After a decent first night of sleep at the hostel, I got out of bed and headed straight for the Wailuku Heights Cross trail. Had read that the trailhead could be hard to find but found it without much difficulty and started my way up, pausing frequently to scan for birds. My first lifers of the ascent were the relatively abundant Warbling White-eyes which were busy and inquisitive.
I paused for a while at the white cross for water and wait for birds--glad I did! While waiting there, I caught a few glimpses of my first Apapane and a Hawai'i 'Amakihi! There was also a small bird which flitted onto the ground under a bush before vanishing a second later. I wish I had gotten a better look, because from what I could tell it was small and green. Maybe an escapee? Trick of the light? I'll never know!
While I sat near the cross, the only other hiker I'd see on the trail passed by. A while later, while I was still looking for birds, he passed by again on the way down. I was happy to see he had picked up some littered plastic bottles around the cross. After a bit, I hucked my pack back over my shoulders and followed the trail until it reached a boundary fence of the West Maui Forest Reserve.
Between the cross and the fence were several areas where the brush grew tight along the trail, and on the way up there were the wren-like chitters of several small birds. On the way back down, I caught a better look at the noisemakers and saw they were Red-billed Leiothrix!
My legs felt gone on the descent, so I took it slow and continued pausing for pictures and scanning. After reaching the foot of the trail, I followed the GPS to one of the local supermarkets and stocked up on fruits and grains.
Back at the hostel, I had a light lunch and went through the mornings photos to jot down a checklist including the four lifers. I thought I would take it easy for the afternoon but got restless and walked down to the Kahului Harbor and Keopuolani Regional Park.
After jumping across the highway, I watched some stilts chase each other around a grassy spot of the Keopuolani park and made a quick but needed bathroom break. Another lifer was waiting for me outside the restrooms--my only Saffron Finches of the trip were foraging in the grass among the feral junglefowl and House Sparrows.
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Back at the hostel, I found a pretty intense blister on either of my little toes and adjusted the insoles of my shoes. My legs were also dead after something over 11 miles walked/hiked that day. I told myself that the next day would be a rest day. :).
