Pihea Vista - Gateway to Alakai Swamp Traditional Cache
campyc: it's either gone or no longer where I hid it. Perhaps someone can hide a new cache here now.
Pihea Vista - Gateway to Alakai Swamp
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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NEXT SEARCHER: Please bring a replacement log and two baggies! MAHALO!
A 2 mile RT walk w/well earned views of Kalalau Valley, in Kokee State Park. STRONGLY suggest you bring the entire writeup if you want to find the cache; otherwise, it's still a great hike. Bring a pencil! This is almost always a MUDDY and SLIPPERY trail so prepare accordingly.
THIS CACHE IS LIKELY TO BE WET INSIDE - log too. So please take a couple of baggies and a clean log sheet just in case, to refresh it.
Park at 22 08 862, 159 37.880, at the end of the road, at Pu'u o Kila Lookout. Follow signs to the Pihea Trail.
3.5 terrain stars for 2 miles of almost level walking? Hiking boots, a rain jacket and a stick are strongly recommended, especially if the path is slippery, as it usually is. This is a well-traveled but rough short trail, and you will need hands and good balance for its many ups and downs, and climbing over roots and rocks. It is not dangerous if you are prepared and are careful.
The cache is hidden at the junction of the Pihea Trail and the one that continues into the Alakai Swamp. So if you only have an hour and a half to explore this is a great adventure. From the cache location, it's less than 5 minutes to the top of the vista point.
At GZ, face the written part of the sign, and look to the right of the sign, and about 10' behind and south - you'll see a cluster of THREE horizontal tree trunks and find the cache in a hole within, hidden by some pieces of wood. Please re-hide completely, and keep out of direct rain.
The Alakai Swamp is one of the world's wettest (and most beautiful) places. Continue onto the Alakai Swamp Trail from the lookout for a 5 mile hike - almost all level and along a boardwalk, but it does require a car shuttle or drop-off.
Along the way, look for colorful forest birds - red apapanes and iiwis, several small yellow honeycreepers, and perhaps the severely endangered small Kauaian thrush. At least 5 endemic birds have gone extinct here in the past 30 years, and scientists are working hard to save the species that are still holding on.
Stop at the Visitor Center on the way up to purchase a $1 map and other nature study materials.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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