Haiku Stairs to Kalihi Saddle (Powerlines)

Back to back KST completion hikes saw us back at the world famous Haiku Stairs. Mahalo to Quan for dropping Aida, Lilyn, Tessa and myself off at Aiea. Thank goodness we didn’t get lost from Kahalu’u. Photo by Art Young.

Climbing up the steep stairs while attempting to recover something of important medical value that we had lost on our last unexpected trip.

I don’t see a bright future in mimicry for these girls. Jumping jacks is not the same as bouncing up and down.

Catching sight of the CCL building perched on top of the ridge line.

Hope that pulley doesn’t fall and give somebody a bad headache one day. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Lilyn capturing the sun. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

The upper landing and stairs were clogged with campers catching the sunrise.

Yielding to the traffic on the stairs. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Group photo left to right: Aida, myself, Tessa and Lilyn.

Taking our leave of the popular camping spot.

Looking ahead to the noticeable man-made infrastructures topping the ridge line. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Leaving the defunct radio tower behind us.

Shadows on the summit. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Group photo at the 2,740′ summit. The last one we would step foot on today.

Getting ready to drop in on the saddle. Hang on tight. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Scooting our way down the narrow strip of dirt that passes for a ridge line.

Contouring on the crumbly Leeward side. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

This was either a nail biting or butt clenching moment for Lilyn. Only her manicurist or proctologist would know. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Looking back at our steep and crumbly descent from the summit.

Enjoying the ride down. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Contouring our way back to the ridge line.

Passing the non-existent wave on our way down. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Tessa coming down one crumbly rock at a time. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Lilyn coming down the Leeward side of the hardest rock triangle. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a mynah bird! It’s a drone! … Photo by Aida Gordon.

… It’s Lilyn! Photo by Aida Gordon.

One yawyaw and two substitutes at the bottom of the obstacle.

Going down the Hot Wheels Track. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

The group making their way over the crumbly, uneven and narrow ridge line.

I never get tired of these views. I suppose that’s why I’m a frequent visitor.

Lilyn climbing down on the Windward side. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Tessa looking for her next foothold. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

To scoot or to walk? Photo by Tessa Bugay.

This is not your father’s dirt dragon.

Making our way to the place where no reservations are required. First come, first serve. Photo by Aida Gordon.

The girls climbing down through the rocks.

Riding the wave of a ridge. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

It’s always hump day somewhere in the mountains.

Soaking in the views at the iconic photo spot. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Aida coming down the steep and rocky section.

Scrambling up the pointy obstacle in under two minutes. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Looking back at the steep drop that we had just climbed down. Never fails to disappoint. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Art had come to meet us and was expecting a continued hike to the Pali and all he got was this ghetto candle. It’s the thought that counts. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Best wishes on your birthday with a real candle.

Lilyn going down the backside.

The group making their way over the still surprisingly narrow ridge line. The saddle was not over yet. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Lilyn working her way towards the knob. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Are we done? Am I finished?

We had time to kill so I decided to see if I could make a better go at mimicry than the girls. It’s best that I keep my day job. Photo by Aida Gordon.

That, and a nickel, will get me a can of Coke. Wait a minute! Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Group photo at the terminus of our hike. All smiles. We weren’t going to the Pali after all.

We were going to the Pali after all, but by mechanized means. Thanks to Quan and Sally for picking us up. We also found a iphone and turned it over to our AT&T contact.

Does anybody have a bottle opener? Since somebody didn’t get the twist off caps. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Pouring champagne on Lilyn to celebrate her completion of the KST. Congratulations! Photo by Aida Gordon.

Thanks to Katie, Narissa, Petra, Quan, Chris and Sally for joining the champagne celebration.

We grabbed food from Pampanga Kitchen and found out that persistence pays off when you want those halo-halos. We all retired to Casa Avendano where some had shots that took them to hell without even setting foot on the hike itself, some of us picked fruit from the neighbors yard, blondie went off the inebriated deep end and wrestled quite vigorously for her phone, Art showed off his dancing skills while enjoying a real birthday cake, and Agnes swung by with free eggs in hand, while some of us practiced our city and county skills while trying to figure out how to set up a tent and all these activities were papered over with a very direct, loud and opinionated New York accent. Fun times had by all.

Our 4.15 mile hike through heaven and down a crumbly saddle marked the end of the road for Lilyn’s KST completion. Cheers and congratulations again to her.

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: bowman summit, ccl building, dirty slide, haiku stairs, kalihi saddle, koolau summit ridge trail, ksrt, powerlines, puu keahi a kahoe, rock triangles, stairway to heaven, tabletop, tripler summit, witch's hat