Kulana’ahane Trail to Waimano Trail

It was another weekend and another opportunity to introduce somebody to the wonderful world of camping in the mountains.

Met up with Lopaka in Moanalua Valley as we hit the trail that is well on its way to becoming a paved road.

My fleeting and futile attempt to walk on water. Photo by Lopaka Hipperson.

What a tangled hau thicket we weave in the forest.

I guess it’s getting serious as the trail is no longer maintained. Time to put on our big boy pants.

Watching a trickle of a fall flow down the mountain.

Going up the short and steep hill to gain the summit.

Heaven or Hell today? Hell it is.

It was time to tackle the better or easier half of the saddle.

Traffic down on the highway, but none up here. Photo by Lopaka Hipperson.

Hiking the ridge line in the clouds, always a surreal experience.

Lopaka climbing down the rusted stairs. The State can spend $875,000 to repair this side and keep it closed as well.

Who said hell was hot? It was sheeting freezing rain up here. Usually we would sit down, admire the view, take tons of photos, eat a bite and rest up here. But today, we couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there!

Climbing out of hell.

We were still stuck in cloud purgatory on the ridge line.

Let’s not forget the sprinkling showers as well. Picture complete. Photo by Lopaka Hipperson.

Hanging onto the fence for dear life for my dramatic photo. Photo by Lopaka Hipperson.

Just a couple more hills to climb and it’ll be all over.

A pink ribbon! We must be on the right trail.

Standing at the sign that Chris Bautista made.

Dropping down from the 2,805′ summit and approaching our home for the night. We arrived with an abundance of time. Time well spent by Lopaka as he set up his tent on his first camp over.

The wind howled and the rain poured for most of the night, which made for little sleep time. Forgot our ear plugs.

Nothing like hot soup to get you started on a cold and rainy morning.

Another Groundhog Day on the ridge.

This is not the meadows we are looking for.

It was still a windy day …Photo by Lopaka Hipperson.

… that helped to temporarily blow the clouds away to give us partial Windward views.

No more false summits.

We have arrived! Photo by Lopaka Hipperson.

Was that mystical or mythical meadows?

Somebody liked the cold weather. Somebody liked their rain jacket even more.

You have to be able to see the water past the discoloration and floating bugs. Photo by Lopaka Hipperson.

Leaving the meadows; the clouds lifted and the sun broke through, affording us the spectacular scenery this place is noted for.

Back on the ridge line.

We could see the landslide for the summit.

Panoramic view of Waihee Valley bordered by Kalahaku Teeth and Eleao Windward.

Leaving the summit as we headed down into the valley.

Our first human contact in two days.

Lopaka rock hopping one of a few stream crossings on the trail.

No picnickers spotted today.

Lopaka passing one of multiple irrigation tunnels sprinkled throughout the valley.

Climbing up the hardest part of the trail. Photo by Lopaka Hipperson.

Traffic jam on the trail.

We were so over with the long trail. Thanks to Jasmin for picking us up and taking us back to our cars.

Our two day camping hike covered 16.5 miles of ridges and crossing over the Ko’olau Mountains. Job well done by Lopaka on his first camping hike in the mountains. Post hike meal at Alley Restaurant. Oxtail soup is what’s for dinner. What else would I order here?

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: aiea summit, kamananui valley trail, koolau summit ridge trail, ksrt, kulana'ahane summit, kulana'ahane trail, moanalua saddle, moanalua valley, north haiku stairs, red hill summit, stairway to hell, waimalu meadows, waimano summit, waimano trail