A group of us walked on the holiday that was founded in 1910 by Sonora Smart Dodd to celebrate fatherhood and complement Mother’s Day. It took awhile for the holiday to gain traction with the public until President Nixon formally made it a national holiday in 1972.

Waimea

Some did pushups to warm up at our meeting spot, while others checked out the latest fad from Nordic folklore through Hong Kong.

Dillingham Airfield

Thanks to Lilia and Jeremy for shuttling us to our starting point that started as Camp Kawaihapai in 1922, then Mokuleia Airstrip in 1941 and Dillingham Airfield in 1948 and full circle to Kawaihapai Airfield in 2001. But most locals still call it Dillingham Airfield. Old habits die hard.

Dillingham Airfield

Edgar met us on his e-bike to keep us partial company today.

Dillingham Airfield

Look, up in the sky! It’s a glider! It’s a plane! It’s skydivers!

Dillingham Airfield

The closest we will come to jumping out of a perfectly good airplane today.

Farrington Highway

Pedestrians have the same crossing rights as equestrians.

Farrington Highway

Chico taking a break from walking.

Farrington Highway

Entrance to Dillingham Ranch that was founded in 1897 and was sold to the Nolan family in 2023 for 36.5 million dollars.

Farrington Highway

Where there is no polo, there can be no marco.

Farrington Highway

I didn’t know they had a petting zoo around here.

Mahinaai Street

The group checking out one of the fruit and vegetable stands on the road. What’s in your hand Akira-san?

Crozier Drive

Many of these older homes are considered historic and are granted tax exemptions and in return must grant the public viewing access that is not obstructed.

Crozier Drive

Exploring Crozier Beach that was accessed through a public corridor. There is a growing entitlement among migrant wealthy owners who seek to gentrify local areas by restricting public access to beaches which run contrary to State law that mandates all beaches are public. Money talks, locals walk.

Crozier Drive

We didn’t see any campers, just hikers.

Crozier Drive

Art imitating life.

Crozier Drive

Public dancing or stretching.

Crozier Drive

Looking for affordable beachfront housing. Barking up the wrong tree?

Waialua Beach Road

Edgar riding by the Pu’uiki Beach Park which is privately owned by Dole Food Company. Public beach access?

Waialua Beach Road

The bus stop served as our temporary resting spot where Jeremy joined us on his electric bike.

Waialua Beach Road

Public papaya pickers.

Waialua Beach Road

We got papayas, now all we need is a chicken.

Waialua Beach Road

You can keep the cash reward. Chicken papaya sounds pretty good right now.

Cane Haul Road

We going that way. You go that way.

Cane Haul Road

Did everybody smile?

Cane Haul Road

Railings were a late addition to the bridge. Safety first.

Cane Haul Road

Photo provided courtesy of Dale Yoshizu which I believe shows the last run of those giant cane hauler trucks across the Cane Haul Bridge on October 3, 1996, which marked the last day of the Waialua Sugar Mill, the last of its kind in the islands.

Cane Haul Road

Looking back at the roughly 420′ bridge that crosses over the waters of Kaiaka Bay.

Cane Haul Road

Group photo in front of what most people think of when you say grass shack. This particular one was sheltering a couple of canoes.

Kaiaka Bay

Walking from the road to the beach to the park.

Kaiaka Bay Beach Park

Group photo in front of the rock known as Pohaku o Lana’i, the two rocks seemingly stacked and balanced on top of each other resembles a giant mushroom, legend has it that the rocks floated ashore from the mythical land of Kahiki.

Kaiaka Bay Beach Park

Jeremy getting some air time as he leaves no carbon footprint. Until he charges his bike. Edgar packed his bike in the car and went home to celebrate his day.

Kaiaka Bay Beach Park

Something is out of place on the Bill and Peggy Paty monument, can you spot it?

Haleiwa Road

We stopped at the Waialua Fire Station to get our blood pressure checked, saw an old co-worker and just to take photos.

Haleiwa Road

Group photo in front of the 93-year old fire station that sits in a flood and tsunami zone. Five acres of land was purchased from Dole in 2020 to build a new fire station but then they found out that it also sits in a tsunami zone. You can’t make this stuff up.

Haleiwa Road

Checking out the shuttered Chun’s Store and Market that was a fixture in the Haleiwa community since 1946.

Haleiwa Road

Partial group photo in front of Kealii O Malu Church that was built in 1939, services are held every Sunday at 10am.

Haleiwa Road

The rest of the group was more interested in picking calamansi from the nearby tree than praying.

Haleiwa Road

I don’t know if Dale wanted to take his photo with the pretty wahine or the vintage VW bus.

Haleiwa Road

Passing Haleiwa Boat Harbor that was built in 1966 at the mouth of the Anahulu River.

Haleiwa Road

Mari plucking a penny off the pavement in front of 7-11 where we had stopped to refresh ourselves. Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long you’ll have good luck.

Kamehameha Highway

Watching people climb and jump off the Rainbow Bridge constructed in 1921 and paddlers going up Anahulu River that once teemed with edible marine life, but now is polluted ever since Haleiwa Harbor was built in 1966.

Anahulu Bridge

The original wooden bridge built in the early 1900s that served to facilitate mostly horse drawn carriage traffic into town until a tractor in 1915 destroyed the bridge.

Kamehameha Highway

Group photo in front of the current Anahulu Bridge.

Kamehameha Highway

Entering Haleiwa town, that was founded by Benjamin Dillingham in 1898. Jeremy directing traffic or giving directions as some of us stopped to grab some fruity ice cream. Quite a treat for our taste buds.

Kamehameha Highway

Aspiring and fallen angels.

Kamehameha Highway

Passing Haleiwa Beach Park and admiring the crimson flower trees bordering the park that was constructed in 1939.

Kamehameha Highway

Group photo at the sign that had its genesis in 1996, graffiti and vandals soon rendered the sign a shadow of its former self in 2005, as perpetrators had sawed off the surfer and only left the feet on the surfboard. Japanese surfboard shaper, Tatsuro Ota volunteered on his own to repair and rebuild the male surfer. However, in 2006, the original artist who made the signs, Carole Beller, took down Ota’s replacement and replaced it with the current female surfer you see in the photo. Copyright protection.

Kamehameha Highway

Chico helping direct traffic so HPD can get to where they are going. The civic duty is strong in this one.

Kamehameha Highway

Take a wild guess as to who lives here.

Kamehameha Highway

No turtles. Only beachgoers. Nothing to see here. Move along.

All pau

Approaching the side street where our cars were parked.

GPS Tracks

Our Father’s Day walk covered 11.9 miles with good company and fun times. Aida went to eat in solitude on the North Shore. The rest of us tried Waiahole Poi Factory and discovered it was closed so we decided on Saito and Pho to have our post hike meal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPdGUTkNcVk

Video by Edgar Gamiao of our walk #9.

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Akira Suzuki, Alexis Catarina, Chico Cantu, Dale Yoshizu, Edgar Gamiao, Jeremy Cannone, Kenny Lui, Mari Saito, 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.

It seems to have fallen out of favor to celebrate Christmas on the hardest hike on the island, so we decided to do our interpretation of the island classic of the song written by Eaton “Bob” Magoon, Ed Kenney and Gordon Phelps in 1959.

Waiahole

Numbah one day of Christmas
My Unko gave to me
One Woodstock in one papaya tree

The papaya was introduced to Hawaii in the 1820s by the Spanish explorer turned horticulturist, Don Francisco de Paula Marin.

Punalu’u

Swing and smoke break. This was hard work.

Kaneohe

Numbah two day of Christmas
My Unko gave to me
Two coconuts

Early coconuts were brought to the islands by Polynesian voyagers arriving from Tahiti, they are not native to Hawaii. The only native palm trees are the Loulu, found mostly in the Ko’olau Mountain Range.

Hau’ula

Numbah three day of Christmas
My Unko gave to me
Three dried squid

This chewy snack was likely introduced by Korean immigrants in the early 1900s.

Aliamanu

Will the real Santa please shaka? Santa Claus first appeared in Hawaii in 1858 along with the first Christmas tree at Washington Place.

Aliamanu

Numbah four day of Christmas
My Unko gave to me
Four flower leis

The early Hawaiian settlers brought the craft and tradition of lei making to the islands with them. Today the lei comes in many forms besides flowers, shells, nuts, feathers, money, candy and polyester.

Aliamanu

Numbah five day of Christmas
My Unko gave to me
five stuffed pigs

The hogs were imported to the islands by the early Polynesians, most likely over 800 years ago. One manifestation of the pig is the Hawaiian god, Kamapua’a who could change his forms to suit his wishes.

Haleiwa

Numbah six day of Christmas
My Unko gave to me
six uncoordinated hula dancers

In the absence of a written language, hula developed to pass the cultural knowledge embodied in stories and dances from generation to generation. Protestant missionaries tried to ban hula as they considered them a form of paganism. Then it survived as a tourist attraction until The Merrie Monarch started in 1964, where it started to get back to its roots.

Haleiwa

Somebody got their birthday cupcake early. Early Christmas.

Kahuku

Numbah seven day of Christmas
My Unko gave to me
seven shrimps a swimming
into our mouths

Having our “not have to wait 90 minutes” shrimp lunch at the famous graffiti-covered white truck that supposedly started the garlic shrimp plate lunch back in 1993. The first signature on the truck was by a Ed Hernandez from El Paso, TX in 1994. In 2001, the truck was involved in an armed extortion attempt where the co-owner tried to force the other partner to sell and sign over his interest in the truck. It did not succeed and she was sent to jail.

Aliamanu

Numbah eight day of Christmas
My Unko gave to me
eight out of tune ukulele players
calling Jake Shimabukuro

The history of the ukulele originated in 1879 when three Portuguese immigrants, Manuel Nunes, Augusto Dias, and Jose do Espirito Santo brought with them a small guitar called the braguinha to the islands. The instrument was soon modified to suit local tastes.

Hau’ula

Numbah nine day of Christmas
My Unko gave to me
nine bags of sour poi

Made from the root of the taro plant that came from the Marquesas Islands and eventually became a sacred and staple dish for the Hawaiians. In 1911, the BOH temporarily banned poi as they believed it started a cholera outbreak.

Hau’ula

Numbah ten day of Christmas
My Unko gave to me
ten bottles of beer

The first recorded brewing of beer in Hawaii occurred in 1812 by Don Francisco de Paula Marin, the same individual that brought papaya to the islands among other things. The most famous beer to come out of Hawaii was Primo Lager in 1901, production was moved to the mainland in 1963 but the beer now produced by Pabst can still be found in stores.

Laie

Numbah eleven day of Christmas
My Unko gave to me
eleven missionaries

The first boatload of missionaries arrived in 1820 to spread Christianity and “civilize” the Hawaiian population. Hiram Bingham was the leader of the first wave of missionaries that would forever change the landscape of the islands, for good and bad. His grandson, Hiram Bigham III, became an explorer who “discovered” Machu Picchu and brought it to the attention of the known world at the time.

Aliamanu

Numbah twelve day of Christmas
My Unko gave to me
twelve televisions
on layaway

“Hello Everybody. Welcome to the first official broadcast of KGMB-TV.” Those words ushered in the age of the television to the islands on December 1, 1952. 5:04PM. Four minutes late. Hawaiian time.

Mahalos to Chico and Ferlino for dragging us around the island in their sleds. Easy and fun day.

Photos taken by Akira Suzuki, Chico Cantu, Ferlino Carinio, Jasmin Nepomuceno, Roseann Fai, Tessa Bugay, 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.

We spent the last Sunday in June doing our perimeter walk#6 around the island.

Waimea

Thanks to Matt for dropping Agnes, Aida, Enrique, Jasmin, Mari, Tessa, and myself off near Waimea Bay where we had last ended our walk.

Samurai House

Passing by the oceanside home that has a Japanese theme and built around five bedrooms and nine bathrooms. Rumours that actor Jonah Hill bought the property was squashed by the VRBO owner.

Kamehameha Highway

Finders keepers, losers weepers.

Kamehameha Highway

Walking on the shaded part of the road as the sun started heating up the ambient temperature.

Laniakea Beach

Too early for the turtle traffic, whose peak hours range from 1100 to 1500. Sad we missed the hard shelled herbivores but not the hard headed traffic that ties up the area.

Kawailoa Ranch

Passing the grazing horses.

Kamehameha Highway

Waiting for the bus or to get our picture taken?

Kamehameha Highway

Jasmin filling up her plastic bag with kamachile, a tart but sweet fruit. Are we on public property?

Haleiwa

Group photo in front of one of the restored signs that was first erected in 1996 by California artist Carole Beller. Years of neglect and vandalism saw the sign being covered in graffiti and even the surfer was chopped off. In 2005, Japanese Tatsuro Ota repaired the sign on his own dime and time. In 2006, Carole Beller took down the repaired surfer and replaced it with the current wahine surfer to protect her copyrighted creation.

Haleiwa

Why does my name get paired with an expletive? I just happened to be in the area and made a suggestion.

Haleiwa

Take a selfie and get a sticker.

Haleiwa

Take a selfie and get a photo.

Haleiwa

No pictures. Camera shy.

Haleiwa Beach Park War Memorial

Standing in front of the white obelisk that honors the sixteen locals who gave their lives in WW2 and was built and dedicated in 1947 by the Waialua Lions Club.

Haleiwa

Straining in front of the Bob Marley tribute that was done in 2014 by cryptik.

Haleiwa

Which way is Waialua?

Haleiwa

Pre-preening peacock.

Haleiwa

Fallen angel. These pair of wings are part of Colette Miller’s Global Angel Wings Project that started back in 2012 and has spread over the world.

Rainbow Bridge

I need a bicycle to get up this double arched bridge built in 1921 that carries traffic over Anahulu Stream.

Haleiwa

Popped into the nearby convenience store to get some ice cream refreshments.

Haleiwa Road

No get sassy otherwise I’ll get slappy. Are we on public property?

Haleiwa Harbor

Hello? I would like to order a mango picker.

Haleiwa Road

Pushing her luck. Where’s that neighbor when you need him.

Haleiwa Road

We spotted a colorful saffron finch that was introduced to Hawaii in 1965.

Kealiiokamalu Church

Some used their hands to pray at the Hawaiian church built in 1939.

Haleiwa Road

Others used them to pick calamansi.

Kaika Bay Beach Park

Group photo in front of the mushroom shaped balancing rock called Pohaku Lana’i, legend has it that the rock floated ashore from a distant land called Kahiki.

Kaika Bay Beach Park

We decided to have lunch at the shadowy sea park that covers 53 acres.

Haleiwa Road

Is this a good idea?

Haleiwa Road

Maybe not.

Waialua Beach Road

Why did the hiker cross the road? To see a misleading roadside advertisement up close.

Waialua Elementary School

Is that a verb or noun?

Waialua Beach Road

Some of us came more prepared for the rain than the others.

Waialua Beach Road

Share the road!

Crozier Drive

Air conditioned papayas.

Crozier Drive

Yard sale on the right.

Crozier Drive

Is this sign lost?

Crozier Drive

Checking out a secluded beach.

Crozier Drive

Too rich for my blood.

Mahinaai Street

Walking out towards the highway.

Mahinaai Street

Why let a perfectly manicured lawn go to waste?

Mahinaai Street

The girls checking out one of the honor fruit and vegetable stands in the area.

Farrington Highway

Milk it for all it’s worth. Or just take a picture.

Dillingham Ranch

Group photo in front of the property that was formerly Kawailoa Ranch until the railroad tycoon Benjamin Dillingham purchased it in 1897. His son, Walter would later be responsible for dredging Pearl Harbor, developing Honolulu Airport and Waikiki Beach.

Farrington Highway

Richard Cleveland introduced the first horse to Hawaii in 1803 to King Kamehameha. Today, they are used primarily for trail rides, rodeos and polo matches.

Dillingham Airfield

Who wants to skydive? Don’t everybody jump at once.

Dillingham Airfield

What’s the hardest part of skydiving? The ground.

Dillingham Airfield

The closest I’m getting to skydiving today.

Dillingham Airfield

Walking back to our cars.

All pau

Last chance?

Jerry’s Pizza Mill

Post-walk meal at the nearby pizzeria. Anybody order pineapple toppings?

GPS Tracks

Our longer than expected walk from Waimea to Waialua covered 12.5 miles that was made bearable with good company.

Photos taken by Agnes Bryant, Aida Gordon, Jasmin Nepomuceno, Mari Saito, 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.

Like a gullible fool, I believed the weather forecast for a stormy day and passed on the pass. What can I say? I went to public school.

808randomhikes

Aida, Art, Cathy, Cisco, Edgar, Lilyn, Quan, Sally, Tessa and myself met up on the Windward side to figure out how to fit 10 people into two cars, so that we could carpool around the island. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Maunawili

Our first stop was at the land of discarded shoes. Art diving into the sign as he takes the directions literally. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Maunawili

When a tree falls in the forest … Photo by Art Young.

Maunawili

… it’s much easier to climb it horizontal than vertical. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Maunawili

Walking under the forest canopy. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Maunawili

Touring the abandoned Boyd estate built in 1869.

Maunawili

The home has seen better days since being left to rot back in 1985 and used by B-Listers to re-enact Halloween stories.

Maunawili

The graffiti has run rampant throughout the decaying structure.

Maunawili

Sometimes they come back.

Maunawili

Will the real Queen please take a bath.

Maunawili

Weight capacity has been reached. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Maunawili

See vine. Swing on vine. See vine snap. See idiot fall down. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Maunawili

A colony of fairy inkcaps colonizing the neighborhood. Photo by Art Young.

Maunawili

On the way out, some of us had to answer the call of nature and attempt grade school calisthenics.

Waimanalo

Peeping into a slice of Middle Earth smack dab in the land of potable water. No open house for the hobbit house.

Waimanalo

Let’s see, 3.75 million divided by 10 comes out to empty your bank accounts and take a second job.

Laie

We drove to the land of the Mormons for our next exploration out on the spit of land that juts into the ocean. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Laie

Group photo with some of the five islands in the background that represent the remnants of the giant lizard that was slayed and chopped up by Kana in Hawaiian mythology.

Laie

Playing in the sharp and jagged rocks.

Laie

Deja vu. Lonely. I am Miss Lonely. I have nobody. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Laie

Trying to touch the ocean without getting wet or cut. We left the parking lot where somebody combined a compliment with laziness.

Kahuku

Missed opportunities for some. Lunch time for everybody.

Kahuku

Somebody was so hungry that a dozen garlic smothered shrimp was not enough and had to order another garlic drenched hot dog to top it off.

Waiale’e

We continued our circle island drive and stopped short of Sunset Beach to explore another abandoned building. How many hikers have disappeared here since 1916? Photo by Aida Gordon.

Waiale’e

Walking around the paint splashed ruins.

Waiale’e

Lilyn and Quan playing the instrumentals to their favorite song, “Hold on tight to your dreams.” Photo by Sally Chow.

Waiale’e

Climbing up the tree to see where the noise was coming from. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Waiale’e

The noise was coming from kids playing around in a custom built concrete skate park. Pretty cool.

Waiale’e

When one has a lot of energy, one expends it by climbing up the walls.

Waiale’e

A driver’s worst nightmare. Having a backseat driver and a slow driver in front of them. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Waiale’e

Quan climbing the twisted base to go out on a limb.

Waiale’e

Tree squatters.

Waiale’e

When you try to go fishing with a leaky bucket. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Waiale’e

Somebody was trying to goad me into going further out on a limb. Just hoping for a splash. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Waiale’e

Testing out the seaworthiness before taking our leave of the area. Photo by Sally Chow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGN9n9hISDw

Video by Edgar Gamiao.

Haleiwa

We got treated to free ice cream courtesy of Aida in the bustling art and surf town. Mahalo!

Pearl City

Getting lost in the Mad Max world of abandoned cars and boats and C&C workers cutting grass with equipment that doesn’t work.

Pearl City

We soon found our bearings and got back on the right track. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Pearl City

A bridge too far.

Pearl City

Entering the walled compound of abandoned buildings and stripped cars.

Pearl City

Checking out the first building in the sprawl that used to be a waste water treatment plant.

Pearl City

The rest of the group catching up to us. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Pearl City

Checking out the used car lot.

Pearl City

Edgar climbing up the steps to the second floor.

Pearl City

Looking down into the first floor.

Pearl City

Shitty reflecting pool. Photo by Art Young.

Pearl City

Checking out topside.

Pearl City

Sally going back down. Photo by Art Young.

Pearl City

We kept ourselves easily amused with what we had on hand.

Pearl City

Checking out one of the tanks.

Pearl City

Art dancing through the bushes. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Pearl City

We made our own AAA to get Lilyn’s car out of the muddy rut. It was either that or catch the bus. I didn’t have exact change.

Pearl City

Inside and outside riding through the muddy waters.

https://youtu.be/AOOGWnTKHOQ

Video by Edgar Gamiao.

Pali

Waiting for the #60 bus to take us to our last place on the list. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Pali

Entering the Indian murals ruins. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Pali

Life imitating art.

Pali

Our last group photo of the day left to right: Edgar, Art, Lilyn, Cathy, Aida, myself, Tessa, Sally, Cisco and Quan.

All pau

Siri, where am I? Hello? Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRif6fP5d0s

Video by Edgar Gamiao.

That concluded our scheduled program of exploring abandoned places and eating all day. Fun times with good friends. Special thanks to Edgar and Lilyn for being our tour drivers all day.

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.

Our group consisting of Alex, Chris B, Chris C, Gen, Glenn, Jasmin, Ryan and myself met up with the HTMC for this normally restricted trail in Haleiwa. The combined group numbered at least two dozen. Our plan was to separate from the HTMC group at the Kawailoa summit and go down the Laie trail. Bernice, Erik and Patrick had the same idea. Hiking minds think alike.

The less traveled road

After Ralph, the HTMC hike leader, sorted out who were traversing the Koolaus and who was coming back, we all piled into several trucks to drive to the trailhead.

Don’t follow the arrow

Our truck was the last to reach the trailhead. We all jumped out and went into the bushes.

Open field

One of the HTMC hikers, Patrick, explained to us that the club encourages these hikes as they keep trails like these alive. The Wahiawa Camp of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a public work relief program to help out the unemployed during the Great Depression, built this trail back in 1934. Walking on history.

Cleared trail

The club had cleared roughly half the trail to the summit two weeks earlier. Made the initial hike a lot easier. No bushwhacking involved.

No breaks

The hiking pace was steady without breaks. Those HTMC hikers are hardcore! Gen was trying to catch up to Peg Foster, a silver haired hiker that put many of us to shame.

Uluhe

Glad the head high uluhe fern sections were cleared. Can’t imagine swimming through those thickets of forked ferns.

Not so cleared

The trail soon became muddier in terms of overgrowth and literally. But thanks to the hard work of Gordon Junior Lau and Roger Breton, who were on point bushwhacking to the summit, it was barely a blip as we pushed forward. The mud we couldn’t help but notice, thanks to its constant presence and the numerous shrieks from Nanae.

Kawailoa Wind Farm

Providing 69 megawatts of power to the public and bumping off bats and birds since 2012. Photo by Ryan Meyers.

Lunch spot?

Patrick had designated this Australian tea grove as the turn around point for those not summiting. Dale, Nanae, Svenga and Wyatt decided to head to the summit with the rest of the group. The rest of the HTMC group, including Jasmin, turned around and went back down.

Loulou Palm Tree

Passing Hawaii’s only native palm tree. No, it’s not the coconut tree.

Ridge

We are getting close. Very close.

Waianae range

Coast to coast view. True wilderness country out there. No signs of civilization as far as the eye can see.

Final push

We found Gordon and Roger resting at the base of the summit after their exhausting bushwhacking drive to the summit. Big mahalo for their help.

Kawailoa summit

Kudos to Dale for persevering and making it to the summit with us. Photo by Dale Yoshizu.

Helipad

Bernice and Chris B walking past the scattered planks of the Kawailoa helipad.

Kawailoa summit

Group photo at the 2,360′ summit. Standing left to right: Chris B, Patrick, Glenn, Ryan, Nanae, Wyatt and Alex. Crouching left to right: Svenga, Dale, Chris C, Gen, Bernice and Erik.

Pre-paid tickets?

The group making their way down the bowl shaped depression to gain the KST. Somebody didn’t have her pre-paid ticket to join us. I guess we can overlook it this one time.

H20

Ryan filling up for the trip back down. Patrick showed us this handy water source in case we ever found ourselves parched in this neck of the woods. I also got to try out my spanking brand new Steripen. Ryan didn’t get sick, so I guess it worked.

KST

Patrick and Ryan making their way along the winding Koolau Summit Trail.

Laie summit

Another summit, another view. We can only hope.

Horse shoe

Group photo in the foxhole at the 2,240′ summit, right before the clouds wiped out the views.

Laie trail

Another CCC project that was finished in 1935, that was originally called the Wailele Trail.

Koolau Range lobelia

Only found on Oahu.

Mud trail

I was half expecting to hear more shrieks. Thankfully only the sounds of conversation floated through the air.

Landslide

The only notable landslide seen on the trail.

Laie

Going down, we noticed several trenches on the side of the trail that were dug by the Army in WW2 in case the Japanese invaded. They would have packed them with explosives to prevent the Japanese from using the trail. Now you know the rest of the story.

Follow the sign

The trail going down to Kahawainui Stream.

Going down

Descending down to the falls.

Swimming hole

Half of us jumped into the water and the other half cleaned their shoes and spikes.

Laie Falls

Group photo at the 15′ waterfalls. Dale and Erik elected to stay topside and waited for us to come back up.

Tree hugger

Some people just have to hug.

Cook or Norfolk?

Hiking through the towering conifers.

Dirt hiking

No dirt bikers on the trails today. We had it all to ourselves.

Casual hiking

Soggy shoes leads to slipper hiking.

All pau

The group taking a collective rest as we stepped off the official end/beginning of Laie trail. Now, it was just a short walk to our cars.

Got signs?

I think we got the message. The colorful signs and wording seemed to have been toned down from my last visit here.

GPS Tracks

The crossing of the KST from Haleiwa to Laie covered 17.68 miles but a good 5 miles of that was paved road. Many thanks to HTMC for hosting and keeping trails such as these open for hikers. Post hike meal at Teddy’s Bigger Burgers. Happy hour. Happy hikers.

We visited Schofield Barracks to climb the 2,883 foot mountain of Pu’u Hapapa, a trail that is reportedly rarely hiked and maintained. The last time we were here, we had hiked Pu’u Kalena, which ended with us on top of Oahu’s second highest mountain.

Kolekole Pass Rock

The trailhead is clearly marked by signs that say “Warning Dangerous Trails Ahead.” We went down the dirt path which led us up wooden steps and arrived at the Kolekole Pass Rock or Pohaku Hupeloa, which was supposedly used as a chopping block for some unfortunate Hawaiians. After one of our hiking group, Lianne, demonstrated how the rock was used, we continued around a communications tower and took the next two left forks.

The notched ridge

We came to this open meadow, where views of Lualualei valley awaited us at the edge and then we saw the ridge that we had to climb in order to get to the top, we would start from the left going to the right, until we made the summit of Pu’u Hapapa.

Paper bark trees

We walked past more danger signs on the far left of the meadow to get back on the trail which soon entered a grove of paper bark trees, that we followed to get to the top of the ridge.

First notch

We used the dirt and grass trail that is on the left hand side of the first notch to make the climb.  To mix things up, when we came back down, we climbed down the rockface of the first notch which made it a tad more challenging.

Looking back

Looking back, we saw the rock formation that juts out right before the first notch.

Second notch

When we started going up the second notch, the wind really started gusting and we actually started to feel a little chilly.

Ridge

After we climbed the two notches, it was pretty much straight forward ridge hiking to the top of Pu’u Hapapa. You know you are almost to the summit, when you come across the fence that is supposed to keep the goats and pigs out.

Top of Pu'u Hapapa

It took us about two hours to reach the top of Pu’u Hapapa, with great views of Lualualei valley and the Waianae coast below us.

Mount Ka'ala and Pu'u Kalena

Looking to our right, we saw Kolekole Pass and the Waianae mountain range. We also noticed that some hikers had stapled toy soldiers to the slats that marked the top of the mountain.

Central Oahu

A view of Schofield Barracks, which is where the toy soldiers came from real soldiers?

That's the ridge we're supposed to be on!

On our way down, we took a right turn by mistake, which would have made our hike into a loop except we didn’t know how far off we would end up at. So we ended up backtracking up the ridge to go back down the correct ridge. Nothing like a little extra cardio exercise to spice up one’s hike!

Bunny ears

Going back down the trail, we noticed that the Easter Bunny had left his/her ears on one of the trees. We didn’t find any Easter eggs waiting for us at our cars after 4 1/2 hours hiking, so we had lunch at Dot’s in Wahiawa and called it a day.

For the last hike of the year, we decided to climb Mount Ka’ala, the highest mountain on Oahu. Initially, we had signed up to go with the Sierra Club, but the coordinator called back and said they would not go past the boulder section due to it being “sketchy.” In other words, not going all the way to the top. So we decided to do it ourselves and drove all the way to the end of Waianae Valley Road and parked before the locked gate. We started walking up the slightly inclined paved road, passing a water tank and some buildings. The paved road soon gave way to a red dirt trail and got a little steeper. We passed a picnic table and a parked off road vehicle, somebody had the keys to the locked gate! It sure wasn’t us, that would have saved us a couple miles of walking.

Tunnel Trail

After going up the trail, we ran across this tree tunnel, where we made a left bearing off the ridge and crossed a stream and made another left to pick up the trail going up the summit. See that small orb of light to the right? It could have been a reflection from the flash, but from what? There was no metal or anything. In some circles, that would be a spirit of some soul that has long passed.

Ka'ala ridgeline

After working our way through uluhe ferns and koa trees, we popped up on the ridgeline marked by power poles, and turned a right towards the top of Ka’ala.

Pu'u Kalena

To the right we saw Pu’u Kalena, the second highest mountain, but we were shooting for the highest mountain. Pu’u Kalena would be for another day.

Where is the trail?

At times we seemed lost as the trail was very faint amidst heavy vegetation, but we just followed the ridgeline going to the top. Unless your legs are protected by extremely thick body hair that will protect you from numerous cuts and scratches inflicted by the vegetation as you slog you way up, I would recommend wearing long pants.

Boulder section

We came across this section of boulders, that we scrambled over with the ropes already there and carved footholds which helped. It’s not as bad as some make it out to be, just take it slow and watch what you are doing. Once we got over the boulders, there were a couple more steep sections that we had to climb with the assistance of more ropes.

Ka'ala Bog

We finally made it to the Ka’ala Natural Area Reserve which is home to a blanket blog or mountaintop bog.

Follow the planks

The planks wound their way through the bog for about 3/4 of a mile, giving us a self-guided tour. Being that Ka’ala is broad and flat,the rainwater collects to form this bog that is home to many native plants and snails. Much of the plants and trees are stunted, as most top off at 6-7 feet.

FAA tracking station

As we came out of the bog, the FAA tracking station came into view, partially obscured by rolling clouds. We bordered the fence to get a better view on the other side. I heard that other hikers had encountered armed guards that had ordered them to keep a distance from the fence. Luckily, we did not receive such a greeting.

End of the trail

We made it to the top of Ka’ala at an elevation of 4,025 feet. It took us approximately three hours to reach the summit.

North Shore view

This is the view from the other side of the FAA tracking station that overlooks Haleiwa and the North Shore. Our views were somewhat blocked by clouds that would roll in and out. But they were fantastic! It took us about 3 1/2 hours to make it back down. Going down was definitely harder on the knees than going up. This hike is relatively difficult due to the steepness of the trail and the return trip coming back down.