Not only did I climb a volcano crater... I conquered a mount
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lombrica
Posts: 1,419 Member
At the end of 2011... I decided I would create a Bucket List of sorts for 2012, the things that I would make sure and do before 2012 was over. Knowing that I'd be traveling to Hawaii I looked up some "active" things to do while I was on Oahu and came across a review for "Koko Head Hike." The review read that this was "a rewarding hike of over 1000 stairs with a great view from the top, several older men do it several times a day and you can regularly see parents carrying children and people making this hike in flip-flops. A must do in Hawaii, but mostly completed by locals." Simple enough, right?!? So, it became the Number One thing on that now infamous list for this year. I added another 24 items to the list and proceeded to encourage others to create their own list, sharing mine along the way... this part become key - that I just started sharing the list with anyone and everyone. See, I have this crazy idea that I have to do what I say I am going to do...
As the year started - I put the date in for my Koko Head "Hike" and watched the countdown start ticking away on my Kindle FIre. I was already exercising at the gym at least 5 times a week and decided to start working with a personal trainer. I let her know about my goal of Koko Head... to which she began asking questions. This spurred me to start looking up more and doing a little more research... but again, the review... the first review - made it sound like it was no big deal. Every other review?!? Well, let's just say I started to get a little scared. Could I really do this? Reviews were talking about "hardest hike ever!" "Nature's Stairmaster" "Not for the faint at heart" and "Helicopter carries hiker off Koko Head." What was I thinking?!? By this time - everyone in the world, well everyone in my world, knows that this is Number One on my list... stupid list! Who thought of making a list in the first place?!? And... if you make it, who tells people what's on the list? I was starting to doubt... but decided that doubt would serve as motivation! Gym time was upped often to 6 or 7 times a week. The stair master and I became... good... "friends" ??? I took the stairs everywhere I went. Worked with my personal trainer once a week - she would kill my quads every time... and I loved it! Finally, March was here and I was headed to Hawaii... I felt good, confident, and ready.
As the day approached that I would attempt to "hike" Koko Head... I really sat with the idea of all of it. See, I knew that I was going to physically climb a volcano crater - but the bigger battle was going to be climbing this mental mountain. Koko Head represented everything that has ever beaten me, or that I ever thought would beat me and just didn't even try to do. Climbing the volcano - physically would be an accomplishment... but climbing that mountain?!? Well... it was a MOUNTAIN! If... If.... IF I could do this than I could do anything. If I could beat Koko Head, I could beat anything... suddenly I realized that while I felt physcially ready, I was also feeling mentally ready. I was ready to conquer my mountain!
Somehow, I had enlisted 2 family members to climb Koko Head with me... and we set off to "hike" on Saturday morning. We drove across the south side of Oahu, and looked ahead. There was a non-intimidating 'mountain' on the right... and I said - "that must be it, but it doesn't look very tall." Then, we rounded the corner and up jutted what we would soon discover was the real Koko Head. It was huge! I thought, what the heck did I get myself into? (OK, that's not really the verbage I used... but I don't want to offend!) My sister-in-law started slewing out the verbage, she was sweating and having anxiety. My brother just kept saying, "this is so cool!" I pointed out the trail that led to the top of a very steep looking tuff cone - and my sister-in-law says - those aren't people, they aren't even moving... we'd realize later just why they weren't moving!
Koko Head Hike is made up of 1048 railroad tie stairs that lead to the top. It's somewhere between 1200-1300 feet and takes about 1 mile of "hiking" to reach the top... but it is just stairs... all the way... to the top... And these aren't like the stairs that I had practiced on at the gym - these are steep, uneven, high stairs. Nervous, we took a couple pictures at the start... again, I was still feeling pretty confident at that point...
Then the hike started. It wasn't too steep for the beginning. The gun range is off to the side and the banging never stopped. At one point we wondered if that would be a more fun place to be then climbing these stairs. It didn't take long to have our pace really slow and we kept looking up wondering what were we thinking? And, at this point -- it was still only the physical piece for me. I was climbing the stairs, I was surprised at how much more difficult this was then anticipated... I was slowing but thought, I can do this. I have to do it, everyone knows that I was going to do it!
(photo of the gun range, from about stair 200)
(about every 100 stairs, they would paint the number, so you knew how far there was left to go...)
(photo from stair 400)
The bridge is a big battle... mostly mental. It's still going up an incline, and you have to balance from one tie to the next. This was the first place where the mind starts getting involved and where some people can't make it. My brother had already made it across, my sister in law took a side jaunt around the bridge and I started across it. The bridge... the bridge wasn't going to beat me. There was a strong wind advisory that day... because why not?!? But, I just thought about the bridge as my journey thus far... I have released 100+ pounds to never be found again, it was a step by step process... and this bridge would be just that. I took it step by step - some of them were faster and some of them were slower. There were railroad ties that were decayed, unstable, rotted... much like some of those low points, the low faith points... and others were solid, new, strong... much like I was becoming. I had this... And, I made it across the bridge. It was an awesome feeling!
(close up of what you look at to cross the bridge)
(bridge, please note the continued incline - my brother is already on the other side... it's that long of a bridge!)
Then... the trail becomes much steeper, much quicker. The stairs were often as high as your knee, and you would see people crawling up. I hit stair 700 and hit the biggest metal wall - like a huge boulder that would stop me from making it to the top. I had to turn away from everyone, and felt the tears in my eyes... I was pissed! I looked up and thought - I can't do this... I can't make it the next 348 stairs, there is no way, it's impossible, how could someone who weighs what I do think that they could do this?, I just can't do it! I can't... I have to turn around, I am never going to make it to the top... I was so mad, mad at myself, mad at what I had let myself become, mad that I set a goal and didn't think I could make it. I turned to a friend of mine, made through MFP, and risked saying out loud "I can't do this." The response was "Go Get It. You know you can. So do it. Move slow if you have to. But move. Just one step. Then the next." Next thing I know, I receive 2 more texts from friends of mine back home - who have been watching my posts and pictures on facebook and had been going to the gym with me... saying "Saw the pictures, you are doing good!" "Think of the helicopter pad at the top!" and "you must be cruising up, look at those pictures!" Perhaps... perhaps one of the greatest lessons that I learn in this is that I don't have to do it alone... I have to take the steps, I have to put one foot in front of the other -- but not only do I not have to do this alone, but I am not doing it alone. My sister-in-law was standing there beside me and we turn to do the next 348 stairs... At this point, I am, at times, literally pulling myself up with the rails to climb some of these massive stairs and thinking, Thank God I have been lifting weights for my arms as much as my legs!
(Photo from Stair 700... my biggest battle point. But when I looked around, I thought - look at the beauty of the struggle!)
At stair 1000 I let out a bit of a joyful scream... several people are on the way down that passed me on their way up. Every single one of them stopping to tell me that the view is worth it, that I am doing amazing, and that they were as tired as I am... I stopped, for a long while I stopped at stair 1000. I knew that the last 48 would feel like another 480... but there was no way... NO WAY that I was going to go back without finishing this thing! I had a few words flowing out at stair 1000 -- received another message saying, "Go Get It" and while it was probably the most motivating 3 words I wanted to tell that person to come to step 1000 and Go Get It! ... but you know what?!? I was ready... I think that stop - at stair 1000 - was about looking inside and asking myself, was I ready... was I ready to finish this? was I ready to be who I can be? was I ready to stop the limitations, the minimizations, the conditions? Was I ready... to GO GET IT?!? And I was... The last 48 steps went much more quickly then I imagined and I was there at the top!
(The view from Stair 1000... then, I was ready to Go Get It!)
(Me, on the edge of the crater rim... feeling the success!)
The top was amazing... walking out along the ridge of the volcano crater, feeling like the wind could just carry you away, looking down and knowing that I did it! I did it! Once you reach the top of the stairs - you actually climb some rocks (yeah, the climbing never really ended!) to get to the top of the top... a 360 degree view of Hawaii... and it was beautiful! It was glorious! I knew, knew that there wasn't anything in the world that I couldn't do - if I really wanted it. All I had to do was... to steal the words of a friend... All I had to do was to keep moving, one step at a time... Go Get It! I encouraged everyone going up as I was coming down... more than once I heard people say, "SHE did it! She made it up there! We can do this... let's keep going." And I took it just as it was meant - as a compliment. Going down wasn't easy - but it felt accomplished. I felt like I was coming down the other side of my mountain!
See... I climbed the volcano... I don't think that this should ever be called a "hike" because it is just so much more than a "hike." I climbed the volcano... But - more than that - I conquered MY mountain! It was hard... it was work... it pushed me... it challenged me... but then, what else did I want?!? There's a quote that says something about the climb is hard, but the view is best from the top... and that's very true. And forever now... I know what the view is like! That's what made my answer, every single time I was asked, "well, was it worth it?" My answer is Hell Yeah it was worth it! Bucket List, Kick *kitten* Lifestyle List, To-Do List, whatever you want to call it... I call #1 on that list ACHIEVED!!
As the year started - I put the date in for my Koko Head "Hike" and watched the countdown start ticking away on my Kindle FIre. I was already exercising at the gym at least 5 times a week and decided to start working with a personal trainer. I let her know about my goal of Koko Head... to which she began asking questions. This spurred me to start looking up more and doing a little more research... but again, the review... the first review - made it sound like it was no big deal. Every other review?!? Well, let's just say I started to get a little scared. Could I really do this? Reviews were talking about "hardest hike ever!" "Nature's Stairmaster" "Not for the faint at heart" and "Helicopter carries hiker off Koko Head." What was I thinking?!? By this time - everyone in the world, well everyone in my world, knows that this is Number One on my list... stupid list! Who thought of making a list in the first place?!? And... if you make it, who tells people what's on the list? I was starting to doubt... but decided that doubt would serve as motivation! Gym time was upped often to 6 or 7 times a week. The stair master and I became... good... "friends" ??? I took the stairs everywhere I went. Worked with my personal trainer once a week - she would kill my quads every time... and I loved it! Finally, March was here and I was headed to Hawaii... I felt good, confident, and ready.
As the day approached that I would attempt to "hike" Koko Head... I really sat with the idea of all of it. See, I knew that I was going to physically climb a volcano crater - but the bigger battle was going to be climbing this mental mountain. Koko Head represented everything that has ever beaten me, or that I ever thought would beat me and just didn't even try to do. Climbing the volcano - physically would be an accomplishment... but climbing that mountain?!? Well... it was a MOUNTAIN! If... If.... IF I could do this than I could do anything. If I could beat Koko Head, I could beat anything... suddenly I realized that while I felt physcially ready, I was also feeling mentally ready. I was ready to conquer my mountain!
Somehow, I had enlisted 2 family members to climb Koko Head with me... and we set off to "hike" on Saturday morning. We drove across the south side of Oahu, and looked ahead. There was a non-intimidating 'mountain' on the right... and I said - "that must be it, but it doesn't look very tall." Then, we rounded the corner and up jutted what we would soon discover was the real Koko Head. It was huge! I thought, what the heck did I get myself into? (OK, that's not really the verbage I used... but I don't want to offend!) My sister-in-law started slewing out the verbage, she was sweating and having anxiety. My brother just kept saying, "this is so cool!" I pointed out the trail that led to the top of a very steep looking tuff cone - and my sister-in-law says - those aren't people, they aren't even moving... we'd realize later just why they weren't moving!
Koko Head Hike is made up of 1048 railroad tie stairs that lead to the top. It's somewhere between 1200-1300 feet and takes about 1 mile of "hiking" to reach the top... but it is just stairs... all the way... to the top... And these aren't like the stairs that I had practiced on at the gym - these are steep, uneven, high stairs. Nervous, we took a couple pictures at the start... again, I was still feeling pretty confident at that point...
Then the hike started. It wasn't too steep for the beginning. The gun range is off to the side and the banging never stopped. At one point we wondered if that would be a more fun place to be then climbing these stairs. It didn't take long to have our pace really slow and we kept looking up wondering what were we thinking? And, at this point -- it was still only the physical piece for me. I was climbing the stairs, I was surprised at how much more difficult this was then anticipated... I was slowing but thought, I can do this. I have to do it, everyone knows that I was going to do it!
(photo of the gun range, from about stair 200)
(about every 100 stairs, they would paint the number, so you knew how far there was left to go...)
(photo from stair 400)
The bridge is a big battle... mostly mental. It's still going up an incline, and you have to balance from one tie to the next. This was the first place where the mind starts getting involved and where some people can't make it. My brother had already made it across, my sister in law took a side jaunt around the bridge and I started across it. The bridge... the bridge wasn't going to beat me. There was a strong wind advisory that day... because why not?!? But, I just thought about the bridge as my journey thus far... I have released 100+ pounds to never be found again, it was a step by step process... and this bridge would be just that. I took it step by step - some of them were faster and some of them were slower. There were railroad ties that were decayed, unstable, rotted... much like some of those low points, the low faith points... and others were solid, new, strong... much like I was becoming. I had this... And, I made it across the bridge. It was an awesome feeling!
(close up of what you look at to cross the bridge)
(bridge, please note the continued incline - my brother is already on the other side... it's that long of a bridge!)
Then... the trail becomes much steeper, much quicker. The stairs were often as high as your knee, and you would see people crawling up. I hit stair 700 and hit the biggest metal wall - like a huge boulder that would stop me from making it to the top. I had to turn away from everyone, and felt the tears in my eyes... I was pissed! I looked up and thought - I can't do this... I can't make it the next 348 stairs, there is no way, it's impossible, how could someone who weighs what I do think that they could do this?, I just can't do it! I can't... I have to turn around, I am never going to make it to the top... I was so mad, mad at myself, mad at what I had let myself become, mad that I set a goal and didn't think I could make it. I turned to a friend of mine, made through MFP, and risked saying out loud "I can't do this." The response was "Go Get It. You know you can. So do it. Move slow if you have to. But move. Just one step. Then the next." Next thing I know, I receive 2 more texts from friends of mine back home - who have been watching my posts and pictures on facebook and had been going to the gym with me... saying "Saw the pictures, you are doing good!" "Think of the helicopter pad at the top!" and "you must be cruising up, look at those pictures!" Perhaps... perhaps one of the greatest lessons that I learn in this is that I don't have to do it alone... I have to take the steps, I have to put one foot in front of the other -- but not only do I not have to do this alone, but I am not doing it alone. My sister-in-law was standing there beside me and we turn to do the next 348 stairs... At this point, I am, at times, literally pulling myself up with the rails to climb some of these massive stairs and thinking, Thank God I have been lifting weights for my arms as much as my legs!
(Photo from Stair 700... my biggest battle point. But when I looked around, I thought - look at the beauty of the struggle!)
At stair 1000 I let out a bit of a joyful scream... several people are on the way down that passed me on their way up. Every single one of them stopping to tell me that the view is worth it, that I am doing amazing, and that they were as tired as I am... I stopped, for a long while I stopped at stair 1000. I knew that the last 48 would feel like another 480... but there was no way... NO WAY that I was going to go back without finishing this thing! I had a few words flowing out at stair 1000 -- received another message saying, "Go Get It" and while it was probably the most motivating 3 words I wanted to tell that person to come to step 1000 and Go Get It! ... but you know what?!? I was ready... I think that stop - at stair 1000 - was about looking inside and asking myself, was I ready... was I ready to finish this? was I ready to be who I can be? was I ready to stop the limitations, the minimizations, the conditions? Was I ready... to GO GET IT?!? And I was... The last 48 steps went much more quickly then I imagined and I was there at the top!
(The view from Stair 1000... then, I was ready to Go Get It!)
(Me, on the edge of the crater rim... feeling the success!)
The top was amazing... walking out along the ridge of the volcano crater, feeling like the wind could just carry you away, looking down and knowing that I did it! I did it! Once you reach the top of the stairs - you actually climb some rocks (yeah, the climbing never really ended!) to get to the top of the top... a 360 degree view of Hawaii... and it was beautiful! It was glorious! I knew, knew that there wasn't anything in the world that I couldn't do - if I really wanted it. All I had to do was... to steal the words of a friend... All I had to do was to keep moving, one step at a time... Go Get It! I encouraged everyone going up as I was coming down... more than once I heard people say, "SHE did it! She made it up there! We can do this... let's keep going." And I took it just as it was meant - as a compliment. Going down wasn't easy - but it felt accomplished. I felt like I was coming down the other side of my mountain!
See... I climbed the volcano... I don't think that this should ever be called a "hike" because it is just so much more than a "hike." I climbed the volcano... But - more than that - I conquered MY mountain! It was hard... it was work... it pushed me... it challenged me... but then, what else did I want?!? There's a quote that says something about the climb is hard, but the view is best from the top... and that's very true. And forever now... I know what the view is like! That's what made my answer, every single time I was asked, "well, was it worth it?" My answer is Hell Yeah it was worth it! Bucket List, Kick *kitten* Lifestyle List, To-Do List, whatever you want to call it... I call #1 on that list ACHIEVED!!
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Replies
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What an awesome story and your pics are fantastic! Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment:)0
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Oh my gosh, I love your story! Thanks for sharing it and the pictures with us all! What an accomplishment!0
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That was an amazing adventure! I think that most folks will never have the chance to say they've "hiked/climbed up a volcano" so you have accomplished a rare and ultimately rewarding. Thanks for sharing!0
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Awesome job! Are your legs crying today? Lol. If you still got some days/time left, try Aiea Loop Trail or Diamond Head. Aiea Loop Trail is mostly flat or slight incline (4 mile loop) and is beautiful. My profile pic is the view on that trail of the H3. Diamond Head is similar to Koko Head but not as hard.
Then again you could always take it easy and just go swimming!
Pics and story is awesome! You can accomplish anything you set your mind to! Aloha.0 -
Congratulations!!!!! What an accomplishment! What a reward!0
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Very inspirational! WOW, and way to go! I obviously don't know you but I am proud of your feat and very motivated. Job well well done
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Awesome, amazing and inspiring. I already have a mental bucket list, but I need to pen it. I am goinv to pen this hike as my adventure when we head to Oahu. Again awesome story and Congrats to you!!0
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to have come so far, and then to climb so high! what an encouraging story! you ROCK! keep it up!!!0
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What an accomplishment. So happy you shared this with all of us. Keep on Keeping on.0
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I love it thank you for sharing!!! Congrats on your weight loss!!! :drinker:0
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Awesome story!!!! Put tears in my eyes!!!!0
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Amazing !0
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This is the coolest thing I have read all day. You are a good writer and I love the pictures!
Nice work climbing a volcano!!!! Not many people can say they've done that 0 -
Amazing!! I am so jealous. You should be extremely proud of yourself. I want to do this!!0
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What an achievement, and you won the most important battle the mental one! The pics are beautiful. Thanks for sharing!0
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Your story is absolutely inspiring. I don't think I could have crossed that bridge, it looks SO SCARY! But you did it! You an AMAZING! Thanks for sharing!0
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OMG your story brought tears to my eyes! I'm jealous, proud, and happy for you all at the same time. I hope someday I might make it to Hawaii and to this "hike" also. I'm now thinking of what kind of list I could make! Thank you for sharing!0
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They don't have a happy crying face but this really touched me. Being heavier, people often underestimate our abilities to achieve things. I think this story illustrates that in reality we all underestimate ourselves and look to others to inspire us, and size is far from one the prerequisites for achieving goals. I keep saying when I'm smaller I'll do this but if the only real barrier is myself (my choice, my fear, etc.) then I can easily remove that. Thanks for sharing! 0 -
I could feel your joy. Your writing style is wonderful. You conquered your demons and a mountain. Wonderful.0
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This is awesome! If I ever go to Hawaii I want to do this.0
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