Back in the Waianae Mountains. The wet Waianae Mountains.
Weather forecast?
Met up with Jasmin, John, Jose and Steve in Waianae Valley. Clouds were already spilling over the mountains.
Branch break
Taking a break on Hobbs Ridge. Rain had started to fall earlier while we were in the valley. Jose punched up the weather and the forecast was rain all afternoon. Group photo left to right: John, Jose, Jasmin and Steve.
Agave plants
Steve looking for the worm to put in the bottle.
Follow the arrow
Pretty hard to get lost on this ridge.
Follow the can
We lost over half of our crew after this section. Jasmin and Jose were not feeling well, so they turned around. Steve didn’t like the weather, so he joined them. John and myself were left to finish the hike.
Huffing and puffing
John making his way up the ridge.
Follow the webbing
The final push to the terminus of Hobbs Ridge.
Follow the fence
We took a right on the Waianae Summit Trail. Into the clouds.
Have pole, will hike
John’s hiking pole came in handy. He cleared a swath through the overgrowth and especially the thorny plants.
Fence break
There were several sections on the trail where the fence broke its continuity due to landslides or changing terrain.
Is this the WST or KST?
Some people think that the Waianae Mountains are arid and dry. I beg to differ.
See anything?
Still socked in.
Blackberries
Tempting trail snacks.
Summit?
We missed the 3,504′ summit of Pu’u Kalena. I still can’t believe it. We just summited and continued down the fence line.
Primordial forest
Looking down the ridge. The clouds and light rain added to the effect.
We can see
We dropped below the cloud deck as we lost elevation.
I can see my car
Looking into Waianae Valley.
Clouds are clearing
Click here for the larger image.
Road open?
The Kolekole Pass Road connects Schofield Barracks to the West side of the island. Some confusion as to whether the road is semi-open or permanently closed due to unsafe conditions.
Looking back
Click here for the larger image.
SeXXXy ridge
The spur ridge that is the photo opportunity for many a hiker. Not us. Not today. Photo by John Garrity.
Ridge going down
We continued hiking down the ridge by following the fence. Can’t get any easier.
What happened to the fence?
Exposed dike sections replaced the fence line on the trail.
Optical illusion
Looked like I’m standing in a hole. Just the exposed dike section. Photo by John Garrity.
Pu’u Kalena
Our summit in the background photo.
Panoramic view
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Camouflage
Grey hiker on a grey dike. Photo by John Garrity.
Looking back or up
John making his way down the ridge.
Stop and smell the flowers
Bunches of these bright red flowers were sprinkled throughout the trail.
Don’t miss the junction
Coming down, we missed the flagged junction and was making our way down on the exposed ridge when we realized our mistake and backtracked.
Left or right?
The trail continued to the left. The right looked like a dry stream bed.
Crumbly
This section was heavily exposed and eroded. Every step we took sent cascading showers of dirt and small rocks down range.
Kolekole Pass
The lowest point in the Waianae Mountains. We saw several cars come up the road and turn around at the barrier. No hiking for them. That’s what they get for taking the easy way. LOL.
Open for business?
Who let the dogs in? Thanks to Jasmin for picking us up and driving back to Waianae Valley. Photo by John Garrity.
GPS Tracks
Our cloudy and rainy hike was 6.9 miles. Still had some stunning views. Back to Outback for our post hike meal. Can’t get enough of that wood fire grilled prime rib.
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