On my trip home, one of the things on my to-do list was hiking Pali Puka. I've only hiked this unmaintained trail one-and-a-half times (I once hiked halfway up to take a self-portrait). My brother and I squeezed it in amidst a busy schedule (who knew vacations could be so busy?) and set out the day we flew back from Hilo. We proceeded through the crack in the rock wall, not bothering with the lookout, and made our way to the Puka (which means "hole" in Hawaiian). It wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered, but our last big hike up Olomana may have really redefined what we would label a "hard" hike.

This is one of my favorite spots, and I think you can see why. We spent some good time hanging out at the top, bracing ourselves against the wind, and taking photos. It was a great trip, and we were back down to the car before we knew it.