Waihe'e Ridge Trail ~ alicka promise

Bryan and I hiked Waihe'e Ridge Trail with our friends Amanda and Chris. The hike is a 2.5 mile trek uphill through the clouds.

The trailhead

Bryan and Amanda leading the way

A quick look back down.

Waterfalls in the distance

As we hiked further up the trail, the clouds thickened into a cool mist hanging over the valley.

Gorgeous views through the mist.

Bryan surveying Haleakala in the far distance

The trail plowed through swarms of fun flowers and plants.

Pohole Ferns

I love the tight coils the fern tendrils make before unfurling completely

The valley down below and the mountaintops fading into the clouds

Up and up and up we go! The hike was wet so the trails were slick with mud. We had the pleasure of watching a few of our fellow hikers eat it on their way back down the trail.

Steep trails up.

Did I mention that this trail was steep? And muddy?

It was a relief to come across these flights of stairs. We welcomed a brief respite from the slick mud trails.

A small batch of pretty wildflowers.

Making faces.

Surprisingly slick and nasty wet trees on the edge of the trail.

The bark was sloughing off them like peeling skin. Of course, these were the very trees that Amanda insisted we pose next to for a series of very uncomfortable photos. Naturally, they turned out amazing.

Moss!

I loved these "Stay on Trail" reminders. As if I would want to go off the main trail and attempt these death-defying off-shoots.

The pinnacle of the trail is marked by a fat picnic bench. We camped out and snacked on trail mix, fruit and beef jerky. When we started seeing goosebumps break out across our skin, we decided it was time to head back down.