Pu’u Kea’au

by kenji SAITO on January 31, 2015

Hiking Pu'u Kea'au

Predictions of rainy weather over most of the island, found us looking for a dry trail to hike on the West side. Be careful what you wish for.

Trailhead

Trailhead

Met Glenn, Jasmin and Thessa in the parking lot across Makaha Beach by the pungent bathrooms. Jasmin knew of the Donkey Z trail that would get us to the ridge.

Bushwhacking?

Bushwhacking?

No donkeys sighted, so we just headed straight up to the ridge.

Rocky road ahead

Rocky road ahead

Rows of stacked rocks lined the uneven ground, that harked back to an earlier time.

Rocks...

Rocks…

We climbed over big rocks…

...and more rocks

…and more rocks

…and walked over little rocks in the dry grass.

Waianae coast

Waianae coast

Thessa checking out the view of Makaha Valley and beyond.

Blue sky

Blue sky

The sun shined down unfiltered on the parched ridgeline.

Ocean view

Ocean view

Looking down the ridge towards the ocean.

On the ridge

On the ridge

There was no shade, clouds or trade winds. It was turning out to be a hot Waianae hike. So much for winter.

Pull us up

Pull us up

An abandoned motor and winch long baked into the ground.

Kea'au Bunkers

Kea’au Bunkers

Thessa and Jasmin on the WW2 bunkers overlooking Makaha Beach.

Panoramic view

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image spanning the North Shore to the Waianae side.

Walking the ridge

Walking the ridge

Glenn going down the slight slope towards the saddle of the ridge.

Looking back

Looking back

Jasmin and Thessa making their way down.

Green mile(s)

Green mile(s)

The grass was greener on the other side of the ridge.

Geodetic marker

Geodetic marker

Unlike other geodetic markers I’ve run across, this one didn’t have the place name nor the elevation.

Tree sighting

Tree sighting

The first of few trees on the hot and barren ridge.

Kaena point

Kaena point

Looking towards the “golf balls” at Kaena Point.

Summit in sight

Summit in sight

The triangular summit of Kea’au on the left.

Junction

Junction

The junction we would use to go back down water tank ridge. The girls decided to wait here for us.

Rocky ridge

Rocky ridge

The ridge started to take on a slightly steep pitch.

Bleating goats

Bleating goats

Bleating goats on nearby ridges explained the littered spent cartridges.

Climb or contour

Climb or contour

We did both.

True Kea'au

True Kea’au

Glenn and myself at the 2,650′ summit.

Sign in

Sign in

A slight breeze at the summit explained the fluttering flag. It wouldn’t last long.

Panoramic view

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Going back

Going back

We snacked and guzzled water before making our way back down to the junction.

Water   tank ridge

Water tank ridge

Group photo, with Makaha Towers in the background, left to right: Thessa, Jasmin, myself and Glenn.

Pausing

Pausing

Glenn checking out the view. Nice day. Hot day. Trade winds would have helped. Cloud cover too. But, you can’t have everything on a hike.

Looking back at the summit

Looking back at the summit

Jasmin and Thessa making their way down the ridge.

Watertanks

Watertanks

Glenn making his way down to the water tanks. So close, yet so far.

Erosion at work

Erosion at work

The ridge seemed to be in a constant state of erosion. Some sections looked fresh.

Rock climbing

Rock climbing

The last section of the ridge involved minor rock climbing…

Rock hopping

Rock hopping

…and lots of rock hopping.

Follow the fence

Follow the fence

The fence trail was a welcome relief from the rocky ridge we had just come down.

All pau

All pau

Glenn was nice enough to drive to the nearest 7-11 and grab us ice cold Cokes. Mahalo!

GPS Tracks

GPS Tracks

The hot and rocky hike covered 3.91 miles, made bearable with good company. Post hike meal at Tacos and More. Can’t go wrong with picking the Sea Bass. Extra side of salsa!

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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

TBugay February 7, 2015 at 9:29 pm

Thank you Kenji. Always enjoyed reading your blog. Keep up the great job :)

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kenji SAITO February 8, 2015 at 9:12 pm

Aloha Thessa,
Thanks and always enjoy your company! So we’re even! LOL.
Mahalo

Reply

Jasmin Nepomuceno February 13, 2015 at 8:58 pm

Thanks Kenji for all the blogs and keep up the good work. Enjoy all the hike with you too ;)

Aloha,
Jaz

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kenji SAITO February 14, 2015 at 7:07 am

Aloha Jaz,
Glad you are enjoying them. Keep baking those ono muffins and cookies!
Mahalo

Reply

Baron March 17, 2015 at 6:03 pm

Kenji, you ‘re so nutz cruising on the westside with that “late” start in the morning. For westside hikes, we usually start just before dawn to cover more ground and summit the main ridgelines before the sun bakes the hell out of me and my crew….LOL. But I binge hike the westside during the winter months to take advantage of the cool weather.

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kenji SAITO March 17, 2015 at 8:04 pm

Hey Baron,
It’s hard dragging people out of bed that early. LOL. Especially when they have to drive out to the West Side! Next time we visit the West Side, make sure we go before the chickens wake up!

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