If one were to look up treacherous, grueling, you're-gonna-hate-yourself-work-outs, I feel certain that KoKo Head Crater Hike would be somewhere on the top ten list. However, I must admit I was given fair warning before deciding to hike up this mountain. I remember it very clearly: "You're going to hate yourself every step up, but it's definitely worth it in the end, and the going down part is fun too." They were right of course, but I just had to find out for myself, as always. I set out towards KoKo Head Wednesday morning. Paying attention as usual, I was too busy checking out the size of the mountain from the car and totally missed my turn. It all worked out ok because I got to see a lot of pretty sights and pull off on scenic overlooks for a few pictures before I realized I needed to turn around.
I'm going to be climbing that?!
You can't tell, but this is a blow hole.
After turning around and mentally preparing myself, I set out on the trail towards my doom. I had a great mind set going into it, and the small hike to the bottom of the staircase and the first 100 steps or so into it were great. And then... I lost my motivation and thought I was going to die! The mid day heat and the fact that I am out of shape really got to me and I kid you not, I felt like I was seeking shade and resting every 20 steps. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I was pretty pathetic. People kept passing me, but I wasn't about to quit.
Halfway there!
A lot of huffing, sweating, and resting later and... I finally made it! And just like everyone said, it was totally worth it. The view was amazing, but it was more of a feeling of self accomplishment that made it so worth it. How many steps was it to the top you ask? Well how about a whopping:
1,048!
The scenery was beautiful and I got a whole look at the island. Not having someone else with me, I quickly learned how to use my self timer on my camera.
When it was time to head back down, I realized it wasn't going to be as "fun" as I was told. Going down something steep always throws my balance way off wack and I just imagined myself tumbling down 1,048 railroad tracks.
It wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting, but I did fall at one point and I currently have three bruises to show for it. It was a great work out though and I'm still having problems walking up and down stairs. And after my super hike, I decided to treat myself to none other than Victoria's Secret! A great hike followed by shopping, a wonderful way to spend my Wednesday!
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