Pali Notches to Judd Trail

by kenji SAITO on January 7, 2018

Hiking Pali Notches to Judd Trail

Kicked off the New Year with an easy hike so I can be ready for the hardest hike by Christmas Day.

Pali Lookout

Pali Lookout

Met up with Chris, Ferlino and Robin at the Pali Lookout as the morning sun torched the tops of the mountains turning them orange red. Photo by Robin Farr.

Trail

Trail

Nothing like a short cardio puff up the forested hill to get our blood pumping this chilly morning.

Trail

Trail

Enjoying the panoramic view of the Windward coast from our windswept vantage point.

Pali Notches

Pali Notches

Climbing down one of the notches that was cut out of the ridge by the army of Kalanikupule in the late 1700’s.

Pali Notches

Pali Notches

Robin making her way down the deeper notch that once served as gunports whose cannons were trained on Kamehameha’s invading army.

Trail

Trail

Making our way towards the Chimney. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

Nipple

Nipple

Robin keeping her center of gravity low as she scrambled up and down the nipple, lest the gusting winds carry her away.

Chimney

Chimney

The winds were whipping something fierce as we climbed up the chimney. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

Chimney

Chimney

Robin climbing up with a little help from her friends.

Nu'uanu Saddle

Nu’uanu Saddle

Group photo left to right: Chris, Ferlino, Robin and myself.

Nu'uanu Saddle

Nu’uanu Saddle

Climbing our way up, around and over through the jumbled rocks seemingly glued together with dirt, trees and grass and just as stable as it sounds.

Contour

Contour

Treading carefully where an angel fell. Photo by Robin Farr.

Nu'uanu Saddle

Nu’uanu Saddle

All smiles as we left behind the crumbly and eroded ridge for …

Nu'uanu Saddle

Nu’uanu Saddle

… greener pastures filled with uki grass.

Mud Wall

Mud Wall

Robin scrambling up the mud stained and stepped wall.

Piliwale Junction

Piliwale Junction

Chris and Ferlino coming up to the Windward ridge junction that drops down into Maunawili Valley.

Nu'uanu Saddle

Nu’uanu Saddle

Bogging our way through the pocket of moss wrapped trees and shoe sucking mud.

Konahuanui

Konahuanui

Where oh where have the views gone? Nothing to see, so we sat down and ate our lunch on the highest point on the Ko’olau Mountains that was swallowed by the clouds.

Ko'olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

Dropping into the moist and overgrown saddle between the large testicles.

K2

K2

We didn’t get any view on the second summit as well, and on top of that, somebody took down Chris’s summit sign from our last visit! Auwe!

Trail

Trail

Chris and Ferlino dropping off the Ko’olau Mountain spine.

Trail

Trail

Robin making her way down the deeply rutted section of the trail.

Trail

Trail

We finally gained somewhat cloud muted views of the ridges and valleys.

Nu'uanu Reservoir

Nu’uanu Reservoir

Looking down into one of many dams built to control potential flooding into densely populated areas.

Trail

Trail

Crossing paths with an “Aussie.”

Nu'uanu Overlook

Nu’uanu Overlook

We finally got a view at the windy 1,600′ lookout.

Pauoa Flats Trail

Pauoa Flats Trail

Robin walking down the bamboo lined trail.

Pauoa Flats Trail

Pauoa Flats Trail

Taking our group selfie on this quintuple trunked tree. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

Pauoa Flats Trail

Pauoa Flats Trail

A short stroll on the boardwalk before branching off the trail.

Nu'uanu Trail

Nu’uanu Trail

Passing through one of many moss and fungi infested trees.

Nu'uanu Trail

Nu’uanu Trail

Ferlino soon realized he had left his walking stick at the multiple trunked tree and raced back to recover it before it became finder keepers.

Nu'uanu Trail

Nu’uanu Trail

Looking across the sea of trees to the views of Honolulu.

Nu'uanu Trail

Nu’uanu Trail

The bench that begs the question, “Who is Jay Kent Bien?”

Nu'uanu Trail

Nu’uanu Trail

Chris going down the well manicured trail.

Judd Trail

Judd Trail

Leaving one trail for another.

Judd Trail

Judd Trail

Descending through the mind-numbing switchbacks on the trail. We lost count, but I heard it’s in the neighborhood of 25.

Judd Trail

Judd Trail

Christmas was surprisingly alive and well in these mountains.

Judd Trail

Judd Trail

All that was missing were the blinking multi-colored lights.

Judd Trail

Judd Trail

I didn’t realize coqui frogs celebrated Christmas. Photo by Robin Farr.

Judd Trail

Judd Trail

We left Christmas behind us as we descended through the grove of towering pine trees.

Judd Trail

Judd Trail

Loggers were particularly busy here.

Judd Trail

Judd Trail

Ducking through the tangled thicket of hau branches as the trail continued above the burbling stream that fed Ginger Jackass Pool.

Judd Trail

Judd Trail

Wading through Nu’uanu Stream to get to the other side. Photo by Chris Bautista.

All pau

All pau

Mahalo to Ferlino’s son-in-law, RJ, for picking us up from the side of Nu’uanu Pali Drive.

GPS Tracks

GPS Tracks

Our first hike of the year covered less than six miles through windy ridges, cloudy mountains and wide open trails. Great hike with good company. Post hike meal at Lilihia Bakery. Somebody had a phobia about eating something from where the sun don’t shine.

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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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Rod Bien March 21, 2022 at 3:09 pm

To answer your question, Jay Kent Bien was my dad. He was a Navy SEAL an accomplished ultramarathon runner like myself, and was one of the innovators of the HURT 100 race. He died unexpectedly of a heart attack while out running, while training to pace me in a 100 miler.
I miss him every day. Cheers!

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kenji SAITO March 22, 2022 at 2:59 pm

Aloha Rod,
Thanks for answering the question. I’m sure your dad is running and pacing with you in spirit.
Mahalo

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