A handful of my classmates and I hiked the ominous Waipio Valley (non) trail to reach this massive waterfall... We started by walking down a 25% grade mountain slope, then forged our way through rainforest plants and very slippery rocks for 3 hours following a river (and not always the hard-to-follow trail). We held our camera gear over our heads multiple times as we waded through chest-deep waters (to find the trail on the other side), got lost scrambling up and down another mountain side... And finally.... We made it~ And this awesome sight was our reward!
On the way back it started raining and the darkness was impending... I prayed that we'd make it through the deep forests and river wading before dark! Through some crazy mishaps, including someone being submerged in murky water with their valuable possessions mostly unharmed, we made it back to civilization and up the 25% grade mountain-side to our inviting rental car. We were so happy to be warm and alive... and to have seen and captured the beauty of the waterfall...
That is one tall waterfall! What an adventure - glad you made it back safe. :)
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