We metup at the Hansen USO and joined a caravan to go way up to the Northern part of the island. We somehow missed that the site was so far away or I never would have gotten my husband to go along. Dont get me wrong, he likes to get out and do stuff once you get him out and this type of outing is right up his alley. He ended up having a fantastic time. We all did. :D
We took 329 N to 331 to 70. About 1 1/2 hours North of Hansen, we finally reached our destinations.We stopped at Aha Dam to meet up with those who were going to be late or come on their own. The dam was massive and had a great view of the rivers paths coming in. It was a gorgeous stop and looked to be like a great place to do some family water recreation and hiking. We may end up going back up just to tour the area a little more.
From here we headed just down the road to the PAC Wall trail. It was something like 2 roads down on the right-hand side. Here's a description from the Okinawan Mountaineers Club about the trail:
The description is misleading. We had about 70 people go on this hike and many had to face some serious fears of heights, narrow-trails on uncomfortable ledges and rock-climbing with hand-ropes. A few even had to turn back because of physical limitations. This was a tough route and in no way a medium hike. You'll need some upper body strength and good shoes. Also be aware that the red clay NEVER washes out of your clothes. So wear clothing that you don't mind getting dirty.The scenery is absolutely fantastic though and the terrain and vegetation varied. Their are hand ropes scattered along the trail in particularly slippery, steep and/or tricky spots. There are also several rope routes to take down the rock cliff. We had O along with us and I'm not gonna lie, if daddy hadn't been there to take her down the cliff, we would've turned around and went back up cause momma was all worried about the safety of her harness and potentially falling out. But daddy was confident she'd be fine and heeded my request to put her on his front side so I wouldn't freak out.
Back to ropes... The blue rope will take you all the way down but has barely any foot holds and takes you straight through the brush. I took took the thin white rope which is frequently knotted to help with grip and takes you half-way down a nice rocky-path and then switches you to the thicker white rope to finish up. Be aware that a few of the larger rocks are loose and may give way when you step on them. Always make sure your footing is secure before continuing up or down the cliff. We had one head-sized rock come loose and almost take out another members head on our way back up. So just be mindful of your surroundings at all times. Once you reach the bottom, you'll find the hike was well worth all your effort. You can walk around freely on the cliff side and take in the surrounding views.
Personally, by the time we drove up there and hiked down we were starving. I was so glad I packed a picnic lunch cause we only saw like 3 of those tiny, hand written, wooden cafe signs on the way up and like 1 gas station. It was lovely eating our honey turkey, baguettes and cheese on the cliff side.A couple of our companions found a place you could easily climb down into the water. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS WHEN YOU GO. They are this week's special edition of the safety brief. It was easy getting in but not getting out. We had quite the rescue mission going on and blood was shed in the form of some lovely scrapped up arms and legs. I have no doubt they were stopping at the hospital later to make sure nothing got infected.
Quote of the day: "Blood was shed but none were lost!" After we got back up the trail, the rest of the group headed down the road to Aha Falls. This little family headed back home cause we were exhausted and it was rounding bedtime fast. It was a fantastic day with some great memories and new friends. Can't wait to join this group on more of their adventures!
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