Diamond Head and Piliwale Ridge to Pali Notches

‘Twas the morning of Christmas, when all through the tuff cone
not a coqui frog was calling, not even an iPhone.

When out on the pillbox, there arose such a clatter,
we sprang from the summit to see what was the matter.
Away to the railing we flew like a flash,
sailing over the fence and made a mad dash.

When to our squinty eyes, still crusted with makapiapia, what should appear,
but a six foot douglas fir tree twinkling with colored lights and branches bowed with shiny spheres.

Group photo by Ted Calvero

We all flocked to the tree like so many mynah birds,
as Hawaiian Santa, a braddah of few words,
called out his naughty and nice list;
Brian, Dale, Jasmin, Kenji, Lene, Masako, Matt, Rocky, Scott, Shirley, Ted, Tina and Yoly!

Group photo by Ted Calvero

Hawaiian Santa paused as he looked us over and said oh wait,
Chris B was running late.
Missing but in spirit were Chris C, Ethan, Glenn and Lee.
Now no trail should be classified as right or wrong,
there’s no further need to sing that old song.

Sunrise by Yoly Bedford

We opened our wrapped presents that were filled with rocks,
as we shivered in the winter air, cold down to our socks.
But the real present was the sunrise and Christmas company,
we had cookies, mochi, eggnog and warm milk to pass around; but alas, no bubbly.

Hawaiian Santa by Ted Calvero

Down the pillbox, Hawaiian Santa came down with a hoot.
He was dressed in a loud Hawaiian shirt and surfer shorts to boot.
His brow was rimmed by a lauhala hat,
and he was obviously a Democrat.

Drone view by Brian Connors

And flashing a shaka, up the pillbox he rose;
He sprang to his outrigger canoe that was pulled by nine pua’a.
And away they all flew, to the next luau.

Crater rim

But I heard him shout, before he put on his spikes,
“Mele Kalikimaka to all, and to all a good hike!”

Maunawili

The weather outside was so delightful,
so Yoly and I drove to Maunawili Valley to get another sightful.

Trailhead

Yoly making her way up the corridor of trees,
hoping not to run into any bees.

Warning

We were checking the list twice,
to take in all the good advice.

Piliwale Ridge

Taking a peek past the trees,
we saw the ridge was going to be a tight squeeze.

Piliwale Ridge

A hop and a scotch,
and Yoly was out of the notch.

Piliwale Ridge

Yoly climbing up between a tree and a rock,
as it was a trail of hard knocks.

Piliwale Ridge

Scrambling up a couple more rock faces,
to get to our other places.

Piliwale Ridge

Throw me down some webbing,
so I can make it home to my bedding.

Piliwale Ridge

We paused on the ridge to take a selfie,
as we wanted to look somewhat beastly.

Piliwale Ridge

The weather outside became so frightful,
we were just glad there was no lightning.

Piliwale Ridge

The ridge wrapped in clouds to the highest peak,
was looking somewhat bleak.

Nu’uanu Saddle

We took a right,
hoping to see some daylight.

Nu’uanu Saddle

The further down we went,
the more hurried was our descent.

Mud Wall By Yoly Bedford

Stepping down the mud wall,
slowly I went otherwise I would end up in a sprawl.

Nu’uanu Saddle

The winds picked up something fierce,
which made our balance somewhat worse.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Hiking in the clouds,
beats walking with the crowds.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Climbing down backwards,
can sometimes feel awkward.

Nu’uanu Saddle

The gusts continued unabated,
which made us feel refrigerated.

Nu’uanu Saddle

When grabbing handholds of uki grass,
is all that keeps you from landing on your ass.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Looking down at the lookout,
I had to give out a shout.

Nu’uanu Saddle by Yoly Bedford

Staring down at the drop,
I couldn’t help but to look at all the treetops.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Yoly coming around the contour,
as she should’ve took the detour.

Chimney by Yoly Bedford

Sitting on the chimney,
where it was quite windy.
Ho Ho Ho.

Chimney

The rain started sideway sheeting,
so it’s best that our stay here be fleeting.

Chimney by Yoly Bedford

Goodbyes are always hard,
so just send a postcard.

Pali Notches by Yoly Bedford

Climbing up when it’s windy,
at least it’s no chimney.

Pali Notches

One notch was all that was left,
standing between us and some rest.

All pau

Yoly about to finish the hike,
all she wants is her missing spike.

GPS Tracks

Our merry and short stroll covered 2.46 miles. Mahalo to Chris for picking us up and taking us back to our cars. No post meal hike on this Christmas Day. Happy Holidays to all.

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: chimney, christmas, contour, diamond head, koolau summit ridge trail, ksrt, leahi, maunawili, mud wall, nuuanu saddle, olomana, pali lookout, pali notches, piliwale ridge