Opae’ula Cabin (Army Cabin)

by kenji SAITO on September 28, 2024

The cabin is calling and we must go. Met up with Akira, Chico, Mari and Tessa for another weekend adventure in the mountains.

Helemano

Helemano

We dialed in the lock combination and closed the gate as we left civilization behind us.

Poamoho Trail

Poamoho Trail

Group photo at the start when we are all nice and clean.

Poamoho Trail

Poamoho Trail

Hugging the uluhe carpeted cliff as expansive views of the Ewa Forest Reserve opened to our right.

Poamoho Trail

Poamoho Trail

Chico transferring some of his ice water to a friend in need of something more than room temperature.

Poamoho Trail

Poamoho Trail

Man down!

Poamoho Trail

Poamoho Trail

Traversing through the largest landslide that shut down this trail several years ago.

Poamoho Trail

Poamoho Trail

Some can climb over, while others have to step over.

Poamoho Trail

Poamoho Trail

Crossing the trickling stream.

Poamoho Summit

Poamoho Summit

Group photo on the clear and windy 2,520′ grassy hump. What a view!

Cline Memorial

Cline Memorial

Checking our mileage before we left the summit to begin our cross-over.

Ko'olau Summit Trail (KST)

Ko’olau Summit Trail (KST)

Dropping down to the sheltered trail which offered us temporary refuge from the howling winds.

KST

KST

Akira closing the gate behind us as we stepped foot on the Windward (exposed) side of the trail.

KST

KST

Contouring our way below the ridge line.

KST

KST

Making our way to another gate.

KST

KST

Mari cresting a hump with commanding views of the valleys behind us.

KST

KST

Scrambling our way up the hill to reconnect to the fence line.

KST

KST

Joining up with the ridge fence line.

KST

KST

Akira next to the gloved one, because it’s cool and different than just having two gloves on the fence line.

KST

KST

Looking through the ubiquitous fence line as the group followed the man-made structure as it meandered its way through the mountains.

KST

KST

Climbing over the fence line to the trail that has now been largely reclaimed by Mother Nature.

Boot Junction

Boot Junction

Group photo at the iconic weathered boot that has marked this junction for at least a decade. I still am curious as to who left the boot and the backstory.

Boot Junction

Boot Junction

Climbing over the fence to traverse the spongy meadow field.

KST

KST

Valley views that would be better off without the fence line. I believe the fence line started to be installed in the early 2000s to protect the watershed and endemic fauna and flora from invasive critters. Several noted hikers such as Patrick Rorie were opposed for the most part to the fence line being installed as it would be a blight on the landscape among other reasons. However, it does help with navigation in the mountains, especially when the area is socked in as it is for the most part.

KST

KST

Mari climbing up with the summit of Pu’u Ohulehule behind her.

KST

KST

The girls climbing up a steep hill with a wrap around sign marking the way.

Army Cabin

Army Cabin

Our destination soon sprang into our sight. Motivation.

KST

KST

Hiking sticks are used for balance and stability. They can also be be used to measure the depth of a mud pit.

Rabbit Hole

Rabbit Hole

Wandering off the reservation.

Opae'ula Trail

Opae’ula Trail

Some people use their legs to measure the mud depth.

Opae'ula Trail

Opae’ula Trail

Approaching one of the few KST cabins with a view.

Opae'ula Cabin

Opae’ula Cabin

Cabin sweet cabin.

Opae'ula Cabin

Opae’ula Cabin

Group photo with the sun setting in the background.

Opae'ula Cabin

Opae’ula Cabin

Pictures don’t do it justice.

Opae'ula Cabin

Opae’ula Cabin

Our dinner menu consisted of steak, shrimp, tempura udon, zucchini, rice and brownies for dessert. Thanks to Chefs Cantu and Suzuki for cooking the food, Sommelier Bugay for the wine and Baker Saito for the browies.

Opae'ula Cabin

Opae’ula Cabin

Catching a last glimpse as the sun shimmered its way down the Waianae Mountain Range.

Opae'ula Cabin

Opae’ula Cabin

Pop and vino toast.

Opae'ula Cabin

Opae’ula Cabin

Table talk revolved around paternal origins, new words and family activities.

Opae'ula Cabin

Opae’ula Cabin

Shithead! The preferred card game of hikers, or so I’ve been told.

Opae'ula Cabin

Opae’ula Cabin

Day 2
We woke up to a completely different landscape, one that was soaked in clouds. Packed our bags, swept the cabin and took our leave.

Opae'ula Trail

Opae’ula Trail

Mari passing through the gate to get back onto the reservation.

KST

KST

Embracing the suck. Literally.

KST

KST

Tessa leaving the Kaluanui NAR.

KST

KST

Which way does the wind blow? Take a wild guess.

Boot Junction

Boot Junction

Following the fence line on our return trip as we had learned our lesson.

KST

KST

Tessa entering the tree tunnel.

KST

KST

Making our way down back to the fence line.

KST

KST

Crossing over a narrow section of the trail that was a result of a prior mass wasting. The inclement weather decided for us to skip another summit visit and continue down the graded trail.

Poamoho Trail

Poamoho Trail

The group working their way out of the gulch where the stream gurgled below them.

Poamoho Trail

Poamoho Trail

Fauna and flora hitchhikers had attached themselves to us during the hike. One was a native Hawaiian fern and the other was a pre-escargot.

Poamoho Trail

Poamoho Trail

Passing through an old landslide area where we ran into two groups of hikers making their way to the summit.

All pau

All pau

We soon arrived at the trailhead which ended our roughly 11 in and out mile hike but began our six mile ride down the bumpy and muddy jeep road amplified by aggressive driving.

Post hike meal

Post hike meal

The best cheeseburger in the country was not open, so we had our lunch at Chicken in a Barrel. Chico making Akira work for his gummies and providing entertainment at the same time. Great camping trip with good friends.

Photos taken by Akira Suzuki, Chico Cantu, Mari Saito, 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.

Leave a Comment

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Wahinee01 October 19, 2024 at 6:18 pm

Wow, love this hike and miss the food above anything else lol
Yay, for Mari San, she’s a beast! ????????

Reply

kenji SAITO October 22, 2024 at 8:51 pm

Aloha Tessa,
Yep the cooking and sunset at the end made the hike. Props to Mari as well for pushing it.
Mahalo

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