 Good afternoon. Welcome to Finding Happiness and Hard Times. I'm Ken Birdness, coming to you from Hollywood out at the North Shore. And today we have a very special program or program close to my heart, The Joy of Hiking. And to talk about hiking, I've got my hiking master with me, my good friend, Steve Brown, who's got more experience in hiking than anybody I know. Welcome to the show, Steve. Thanks, Kat. It's great to be here. Yeah, we've had some interesting ice together, and I look forward to sharing. That's great. That's terrific. Let's talk about, well, let's start at the beginning. You know, usually that's what I do on the shows, is I start at the beginning of where people got into or found their joy. And so I thought, the second we could start with, where are you first to experience joy hiking in general? And then maybe specifically, where you first experienced joy hiking in the islands? Maybe we can start there. Well, I didn't hike much before I came to the islands. So that's the answer to that part. In the early 70s, I hiked with a bunch of friends and just found the activity very enjoyable. I mean, the comradeship and the excitement of rounding a turn and not knowing what was what you were coming up on. And of course, the exercise and everything. It was just very pleasant. And the price was right, too. Oh, I like that. Yes, as I remember when I first got to the islands and we first met back in the 70s, I was very, very poor. And I was expecting that you were not full of money either. So being out of the open and the free open, the beautiful free open of Hawaii was just a wonderful experience. Now, we talk a lot on this program about mental health because that's what joy brings. This brings us great mental health. We're not talking about drugs or anything like that. So on the medical side, we're talking about the mental side. And I know that when people talk to you about hiking, you mentioned the benefits. And the benefits include a lot of stuff. Maybe you could share some of the benefits that you tell people that if they take up hiking, these are some of the benefits they'll have. Yeah, as I mentioned, personally, I like the idea of just hiking a new trail that I haven't been on before and being surprised by what's around the corner. And you'll find spectacular views, waterfalls, swimming holes, and also the comradeship with your fellow hikers. So that's really a strong point. And also the adrenaline rush you get from scaling a steep rock face or climbing a steep trail. And since the satisfaction you get from completing a hike, that's really a strong point as well. And the lasting friendships that can happen with the people you're hiking with and can be enhanced by that process, just a wonderful experience overall. That's great. Yeah, the title of our show today is The Joy of Hiking. But the subtitle or the tagline for the show is Friends and Nature, Magical Combination. And I've always found that. So hiking with people, my friends, people I care about, and especially hiking with Steve. Like Steve said at the beginning of the show, we've had some great experiences together. Now may be a good time to talk about the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club, Steve. I know you've been associated with them for so many years, and including being their past president for a number of times. Can you tell us a little bit about that because my understanding is they've been an important part of your joy of hiking. Yes, they have. Early on in the early 70s when I was hiking, I didn't enjoy the club initially. I was certainly aware of them. They've been in existence since 1910. And I was kind of in awe of them. They were kind of like the epitome of hiking organizations. I mean, they had access to many trails that the public did not have access to. And there was a group of experienced and knowledgeable people. And when I finally did join the club, I just felt as part of the community of like-minded individuals who just really enjoyed hiking and fellowship. And the other thing is that the club also, two weeks prior to the day of their hike, they go out and work on the trail, maintaining the trail, clearing it to make it safe. And so that's a real plus. They're a real, very good organization. And it's also helpful to hike with a group that's strongly recommended that you should never hike alone. And the club is just an awesome group to join. Yeah, it's certainly my experience of the times that I've hiked with, that you and the club has been phenomenal. One of the first things I remember is their clubhouse out at Waimanalo. Also a little bit about that was always a lot of fun to go see and see some of the other members there. Yeah, that was built by the members in the 1920s. And so it's kind of a historic monument. If you go to the website, you can see a picture of it. And it's been remodeled over the years. But that's a real focal point and anchor for us. We have activities out there. And it's a great place to meet. Yeah, you know when Steve gave me the website of the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club, I was looking at the website and it said, you know, the HTMC. And then it said 1910. And I was wondering what that 1910 was about. And Steve just mentioned it. And that was when they were founded. So it's been around for, what, 113 years now? No, that's a long time. And that gives us some real history there. 1910 starting amazing stuff. Well, I know you have lots and lots of friends and different experiences with them with the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club. But one of the things that is special, I think, I'm guessing that it's very special to you. It's certainly, it's special to me when I see you and your wife together hiking. And I know she's joined you many, many times and been part of that Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club too. Maybe tell us a little bit about what is this like to hike with the person who's most important to you in your life? Yeah, Lynn and I have been together for about 25 years. And prior to that, we were both hikers. And so when we got together, I was really excited to share my experiences on the trails with her. In other words, showing new hikes to her that perhaps she hadn't been on. So that was a very positive experience. Now, when I first started hiking with the two of you together, as I remember you guys had a beautiful dog that also went hiking with you. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Yeah, actually we had two golden retrievers, both of them with fast way. But yeah, the dogs were a good companion on the trails. Yeah, certainly they had it so much, you know. I've been not only with your dogs, but with some other dogs too. And there's always, talking about joy, there's something so joyful about animals, especially about dogs out on the trail who are always exploring and running around and checking things out and pretty amazing. And I still remember my first hike up into Mount Gala, where we had a dog along, it was about, I guess I think it was about 12 of them. And I was just following that dog along and he was just having such a great time on that hike. That was a pretty spectacular hike, the highest point on this island, right? Yeah, that was the DuPont trail. And I was amazed that that dog made it to the top because parts of that are very steep, but you're right, the energy and the excitement and the happiness, dogs, they just love it. What about, yeah, what about the DuPont hike? You know, we did that when I was much younger and I was wondering, you know, new trails have opened up and old ones have closed. Can you still hike the DuPont trail? No, no, the land ownership in that area has changed and they no longer allow people through the flatlands there because it used to be a Oahu sugar company, but now it's just a bunch of other agricultural concerns and they have a lot of problems with vandalism and stuff like that. So they just do not allow people to go through it all. And you're right, we have lost a lot of hikes for various reasons. It's kind of funny because the other side of that is there are a lot more hikers than there were before. I mean, a lot more hikers. When I started with the club, you could hike a trail and not run into anybody, but now you're likely to have throngs of people depending on what trail you go on. Well, well, that's great. And I think it's fantastic that the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club goes out ahead of their hikes and helps maintain those hikes. That's just a great service to the people of Hawaii and I for one, I'm indebted to them to do that. Otherwise, it's not easy keeping up trails. I remember the few times I was helping out, it was hard work. Yeah. And speaking of hikes that we've lost, that's always sad. I can still remember the Silver Stairs. Well, I had a lot of different names, but I remember it as the Silver Stairs on the windward side. And that was such a marvelous hike. Yes, agreed. Yeah. I don't know, but that was, when I did that, there was a number of, I wouldn't say treacherous, but the challenging parts to that hike. And talk about the adrenaline that you mentioned earlier on. That was an adrenaline-producing hike. And when you're along with your friends and everybody's watching out for everybody, and then you gather at that top point to the Silver Stairs, for instance, and looked out at the view over on the windward side and it was just something I'll never forget. And maybe that's a good place to go now. I wanted to ask you about favorite spots because you've done so many more trails than I have. The trails that I've done are a lot for me, but nothing compared to where you've been. And I was wondering if you could share a little bit with the audience about some of the favorite places that you've hiked and the experience that you've had going on those hikes. Sure. Unfortunately, some of the hikes that I really like are no longer available or they're really dangerous. So I'm a little hesitant to mention them to the public. But I would like to highly recommend the Kaunala Trail, which is a six-mile woodsy loop up above Pupukia. And it's just so wonderful stroll through the woods and the serenity and the peace that you get from just walking through the woods, it's just really a wonderful experience. Well, I remember that when we did one of our hikes up there and I asked you to sort of guide us along some of those parts of the trail that I had never been on and that we were doing it with our book club. And I asked Steve to be our hiking master, as I always do. And you took us in places, because when you're going on a trail, there's often offshoots going, one part going this way and one part going that way. And you knew all of those. And it was a great experience because you took us places along that trail that opened up new vistas for me. And it's just very, very pleasant. I really, you know, I thank you. And then I would thank you again for doing things like that for our friends. And there was different views there. I mean, we could go along that trail and look out one direction to the North Shore and then look out one direction inland. Can you tell us a little bit about that trail, about some of the differences in that trail or some of the interesting parts of that trail? Well, it's mostly, for me, it's just mostly, as I said, a stroll through the woods. That's what it is for me. Actually, if you do it as a loop, you end up coming partway back on a road, which isn't all that pleasant. But it's just a great trail. And like I say, it does have, if you're adventurous and as long as you plan to be safe, you might be able to go searching off following a side trail. But you needn't to be really careful about that. But there's, yeah, go ahead. No, no, I could go, all I was gonna say was, I remember coming back on that road. And the interesting part was, we would come on that road, we would be coming back. And I remember there was one hill off to the side and a small hill, but it took us up sort of another story or two from the road itself and got us a really fun type of view. And I remember we were sort of spread out from everybody else. So I got to go up there and rest a while for this great view, waiting for everybody else to sort of catch up. And that was just sort of a memory part that I have of a lot of different trails that sort of highlight that experience, not the whole trail, because some of the parts of the whole trail were, we were sort of slogging in parts. And in some parts, we were sort of away from a lot of the flora that we usually see. And that was fine, but then we were back into it. But yeah, they're just moments in those type of, those type of hikes that sort of stand out, especially I remember toward the end of that hike when you and I joined up together. And we sort of gathered everybody together at the end and then went back and had some food back home. And a little Uso as I recall. Yes, Uso, yes. Which is something we take after the hike, not before the hike. Right. People look at me and say, well, what's an Uso? And I say, well, do you like licorice? If you like licorice, I never was really big on alcohol, but I liked alcohol that didn't taste like alcohol. And Uso never tasted like alcohol, sorry. Those were the days. What are some of the other hikes that, you know, outside of the Pupukea area that you especially enjoy doing and still enjoy doing? Well, for the beginning hiker, I would recommend the Makiki Canalist Trail Complex and back in the mountains and back of Otolulu. There's a whole bunch of interconnected trails. I think there's about seven or eight of them. And it's a real interesting mix of valley trails and ridge trails and, you know, some strolling through the woods and all that, but I'd highly recommend getting a map of the area. They're available from the State Division of Forestry or you can probably find one online as well. And that's just really enjoyable. Part of the, it connects with the Manila Cliff Trail, which is a trail that obviously skirts the Manila Cliff and you can look down onto the University of Hawaii and all that area. So it has a lot of good views and it's a great, great trail. Wow. Is the spiggy of the university I used when I was in the university working on my PhD in the 70s, we used to go to Manila Valley. Is that still, can you still go back to the Falls in Manila Valley? Yes, in fact, the state has really improved that trail and they've got, and made it a lot safer because there was, they were always having problems with people trying to climb the waterfall, which is a no-no. And also the volume of people was just so great that they had to improve the trail bed and because otherwise it just turns into a mudflog. And so they have done that. They've done a lot of work on a trail, but it is available. That's a nice trail, short trail, very nice. Yeah, and just so beautiful back in Manila Valley. I'm just talking about raising your spirits and we got to get, I can't imagine trying to climb up the waterfall. To me, what fun is that? I'd rather be in the pool underneath the waterfall. Yeah, same here. Which is always so pleasant, especially after the sun's up and really baking us as we're traveling up there to take a dip in that pool. It's just very special. Especially if there were some ladies with a psyche and that was always great, I was sure of that. One of the things about the trails, I've only been in one of those many trails up on the Tandilis loop there, but there's a beautiful park there that I just love. When you're going to the right and you're about three quarters of the way up the hill, I forget the name of the park, but it's... Yes, it's called Puhuuala Ka'a, state park. Oh, great. Yeah, it has a... Ualaka'a is a sweet potato. And it's, yeah, you're right. It has great views and picnic tables and that's a really great stopping point. Yeah, especially if I'm meeting with friends in Honolulu. It's just a great place to go. And when you get a lot of the picnic tables are under shade and you go there and just really enjoy it and then you walk out to the edge of the lookout and the view is breathtaking. I mean, it's breathtaking and it's so expansive and you can look from a diamond head all the way over to diamond head and all the way over to that whole South Shore area on Honolulu, it's set up. It's a beautiful place to share with people, so. What about some other hikes in Honolulu that people might enjoy? Because that's where a lot of the people, that's where most of our population is. I'm way out in the country and we get a lot of tourists coming up here but they don't stay, so. Well, one hike that would be good for beginners is the IA loop trail. And that's at the top of IA Heights Drive. There's a state park up there. So you can only go when the state park is open and it's very popular. So you need to arrive early in the morning to assure that you'll have a parking place. It's a four mile loop, pleasant, just wandering through the woods. You need to just keep in mind, Ken and I are just talking about these trails but there are negative aspects to some of the trails and one aspect is mud. If it's been already, you're gonna have to deal with mud and that's just part of the deal. I mean, you're gonna have to deal with that. So sometimes the IA loop trail can be muddy but it's a very pleasant experience and I highly recommend it. Well, that trail is very special to me because our book club would meet up there. The people in our book club and the book club I'm referring to is Samoth Nour which is Samoth Nour is the Elvish word for cracks of doom. It's from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and it's a chapter of the Tolkien society and one of international group of people and national with national chapters here and that was always special because we tended, if we met for a hike and a book discussion, it would be close to the person whose book it was and Steve and I had a very dear friend who lived in IA and when we met for the book club, we would meet up there and picnic at the front of the IA loop trail and sometimes we'd be able to go down and after the meeting or sometimes even before but it was always special and our friend had passed on this year and we missed him very much and certainly has gone out to visit him in IA and his family and it's just a very special place and again, that goes back to friends. Friends and hiking is a great marvelous combination just wonderful. As Steve, a number of people here are listening in they've really been homebound or locked down for quite a while because of coronavirus and even when the coronavirus got less lethal than it was and some of the restrictions were coming off and people wanted to start up again. They were slow in doing that and it's been difficult for many people getting back into nature and getting away from their iPhones and their television screens and everything and getting out in this glorious state that we're in. So for those people who are sitting here watching this on YouTube or Vmo or whatever maybe you could give them some advice on if they haven't hiked in a long time what they might do to get back into hiking or if they've never hiked before, really. What are some of the things that you would advise them to do it in preparation for getting either into or back to hiking? Well, there are quite a number of meetup groups for hiking but as I mentioned before, I'd strongly recommend the Wild Trail Mountain Club as being a group of responsible people. Sometimes some of the other groups you just go and they tell you where the hike starts and that's it and you're on your own. So you have to be wary of that. I'd also suggest being careful about preparation, bring all the equipment that you need, food, water, a cell phone. And I'd suggest filing a flight plan with someone who knows where you're going and when you intend to be back. That's very important. Don't leave valuables and cars and yeah, just enjoy. I mean, it's a wonderful experience. Go for it. Yeah, I certainly would second all the things that Steve is saying. I can remember being out on a ridge hike one time and I'd brought water but not enough. And on the ridge hikes, you tend to be right underneath the sun and the sun is coming down and really doing a number on you. And especially I'm susceptible because of my genes which happen to be Scandinavian, and specifically. And the sun really does a number on me as you can tell I'm a little red from being out on the sun recently. And so we were on this ridge hike and I ran out of water and I was a little separated from some of the other people and they were low on water too because it was taking longer. And that was the day that I said to myself, you need to take twice the amount of water that you think you need. Yeah, I'm excited. Yeah, round up. Sometimes you learn your lesson doing these things and I certainly learned mine that day. Well, Steve, we're running real short on time coming up to the end of the show and I really appreciated you being with us and sharing some of your expertise which I'm very envious of all the places that you've been to. I haven't got to but more than that it's the friendship that we've shared on the trails and I really appreciate you coming today. Thank you. Yeah, well, thank you, Ken. I appreciate the opportunity to share with you and the group of the joy of hiking. Yeah, and one thing I'll mention really quickly about Steve that I would always impressed me. Yeah, we've been close friends since the 1970s and friends when there's a birthday comes around they tend to give gifts and things like that and I don't know about you in the audience but I always seem to give gifts that the other person really doesn't need or want and I see gifts that other people think I may want and I don't. We'll get a lot of white elephants and early on I asked Steve, I said, don't get me anything material for my birthday. Take me someplace on the island that I haven't been before and Steve was so wonderful as a friend that every birthday that came around for many years he was able to take me someplace I had never seen before on this beautiful island. So thank you so much for that, Steve and thank you for being my friend. Yeah. Yep. Aloha. Yeah, aloha and thanks to all the people here at Think Tech Hawaii, Jay and Haley and Michael and Carol and everybody who works here because you're such great support for us and you make this time that we have together very special and I hope that you're watching today that you tune in in two weeks, same time, same place and we'll be talking about big questions, a new sort of part of finding happiness. Finding happiness by asking ourselves what really matters in our life and in two weeks we've got three men who are coming by and going to talk to us about the three words that I put to them, the three words of a question I put to them which was what is important? Join us then, aloha. Thank you so much for watching Think Tech Hawaii. If you like what we do, please click the like and subscribe button on YouTube. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, check out our website, thinktechawaii.com. Mahalo.