Laie Trail to Pupukea Trail (CB KST One Shot)

To begin this story, I have to rewind the clock back six days as Chris asked me to chronicle his KST one shot from South to North. Bear with me as I wasn’t with him until the last day. LOL.

Day 1 Sunday, November 8, 2020 – Tessa dropped Chris off at Makapu’u to start his journey across the Ko’olau Mountain Range. Nothing like a cold bottle of caffeinated cola to start ones day.

Catching the sun rising over the bulging eye.

Chris and his shadow to keep him company on the hike. It also pays to talk to oneself on the hike as well.

Safety tip: Always wear a hard hat while hiking to avoid being conked on the head by those falling pine cones.

Enjoying the views of the Waimanalo coastline.

Don’t worry, keep hiking.

Chris left the hard hat behind for other hikers that are a little bit more safety conscious.

Taking a picture as it will last longer.

Chris found Quan’s cap that was lost on an earlier hike.

Setting up tent at the helipad. Home for the night.

Capturing the sun as it goes down over the communications tower.

Day 2 Monday, November 9, 2020 – Dropping in between the valley.

Contoured and met back up with the ridge line.

No views at one of the testicles. Hold and cough.

Coming down the cloud soaked ridge line.

Taking a break from selfies and taking a shoefie instead.

Looking back at the hardest obstacle on this saddle as Chris made his way down past the notches and down to the lookout.

Lilyn, Quan, Tessa and myself met up with Chris after work to give him food, drinks and company. Quan got her cap back as well. We left before the night marchers came out. Sleep tight.

Day 3 Tuesday, November 10, 2020 – Looking for those views.

Going up the crumbly saddle as the clouds rolled in from the ocean.

Chris about to contour and climb the donkey kong obstacle.

Climbing out of the saddle and onto more solid footing.

Clear views at the 2,700′ summit.

Taking another break from the selfies as Chris gets ready to ride the dirt dragon.

Testing out the new webbing.

Chris at the iconic photo spot, right before he got stuck going up the Doorstop. Elevator services were offline.

Looking back at the steepness that is Lanihuli Wall. Best appreciated in person from far away.

Coming off the pair of hills and heading towards Shark Fin. Getting hungry for Chinese food.

Dropping down towards the middle of the saddle as Chris pushed on. No rest for the weary.

Looking back at the conical rock face.

Heading towards the hardest of the rock triangles. But first, Chris had to flash a shaka.

Heading towards the summit of Bowman after polishing off the saddle.

To camp or not to camp? Too early.

Only one soul in heaven today.

When the rats are more thirsty than you.

Chris going down the stairs that time forgot.

Somebody made use of the yellow rope that was sitting up there.

Chris pitched his tent on the summit with sweeping views of Halawa Valley and points beyond.

Day 4 Wednesday, November 11, 2020 – Catching the morning valley views.

Still no closure after five years. Sad for the family.

Never enter Hell without your tetanus shot.

The selection was quite sparse. They need to stock up.

No views. Just shaka views.

Rounding the bend around the fenced plant enclosure.

The man and his sign.

Catching the Windward views.

Rolling hills ahead.

The winds were blowing something fierce and snatched Chris’s phone out of his hands and flung it a good distance. Lucky it landed on the spongy ground and not off the cliff.

Home for the night with views overlooking Waihee Valley.

Day 5 Thursday, November 12, 2020 – Looking back at the fluted flanks of the Ko’olau Mountains.

Fence by fence, they will take over the mountains.

End of trail? Not for Chris.

Last chance for H20.

Approaching Waiawa Gap.

Dropping into the gap.

Climbing out of the gap.

Reminiscing about the ridge from bushwhacking hell.

Where the KSRT becomes the KST. Tomato. Tomatoe.

Windy as usual. Stay here long enough and you too will become bent over.

Keep the country country.

Soaking in the spectacular Northern views.

To camp or not to camp? There were still a couple hours of daylight left. Press on.

The rare Ko’olau Goose is getting long in the tooth and shorn of feathers.

Chasing the sun.

The notch that dynamite built.

Home for the night.

Watching the sunset.

Day 6 Friday, November 13, 2020 – The morning sun streaming through the windows provided the wake up call in the mountains.

Enjoying one of the best views on the island.

How many more miles do I have left?

Going my way?

Lobelia in bloom.

Lobelia along the fence line.

Surprising that the boot has held up this long.

Lobelia in the meadows.

The fence line following the convoluted topography of the KST.

Lobelia overload.

Slogging through more mud pits.

Following the fence line to Papali.

Running into Charlie at the summit. Small world.

They don’t call this section the muddiest for nothing.

Native loulu palm trees interrupting the ridge line.

Sunbather or sacrificial lamb?

Let’s get in one more mud bath, shall we?

Open for business, despite the rumors.

What’s for dinner? Oxtail soup? Prime rib, crab legs and asparagus? Salmon and Poke? Let’s get back to reality. Filipino sardines and rice it is.

Day 7 Saturday, November 14, 2020 – Tessa and I met up at the trailhead to hike the six mile trail to the summit to meet Chris and continue with him to the finish line.

Last day to be in the mountains!

Tessa told me to wait at the summit for her, as she had to fertilize the mountains.

Going up the humid, overgrown and wet trail. The joys of hiking.

Chris leaving the cabin for the summit.

The woman of the mountains.

The man of the hour.

Group photo in the foxhole. Chris got his requested Coke and snacks. Much needed nourishment after seven days in the mountains.

Leaving the 2,240′ summit for the most overgrown section on the KST. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Making our way on the trail as the windmills pinwheeled in the background.

The glove that Chris left many years ago to replace the green sign that used to mark the spot.

Winding our way through the lush landscape. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Halfway there and time for our lunch break.

Tessa disappearing into the uluhell overgrowth.

Tessa pulling Chris’s leg and then some.

Pushing up the last hill through the strawberry guava corridor.

Group photo at the summit overlooking the North Shore.

Heading down to the finish line.

My traditional champagne dousing of the finisher. This time Chris got two for the price of one. Major congratulations to Chris Bautista for his second KST one shot (first documented both ways, North-South and South-North) and his sixth overall finish of the KST. #beastmode.

We didn’t expect to see this individual when we popped out of the trail.

You have cold beer in your backpack? Chris’s best buddy.

Swinging my way down the road. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Greet and scare. Aida, Lilyn and Quan were waiting in the bushes to surprise us. It worked for some.

Group photo left to right: Lilyn, Quan, Chris, myself, Tessa, Arnold and Aida. It was high time for somebody to take a shower as well.

Dale also came up to congratulate Chris on his accomplishment. Thanks to the gang for bringing us cold drinks, pizza and chicken. Mahalo to Quan for making Chris a Corona lei. That beer didn’t help him catch any chickens. Also found out that chickens will eat their own kind. Fried to boot. Thanks to Lilyn for driving us to the showers and back to our cars in Laie.

Chris, Tessa and myself then drove to Waianae for the WST one shot turned KST one shot party as well at Bill and Shirley’s house. One shot for the one shot team. Chris could finally dig in to oxtail soup, prime rib, crab legs, grilled asparagus, poke and mashed potatoes. Thanks to Shirley for giving me the only Coke in the house. Mahalo to Analyn for the oxtail soup to go order. Fun times with Analyn and Chris, Liezl and Micah, Mia, Matt, Mike and Amber.

Chris’s traversal from Makapu’u to Pupukea covered over 52 miles in seven days. Amazing accomplishment Chris! Props to you my friend.

Tessa and I hiked 12.8 miles in nine hours through some of the worst overgrowth this side of the KST. Fun times all around with good friends during and after the hike. Thanks to all that came out to support Chris. Mahalo!

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.

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