Waimea Canyon and Lower Waialae Gorge
March 2006:Getting Wet, record rains on Kauai.
Waialae Stream below Waialae Camp
Hikinui Falls descending the trail from Waialae Cabin to Waimea.
The entry point and fence at Sincock's Bog.
Could you fit a fifty story building under this helicopter? No wonder they lose about one a year!
Descending Kaluahaulu Ridge with Waimea Canyon in background
Waialae Stream on the trail south of Waialae Cabin.
On the way to the Blue Hole.
Volcantrek8 Junior on the left fork at below the waterfall. This stream drains the east side of the Blue Hole and Wailua Spring.
The first waterfall's plunge pool is actually a triple junction.
Beautiful Valley that parallels the approach ridge.
Summit fence. To right, 3000 foot drop into the Blue Hole. Since the pig damage is on the left side of the fence, the apparent purpose is to protect the pigs from falling into the Blue Hole atop the tour helicopters.
Waialeale Lake.
Don't ask? We won't tell.
Photos 2006
On top of Kapoki looking West
Kapoki looking north.
Approach Ridge -- Raingage in distant center.
Looking south from approach ridge to Olokele Valley
Summit Ridge in Distance
Love those hogs.
Kawaikini in distance
Headwaters of the Wainiha River
Edge of the Blue Hole, looking south.
One step left, three thousand down.
Kawaikini
Islands in the Clouds
Blue Hole looking a little white.
Clouds behind us
Don't go away yet!
"Why don't I sit on that rock for a photo op." About two hundred yards from Kawaikini.
Forgot his kite!
Head of Olokele Valley.
The Rim of the World
Look's like a great campsite!
Little bit windy though.
Stream debris piled against fence.
Who sez hunter don't come up this far. Cut fence near the raingage.
Or maybe the pigs cut the fence.
Or George was looking for WMDs.
Love those hogs.
Waialae Gorge/Waimea Canyon/Etc.
Them's high cliffs.
The realm of rock.
The end of this hike.
Bad place to be during the rain which started at about this time.
At 2000 cfs, this would be a bad place to be.
This waterfall tried to kill me. Honest.
From left to right: Waialae Falls, some Loli River cascades and Hikinui Falls
A drier day in the Canyon
Looking down on Milolii from the end of Anaki Ridge.
Double rainbow over Waimea Canyon.
Waialae Falls with typical Alakai showers behind.
Waialae Falls at about 300 cfs. At bottom is one of the several waterfalls below the Narrows of Waialae Gorge.
The entrance to Iliiliula Gorge.
March 2006: A wet month in Kauai with record rains.
March 15, a few days before our arrival, the dam at Ka Loko reservoir failed, washing away several homes and killing eight.
The mass of water and debris flowed down Wailapa stream across the highway to Princeville.
View south from highway to Princeville. The debris entered Kilauea Stream a few hundred yards before Quarry Beach.
Before venturing into Waimea Canyon, you can get a idea of the streamflow conditions by driving to the first ford at Waimea. The road is paved to this point. If it looks like this…head for the beach.
Panorama of Mount Waialeale at seven a.m. That day we entered the canyon but couldn't cross because of high flow. Even though March was plagued with heavy rains, the summit was often clearly visible.
I know, off topic but on the other hand, Koaie Gorge is visible just beyond Waimea Canyon
Waterlogged conditions meant many waterfalls persisted during several days when the rains paused. This is a bottom up view of the left of the center waterfall in the Koaie Rain photo that follows. During our hurried exit, this waterfall was flowing red.
Koaie Gorge after a heavy shower on the 26th. Streamflow is 2 or 3 times worse than we encountered.
Many cliffs! Few exits.
Nice spire over the canyon.
Sections like this were easy traveling but rare.
Another of the many waterfalls draining the rugged plateau above.
More cliffs.
Average waterfall.
Waterfalls persisted long after the rain paused.
Nice waterfall into a huge pool on Koaie Stream.
graphics
A simulation of the view from the Kawaikini benchmark toward Lihue.
A Landsat Photo laid over a DEM(Digital Elevation Map)
Thirteen waterfalls in the Narrows of Waialae Gorge as it drops into Waimea Canyon.(There are likely more)
Our initial route across the three bogs looking north.
Sent this this to the FAA. They continued sleeping.
After we threatened to go public, they stirred, passed it to another office and went back to sleep.
A rough approximation of the height of Waialae Falls using a photo taken from Kukui Trailhead.
Planning for Jan 2006 to follow ridge to Kapoki. August return route on right.
Same view looking
from Kapoki toward Bog 2.
Photos showing the rapid rise of stream flow over Waialae Falls.
Cross sections of Waialae Gorge.
Profile of Waialae Gorge, approximately 1x1 scale.
Graphic of DEM of Summit around the Blue Hole. The arrow to Kawaikini is actually to the benchmark at 5208 feet.
Landsat photo overlaid onto DEM. Middle section of Olokele Canyon.
Landsat photo overlaid onto DEM. Upper Waimea Canyon.