Aiea Loop Trail to Moanalua Valley

Our goal was to summit the heavens, but instead we fell from grace and landed into purgatory instead.

We all either parked, shuttled or ubered our way to the park to meet up. Group photo left to right: Chris, myself, Ferlino, Allison, Jason, Naomi, Glenn, Shirley, Bill, Laredo and Maria.

Winding our way counter clockwise on the loop textured with exposed roots and bordered by imported pine trees.

Left the loop to gain the trail that Stuart Ball calls “a gem of a ridge hike.” Photo by Jason Wilkins.

Making our way on the roller coaster ridge that I refer to as Manana’s kinder cousin.

No handstand attempts were futilely made at the 2,441′ peak. History doesn’t always repeat itself.

Resuming our slog towards the summit.

Sweeping and stunning views of the Windward side. Take a picture, it’ll last longer. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Ferlino standing underneath the power line tower that was parked right before the summit.

Chris putting his sign back up that had recently fallen on hard times.

The Pinoy Superman at the 2,805′ summit. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

Stepping foot on the windswept spine of the Ko’olau Mountains.

Waiting for the rest of the group to catch up … Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

… while the rest of the group used the extra time to eat and chat and sleep.

Enjoying the valley view that stretched from the mountain to the ocean. Photo by Chris Bautista

I saw the yellow chopper land ahead of us and thought it was there to rescue some lost souls from spending eternity in this place.

And then it was gone, but at least the views stayed with us.

Chris making his way across the wind blasted meadows to the rusted stairs.

Watching the rest of the group make their way down from the mountain top.

Looking down at the plane wreckage nestled at the bottom of the valley. Photo by Chris Bautista

It was windy as hell at the lookout point.

Somebody had another owie again on the stairs.

Group photo as somebody was busy flying their drone, left to right: Maria, Ferlino, Allison, myself, Naomi, Jason, Glenn, Shirley and Laredo.

Rainbowman looking towards heaven.

Checking out the wide selection of free tents in the bunker.

Our panoramic view as we left hell.

Naomi traversing the dilapidated and interrupted stairs. Photo by Jason Wilkins.

I’m a little confused. Is this rope to hell or stairway to hell? Photo by Jason Wilkins

Rainbowman has left hell.

We passed the weather beaten geo marker and made our way across the multiple ups and downs.

One of the most overgrown trails I have had the displeasure of experiencing. Not something I am bound to repeat, unless under duress. Extreme duress.

Looking down at the $80 million per mile highway.

Naomi making her way to the summit.

Jason relaxing at the terminus of Red Hill ridge after breaking his promise of never hiking to hell again. The power of love.

I heard that christian hymns were being sung in the mountains, but they were being drowned out by the brisk winds blowing through the mountains.

Naomi treading over the heavily eroded and exposed section of the ridge line.

A member of the choir making her way down.

Jason watching us from his wind sheltered perch on the saddle.

Allison lunging forward with the goal of establishing four points of contact with Mother Earth. Safety first.

I hope everybody enjoyed the views on their way down. Somehow I don’t think that happened for everybody.

Not all moons come out during the night. And some are just plain half assed.

Looking back at the Western half of the saddle as we dropped down from the summit of Kulana’ahane.

Going down the short and steep spur ridge into the valley.

Crossing countless streams and ducking bowed branches on our way out.

Our 11.34 mile hike ended prematurely but with happy smiles all around, as some were just glad to be alive. The power of faith. Laredo decided to add extra miles and went up Moanalua Middle Ridge and back down to his home. Next stop. Zippy’s for our post hike meal. Photo by Jason Wilkins.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers.

Tagged as: aiea loop trail, aiea ridge trail, aiea summit, koolau summit ridge trail, ksrt, kulana'ahane summit, kulana'ahane trail, moanalua saddle, moanalua valley, north haiku stairs, stairway to hell