My colleagues and I rented a jeep for the day and drove to the Kohala Forest Reserve.

The White Road hike, technically illegal trespassing, required a visit to Uncle Juni. After hopping a gate, we were greeted by Juni himself. He shared the land’s history, gave a warm hug, and, after receiving our $20, pointed us towards the trail. The middle photo shows Uncle Juni outside his cottage.

We came across a second gate that we had to hop over. The irrigation ditch in the top right photo was blocked off with barbed wire. We had to carefully crawl underneath to continue onto our journey.

It rained a majority of the hike, which made everything look so mysterious and smoggy.

We crossed a slick water pipe, supported by trusses, over an overgrown gully. The rain made it extremely slippery, so we took our sweet time.

Next, we had to walk through a dark tunnel with rushing water. This was the start of the tunnel.

The tunnel felt never ending. It was cold and dark. We read online that if the water is rushing past your knees, it’s not safe to pass through. Be smart!

There was a small break in the tunnel, before going back into the darkness.

We came across this 35′ water flume at the end of the tunnel.

To reach the slide’s peak, we had to squeeze sideways and ascend the narrow, slippery side wall. A rope was at the top, but I had to climb up first to retrieve it. Unfortunately, I tangled the rope while tossing it down.

The icy water took my breath away, as my face clearly shows.