Spring 2009 - Issue 5

The Silversword: Home > Arts and Entertainment > Christian’s Hike of the Month

Christian’s Hike of the Month

Christian Vetter, Photography Editor

 

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“Welcome to the real world,” said the strange, shirtless man, with nothing on him but a military-style backpack and a machete. My dear friend Uni Yamase looked at me with bewildered eyes as we walked along with the stranger at the beginning of the Seven Bridges hike. We quickly parted ways with the bizarre but fascinating man and headed into the lush, wild forest ahead.

Located in the heart of Manoa Valley, Seven Bridges meanders along the once-sacred Waiakeakua Stream. In what seems to be a real-life version of Lost, there exist old, decaying cars and farmhouses. One could also expect to see Alan Parrish, lost in the depths of the jungles of Jumanji.

This hike, although relatively well-known, is of the most exotic found on the island of Oahu. On this particular day with Uni, the conditions were too poor to document photographically. Because of my undying commitment to my loyal readers, I went back to the Seven Bridges trail alone to capture some of its primordial beauty with my camera.

Since Seven Bridges is technically an unmarked trail, I use the “No Trespassing” sign to know that I’m there! I’m not entirely sure why people aren’t supposed to trespass back there. From what I’ve seen, no one really pays any heed whatsoever to the sign. Watch, now someone’s going to get in trouble and blame it on me.

The hike begins on an old, paved road. Civilization makes itself known, and I thought at first I was on another lame Diamond Head-style trail. (When you remove nature by paving over it and calling it a hike, you know there’s a problem. I suppose fat people that have never seen or walked on a “dirt trail” in the “outdoors” need some adventure too though, huh?) But I digress. This photograph is one of the, yup, you guessed it: seven bridges. This valley is also considered extremely haunted. To fit in with the ethereal beings of the area, I decided to float across this bridge. The crumbling remains of the road…

…Quickly become prehistoric.

The trail narrows and widens alongside the Waiakeakua Stream. Sometimes there are mysteriously well-placed but slippery rocks; sometimes there are twisting tree roots. The point is: Seven Bridges is a good place to hurt oneself. Be careful. Be especially careful when hiking by yourself after a week of heavy rain while holding your camera and tripod thereby removing all use of your balancing appendages.

I almost lost my boots in the thick muck a number of times. Another big benefit of going after there’s been rain is the apparent orgy that takes place with all mosquitoes in the area. Water is the aphrodisiac of these blood-sucking bastards, so make sure you have bug spray. Covered in mud and sweat, I appeared to be hiding myself from Predator’s thermal vision for the majority of the hike.

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