Ferd and I took a 3 mile hike out to Ka'ena Point, the western-most tip of Oahu. Ka'ena means "the heat" and we understood why - very intense sun, especially on the 3 mile return trip at about 11am. Rugged lava formations, lava arches and tide pools all along the way. We heeded the warnings to not turn our back on the ocean because some have been washed out to sea by the occasional 50 foot wave! On the way back, I would have welcomed being doused as long as I could hang onto a rock and get back to the car OK. Most of the walk was on a road bed created above the rough lava. At the point, pictured here with the Pacific on all three sides of us, there is a natural area reserve, fenced in to protect the nesting grounds of the rare Laysan albatross. They didn't seem so rare out on the point and provided wonderful entertainment and posing for photos. We also saw breaching and waving humpback whales on the way out.
Ka'ena Point is a sacred site for native Hawaiians. The rock at the tip, the farthest west rock seen here, is called Leina ka 'uhane, which is the point at which they believe souls break their ties with this earthly life. It kinda had that feeling.
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