Aiea Ridge to Moanalua Middle Ridge

Today we went to hell and heaven and back. Met up with Chris, Gen, Justin, Khym, and Thessa at the top of Aiea Heights.

Nobody but the barking dogs to keep us company in the wee morning hours.

Hiking under the moon light.

The trail was clear for the most part, thanks to the hard work of the HTMC trail clearing team.

Chris taking an exaggerated break at the first landing.

Gen heading up the ridge where the clouds were slowly descending onto the summits.

Hiking in the clouds. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

The Flying Filipino. Not to be confused with the Flying Hawaiian. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Passing and posing with the power lines.

It’s just a game. Photo by Chris Bautista.

No view at the socked in summit, so we turned right onto the Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail.

Brief stop at the protected enclosure for a rare endemic bellflower plant. No budding botanists in our group.

We lost a little elevation and gained some views.

The bunker to hell.

Chris looking out towards the Leeward side.

Group photo by Justin Hirako at Stairway to Hell, left to right: Chris, myself, Thessa, Justin, Gen and Khym.

Panoramic view by Justin Hirako. The best stairway view. Feet down.

Lunch time. The smell of sardines. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Time to exit hell.

The stairs have seen better days.

We ran into another group that had come from Red Hill. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

Cable replaced some sections of the stairs, if you can call them that.

Leaving the rusted stairs behind. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

Looking out towards Moanalua Saddle and the CCL building that sits on top of Pu’u Keahi a Kahoe.

Brief stop at the deteriorating geo marker. Photo by Justin Hirako.

The crew coming down to the Halawa junction, the overgrown trail from hell.

Making our way towards Red Hill. Photo by Justin Hirako.

The H-3 snaking through Halawa Valley. Photo by Justin Hirako.

This section reminded me of the upper Bowman side of Kalihi Saddle.

Dropping down into the saddle. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

Gen and Khym had no problems with this tree.

Odd foot out.

Making our way down the undulating saddle. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

The rest of the crew making their way down.

The relatively “easy” half of Moanalua Saddle. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Almost there. Well, halfway.

Hiking on the edge. Optical illusion. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Group photo at the terminus for the Kulana’ahane Trail by Justin Hirako. Too many distractions.

Time to leave the crowds behind us. We had plenty of time. Gen and Khym decided to continue with us on the trail.

Headed up the relatively “hard” half of Moanalua Saddle. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Khym testing out the rocks. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Taking a visual break from all the gray, crumbly rocks around us and looking into the lush valley. Colors reset. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Climbing queue. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Chris climbing up the direct crumbly side.

Justin decided to climb up the Windward side. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

How’s my hair look?

Approaching the dirt triangle. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Looking back.

We contoured to the Leeward side of the dirt triangle. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Gen scrambling her way up.

Chris climbing his way up. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Thessa making her way up. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Khym testing out more rocks.

Justin climbing out of the saddle.

Scrambling my way up. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Justin and Thessa waiting patiently for their turn to make their way up.

Khym coming up the last major “obstacle.” Photo by Chris Bautista.

Most hikers use two, three or four points of contact when climbing. Khym demonstrates how to use five points of contact. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Leaving all the “hard” parts behind us. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

Just an uphill climb from here.

Looking across the valley towards North Haiku Stairs. Photo by Chris Bautista.

What does that spell? Photo by Justin Hirako.

It was time to leave our spelling bee class behind us.

Hiking up the backside of the stairs.

Group photo by Justin Hirako with Moanalua Saddle behind us.

Splits and stretching on the stairs. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Making our way up the backside of the CCL building.

99 bottles of beer on the wall…

Group photo by Justin Hirako at Stairway to Heaven.

We left the socked in summit to traverse to the Moanalua Middle Ridge Junction, only to find out that somebody had apparently scavenged the green wooden sign. Sad state of affairs.

Chris going down the socked in ridge.

The long rope down. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

Coming down from the clouds. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

Ridge wave. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Catch me if you can.

The trail, in some sections, are now severely eroded. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Sun in your face. Group photo by Justin Hirako.

We came down off the ridge, crossed the dry streambed and onto the often missed junction with the road.

The long road back to our cars. Photo by Justin Hirako.

We made it to Moanalua Valley Park under the cover of twilight.

Our double stairway hike covered 12.69 miles. Epic hike with a fun crew. Post hike meal was supposed to be at Max’s of Manila. Not Filipino enough. Oxtail soup at Lilihia Bakery. Extra broth to go.

Note: I have been made aware the 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, dirt triangle, kamananui valley road, koolau summit ridge trail, ksrt, moanalua middle ridge, moanalua saddle, moanalua valley, north haiku stairs, puu keahi a kahoe, south haiku stairs, stairway to heaven, stairway to hell