We spent Veteran’s Day weekend with veterans and non-veterans to help a friend finish the KST.

Jeep Road

Mahalo to Jimell and Mona for driving us up the road that was filled with cows and a solitary hiker.

Poamoho Trail

Stepping foot on what used to be known as the marsh trail until it was improved by the Civilian Conservations Corp in 1934 and renamed it to what it’s called today.

Poamoho Trail

The solitary hiker that we thought we had left in the dust on the jeep road soon caught up with us on the trail and passed us. Who is this guy?

Poamoho Trail

Crossing the small stagnant stream as we approached the windy grassy summit.

Poamoho Trail

We passed multiple Koolau Range lobelia whose tubular flowers were blooming.

Cline Memorial

No views at the summit so we started heading towards the cabin.

Ko’olau Summit Trail (KST)

Traversing the boardwalk that was installed to limit the spread of invasive seeds to the mostly endemic area.

Poamoho Cabin

Pit stop at the oldest cabin on the KST for water and where we met up again with the hiker on the trail who turned out to be a cool guy named Eric. He was planning on hiking all the way to Manana but the inclement weather changed his mind.

KST

Using the trail that was blasted, chipped and dug out of the mountainside during the years of 1933-1936.

KST

Chico stepping through one of many gates on the trail that serves to allow passage to humans but not feral animals. Is there a difference?

KST

Traversing over one of many landslides on the trail that have long been weathered by footsteps and plant growth.

KST

Eric soon had his fill of the cloud soaked trail and turned back.

KST

The clouds were fighting with the views. The suspended water droplets were winning.

KST

Following the fence line that was installed to prevent feral ungulates from decimating the endemic fauna and flora.

KST

The Ko’olau Goose was receiving some unwanted or wanted attention.

KST

Looking ahead to the Waikane-Waiahole Junction.

KST

Life imitating art.

KST

The girls hugging the cliff as they made their way on the trail.

Schofield-Waikane Summit

We took lunch at the 2,360′ socked in clearing where we were denied views of the four undeveloped valleys. Rain, rain, go away. The nursery rhyme didn’t seem to work in the mountains.

KST

Chris pointing out the many false holes that pocketed the trail.

KST

Taking the high road as we split from the junction as the other trail drops down to Waikane Valley.

KST

Crossing over the well trodden landslide area.

KST

A snail on its last slimy trail? This particular unshelled gastropod was looking for a calcium fortress in all the wrong places.

KST

Contouring on the Leeward side of the mountain.

KST

Pushing through the corridor of congested uluhe ferns on the trail.

KST

Following the fence line down in the dark.

Tree of Life

Lack of daylight forced us to make camp in the wind blasted meadow that had everybody struggling to pitch their tents as the strong winds coupled with darkness pierced by our headlamps made a usual task extraordinary. On top of that, somehow my stake bag got lost and lucky I was camping with CB that had his knife and carved wooden stakes out of his hiking stick. To make matters more interesting, it started to rain on our parade as well which made us setting up our tents more urgent if we wanted to stay more dry than wet.

Tree of Life

Chico turned on his burner to stay warm and also added extra ventilation to his tent.

Tree of Life

Day 2 – Saturday November 11, 2023
Waking up the next morning to the illuminated lights from the central plain.

Tree of Life

Pictures with the vertical and horizontal Japanese Sugi Pine Trees. Yes that is a tree and not a bush behind us. We broke down camp as the winds persisted in keeping us company.

KST

It was a chore just to get out of the wind tunnel and back onto the trail. Any lighter and some of us would have been Mary Poppins.

KST

Walking on the trail that seemingly interrupted the flow of uluhe ferns that cascaded down the mountainside.

KST

Finally getting a break in the views.

KST

Approaching the small cut in the mountains.

KST

Passing the notch which I assume to be man-made much like the earlier notch after Poamoho.

KST

Dropping into the patch of Japanese Sugi Pine Trees under the shadow of Waiahole Summit.

KST

Walking amongst the moss covered red-cedar trees which are considered the national tree of Japan.

KST

We left Camp Rusty and climbed our way back to the ridge line.

Kipapa Summit

Where tomato becomes tomatoe. KST to KSRT.

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

The trail soon followed the ridge line instead of meandering throughout the mountains.

KSRT

Enjoying expansive views of the Windward coastline and valleys.

KSRT

Picking our way through the ankle biters, shin hitters and false holes on the trail.

KSRT

Crossing over with verdant views of the meadows, valleys and peaks.

Waiawa Gap

Taking a breather at the gated fence line.

Waiawa Gap

Descending into the gap.

Waiawa Gap

Climbing out of the gap.

KSRT

To bee or not to bee. The idea of whether is it better to live or to die. In this case for the honeybee, quite relevant.

KSRT

Mountain views for days.

KSRT

Back to our regularly scheduled program of hiking.

KSRT

I don’t know if I was giving the signal to land or to cook lunch. This was roughly the same spot where Doug Ross was plucked from the mountains and flown back to sea level.

KSRT

The hills had hills.

KSRT

Chris going through the tree tunnel and dropping off the ridge to the meadow below us.

The Corner

Much like salmon spawning, we went upstream to collect water from the creek.

The Corner

It was another deja vu moment as we all struggled to climb out of the wind swept meadow.

KSRT

Rounding the landmark ‘ohi’a tree. No plucking of the flowers, we don’t need any more rain on our parade.

KSRT

Descending down the ridge with the expansive overlook of the ancient ahupua’a, divisions of land which ranged from the mountain to the ocean, which was meant to sustain the local population and excess was for tribute.

KSRT

Passing the Windward views as we made our way to the final terminus on the trail.

Manana Summit

#20 – My customary champagne celebratory dousing of Aileen who had just finished her last section to put all the pieces together to complete all 52 miles of the Ko’olau Summit Trail (KST). Congratulations!

Manana Summit

Group photo at the 2,660′ knob. Chris made another pot of saimin which he shared with us at the top.

Manana Summit

Leaving the summit for what Stuart Ball calls “the best of the ungraded Ko’olau ridge trails.” I would have to respectfully disagree.

Manana Trail

Golden hour.

Manana Trail

Our last group photo as the sun slowly sank below the horizon, plunging the trail into darkness.

Manana Trail

Chico testing out the Uluhe bedding on the trail for potential camp spots.

Manana Trail

We interrupted a couple in their pitched tent on one of many false summits. I hope that’s all we interrupted.

All pau

We got out from the trail a little past midnight. Sorry that my banged up knee kept everybody up past their bedtime. Post hike meal was served on site from Teddy’s Burgers courtesy of Aida, Ferlino and Jasmin and a colony of feral cats. Congrats again to Aileen for finishing the KST and the group for another memorable hike that covered over 17 miles through the mountains.

Photos taken by Aileen Agustin, Chico Cantu, Chris Bautista, Val Wang, 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.

Our camping weekend was a working case of what can go wrong and right at the same time.

Trailhead

Met up with Amber, Doug and Thomas in the cat village at the top of Pacific Palisades. My original group of five had shrunk to two and Amber’s group had shrunk to two as well, and they were supposed to have started from Poamoho. Two groups passing in the night. In the end, we decided to combine our groups, which turned out to be fortuitous in the end. I also gave fair warning that I had some bad food and that might compromise my already slow pace, which would manifest itself later in the weekend.

Manana Ridge Trail

Rolling off the bike ramp. Imagination can take you a long way. And then cardio reality hits

Manana Ridge Trail

The most dangerous part of the trail.

Manana Ridge Trail

Adjusting and organizing at the picnic shelter.

Manana Ridge Trail

Welcome to the jungle. Uluhe jungle.

Manana Ridge Trail

The start of the rolling hills and false peaks.

Manana Ridge Trail

Rain showers at mile marker 3.5. Can it get any better?

Manana Ridge Trail

It can. The rain paused in watering the mountains.

Manana Ridge Trail

Steady grind in the mountains. One foot in front of the other.

Manana Ridge Trail

Watching random waterfalls flowing in the distance.

Manana Ridge Trail

Is this the last false peak?

Manana Summit

Group photo at the cloudy and rainy knob. Just another day in the mountains.

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

Leaving the 2,660′ summit for greener pastures.

Corner

Sliding our way down to the creek.

Corner

Thomas filtering water from the upper part of the muddy creek.

Corner

Some in the group didn’t need water or perhaps the thought of drinking mud and bug strained H20 wasn’t appealing.

KSRT

Back on the cloud soaked ridge line.

KSRT

Inching along.

KSRT

Are we having fun yet?

KSRT

We finally got a postcard worthy view.

KSRT

Passing through a small meadow in the mountains.

KSRT

Doug coming around the trail with the background views still holding.

KSRT

A bush of mountain naupaka flowers on the trail, these common endemic half flowers are found only on Oahu and Kauai.

KSRT

Going down on the trail section that has eroded over time. Hence, the webbing.

KSRT

Panoramic valley view.

KSRT

Talking shop in the mountains.

KSRT

This would be a nice place to camp. Be careful what you wish for.

KSRT

Somebody is looking for Olomana. No pointing allowed on this hike.

KSRT

Hiking on the ridge with the prominent Kualoa Ridge in the background.

KSRT

We need to have a meeting of the minds. Doug was rather extremely exhausted and options were discussed. Camp and rest. Return back to where we had started. None of them seemed feasible, so the call was made. I also got a text from CJ, our backup pickup at Poamoho, who advised me that the lock combination didn’t work. Fly in the ointment. Glad we found out sooner than later.

KSRT

Hello. This is Doc Brown. I need a ride. Back to the future.

KSRT

Where’s your DeLorean? In the shop. You guys want a ride down too? No, we are staying put. Yes, we know it gets cold and we have shelter, food and water. Thank you for the offer.

KSRT

Kudos to the skill of the chopper pilot that landed on the postage stamp sized spot to get Doug back to his warm bed tonight.

KSRT

And then they were three. Good night from Camp Ginger.

KSRT

Day 2
We had a lot of ground to make up as the unfortunate turn of events had put us back 4-5 hours from where I had originally wanted us to be today.

Waiawa Gap

Making our way down the cloud soaked mountains.

Waiawa Gap

Sunrise in the mountains.

Waiawa Gap

Hiking on the edge.

Waiawa Gap

Slippery climb up = taxing cardio.

Waiawa Gap

The clouds started to break apart, to give us some views worth hiking for.

Waiawa Gap

Taking a well-deserved break at the gated fence to enjoy the morning mountain views.

Waiawa Gap

Climbing out of the gap.

KSRT

Hiking into the clouds. Mother Nature can be so temperamental at times. Take what you can.

KSRT

Enjoying the last of the Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail section.

Kipapa Summit

Where tomatoe becomes tomato.

Ko’olau Summit Trail (KST)

Sliding our way down the soft and spongy ground.

KST

Walking in the clouds as the sounds of civilization punched its way through the clouds.

KST

Passing through the scented Japanese Sugi Pine Tree Grove.

Camp Rusty

Group photo at the planned camping spot which is also the site of the former Kipapa Cabin.

KST

We passed under the shadow of Waiahole Summit as we crossed through the man-made notch.

KST

Meandering our way through the mountains.

KST

Thomas going over the selfie stick fence junction.

KST

Approaching the emerald depression where a certain tree is growing parallel to gravity.

KST

Rounding the bend.

Tree of Life

Thomas and Amber in front of the horizontal growing Japanese Sugi Pine Tree. It gets bigger every time I visit this magical place.

KST

If you haven’t slept on a bed of tree moss, you haven’t lived.

KST

Pulling our way up on the fence line with Windward views at our back.

KST

Contouring for daze.

KST

Going over the second fence junction.

KST

Amber coming around the last “tricky” junction, easier from our direction to find it.

KST

The trail for the most part contours on the Leeward side with ample Windward views to keep us motivated.

KST

Thomas going around the trail with the Waianae Mountain Range in the background.

KST

Amber crossing over one of the biggest landslides on the trail.

KST

All smiles as we popped out on the Windward side which meant we were pretty done with the contouring part of the trail.

KST

Finding our way down to the bottom trail.

KST

Are we there yet?

KST

Looking back at the peak of Pu’u Ohulehule, that is privately owned. Believe it or not!

Schofield-Waikane Summit

Group photo at the 2,360′ spot that also marked Thomas’s completion of the KST. Congratulations! Champagne is waiting at the car. We also asked Doug who was presumably well-rested from his recovery, to check the gate lock for us.

KST

Hiking on the runway of a trail. Or at least that’s what somebody said.

KST

No feeding of the Ko’olau Goose. However, drone flying is permitted.

KST

Hello? Yes, I would like to order a working gate lock. If my request is granted, I promise to stop pointing at Olomana.

KST

Enjoying what daylight we had left as the sun began to set. Doug also had mentioned that he had gotten ahold of somebody at DLNR to hopefully come out and change the locks. If for some reason, the lock could not be changed or opened, I suggested Plan B, which was to stay overnight at the cabin.

KST

Hiking by headlamps. Doug also confirmed that the lock was changed and the combination worked as it should.

KST

Passing through the gated notch.

KST

Back on the fence line.

Poamoho Cabin

Just a quick stop to filter water since Plan B was no longer needed.

Poamoho Cabin

Obligatory log entries.

Cline Memorial

It was also my KST finish as well. #16 in the books.

All pau

Many thanks to Cary for picking us up despite the late hour and driving us down the dark jeep road. Also a big mahalo to Aileen who was waiting down at the gate for us with food and drinks from McDonald’s and took us to our cars in Pearl City. Glad you didn’t come on the hike after all!

GPS Tracks

Our memorable camping hike covered 17.10 miles, always get different mileages when I do the same route. Go figure. This weekend proved that everything happens for a reason. It started with certain individuals dropping out of the hike for different reasons. Then, my friend CJ told me about the lock not working. Heads up on that one. Doug got pulled off the mountain, thanks to HFD, and he turns out to be the one that called DLNR to get somebody out there at night to get the lock fixed so that our ride, Amber’s husband who drove up the road to pick us up in the middle of the night. And lastly, Aileen who waited patiently for us well after midnight at the bottom of the gate with food and drinks and took us back to our vehicle. Many thanks to everybody that was part of the group and the support that we got during the weekend.

Photos taken by Amber Fonte, Doug Ross, Thomas Barrett, 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.

We spent a blustery weekend in the mountains to help each other cross the KST finish line. Photo by Art Young.

Poamoho Trail

Thanks to Darryl and Edgar for shuttling and driving Art, Barry and myself from Manana to Poamoho. Much appreciated guys.

Poamoho Trail

Somebody has been hard at work on fixing the trail.

Poamoho Trail

Rope? We don’t need no stinking rope! Photo by Art Young.

Poamoho Trail

Contouring our way around one of the more massive landslides that changed the character of the trail.

Poamoho Trail

Barry surveying the mass wasting around him. Photo by Art Young.

Poamoho Trail

Lending scale to the gravity induced river of debris that cleared a path straight down to the stream. Photo by Art Young.

Poamoho Trail

Passing through a spot where the trail was cleared of fallen trees.

Poamoho Trail

Crossing the stream which meant we were less than ten minutes from the summit. Photo by Art Young.

Poamoho Summit

The summit views were fleeting so we struck out for the cabin.

Ko’olau Summit Trail (KST)

Drifting over the boardwalk. Photo by Art Young.

Poamoho Cabin

Brief stop at the oldest cabin on the KST where we filled our water bottles and signed the logbook for posterity’s sake.

KST

Approaching the man-made notch in the mountains that was made to allow beasts of burden to pass through. Photo by Barry Lau.

Pauao Junction

Looking down into the lush valleys and verdant landscape.

KST

Following the fence line. Photo by Art Young.

KST

Barry making friends on the trail. Just don’t feed the wildlife. Photo by Art Young.

KST

Are we there yet? Photo by Art Young.

Schofield-Waikane Junction

Group photo left to right: Art, myself and Barry.

KST

Approaching the split in the trail.

KST

Crossing over the well-trodden landslide.

KST

Pushing our way through the endemic and ubiquitous uluhe ferns.

KST

Appreciating the wide open trail while it lasted. Photo by Barry Lau.

KST

Descending down the fence line with nothing but the wind and clouds for company.

Tree of Life

The horizontal leaning sugi pine tree was doing quite well. In fact, I think it sprouted a couple feet since our last visit. It could have been the clouds playing with my imagination. Photo by Barry Lau.

KST

Making our way over one of the numerous landslides that constantly change the character of the trail.

KST

Art passing through the notch which meant we were home for the night.

Camp Rusty

Making camp amidst the grove of Japanese Sugi Pine Trees and swapping fuel and not stories for the night.

Camp Rusty

Waking up to a typical cloud soaked day on the KST.

KST

Climbing out of our campsite.

Kipapa Junction

Where the trail becomes a ridge. Photo by Art Young.

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

The cardio climbing commences. Photo by Art Young.

KSRT

Enjoying the relatively flat sections while we can.

KSRT

Descending down into the gap.

Waiawa Gap

It was just a matter of time before the fence line made its way into the gap. Photo by Art Young.

Waiawa Gap

Taking the scenic way. Translation: The harder way.

Waiawa Gap

Making our way to the middle of the gap.

Waiawa Gap

Preparing for the onslaught of the killer bees. Thankfully they never materialized.

Waiawa Gap

Climbing out of the gap. Photo by Art Young.

KSRT

Cardio continuation.

KSRT

Sometimes it’s the little hills that give you pause and not the big ones.

KSRT

Crossing another trickling stream. Anybody need water? Photo by Art Young.

KSRT

Pushing up one of the last big hills. Photo by Barry Lau.

KSRT

The wind, clouds and rain combined to make it a very surreal moment in the mountains.

KSRT

Barry tunneling through the trees. Photo by Art Young.

Corner

Brief stop at the cold and windy filling station. Photo by Art Young.

KSRT

All smiles as the major rolling hills were behind us.

KSRT

Art heading towards our last summit of the weekend. Photo by Barry Lau.

Manana Summit

#16. Champagne congratulations to Barry for completing his last section needed to connect the dots on the Ko’olau Summit Trail. Photo by Art Young.

Manana Summit

Art also celebrated his second completion along with my 13th time traversing the Ko’olau Mountains. No champagne for us. Not even a pat on the back. Just three fingers behind my head.

Manana Trail

Barry hightailed it down the trail while we took our time going down.

Manana Trail

Are we there yet? Are we done yet? Another trail I am scratching off my list. Photo by Art Young.

All pau

Exiting the 16.8 mile trail and putting another camping weekend behind us. Photo by Art Young.

Post hike meal

Many thanks to Aida, Chris, Lilyn, Quan and Tessa for joining us at the nearby park and bringing chicken papaya, Popeye’s chicken and other sides for our post hike meal along with ice cold cokes to wash it down. Barry was there in spirit as well. Phone spirit. Congratulations again to Barry and Art for their KST completions.

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.

Team BASK had its rare meet up in the mountains this weekend. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Trailhead

Mahalo to Edgar for driving Analyn, Bill, Shirley and myself up the bumpy jeep road. No cows sighted this time around.

Poamoho Trail

Passing through the barriers that filtered only two legged hikers onto the trail.

Poamoho Trail

Heading into the gulch with a trickle that was barely passable as a stream.

Poamoho Trail

Isolated pockets of still flowering lobelia punctuated the trail on our approach to the windswept grassy hump.

Poamoho Summit

Group photo at the 2,520′ summit, where I also discovered one of my slippers had popped out of my backpack. Not again.

Poamoho Summit

The views did not disappoint as did the winds. It was blowing hard at the summit.

Ko’olau Summit Trail (KST)

Sheltered from the winds as we made our way on the Leeward side of the trail.

Poamoho Cabin

We ran into a group of bullfrog hunters that were staying at the cabin, where we topped out our bladders and bottles, left a cupcake surprise for the birthday girl and alerted Tessa and company of the situation. Photos and facetiming slowly convinced her of the impending cabin conflict.

KST

Back on the fenced trail.

KST

Analyn hiking out on what I like to call the “runway.” The runway to spectacular scenic views second to none.

KST

Looking back at the trail cut into the side of the mountain. Photo by Shirley Gloriani.

Pauao Junction

The overgrown trail that goes down into Kahana Valley.

KST

Our pic … Photo by Analyn Baliscao.

KST

… for your pic. Photo by Shirley Gloriani.

KST

Hugging the side of the cliff as the winds were really gusting hard in the mountains today.

KST

The winds were so loud that it drowned out YawYaw#2, no small feat I can tell you.

KST

Even the endangered Ko’olau Goose was being battered and stripped of its feathers. Photo by Analyn Baliscao.

KST

Analyn approaching the junction.

Schofield-Waikane Junction

Group photo at what is arguably the superior viewpoint of the valleys below us.

KST

Brushing past one of many loulu palm trees that dotted the trail.

KST

Making our way over the uneven terrain towards the split in the trail.

Waikane-Waiahole Junction

Blink and you’ll miss it.

KST

Traversing the now well-trodden landslide.

KST

Looking out into the rugged landscape.

KST

Wait, why are we doing this section again? After some of us said one and done?

KST

Bill was doing some kind of obscene dance over Shirley as she was tying her shoes. It’s okay, they’re engaged.

KST

Analyn rounding the bend in the trail.

KST

Following the fenced line down towards the first clumping of sugi pine trees.

Tree of Life

Group photo with the horizontal pine tree. I should work on my camera angles.

Tree of Life

Climbing our way out of the meadows as the winds tried to push us back.

Selfie Stick Junction

Might as well make myself comfortable as we’ll be stuck here for quite awhile.

KST

Passing through the notch as we dropped into the grove of Japanese Sugi pine trees.

Camp Rusty

Three tents made the campsite more comfortable.

Camp Tessa

Meanwhile back at the cabin, Tessa and her group had somehow convinced the other group to camp outside. They partied the night away with my missing slipper that was recovered by Jenn. Happy Birthday YawYaw #3.

Camp Rusty

We woke up after a night of intermittent rain showers to stunning morning views. Chris had already left the cabin with the snoozing and snoring group in the dark to catch up with us.

KST

Climbing out of our campsite as we approached our first of many hills for the day.

KST

Looking back at the Windward valleys populated with ridges and peaks. Photo by Bill Yogi.

KST

Climbing up the steep hill was our morning wake up call.

Kipapa Summit

Where tomato becomes tomatoe.

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

The trail soon followed the summit crest rather than contouring and meandering in the mountains.

KSRT

Bill traversing the summit trail with Windward and Leeward views on both sides.

KSRT

Getting your head out of somebody’s else arse is a lot easier than your own. Photo by Shirley Gloriani.

KSRT

Approaching the gap, which has seemingly lost its cardio bite over the repeated visits.

Waiawa Gap

Dropping down the thickly vegetated saddle.

Waiawa Gap

Approaching the middle of the gap, where we all buttoned up in anticipation of the onslaught of female honey bees with their barbed stingers.

Waiawa Gap

We all survived the non-existent bee attack.

KSRT

Shaka to the sky.

KSRT

The random window openings were always a treat for our eyes. Photo by Shirley Gloriani.

KSRT

The goat soon caught up with us. Somewhere around this spot, I found a free drone that I had to give back to its rightful owner at the end of the hike. Photo by Chris Bautista.

KSRT

Everybody had their own opinion on this trail section, some more obscenely than others. Photo by Shirley Gloriani.

Never say Never

Team BASK on their last group photo on this section, as three vowed never to set foot on this route again. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Corner

Dropping off the ridge to look for much needed water. Photo by Shirley Gloriani.

Corner

The lower creek was running dry, so we followed the creek to its source where we found enough standing water to filter and fill our bottles and bladders.

Corner

Life in the creek, some were more active than others.

Corner

We left the cloud soaked meadow with our packs a little heavier from the mountain water.

KSRT

There is always time for another photo. And another. And another. To be continued. Photo by Shirley Gloriani.

KSRT

Chris making his way to the last summit of the day.

KSRT

Are we there yet? Are we here?

Manana Summit

The champagne got turned on myself as this hike marked my 11th completion of the KST.

Manana Summit

Drone photo by Bill Yogi of our group at the 2,660′ knob.

Manana Trail

Leaving the summit for the 5.5 mile ungraded trail or as Shirley calls it, the b*tch trail.

Manana Trail

Analyn making her way down from the top.

Manana Trail

Somewhere in the mountains, it was hump day. We were smack dab in the middle of it.

Manana Trail

Approaching the helipad where Aida had hiked up to meet us. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Manana Trail

Thanks to Aida for bringing me a frozen bottle of carbonated goodness. But first, Analyn didn’t let any of the overflow go to waste. Good until the last drop.

Manana Trail

Group photo, left to right: Aida, Chris, myself, Shirley, Bill and Analyn. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Manana Trail

Contact with the fence line. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Manana Trail

Looking back as we closed the gate on hump day ad nauseam. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Manana Trail

Analyn going down one of the steeper sections with the help of a rope.

Manana Trail

Walking through the grassy fields as we approached the picnic shelter. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Nature Walk

Taking pictures as it will last longer. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Manana Trail

Analyn crossing over the eroded section of the trail. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Scared Stoopid

Only one was scared, the others were either too tired or saw the terrifying group of Lilyn, Quan, and Tessa before they could spring their surprise scare.

Champagne Celebration

Another bottle of perfectly good alcohol going to waste. Photo by Aida Gordon.

All pau

Walking out the road to our cars.

GPS Tracks

Our camping hike covered 18 miles through the Northern Ko’olau Mountains with good friends and fun company. Looking forward to the next Team BASK reunion, which will probably be in six months to a year. LOL. Post hike meal at Outback Steakhouse. Clam chowder was finally back on the menu. It’s the small things that counts. Thanks to Quan for dropping Analyn and myself off in Mililani where we had parked our cars.

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.