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Thread: Pueo Falls, Oahu (First Descent!!!)

  1. #1

    Pueo Falls, Oahu (First Descent!!!)

    This past weekend we set out to tackle Pueo Falls on the west side of Oahu. It's a 1,000ft tiered waterfall that starts at the highest point on the island, Mt Ka'ala (4,026' elevation).

    We started the hike up at about 8:30am and got to Mt Ka'ala at about 11ish. Not an easy hike by any means as the angle of the incline is severe for the duration of the hike, and we were lugging all the ropes and gear up. We brought along two ropes...a 350' and a 400'.

    From the top we had to bushwhack along a ridgeline for a bit to get to Pueo. We then used webbing and down-climbed our way into the bigger drops. The first drop we reached that we had to rappel turned out to be well under 100' but good fun nonetheless...

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    After that it was a quick hike along the stream to the first of the big drops...close to 200'. From here you could see all the way out and made for some incredible views...

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    We ran into a bit of a snag on this one. I was last down and when i got about halfway down I realized that the lines had moved as I rappelled and wedged themselves into a crack. I was on a bit of a ledge so I tested the pull and discovered that the ropes weren't gonna be coming down while still wedged in the crack. After fruitlessly "flicking" the rope for 5 mins I realized I was gonna have to climb back up. We had ascenders with us so I ascended the 100' or so back up to the top to unwedge the ropes. Much more of a workout than I wanted but we were good to go again.

    In the meantime, the clouds had started rolling in. By the time I had gotten back down and we had retrieved the ropes, we had been totally encompassed by the clouds.

    It was another short hike down to the last and biggest rappel. We weren't sure how big it was exactly. We had seen pics of it from the bottom and 1 from our group had hiked to the bottom before to see it and we estimated it was a little under 300' (it turned out to be around 320'-330'). Because of the cloud cover, visibility was terrible so we couldn't see the bottom from above. We just saw the lip open up into a foggy abyss...

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    We tied both ropes together, threw them over, and sent the first down into the abyss. A while later he came through on the walkie talkie and said he was at the bottom. We were good to go! I went down next and it was definitely one of the funnest rappels I've had. Looking around everywhere, you couldn't see a thing, and when I got down 100ft or so I couldn't see the bottom or the top. Just the rope going into nothingness below me, and above me.

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    We all got down without any problems and basked in our successful first descent! We were still above 3,000' so we had quite the hike out still ahead of us but we were done with the rappels and the "unknowns." We made it back to the car around 7:30pm and stuffed our faces at a nearby Outback Steakhouse. Mission Accomplished!

    Our last group shot from the bottom of the waterfall, taken while the last in our group is coming down...

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  4. #2
    Moderator jman's Avatar
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    that last shot is sweet! You Hawaii boys (including the Maui boys) are awesome! Exploring and descending new stuff over there. It's been been fun to read all of your TRs.

    Bogley seems to be all about Utah (which it isn't) so this is great. Keep up the exploration and reports!
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  5. #3
    "Looking around everywhere, you couldn't see a thing, and when I got down 100ft or so I couldn't see the bottom or the top. Just the rope going into nothingness below me, and above me."

    Reminds me of scuba diving, going down the anchor...

    Thanks for sharing.

  6. Likes oahu_canyoneer liked this post
  7. #4
    Thanks @jman! Yeah the best/worst part is that you have to figure everything out for yourselves as opposed to having beta and or an established route already laid out. But that's also what makes it fun...so I can't complain! Certainly the Hawaii canyons offer a much different "look" than the ones u guys got in Utah

  8. #5
    Nice TR and congrats on the FD!! The rap into the fog... awesome!
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  9. #6

    Pueo Falls, Oahu (First Descent!!!)

    Nice first! It's amazing how addicting this sport is. I always feel the need to find new routes. My friends and I look forward to dropping Sacred Falls sometime, but for now we will enjoy what we have. Let us know if you ever get the urge to visit the outer islands.
    A Hui Ho,
    Dakine


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  10. #7
    Beautiful pics of an awesome first descent! Amazing that you got through the clouds/fog and didn't get rained on. I love the last pic showing the long rap with your last member way above. My limited experience hiking there I found it was never easy.

    Great TR!
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  11. #8
    Wow, Mahalo! Brings back fond memories.

  12. #9
    Next time I am in Maui I know what I am gunna do! AWESOME TR
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