|
Introduction to Canyoneering West Maui
From our meeting spot in Kahului, ride with us a half-hour to the northeast side of West Maui to the top of a side canyon of Makamakaole Valley at 1000 feet in altitude. From there hike a half-mile while descending 300 feet to a 24-foot rock face where you’ll rappel three times. The first one is an easy introduction to rappelling. The second one is more challenging, and the third one is a rappel over an overhanging cliff that requires you to trust your equipment and stand out in a horizontal position over the edge to begin your descent. Once you’ve mastered all the basics of rappelling, you’ll hike a quarter mile up the valley, climb a steep ridge, using ropes fixed to trees for assistance, to the top of a 60-foot cliff for the next rappel. This time from a heart-stopping perch above the treetops, you’ll begin an easy approach to the edge. As your feet leave the ground, the canyon wall drops straight down below you, adrenaline shoots through your body, and you float through the air in a controlled descent to the floor of the canyon. You control the speed of each rappel, and our guide backs you up on the ground below you. He can stop your descent at any point if you get into trouble and lower you gently to the ground or pull you back up if necessary. To continue the excitement hike down the valley to a water slide into a pool. There’s an optional jump off a 6-foot cliff into another pool. Then climb down a 15-foot cliff while hanging onto the roots of a large banyan tree to the bottom of a 20-foot waterfall and a swim in a pool above a 30-foot waterfall. Lunch is served at one of the pools and waterfalls. The final hike back out is about a mile along a good trail with a 350-foot ascent. Along the way you'll enjoy some impressive views back down into the valley and out to sea. This is a trip that anyone in good condition can participate in, as long as you’re not afraid to go over the edge of a cliff.
|
