Pihea Trail down to the Swamp

We had a pretty dry day at the Pihea Trail so we decided to head down into the Alakai Swamp -- the Swamp gets about 400 inches of rain a year so all of the vegetation is very unusual and a place I've wanted to see for a long time. We saw some of the unique forest birds along the way. This is also considered a rather strenuous hike because you climb up and down muddy hills, slosh through muddy trails and climb a bunch of stairs before getting to the boardwalk through the swamp. It was all worth it. We'd love to go back again.

Pausing as we climbed up the muddy hill to take a picture - Several places along the trail it's like climbing up (and on the way back -- climbing down) a wall. Up is easier.

But the vistas looking down 4000 feet to the ocean are spectacular!

The ferns along the way are pretty amazing -- Some are at least 6 feet tall.

Thankfully they built a board walk through the swamp - or we'd be up to our thighs in mud.

This is Mt. Wai'ale'ale -- one of the wettest spots on earth. It doesn't have a peak but it is usually covered in clouds. What a surprise when the clouds disappeared and we discovered it was flat on top. For years I imagined a peak. We were blessed with a very clear day.