I got an excuse to break in my spanking brand new Costco backpack this weekend. Met up with Chris B, Chris C and Thessa to explore the rolling hills of Wahiawa.

Water tanks

We shouldered our 40 pound backpacks and disappeared into the hills.

The hills

The group making their way down the first hill through a stand of eucalyptus trees.

Dry stream

Passing through uprooted trees scattered like so many matchsticks.

Going down

We climbed up a hill, hit a switchback and followed the trail down to our first stream crossing.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Took off our shoes and waded to the opposite bank in clear, cold waters.

Going up

The ample leaves surrounding us came in handy to dry our feet off. Climbing up another hill. Theme for the day.

Group photo

Cameras and monkeys fall out of trees. No monkeys around today. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Follow the ribbon

We followed this ribbon down into a thickly vegetated valley floor with false drops, so we turned around and headed back up again.

Let’s try this way

The trail looped back the way we had come from, so we found another side trail to explore.

Looks like a trail

Let’s see where this goes.

Poamoho stream

The trail dropped us down into another stream. Photo by Chris Chun.

Hills

Climbing up another hill peppered with paperbark trees.

Deja vu

Muttered curses filled the air as I topped the hill only to realize we had looped back again!

Ridge trail

Let’s find out where this ridge will take us.

Kaukonahua stream

We meet again. It the waters were higher, we might as well have gone tubing! Photo by Chris Chun.

Come on down

We crossed the stream and picked up a faint trail that soon disappeared as the uluhe got deeper and denser as we bushwhacked our way up another hill. Losing daylight. Time to turn around and set up camp. We didn’t lug these tents around for nothing.

Campsite

Group photo left to right: Chris B, Chris C, Thessa and myself.

What’s for dinner?

Cup of cramps. All night long. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Sunset

The day was drawing to a close. No more exploring for today. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Good night

Snoring. Cheese Farts. Eating. Rain. Tree branches creaking. Sleep. Not necessarily in that order. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Good morning

Wakey, wakey eggs and bakey. Or in our case, leftover MREs.

Back on the trail

We broke our campsite down, packed our bags and headed back out.

Uluhe forest

Nice to look at, not nice to be in it.

Rising waters

Runoff and rain had swollen and colored the muddy brown stream. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Until we meet again

Recycled walking sticks.

Playtime

The looping hike covered roughly 6 miles of rolling hills, pig trails, hunter trails, hiking trails, ridges and streams. Real easy to get lost in these hills. Post hike meal at Zippys. The eye is bigger than the stomach.

Wishing to explore the iconic symbol of Hawaii but wanting to stay away from the high heeled hordes that flood Diamond Head daily, I decided to literally borrow a page from a published list that details the many other ridges of Diamond Head.

Full moon

Met up with George and Glenn at the trailhead that was sandwiched in between expensive real estate. Parking is not free.

Abandoned reservoir

Grafitti, trash and shrubbery have taken over. Photo by Glenn Toyama.

Hello?

Looking up, we saw the tourists gawking at the sights below them.

Follow the cable

Cables are laid out on some of the ridges and the entire crater rim.

A ridge too far

Another ridge to explore for another day.

Ratty ropes

Climbing up the rocky face, ropes are present but not needed. Photo by George Vuong.

Looking back

The ridge we had just climbed up.

Good morning Waikiki

The sun was casting its reflection across the waters of Waikiki.

Crowded at the summit

Lots of leg room here. Group photo left to right: Glenn, myself and George.

Down the stairs

We went down the stairs to connect back to the rim.

Fire control station

Looking back at the four level command post that was completed in 1911.

On the rim

George on the ocean side of the rim.

Diamond Head Lighthouse

Keeping the ships away since 1899.

Pillbox junction

The last exposed bunker on the ocean side of the rim.

Coming up

Glenn checked out the lower level of the bunker. No homeless reported. But we did see what looked like several homeless camps in the gullies of the outside crater.

Another bunker

Looking down at one of the two bunkers that are emplaced below the rim on the ocean side.

Looking back at the rim

The sun was slowly chasing the shade away.

Crumbly way down

George and Glenn making their way down the loose and crumbly trail.

Concrete way down

A roughly poured concrete strip goes down from the bunker to Diamond Head road. Read that people use this to run up to the crater rim.

On the road again

We popped out on the road and began walking to the next ridge that would take us back to the rim.

Going back up

Figuring out which ridge to go up. A guy shouted to us that we were going up the wrong way and lots of people have been helicoptered out going this way. Really?

Contouring the concertina wire

The two lower bunkers were heavily ringed with rolls of concertina wire which forced us to contour to the sides to avoid death by a thousand cuts.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Back on the rim

It was getting hot on the exposed rim.

Search light bunker

Looking into the last extant bunker that used to house one of six search lights.

Twin bunkers

Followed the trail down between two former anti-aircraft bunkers that led us to the Kahala tunnel entrance.

Road less traveled

Took a side road that hugged the crater.

Storage tunnel

One of seven storage tunnels bored into the crater walls.

Back up

The road eventually terminated and we followed the closest ridge back up to the rim.

Ala Wai Canal

Looking at Ala Wai Canal, created in 1928 that drained the swamps and created the Waikiki that we know today.

Blown away

It was a windy day on the rim. Claimed my boonie hat. Time to visit the surplus shop.

Scrambling up

George going up a rock face on the rim.

Clear day

The Ko’olau mountain range in the background.

Balancing

George traversing a narrow section of the rim.

Urban sprawl and crawl

A sea of urbanization spilling from the mountains to the ocean.

Scooting the rim

George going across the last narrow rim section.

Scenic point

Views of Waikiki and the Waianae mountain range in the background.

Tourists

We completed the rim loop at the lookout. More tourists.

Claustrophobic?

Glenn felt a little claustrophobic going through the dimly lit tunnel. Lucky it was a short walk.

Traffic jam

It was a chore navigating the crowd of high heels, slippers and dress shoes.

Abunai!

Going out the Kahala Tunnel.

GPS Tracks

Hiking the crater rim covered 4.7 miles under hot, crumbly and fun conditions. So far, explored seven ridges and fourteen more left!

Rainy weather means waterfalls to most hikers. That is why I found myself with the caveman crew at the end of Aloha Oe Street. Brad and Scott ferried us to the Maunawili Demo Trailhead in Waimanalo. This is the same trailhead where a fellow hiker’s car got broken into on our last hike. Exercise caution and discretion when parking in any areas, remote or otherwise.

The fun begins

Hoping the chronics would leave the beater trucks alone, we left the Maunawili Demo trailhead and walked up the road until we soon accessed an unnamed trail. Linda and Scott would be our water tunnel and waterfall guides for today.

Follow the pipe

We followed the water pipe through the tree lined trail to a pumping station.

Watch your step

Metal grating covered the open water ditch as we continued our hike.

Break out the headlamps

The group preparing to enter the Aniani Water Tunnel. It was going to be a dark and tight squeeze.

Missing the turf

Scott found this crawfish crawling on the ground. Invasive species. Time to eat. Where’s the butter?

Chances of water = 100%

No need to knock. The gate was open.

Not for the claustrophobic

The tunnel ceiling started out at around five feet.

The hiking grail

Choose wisely Bob Tyson.

Low clearance

Tunnel ceiling dropped to about three feet from this point.

Pays to be skinny

Towards the end, the tunnel ceiling was about two feet. We had to shed our backpacks to make it underneath the locked gate.

Follow the ditch

After we emerged dripping wet from the tunnel, we climbed a small hill and followed the open water ditch.

Recon & Rest

Taking a small break in this open area after leaving behind Government road that we had just traveled on. Brad ran up the hill to see if he could catch a view, while the rest of us waited.

Official trail

No horses, just hikers.

Up?

A large tree had fallen and blocked the trail. Some of us went up and over…

Down?

…while the rest of us went down and over.

Waterfall sighting

The first of many waterfalls we were to see on the trail, fueled by the constant rain.

Biggest waterfall?

Group photo at one of the largest waterfalls on trail, left to right: Tom, Will, Katherine, Marcus, myself, Linda, Brad (not in pic), Sara, Bob and Scott.

Stream crossing

Crossing one of multiple streams that canvassed the trail.

Double waterfalls

Sara and Bob between two waterfalls. They were everywhere!

Waterfalls everywhere you look

Ice cold water beating upon a rock.

Stream jumping

Sara jumping over a stream. She didn’t want to get her feet wet.

See that waterfall?

Marcus spotted a waterfall tucked deep inside a valley. So we detoured off the trail…

We’re here!

…and found ourselves at another waterfall. Surprise.

Rain forest

The constant misting of rain made for a cool hike, in so many ways.

Christmas berries

Splash of color in the forest.

Headed upstream

Like salmons, we went up this stream populated with huge ferns.

Waterfall, with a capital W!

The biggest waterfall yet, the photo does not illustrate it to justice.

Where did you come from?

At the base of the waterfall is Oshanassey Tunnel, that could extend 50′ or 500′ into the mountain. Nobody seems to know. Brad tried to find out, armed only with a headlamp and barely enough head room. After being semi-submerged in the tunnel for about five minutes, he came back. A dead-end. Perhaps.

See the hand?

Tom took a quick dip in the tunnel. No other takers. Scott soon climbed up the hill to gain the upper waterfall. The group followed suit.

Worth the climb

When we crested the hill, what awaited us was a spectacular waterfall soaring towards the sky. It made the hike.

Headed down

Going down the connector falls trail.

Looking back at all the waterfalls

The waterfalls were pouring down the mountains seemingly from every nook and cranny.

Rock hopping

We took another detour off the beaten trail, where we soon found Cook Tunnel. Totally submerged and clogged with roots. Back to the trail.

Headed out

Going down the trail, we passed the usually crowded Maunawili Falls. Not paying a visit today. We saw our fill of waterfalls today.

GPS Tracks

The 8 mile hike was filled with more waterfalls that you could shake a dowsing rod at. Time well spent with an awesome crew.

I had a free week off in between jobs, so I visited my parents on the Big Island and squeezed in a couple of fun hikes.

Kaumana Caves

My first stop was Kaumana Caves which is a 15-20 minute drive from downtown Hilo.  The place has a sheltered picnic table, restrooms and drinking water. All the comforts a hiker can ask for.

Watch your step

Steep stairs descended into a mini-rain forest sprouting out of the breach of a 25 mile long lava tube that was created by an 1881 lava flow from Mauna Loa.

The right cave

I explored the smaller cave opening to the right side first.

Come to the dark side

Making my way down into the cave, the light soon left me, to be replaced by total darkness. Pitch black. Not a speck of light. Except for my headlamp.  

Got light?

The cave narrowed considerably at times, forcing me to duck and even crawl on all fours. I bumped my head more than once. On the solid lava ceiling. Ouch. 

Drip. drip. drip.

The constant dripping of water was my only company on this hike. Lava stalactites that were formed during the 1881 lava flow.

Grafitti!

Grafitti in the cave. Didn’t see no petroglyphs. Lighting was a problem. After stumbling in the semi-darkness for half an hour, I turned around.

The batcave!

I made my way to the larger cave opening on the left side.

Going down the rabbit hole

Appearances can be deceiving. The larger opening lead to a smaller opening.

Crawling is mandatory

I crawled under a ledge to start my second cave exploration.

Follow the lava tube

It was cool, literally, to be inside a pitch black lava tube, with only a headlamp to help navigate. It’s not just a hike, it’s an adventure.

Left or right?

Unlike the cave on the right, this one had sections with ceilings that looked at least 40′ high and even split lava tubes.

Time to turn back

Soon the cave floor became a maze of jagged and jumbled lava rocks, time for me to turn around. One could probably make a day of exploring the entire length of the caves in both directions. Just make sure you have backup on top of backup lights. Without lights, it would not be safe and fun getting out of there.

No rainbow?

I drove down the road to Wailuku River State Park for the easiest hike to a waterfall yet. Can’t even call it a hike. You park and Rainbow Falls is there, literally. No rainbows were present but at least the falls were gushing. Sometimes Mother Nature turns the waterfalls off due to lack of rain.  

Rainbow Falls

Rainbow Falls is also known as Waianuenue in Hawaiian. There is a trail by the sign that will take you to the top of the falls.

Wailuku River

There are another set of falls further upstream, known as Peepee Falls which feeds the famous pools known as Boiling Pots. Another hike for another day.

Top of the falls

Checking out the 80 foot drop. Now it was off to have an early dinner with my parents at Lava Rock Café. Try their Southern Fried Chicken. Tasty.

Exploring Mauna Lahilahi on the Waianae side is a nice little climb up the world’s smallest mountain. I wouldn’t by any stretch, call this a hike. Glenn and I met Chris on Lahilahi Street and went over the rock wall. Sign says the park is open from 5am to 10pm, but the gates were still locked at 7:00am. Hawaiian time.

Which trail shall we take up?

There appeared to be several trails that leads up to the top, some from the ocean and mountain sides. We took the most obvious trail going up on the mountain side.

Nice little climb

We made short work of the rocky hill. It’s not very challenging at all, although there are some spots you can climb, otherwise just contour around the rock formations.

Top of Mauna Lahilahi

We arrived at the 230′ summit roughly 10 minutes after we had started from the bottom.

Looking towards Kaena Point

A nice view looking towards Kaena Point and the semi-private beach below us. We saw a guy doing his early morning stand up paddle boarding and a dolphin excursion boat skipping along the deep blue waters, country living at it’s finest.

Sun breaking over the mountains

Catching the sunrise breaking over the Waianae mountain range.

Deep blue Pacific Ocean

Looking at the end of Mauna Lahilahi or “thin mountain” extend and drop into the Pacific Ocean, this view offers a closer and different perspective than most other climbs and hikes that we have done.