: Realization Point (Ute & Range View Trails)

For our last hike in Boulder (are we really leaving tomorrow??), we drove up to Realization Point on Flagstaff Mountain. We've been keeping ourselves (and our bodies) pretty busy the last couple of days, so we decided to do an easy hike. But, we weren't going to skimp on the views.

At Realization Point there are several short trail options and a nice picnic area. We thought the Ute-Range View loop was the right combo for us because it was billed as easy/moderate and just what our bodies needed.

Ute Trail is only .60 miles and runs along the east side of Flagstaff Summit. There is a bit of climbing at the start, but then the trail levels out. I was actually commenting that it would be a nice place to run when I runner came toward us.

Along the trail there are paths to small outcroppings and viewpoint openings. We like to stop at these, to see what we can see. We were headed toward a spot on the east side when I spotted a deer having a snack. We watched for a few minutes and then continued along the trail without bothering it.

We decided to follow the Ute Trail all the way to the Flagstaff Summit area and check out the view from there. From this vantage point we could see the east side of the front range.

I also found a place to lean back and soak up a little sunshine.

We backtracked to the trail junction and continued on to the Range View Trail (notice that the Ute Trail is considered a wheelchair accessible hike. Isn't that awesome?!).

Range View is similar in length and runs along the west side of Flagstaff Summit back towards Realization Point. The trail was rockier and more narrow, but it's best feature was the views of the Indian Peaks to the north.

There were several places to stop and take in the views and we enjoyed each one of them. We were not in a rush for this hike to end since it was our last one. Both of us were enjoying the clean air and (mostly) blue sky too much. It is just so relaxing to be outside and spring in Boulder was cooperating just perfectly.

I had some push-ups and burpees to do for the PPB challenge, so for fun I did them at different spots on the trail. When you break 50 into 5 sets of 10, it isn't so bad, haha.

After our hike, we picked up middleC for lunch at Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill (pretty good) before sending him off to take his last exam.

Then we did a walk-in adjustment at Chiro Now! This franchised office is located just a walk away from our hotel, the doctor is a graduate of Palmer and the adjustment is only $25! Dr. Josh fixed up my neck and back from when I slept wrong last week.

For dinner I had a Whole Foods fresh salad and another juice. My use of cold pressed juices is to make up the missing servings of veggies from my every day diet (I'm a pretty picky eater). I tried a juice cleanse once and that wasn't for me, but sneaking in nutrients this way works.

I was worried about that cucumber (not a fan), but this blend of ingredients tasted pretty good. Either the pineapple and pear overpowered the cucumber, or cucumber is growing on me.

Today is graduation day and I'll be taking rest day (except for my PPB challenge).

Do you do exercises (push-ups, yoga) in not-so-common places?
Would you visit a walk-in chiropractor?
What kind of eater are you? (love everything or picky like me)

This Made My Sprints Better and Red Rocks Hike

mrC and I have been filling time between visits with middleC (he's taking finals before graduating on Thursday) by getting out and exploring more of Boulder.

For my sprints workout on Tuesday, I convinced mrC to go with me to Wonderland Lake Trail.

Based on the description on the AllTrails website, the 1.7 mile trail in North Boulder that looped around a lake sounded like a great place to run. The possibility of spotting hang gliders coming off the mountains behind the lake also sounded fun.

The plan was to run an easy 5 minute warm-up, do 10 sprints @ 20:40 seconds work:rest and run an easy cool down to finish the loop. Our goal was to also slow run the rest portions of our sprint intervals.

What really happened ---> we didn't park in the right spot, so we cut off a portion of the trail. That turned out ok (because we were too spent to run the cool down anyway), but getting started on the trail was a bit confusing. We ran a 5 minute warm-up, did our ten sprints and then walked to cool-down. And we briefly spotted one glider!

Our non-adjusted lungs are still struggling with the Colorado elevation, so we both needed to walk a couple of the rest periods. Despite feeling the effects of high altitude running on our performance (and mrC had already had breakfast with middleC), this sprint workout was waaayyy better than last week's for many reasons:

1. it was warmer - I don't mind running in cold weather. I just didn't pack that gear so running in shorts and tank was preferable.
2. soft trail vs. sidewalk - my legs (esp. knees) were so happy about this
3. lake view - being near water always makes my run feel fresher and more enjoyable
4. mountain view - my favorite combination especially with big blue sky to top it off
5. mrC - every run with mrC is better than any run without him. He's my favorite person ;)

After our run, we went over to Pearl Street to get a post-run treat. I have a list of smoothie/juiceries going for Boulder and we made our first stop into Wonder Press. mrC got a yummy strawberry banana smoothie and I got the Take Root juice bottle ---> cucumber, carrot, beet, apple, ginger, and lemon. It was pretty good, but that cucumber is hard for me. (I had the option to return the glass for $1 refund or keep it. I'm keeping it!)

When middleC finished his final for the day, we helped him take a mental break before going into study mode for his last final tomorrow. The three of us headed over to Red Rocks Trail to see the red sandstone formations that jut out of the ground. It was supposed to be an easy and short hike.

We should have realized right away that we were in for a workout when the trail started off with a pretty intense climb.

The view of the rocks from the west side was not as impressive as we were expecting. The outer loop is said to be about 1.3 miles, but we could see shorter trails leading up to the rocks creating what looked like a maze.

So, while intending to stick to the outer loop trail, we couldn't resist climbing up one of the shorter trails to get a better view of things. The short trail was not at all easy, but we really thought we'd miss out if we didn't do it. We felt like mountain goats, but it was worth it.

After our little detour, we continued making our way around the perimeter and found ourselves unexpectedly faced with more serious rock climbing (we would see later that we could have gone around and taken an easier path). At this point it felt like we were doing a HIIT workout.

Like all things, once you get through the hard part, the view from the other side can be amazing. That was the case of the Red Rocks.

As we continued up, the trail got closer to the towering sandstone fins and the views of Boulder opened up on east. We took advantage of the perfectly placed bench to have a water break and let the afternoon breeze cool us off a bit.

From this side and the top, so to speak, we had amazing views all around us: Boulder, the Rocks, and larger mountains in the distance.

This hike only took us about an hour, but it was a good one!


Does a change of scenery affect your workout?
Which do you prefer smoothie or juice? I actually like smoothies more, but drink juice on low carb days.

Today I’m linking up with Susie and Rachel and Debbie and Lora for the Running Coaches' Corner and I'm linking up with Annmarie, Nicole and Jen for Wild Workout Wednesday!!