Hahaione Pyramid to Makapu’u

Despite predictions of gloomy weather, the naysayers were pushed aside so that today’s hike that was two weeks in the making could happen.

Met up with the group in the valley of shifting sands that was once underwater and walked quietly into the mixed forest.

The climb was short, steep and taxing.

Somebody needed assistance in the form of chest compressions and artificial ventilation to jumpstart his heart, in more ways than one.

Christmas is still alive and well in the mountains. Well, parts of it.

A random hiker soon caught up with us. Not that kind of random hiker.

Everybody took turns sitting and standing on the protruding rock that afforded commanding views below us.

360 degree view at the top of the pyramidal rock.

Are you spotting or scolding me?

Climbing our way down from the summit.

Traffic jam on the way down.

Somebody was yelling that the trail was below us. Anybody got a roll of duct tape handy?

Leaving the triangular basaltic structure behind us.

Making our way on the rocky ridge to the summit of Kaluanui.

The girls had a song to climb up the cliff with.

I only had the silence between my ears to keep me company. It was deafening.

Group photo at the summit that Bishop Estate would like you to forget about.

Making our way underneath the thicket of tree branches.

Chico on the exposed wind swept ridge line.

Back in the relatively protected tree line.

Shuffling through the undergrowth of ferns.

Does this electrical cord meet OSHA standards?

Trying to keep my wits and my cap about me.

Contouring and climbing their way down the steep cliff.

The group equally divided.

Chico hiking towards a dead end.

Group photo at the top of Hershey Kiss.

Climbing down from the somewhat tear drop shaped rock.

Panoramic view of the summit. The trail was named after Tom McGuire and Tom Cadle who rediscovered the ancient Hawaiian trail that connects the summit from Waimanalo.

Making our way down from the powerline towers.

Looking down the steep drop towards the town of Waimanalo.

Some would climb. Some would contour.

Slow race to the top.

We all took our own ways to arrive at the same spot eventually.

Leaving the exposed trail for the ironwood forest.

The arduous and seemingly slow climb up the pine needle covered hill.

Group photo at the summit of the little milo tree.

Jen in the tree with a stunning view of the white sandy beaches of potable water.

Leaving the pine tree forest to crawl under thickets of tree branches.

Dropping into the saddle.

Climbing out of the lowest point between the two hills.

Taking a water break in the shadow of the defunct Nike missile site OA-32 that was deactivated in 1970.

Whereabouts is the Dead Man Cat’s Walk? Seven years too late.

Passing the hang gliding marshal’s car on our way up to the platforms. Nothing to see here. You wasn’t here. Move along.

I believe I can fly.

I believe I can sleep.

Dropping in elevation as we made our way along the rocky ridge above the coastline.

Sitting on the edge.

Puka in the ground.

Hey, let’s go crawl into that cave!

I think somebody satisfied their cave quota for the week.

Making our way around the ladybug tree.

Tessa on her perch with a commanding view.

Group photo from a different perspective.

Unobstructed view.

I don’t know if it was my cold hand that made Chico jump that high.

My days as an urologist was over.

Jen climbing up the vertical rock.

Chico standing on top of the rock.

Traversing the linear rocks as we left the puka behind us.

Framing a view of Manana and Kaohikaipu islands through the miniature opening.

Climbing up the last hill. Promise?

It was mostly all downhill from this point.

Clumps of cacti dominated this short stretch.

Still trying to keep my wits and cap about me.

Following the fence line as we made our way down through the grass covered loose rock fields.

Everybody safely crossed the most dangerous part of the hike after looking both ways. Glad we got picked up by Lilia in the black truck and not the blue and white one. Post hike meal at Greek Marina. Not all of us agreed with the cuisine from the Greek diaspora.

Our hike covered 5.49 miles through forested and exposed ridgelines that were tempered by overcast clouds and cooling trade winds along with good company.

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Chico Cantu, Jen Odence, Lilyn Avendano, Quan Haberstroh, Tessa Bugay and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

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. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.

Tagged as: dead mans cat walk, hahaione pyramid, hershey kiss, kamiloiki summit, koolau summit ridge trail, ksrt, makapuu puka, makapuu stonehenge, mariners ridge summit, tom-tom summit