During my OCD driven, insatiable quest for back country on Kauai, I came across the State Mammal Hunting Regs Chap 123, which proved to be a great source for old trails, jeep roads shown nowhere else. One that intrigued me was the Mokihana Cart Road (MCR) along the east boundary of Hunting Area E that extends from close to Waimea all the way to Kapoki Crater.

But accessing the MCR from the bottom was problematic. Let's just say I'm not certain that territory is currently under the jurisdiction of the US Government if you get my drift.

But the MCR parallels the trail leading to Waialae Cabin and the map had a crossover "jeep track" cutting across the Mokihana Stream Gorge. But it was far up the trail and I couldn't find any sign of it on the aerial photos although I did discover that the MCR had been apparently extended all the way to Kaholuamanu Cabin. Muy interesante!

But I managed to spot a relatively short bushwhack across the gorge. Fortunate, in that we never found a trace of the alleged crossover.

So one hot, blistering morning (normal conditions), we forded the Waimea River and parked the jeep at the Waimea Canyon HCS and headed up canyon. We headed up Mokihana Stream, passed through it's narrows (worth a trip in itself), then followed the trail up the west side of the gorge (this variation, not shown on the map, is mo' betta than the standard Waialae-Puu Ki trail. And the Puu Ki route as shown on the map, is wrong). A short distance above the first "granny shelter," the trail dips, then climbs steeply. We started the bushwhack at the start of the steep rise, first cutting down, then angled up gorge toward a wooded area.

By Kauai standards, it was a easy bushwhack (bushwhacking on Kauai can cause sudden PTSD). Not much lantana, no blackberry tangles that I recall. The crossing at Mokihana Stream would make an outstanding campsite. The climb up the east side of the gorge was steeper but didn't present a real problem.

In no time, we were atop Mokihana Ridge, enjoying the spectacular views of Mokuone, Kahana and Olokele Canyons.

We headed down the road, snapping photos, staying to the west of the fence, afraid that at some point we'd have to bushwhack back down into Mokihana Gorge if we encountered No Trespassing, Posted or Kapu signs, etc. Nothing, just a few bored cows. Walking down the MCR is similar to hiking in a huge Microwave oven with the power level at full.

We passed the graveyard, zig-zagged down into Makaweli Valley. We did meet a potential hostile in the ex-territory of the US who became mo' friendly when we explained we'd come DOWN the MCR.