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New project: #40trails

By Catherine Toth Fox • April 10, 2015 • #40trails, #CatTravels

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I don’t know when I first started hiking. But when I started, I didn’t stop.

I’ve always loved just being outdoors, whether sitting in my backyard or drifting on a surfboard in the middle of the Pacific.

But there’s something about hiking, wandering through groves of hāpuʻu tree ferns on a ridge trail somewhere in the Ko‘olaus or standing at a summit overlooking the farms of Waimānalo with a panoramic view of the sprawling ocean.

I wouldn’t call myself an extreme hiker or a trail expert. Sure, there have been times — when I was younger, of course — when I’ve climbed rock faces I probably shouldn’t have and ditched the marked trails to explore an area overgrown with strawberry guava trees.

Not anymore.

I just like the simple walk in the forest, maybe catch a glimpse of a native songbird or walk through a grove of flowering mountain apple trees, snack on a banana with a view of the ocean. Nothing dangerous. I’ve got nothing to prove. And — let’s be real — I like my limbs where they are.

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As I approached my 40th birthday, I wondered — sometimes out loud — what I should do to commemorate the new decade.

I thought about going to Bali (still am, actually) and running the marathon (signed up — again). But I was thinking about something bigger, something harder.

Then it came to me: I’m going to hike 40 different trails in the year that I’m 40.

It could be trails that I’ve done before, trails in different states, trails I’ve always wanted to do but never got around to it.

It scares me to broadcast this to the world since you will all hold me accountable. But I’m planning to finish all 40 in a year’s time. Hey, I’m already at No. 6. (I just didn’t blog about them!)

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I’m going to skip my first hike, which was Makapu‘u on my birthday, as I blogged about it already. So I’m starting with the second trail — Waipo‘o Falls at Kōkeʻe on Kauaʻi.

And if you have a suggestion about a trail I should do — Neighbor Islands, included! — let me know. I’ll be posted my hikes on Instagram (@catherinetoth) and tweeting (@thedailydish) about them using the hashtag #40trails. So look for that. Then come back here and read all about my adventures in the wilderness.

But first, I need to get new hiking shoes.

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Follow my hiking adventures #40trails at Instagram (@catherinetoth), Twitter (@thedailydish) and Facebook (/thecatdish).

#40trailsbirthdayhapuu tree fernsHawaiihikingKoolau Mountainsnew projectsummitturning 40
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#CatTravels: Turning 40 in Kōkeʻe
#40trails No. 2: Waipo‘o Falls Trail, Kaua‘i

About the Author

Catherine Toth Fox

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4 Comments

  • Reply unclebullet April 10, 2015 at 2:33 pm

    Good for you! And better yet as my cousin’s kid is attending UH from Mission Viejo and she likes to go hiking and was looking for trails to hike. You’ll give her some ideas now.

  • Reply Vickie c. April 11, 2015 at 1:18 am

    There all kind of hikers and I am a urban hiker . Can’t stay in the sun due meds. but enjoyed the hike in the shade and early morning. I am a city hiker still no less a hiker when
    I lived in San Francisco would hike around instead of taking bus or streetcar to get around.
    Saw lot of interesting things in doing so.

  • Reply M April 13, 2015 at 6:33 am

    Hellos Cat,

    I don’t think you’ll have any problems completing goal. I’m not a hiker so I have no suggestions where to hike but you should get hiking boots to support your ankles.

  • Reply Rashelle April 20, 2015 at 3:51 am

    What a cool idea! We highly recommend the Wai Koa Loop/Stone Dam hike in Kilauea. We did it last week when we were house-sitting on Kauai (nice work if you can get it!) and it was beautiful – especially the stone dam waterfall. I can’t believe you’re 40. Stay young at heart!

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About Me

About Me
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawaiʻi, Catherine Toth Fox has been chronicling her adventures in her blog, The Cat Dish, for more than a decade. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for 10 years and continues to freelance—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications. She’s currently the editor of HAWAIʻI Magazine.

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