Old-Time Paths

They sure don’t make paths the way they used to. On the way to the swimming hole, you follow the original path built to access and service the ditch system. It is made of 2-foot logs laid side-by-side for nearly the entire distance. They are probably Ohia Lehua wood from a native tree, but they have held up well given they are almost 100 years old.

New eroded trail besides the old log path.

The sad part is that because they are slightly uneven to walk on, people have eroded a new path right next to the old one. But this new path has mud puddles and slippery slopes, which get worse in the winter with the rain. Worse yet, the forest is growing over the sturdy old log path, with the risk it may disappear forever. That has already happened on the near-by hike to the Hanalei tunnels: it is the hardest hike I know of, 2.5 miles through mud bogs and thickets, yet you see parts of the old log path at times and wish it had been preserved.

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