Green Boulders

Sorry for the delay on this one folks, we’ve been so busy putting together an awesome calendar of program for the year that we are just now getting around to blogging about Project # 9.

After our first annual Recycle, Reuse, Resell event in February The Arch Project Hawaii continued our exciting 2017 schedule of events with trail maintenance and a site clean up at the Green Boulders. A popular bouldering location and one of the first sites to be developed for bouldering outside of Waimea bay, Green Boulders is situated deep in a valley on the north shore  within the boundaries of the Kuaokala Forest Reserve. The trail back to the climbing area cuts through a verdant and lush tropical rain forest and the boulders themselves are situated in a clearing surrounded by kukui nut trees. Green Boulders sports some of the most classic lines on the island that have become test pieces for the local climbing community like Northern Lights and Southern Whale.

With all the rain we’ve gotten this winter the trail back to the boulders, which is shared with some game trails, had been overrun with california grass and was in desperate need of some clearing and re-tagging. The rains also lead to a dead tree falling across one of the boulders leading to a potentially dangerous situation for climbers back there. Because of the location of the trail-head along the side of Farrington highway refuse often gets dumped off there just out of site of the public.

We had an amazing turnout of volunteers on a warm and sunny Sunday morning. We quickly made an impressive pile of used tires (which came in handy later) and quickly set to work cleaning up. A group headed directly back to the boulders to take care of the log and clean up the site. The rest of us brandished our machetes, and one weed whacker, and quickly set to work moving down the trail. We re-tagged the trail, cleared what seemed like an endless amount of California grass. As we were nearing the halfway point, we met up with the folks who were coming back along the trail from the boulders. We finished this project in record time, we had the entire trail re-tagged, cleared and ready to go before it was noon. After that it was time to pull out the grill and fire it up on our new impromptu tire table. After some cold drinks and a couple of hot dogs it was time to head back in with some pads and get out on the rocks! We cleared out 3 large trash and five huge industrial tires that day.

Written by: Ryan Johns