Finding Falls

Tammy and I enjoy the outdoors.  Now, we may not be as "outdoorsy" as many people because we're not fond of roughing it as many people are.  I suspect part of it is because we have had many years on the farm where getting muddy, dirty, sweaty and rain-soaked is/was part of the job description.  You see, we like to take our walks or hikes and then be able to clean up and sleep somewhere a bit less challenging because we don't necessarily want our recreational time to be too similar to work time

And, let's face it, after two major surgeries over the past two years (one each), we weren't going to do a super-challenging hike. Remember,this was supposed to be a positive experience, not an event where we might need emergency services to get out of it.

We do love the beautiful things we can see and observe in the natural world and one of our favorite natural phenomena are waterfalls.  In fact, there is one right in the middle of the picture shown above.

And this is more what you would see with the naked eye, rather than a telephoto lens on a camera.  There had been a fair amount of rainfall in the days just prior to our walk on the Iliau Nature Loop, so this waterfall was even more visible than it might be at drier times of the year.  That means it is entirely possible for people to view this overlook of the Waimea Canyon and fail to see this particular feature.  This is especially true for the vast majority of people who are intent on getting their quick "selfie in front of the spectacular view" and then move on.

Tammy and I do like to take our time and absorb what we are seeing - so of course, we picked out the water fall fairly quickly.

And then fixated on it.  We were both so enamored with the idea that we had found a new (to us) waterfall that we had to learn what we could about it.

Oddly enough, it was actually more difficult than I thought it should have been to identify this particular waterfall.  It's big enough and prominent enough that I figured I shouldn't have had to spend much time looking.  Of course, now that I know what it is, finding more information has become simpler.

The Wai'alae Canyon and Stream joins the Waimea Canyon and Stream and this overlook lines up so you can see deeply into the Wai'alae Canyon and Wai'alae Falls.  I was unable to find an estimate for the drop of the main falls, but based on topographic maps, it looks like about 600, maybe 700, feet.  It's only a guess - but it is a sizable falls.  And it can be pretty amazing, even from a distance when it is full.

For those who would like to see a video of the falls from a helicopter, you can go here for some stock video footage.  

As we stood, admiring the world around us, we actually identified two more waterfalls in the landscape across from us.  Out came the telephoto as I tried to capture "good enough" images that I might be able to blow up and explore further.  Can you see them?

Both falls were to the right (south) of Wai`alae Falls.  One of them is located in the left half of the picture above and is probably more of a cascading series of falls.  The second is on the right half of the screen and is partly obscured by a ridge that stood between us and our vantage point.

Here's the one at the left.  It is, as I said, more of a series of waterfalls.  Or just a river that has vertical challenges it must conquer.  We did some looking at various topographical maps and came up with the Loli River, which has several unnamed waterfalls - at least according to those maps.

I think Tammy and I both saw this one at about the same time.  From a distance, I have to admit that they do not look like much to the naked eye.  It takes a little eye training to recognize the tell-tale silvery-white that indicates to us that there is falling water at that location.  It sure didn't hurt to have some sunshine during this particular waterfall hunt.

The one on the right is a bit harder to see unless you are looking for it.  It is in the middle of the photo shown above.  You can see a cut in the canyon wall that is behind a ridge that obscures much of a our view of the Hihinui Falls.  

While hiking to these locations is unlikely for us at any point in our future, we were still able to explore them by combining our own walk on the Iliau Nature Loop, our willingness to be still and observe, our pictures and the interest in seeking out knowledge about the things we observed.  

In the process of our hunt for information, we located this panoramic photo by someone named Mike.  The same person also shares a photo of Hihinui Falls.   

In any event, Kaua`i provides people like us multiple opportunities to view waterfalls.  Some are made easy to view because overlooks have been constructed to facilitate their viewing.  Others, can only be viewed from a distance unless you are willing to pay to get in a helicopter or perhaps go on a tougher backpacking trip.  The two of us have been fortunate to view several of Kaua`i's waterfalls and to photograph them.  And now, we get to share some of what we learned.

More waterfalls in upcoming weeks on the blog!