I just got back.
I had planned to do a quick scout this AM before going into work, up on Judd trail. You cross a usually low Nuuanu stream to get to the trail, few 5-8ft waterfalls along the Nuuanu stream. Well I got up at 6 AM as it was still dark, kissed the wife good by, grabbed the pooch, and Jumped into the car. Drove up to Judd Trail, also known as Jackass ginger pool, but that's another story.
Now as a side note, It's Winter/Spring, the wet season in Hawaii. We don't really have more than 2 seasons, It's more like the cool, wet, rainy season, and the hot and dry season like most places in the tropics. It has been pouring day after day up here in this valley I live in, Nuuanu. Nuuanu means "Cool breeze" in Hawaiian, as it is a channel for the trade winds squeezing through the mountains, and hence gets plenty of rain squeezing the wet clouds riding the trans pacific trade winds.
But! But, last night it was dry. So I knew the trail would be wet, knew that it might shower some, no biggie. It was not pouring, I was ready to rock n' roll, thinking of that possible fatwood find and grabbing some guava wood for making a few first time bows.
Walk down the hill hearing the roar of the stream, and i knew it...
Fail.
That lowly stream was raging like river rapids. Ain't no way in hell I want to attempt to cross it to get to the trail, my dog was too chicken to get close. I walked around the banks seeing that it was running in places that should usually be high and dry, much higher than it is when just a normal post rain high. Must have really dumped up it the mountains.
Did poke about my side of the stream, found a wind downed pine, might be a fatwood find but we'll see.
Lesson learned: Mind the rain, even if it ain't raining. Be safe.
its been buckets on the here on the hilo side too!