Having just left Hawaii I can’t help but think about it constantly. It was warm and full of adventure and time with my favorite person in the world…what’s not to love! This last trip was my 9th to the Hawaiian Islands, and my next will mark a very momentous occasion. When you enter Hawaii, the State of Hawaii ask you to fill out a declaration form on the plane. On the back is an optional demographic survey and they ask how many times you have been to Hawaii. I know this is coming and I always have to count my trips there. This next time (though I will still count one last time) should be the point I hit 10 or more and no longer have to prepare! That is probably a silly goal, but the one I will share today…I just might have others.
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There are times, when I post process my images, that I have a terrible time deciding what the image wants to convey. I feel very strongly about this notion actually, every image has a story, and my responsibility is to find that story help the image to communicate this in the best possible way. Perhaps this duality might in part be reflected in my sister’s experience nearly taking a tumble down the side of a cliff. Last week’s image is my feeling of the scene, but this more expressionistic view is perhaps how I interpret my sister might feel about the same place. Which is your favorite?
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Lanikai is one of my favorite places in the world, so when I took my sister to Oahu, Hawaii we, of COURSE, had to hike Lanikai Mountain! She actually did great despite a bit to huffing and puffing up the side of the “hill” but it was somewhere around this scene on the decent that I nearly lost her down the side of the mountain! Never fear, despite an ankle injury, she is otherwise fine but it goes to show in spite of any relative ease hiking always needs to be taken seriously! Next week, a different interpretation of this same image…since I liked it so much I figured I would translate it two different ways!
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Hiking up the mountain at Fushimi Inari-taisha brings to you a near endless expanse of torii gates. This view is more simple, but still expresses the vast infinity you feel hiking through the mountains. This is early on and the deeper into the mountains you get the more the gates begin to thin out. The more too does nature take over and you less and less see other hikers. This is one of my favorite places in Japan, but please go early and be prepared to hike a long way to find some peace this wonderful place has to offer visitors.
Title: Looking Back at Fushimi Inari-taisha, Kyoto Japan
All of the photographs on this site are released under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. You are free to use these on your blog or as a personal wallpaper, as long is they are used in a NonCommercial fashion and you adhere to the terms of the Creative Commons License. We will even host the bandwidth for the files for you!
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There are so many spectacular hikes in Hawaii. The Awa’awapuhi Trail in Kauai is probably my favorite BIG payoff. The hike itself if moderate and the scenery along the way is a bit…well meh, but the end of the trail will make your jaw fall to the ground. It is a truly breathtaking sight.
Title: High Atop the Awa’awapuhi Trail, Kauai, Hawaii
All of the photographs on this site are released under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. You are free to use these on your blog or as a personal wallpaper, as long is they are used in a NonCommercial fashion and you adhere to the terms of the Creative Commons License. We will even host the bandwidth for the files for you!
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There are places in this world that have taken by breath from me. Na Pali coast is one. I started as I often do with a great hiking guide on the Awa’awapuhi Trail from Unreal Hawaii (I can’t tell you how much I appreciate these guys). The trail was a bit wet (expected) and slightly uneventful, but fantastic exercise.
I can’t describe how high I am taking this photo, or how close to the edge I was hiking out on the ridge line. The photo does no justice to nature’s splendor, but I wanted you to see what I can convey.
As a side bit of trivia, this photo is the 400th I have processes for the blog!
Title: End of the Awa’awapuhi Trail, Kauai, Hawaii
All of the photographs on this site are released under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. You are free to use these on your blog or as a personal wallpaper, as long is they are used in a NonCommercial fashion and you adhere to the terms of the Creative Commons License. We will even host the bandwidth for the files for you!
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The hike to the top of Sleeping Giant (Nounou Mountain) in Kauai isn’t the most arduous hike, but the view at the end if rewarding, if you dare disobey the signs warning of the immanent fall to your death (always heed warning signs!). When I reached the Giant’s chin, there was a small group occupying the top. This girl stayed here looking out at the expanse of Kauai for a long time. I cant say I blame her. Kauai is one of the most beautiful places in the world, there is a beauty, a majesty in all of Hawaii that is palpable. That sub-current is one of the reason’s I think people get “caught” by the Hawaiian Islands and leave their lives on the mainland. The pull is just TOO powerful. I am constantly feeling that pull myself. Even though I know I should go other places (there are so many places to go), I time and time again am pulled to Hawaii, to sit, to stare out, to lose myself in wonder.
Title: A Girl Looking Off the Top of Sleeping Giant, Kauai
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If there is time, and usually there is, I do a morning hike to the Pillboxes overlooking Lanikai. It’s an easy hike, as far as hikes go in Hawaii. I wouldn’t suggest taking any little ones up unless you are confident of their skill. There are points that can be treacherous in muddy conditions and plenty of opportunity to plummet to your death if you don’t take reasonable precaution. Make sure to have reasonable shoes, though I have seen everything from hiking shoes to flip-flops. One trip, I was passed by a man doing sprints up the path, he was wearing trail runners.
The mountain has little opportunity for shade, so it can be exceedingly hot at times. The best part is the beach waiting below. Lanikai beach is my favorite beach in Hawaii. The black sand beach in Maui comes in close, but it’s not quite as comfortable and further away by car from where you will inevitably stay. After a hot hike, there is nothing like the calm waters of Lanikai…it’s what they mean when they call Hawaii, heaven. I can’t think of a more perfect morning.
All of the photographs on this site are released under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. You are free to use these on your blog or as a personal wallpaper, as long is they are used in a NonCommercial fashion and you adhere to the terms of the Creative Commons License. We will even host the bandwidth for the files for you!
You must, however, do the following:
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Give credit to W Brian Duncan.
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