Met up with Aileen and Tesssa to do a quick hop and pop over the mountains.
Maunawili
Where’s the goat whisperer when you need him?
Maunawili
Somebody was running fashionably late aka Hawaiian time, so we enjoyed the breaking sunrise over Olomana.
Maunawili
We soon left the future lots of affordable homes and began our hike. But first, let’s stay hydrated as demonstrated by Tessa.
Piliwale Ridge
Stepping foot on the ridge pioneered by Silver Piliwale, a legendary hiker who hiked from Pupukea to Moanalua in five days to celebrate his 72nd birthday.
Piliwale Ridge
Climbing up towards the notch.
Notch
360 degree group photo at the natural cut in the ridge. We saw rain showers headed our way and after some deliberation, decided to press on.
Piliwale Ridge
Dropping down into the notch.
Piliwale Ridge
Hello from the other side.
Piliwale Ridge
Scrambling up some rocks.
Piliwale Ridge
Aileen climbing up the crack between a tree and a rock.
Piliwale Ridge
Scrambling up more rocks.
Piliwale Ridge
Aileen pulling herself up.
Piliwale Ridge
Somebody left a rope behind which made this climb easier. How nice of them.
Piliwale Ridge
Tessa climbing up and over the rock.
Piliwale Ridge
Going up the honest cardio climb, no switch backs on this ridge.
Piliwale Ridge
Tessa pushing to the junction.
Piliwale Junction
Group photo at the 3,050′ elevation mark.
Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)
What goes up, must come down.
Mud Wall
Going down the slippery slope.
KSRT
Tessa silhouetted on a prominent bump on the ridge line with panoramic views of the surrounding areas.
KSRT
Dropping off the boulder and back on the ridge line.
Nu’uanu Saddle
The ridge became steeper, narrower and a tad more “technical.”
Contour
Aileen coming around the rockface that always gives me pause, as this is where a fallen angel fell 300′ and lived to hike another day.
Nu’uanu Saddle
Talk to the hand or use the hand. Whichever you prefer.
Nu’uanu Saddle
Making our way down to the last major climb on this ridge line.
Chimney
It was like going down a spiderweb of ropes. Best to be mindful of how you go down, otherwise one might get hung up like some hapless prey.
Chimney
The “friendly” slanted angle of the climb.
Chimney
Swinging Tessa to a safe spot. Ouch.
Chimney
The “less friendly” vertical angle of the climb.
Nipple
360 degree group photo on the bump of a rock.
Nipple
Aileen coming down from the rocky perch.
Pali Notches
Ropes? We don’t need no stinking ropes. Paraphrasing the classic line from the 1948 movie “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”
Pali Notches
Tessa climbing up from the man-made notch that once housed cannons that were installed by King Kalanikupule to defend Oahu against the armies of King Kamehameha. However, Kamehameha found out about these cannons and sent his scouts to descend from the top, perhaps the same route we had just come down from, to disable the cannons.
Pali Notches
What is Amber doing up here at Pali Notches? I think she wanted to add more death threats on Tik Tok to her files. She’s an addict.
Pali Notches Trail
Headed down to mingle with the tourists.
Pali Notches Trail
Tessa biting her gloved fingers in mock horror. Or is that for real?
Pali Notches Trail
Making our way down to the site of the historic 1795 battle that saw the defeat of Oahu’s army, where the remaining warriors were either pushed off the cliff or jumped to their deaths.
Pali Lookout
Playing tourists.
All pau
Thanks to Amber for picking us up and trying to take us to hike Olomana. Sorry, that’s your favorite mountain and not ours. Back to our cars please.
GPS Tracks
Our short day in the mountains covered a little over two miles with a fun crew. Post hike meal at Big City Diner, not to be confused with TGIF.
Photos taken by Aileen Agustin, 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.
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