Helped a friend to finish a ridge and another to celebrate her birthday today. It was also a nice day to be alive and hiking as we all managed to survive the false missile alert that gave everybody a pause yesterday.

Trailhead

Met up with Daryl and Mia at the parking lot as Amber, Anne, Clayton, Jan and Robin had already pushed off on the trail. Chris was running late.

Kamananui Valley Trail

The construction bees have been quite busy in the back of the valley. Unsubstantiated rumors that the concrete roads are meant for soon to come paying tours to crowd out the free loading hikers from these trails filled the air.

Kamananui Valley Trail

The stairs? Where we’re going, there are no stairs.

Marker 12

Passing the traditional short cut to Tripler Ridge. We were not being traditional today.

Kamananui Valley Trail

Met up with the rest of the group at the start of the spur ridge we called Pueo after the sign that marks the trailhead.

Pueo Ridge

We followed the clearly trodden trail through knee high uluhell ferns until …

Pueo Ridge

… the trail took on a steeper pitch packed with strawberry guava trees.

Pueo Ridge

Group photo as we gained the semi-exposed ridge. Photo by Anne Fai.

Pueo Ridge

Looking out towards Moanalua Valley with her cloud puffs.

Pueo Ridge

The point where Clayton turned around on his prior solo hike. Time to push forward.

Pueo Ridge

Making our way under and over the twisted trees. Photo by Clayton Takemoto.

Pueo Ridge

Rotten rocks and questionable trees laid ahead of us.

Pueo Ridge

After a short stretch of raining rocks and voices in the valley, we soon scrambled to more solid footing on the ridge.

Pueo Ridge

Sometimes I think a pair of knee pads belongs in my pack. Photo by Clayton Takemoto.

Pueo Ridge

Anne threading her way through the barrier of strawberry guava trees to step foot on Tripler Ridge. Photo by Clayton Takemoto.

Tripler Ridge

Group photo left to right: Chris, Daryl, Clayton, myself, Amber, Jan, Mia, Anne and Robin.

Tripler Ridge

We bumped into members of the HTMC group on the ridge.

Naupaka Kahakai

Passing the happy half of the flower in the mountains.

Tripler Ridge

We ran into Rich Bailey who was videoing the group on their hike.

Tripler Ridge

Pushing up the last hill on the ridge to the summit.

Tripler Ridge

Waiting for our lunch to be delivered.

Tripler Summit

A visual feast for the eyes.

Max’s of Manila

Thanks to Anne for making oxtail soup, Filipino spaghetti, and kalua pig and cabbage. We had a fully loaded feast on the summit. Talk about a kanak attack. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Cake Couture

Blowing out the candle and making a wish. Photo by Clayton Takemoto.

Tripler Summit

Group photo by Rich Bailey.

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

Leaving the summit behind along with Amber and Clayton who went down Moanalua Middle Ridge.

Bowman Summit

Mia passing the 2,740′ summit of Pu’u Kahuauli.

KSRT

The group scooting their way down the grassy ridge.

Kalihi Saddle

Hiking by the seats of our pants.

Kalihi Saddle

Robin contouring on the Leeward side of the cracked ridge.

Creeping Corner

Mia making her way around the sliding dirt area. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Dirty Rope Slide

One at a time going down. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Kalihi Saddle

Looking back at the others climbing and cramping their way down.

Coca-Cola

The pause that refreshes. Photo by Robin Farr.

Saddle Orientation

We are going down there. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Kalihi Saddle

Jan making her way down past the broken wave.

Kalihi Saddle

Mia scooting along the narrow ridge. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Kalihi Saddle

Jan climbing down the first rock triangle with rope that was a tad short from the bottom.

Kalihi Saddle

Daryl, despite advice given and not taken, took the butt express slide down. Mia and Anne took the belly express slide down. Chris sticked his landing and then fell flat on his face. Fun in the mountains and we didn’t even have to pay for it. Photos by Robin Farr.

Kalihi Saddle

The weathered tree had finally withered away.

Kalihi Saddle

Going down. Photo by Robin Farr.

Kalihi Saddle

Going down the Windward side of the second rock triangle to avoid the hanging, clustered ropes on the Leeward side.

Kalihi Saddle

The group passing tabletop rock on their way down.

Kalihi Saddle

Everybody taking their turn to scoot over the hump.

Kalihi Saddle

Daryl spotting the rest of the group making their way down.

Majestic Mountains

As we were dropping into the saddle, a familiar red jacketed individual appeared at the top of Witch’s Hat. Photo by Derek Potter.

Kalihi Saddle

Eye in the sky. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Kalihi Saddle

Coming down the mountain.

Witch’s Hat

Climbing up the hat. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Kalihi Saddle

Panoramic view from the top.

Witch’s Hat

Which way do we look? Photos by Anne Fai and Derek Potter.

Kalihi Saddle

Jan on her way to the knob.

Kalihi Saddle

Dropping down the backside of Witch’s Hat. Photo by Chris Bautista.

All pau

It was lights out as Mia had the last cupcake that was meant for the other birthday boy who couldn’t make it to today’s hike. Photo by Chris Bautista.

GPS Tracks

Our birthday hike covered a little over six miles that was filled with ono food and fun company. Mahalo to Clayton and Richie for picking us up on the side of the highway. Post hike meal was satisfied on the spot thanks to Clayton bringing us tasty beverages to wash down the still warm chicken sandwiches.

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.

Today we went to hell and heaven and back. Met up with Chris, Gen, Justin, Khym, and Thessa at the top of Aiea Heights.

Trailhead

Nobody but the barking dogs to keep us company in the wee morning hours.

Aiea Loop Trail

Hiking under the moon light.

Aiea Ridge

The trail was clear for the most part, thanks to the hard work of the HTMC trail clearing team.

Aiea Ridge

Chris taking an exaggerated break at the first landing.

Aiea Ridge

Gen heading up the ridge where the clouds were slowly descending onto the summits.

Aiea Ridge

Hiking in the clouds. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

Aiea Ridge

The Flying Filipino. Not to be confused with the Flying Hawaiian. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Aiea Ridge

Passing and posing with the power lines.

Aiea Summit

It’s just a game. Photo by Chris Bautista.

KSRT

No view at the socked in summit, so we turned right onto the Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail.

KSRT

Brief stop at the protected enclosure for a rare endemic bellflower plant. No budding botanists in our group.

KSRT

We lost a little elevation and gained some views.

KSRT

The bunker to hell.

KSRT

Chris looking out towards the Leeward side.

North Haiku Stairs

Group photo by Justin Hirako at Stairway to Hell, left to right: Chris, myself, Thessa, Justin, Gen and Khym.

North Haiku Stairs

Panoramic view by Justin Hirako. The best stairway view. Feet down.

North Haiku Stairs

Lunch time. The smell of sardines. Photo by Chris Bautista.

KSRT

Time to exit hell.

KSRT

The stairs have seen better days.

KSRT

We ran into another group that had come from Red Hill. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

KSRT

Cable replaced some sections of the stairs, if you can call them that.

North Haiku Stairs

Leaving the rusted stairs behind. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

KSRT

Looking out towards Moanalua Saddle and the CCL building that sits on top of Pu’u Keahi a Kahoe.

KSRT

Brief stop at the deteriorating geo marker. Photo by Justin Hirako.

KSRT

The crew coming down to the Halawa junction, the overgrown trail from hell.

KSRT

Making our way towards Red Hill. Photo by Justin Hirako.

KSRT

The H-3 snaking through Halawa Valley. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Saddle

This section reminded me of the upper Bowman side of Kalihi Saddle.

Moanalua Saddle

Dropping down into the saddle. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

Moanalua Saddle

Gen and Khym had no problems with this tree.

Moanalua Saddle

Odd foot out.

Moanalua Saddle

Making our way down the undulating saddle. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

Moanalua Saddle

The rest of the crew making their way down.

Moanalua Saddle

The relatively “easy” half of Moanalua Saddle. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Saddle

Almost there. Well, halfway.

Moanalua Saddle

Hiking on the edge. Optical illusion. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Moanalua Saddle

Group photo at the terminus for the Kulana’ahane Trail by Justin Hirako. Too many distractions.

Moanalua Saddle

Time to leave the crowds behind us. We had plenty of time. Gen and Khym decided to continue with us on the trail.

Moanalua Saddle

Headed up the relatively “hard” half of Moanalua Saddle. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Saddle

Khym testing out the rocks. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Saddle

Taking a visual break from all the gray, crumbly rocks around us and looking into the lush valley. Colors reset. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Saddle

Climbing queue. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Saddle

Chris climbing up the direct crumbly side.

Moanalua Saddle

Justin decided to climb up the Windward side. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

Moanalua Saddle

How’s my hair look?

Moanalua Saddle

Approaching the dirt triangle. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Saddle

Looking back.

Moanalua Saddle

We contoured to the Leeward side of the dirt triangle. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Saddle

Gen scrambling her way up.

Moanalua Saddle

Chris climbing his way up. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Moanalua Saddle

Thessa making her way up. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Saddle

Khym testing out more rocks.

Moanalua Saddle

Justin climbing out of the saddle.

Moanalua Saddle

Scrambling my way up. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Saddle

Justin and Thessa waiting patiently for their turn to make their way up.

Moanalua Saddle

Khym coming up the last major “obstacle.” Photo by Chris Bautista.

Moanalua Saddle

Most hikers use two, three or four points of contact when climbing. Khym demonstrates how to use five points of contact. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Saddle

Leaving all the “hard” parts behind us. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

Moanalua Saddle

Just an uphill climb from here.

Moanalua Saddle

Looking across the valley towards North Haiku Stairs. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Moanalua Saddle

What does that spell? Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Saddle

It was time to leave our spelling bee class behind us.

Moanalua Saddle

Hiking up the backside of the stairs.

Moanalua Saddle

Group photo by Justin Hirako with Moanalua Saddle behind us.

Moanalua Saddle

Splits and stretching on the stairs. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Saddle

Making our way up the backside of the CCL building.

South Haiku Stairs

99 bottles of beer on the wall…

South Haiku Stairs

Group photo by Justin Hirako at Stairway to Heaven.

South Haiku Stairs

We left the socked in summit to traverse to the Moanalua Middle Ridge Junction, only to find out that somebody had apparently scavenged the green wooden sign. Sad state of affairs.

Moanalua Middle Ridge

Chris going down the socked in ridge.

Moanalua Middle Ridge

The long rope down. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

Moanalua Middle Ridge

Coming down from the clouds. Photo by Khym Ansagay.

Moanalua Middle Ridge

Ridge wave. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Moanalua Middle Ridge

Catch me if you can.

Moanalua Middle Ridge

The trail, in some sections, are now severely eroded. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Middle Ridge

Sun in your face. Group photo by Justin Hirako.

Moanalua Middle Ridge

We came down off the ridge, crossed the dry streambed and onto the often missed junction with the road.

Kamananui Valley Road

The long road back to our cars. Photo by Justin Hirako.

All pau

We made it to Moanalua Valley Park under the cover of twilight.

GPS Tracks

Our double stairway hike covered 12.69 miles. Epic hike with a fun crew. Post hike meal was supposed to be at Max’s of Manila. Not Filipino enough. Oxtail soup at Lilihia Bakery. Extra broth to go.

Note: I have been made aware the 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.

Today’s hike was to wrap up an unfinished trail. Met up with Bob, Gary, Gen and Glenn deep in Moanalua Valley.

Trailhead

We were here two weeks ago but had to abort the hike due to an alleged fallen hiker. Long story short. He didn’t fall. He was lost. Recovered.

Seven bridges

Crossing the storied arched bridges that harked back to a time when missionary families ruled the land.

Kamananui Valley Trail

Walking into the blinding sun.

Pop-Tart?

Crazy good. Not that crazy. Not that good. Not biting. Leave me alone.

Deep in the valley

We passed the valley and ridge junctions and plunged deeper into the valley to continue our hike.

Marker 17

The flat part was over. Now it was all uphill.

Steady climb

The trail cut a swath through the uluhe ferns. No bushwhacking needed.

Steeper

Bob scrambling up the mountain. Some trail sections required four points of contact.

Looking ahead

Clouds spilling over the Ko’olaus. A harbinger of rain or just cotton candy for the eyes?

Humming

The trail was once used by Hawaiian Electric to service the power lines back in the day.

Waianae Mountains

Looking into Moanalua Valley with the Waianae Mountains in the backdrop.

Bottle capped stakes

The trail soon intersected with the Tripler ridge.

Excuse me

A small group of hikers passed us going the other way. We also saw and yelled at some caveman hikers on the middle ridge going down. Running late.

Ohia lehua

Red lehua flowers populated the ridge going up. Don’t pick them. Too late.

Cloudy

Topped out at the 2,760′ socked in summit. No view. Move along.

HECO trail

Making our way down the somewhat steep and narrow ridge. Look! A view.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

More power lines

The ridge leveled and expanded as we made our way underneath another power line tower.

Area 51

Bob climbing up towards the defunct radar station.

Jungle gym

Posing with the undertaker. Photo by Genesaret Balladares.

Top of the world

Look at the camera. Everybody.

Last scramble

Climbing up the last hill.

Which way?

Group photo at the Moanalua Middle Ridge junction, left to right: myself, Glenn, Bob, Gen and Gary. Photo by Chris Bautista who we ran into at the junction.

Need a hand?

Gen making her way down past the 2,820′ summit of Pu’u Keahi a Kahoe. Look ma, only one hand!

Calling Tokyo Bay

We arrived at the CCL building just in time. Rain.

Don’t forget Old Glory

The original route was to go down Moanalua Middle Ridge. However, Gen’s injured thumb and rain dictated that we seek the shortest way down. All 3,922 steps.

Slippery when wet

Bob and Glenn descending into the clouds.

Hitchhikers

Several hikers, Chuan and the two Eric’s, took our invitation to follow us down the stairs as the rain changed their mind about returning back down the middle ridge. And they had both thumbs.

Hoist house

Stuck in a building with no roof and rain pouring in. Might as well wait outside.

Windward view

The rain soon stopped and we broke below the cloud deck.

Smile, you’re on Candid Camera

Getting used to my picture being taken. At the bottom. Photo by Bob Tyson.

Platform

One of five landings that breaks the continuity of the stairs.

Tagging

Not OK.

H3

The H3 highway generated just as much, if not more controversy than today’s HART when it was being built in the late 1980s.

Valentine’s Day Massacre

The landslide sent trees, dirt and rocks cascading into a small section of the stairs resulting in twisted steps and handrails.

Landslide

The death of the stairs was greatly exaggerated.

Honk if you’re hiking

We could see the cars on the highway and they could see us.

Coming down

The group making their way down to the bottom section of the stairs, only to be greeted by…

Mr. Anderson I presume?

…the guard who was giving us an earful until we let him know that we had an injured person in our party that necessitated coming down the stairs. Note: Stairways to Heaven or Haiku Stairs is considered private property and the no trespassing rule is strictly enforced with round the clock guards and punitive measures being dished out.

School is in session

The gate was wide open. We simply walked out. The gate is normally closed and laced with barbed wire, sharp stakes and holes meant to deter hikers from accessing the trail.

One day

The other stairway. From hell.

1942 – ?

When will the obituary be published?

GPS Tracks

The valley to the mountain to the stair hike covered 7.57 miles. Post hike meal at Ruby Tuesday. What’s in the dip? Bet you can’t eat just one.

My journey to traverse the Ko’olau Mountain Range began with a saddle and fittingly ended with another saddle today. I had no intentions of completing the entire Ko’olau Mountain Range when I first started hiking, it was just to get out and hit the trails. That all changed after one of our hikes, when the topic turned to connecting and finishing all the trails that made up the Ko’olau Mountains, the idea was then planted in my head and thus began my journey that ended today. Much appreciation and thanks to all my fellow hikers that have showed me new trails, shared advice, and kept me company in the mountains.

Head count?

This being a social hike, it was a chance to see old friends and make new friends. Our group of 19 hikers pushed off the Kamananui Valley Road in Moanalua Valley to begin our hike. It was surprising that we had the trail to ourselves on a Saturday morning.

Bridges and streams

There are seven bridges that once made up the carriage road that led to the Damon Estate tucked deep in the valley. No carriages for our dogs, just boots and sneakers.

Overloaded?

I must have missed a bridge. Group photo left to right: Chris C, Randy, Jose, Marvin, Troy, John, Bob, Lyzel, Ahnate, Kelly, Chance, Nani, Donald, Chris H, Ryan, Brian, Shane and Art. The rest of the road alternated between semi-dry to muddy.

Kulana’ahane Trail

Group photo at the Kulana’ahane Trailhead left to right, standing: Chris H, Art, Brian, Ahnate, Kelly, Lyzel, Bob, Donald, Randy, Shane, John, Jose and Chris C. Sitting, left to right: Chance, Ryan, myself, Nani, Marvin and Troy. All accounted for.

More steam crossings ahead

Headed into the valley. There are supposed to be over two dozen stream crossings. I didn’t keep count.

Rain gauge station

Somebody tagged the outhouse! Taggers and Litterbuggers beware! Night marchers are known to frequent hiking trails, even during the daytime. Please show respect by following three simple rules: Leave nothing but footprints (maybe webbing on sketchy sections). Take nothing but photos (okay the occasional banana or dragonfruit). Kill nothing but time (maybe the invasive flora and fauna).

Follow the signs and streams

The trail was well defined with signs and ribbons, hard to get lost on this trail.

Hau trees

Groves of hau trees, if not checked, can form an near impenetrable barrier. In the old days, Hawaiians needed the permission of the village chief to cut these tree branches.

Going upstream

The trail followed Kamananui stream as it meandered its way through the valley.

Watering hole

Taking a break before our climb up the mountain. Nobody wanted to jump into the pool today. Photo by Chris Hiona.

Unmaintained trail

Despite the sign, the trail looked remarkably maintained.

Short but steep

Nothing like a nice little cardio workout in the morning.

Dry chute

No raging waterfall today. Photo by Chris Chun.

Moanalua Valley

Looking back into the valley, to see how far we had come. Photo by Nani Dee.

Moanalua Saddle

Topping out in the middle of the saddle at 1,680′ elevation.

Haiku Valley

Click here for the larger image of Haiku Valley. The H-3 was unusually empty, due to Honolulu bound lanes closed for the weekend. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

Saddle crew

Group photo left to right, standing: Art, Nani, Randy, Donald, Chris H, Ryan, Shane, Chance, Jose and Chris C. Left to right, sitting: Lyzel, myself, Brian, Bob, Marvin, John, Kelly, Ahnate and Troy.

Not coming?

Chance and Chris decided to return back down into the valley, reducing our group to 17 hikers.

Now the fun begins

We turned left towards Red Hill to begin our climb out of the saddle.

Skinny ridge

What would a saddle hike be without skinny ridges?

A little crumbly

Troy, Marvin and John coming down a crumbly section of the saddle. Photo by Art Millan.

Leeward side contour

The trail largely contoured to the Leeward side, avoiding the steep Windward drops.

Can you see the CCL building?

Looking towards the “better half” of Moanalua Saddle. Photo by Nani Dee.

Exposed rocks

The group scrambling over an exposed and rocky section of the saddle.

Hello?

Who are you calling?

Hello?

Oh me? Too funny. Photo by Nani Dee.

Overgrown

Heavy overgrowth marked this saddle section.

So close, yet so far

At the washed out section of the saddle, Marvin’s leg locked up. Continuing the climb was now out of the question.

Decisions

After discussing options; Marvin decided to head back down, with Randy and Nani keeping him company. Better safe than sorry. Photo by John Garrity.

Last steep climb

Climbing the last steep section. Photo by Art Millan.

Almost there

The rest of the trail slightly sloped as we made our way to Red Hill.

Red Hill summit

We were at the summit of Red Hill before we even knew it. It was that quick.

All the dots are connected

My Ko’olau journey was now complete. Cheehoo! Photo by Bob Tyson.

Going down Red Hill Ridge

The group making their way up and down the roller coasting Red Hill Ridge.

Ridges everywhere

Halawa and Aiea ridges sandwiching the H-3 to our right. Photo by Chris Chun.

Lyzel in a tree

Lyzel taking a break up in the trees.

Godek-Jaskulski Trail

Troy and Bob going down the spur ridge known as the Godek-Jaskulski trail, which drops down into Moanalua Valley.

Laundry day

Who brings a hangar on a hike? Lyzel, that’s who. Photo by Lyzel.

Back on the trail

Out of the original group of 19 hikers, 14 of us completed the loop. Only three miles left back to our cars.

Happy Birthday Bob!

Today Bob turned 65. Still kicking and hitting the trails, hope I’m that active when I get to be his age. He was also passing out ice cold beer like there was no tomorrow. Group photo left to right, top: Ahnate, Troy, Chris H, Chance, myself, Lyzel, Chris C, Donald, Marvin, Randy and Nani. Left to right, bottom: Shane, Bob, John, Kelly, Art, Ryan, Jose and Brian.

GPS Tracks

The 9.7 mile hike was my last segment needed to complete the Ko’olaus. Thanks to everybody that came out and kept me company. If I had to do it over again, I would do longer crossovers on the KST. Going up and down the long ridges to the KST, takes a lot of time and energy. After the hike, 13 of us hungry hikers descended onto Old Spaghetti Factory and replenished our liquids and carbs! Keep up waiter! LOL.

Ko’olau Journey

Click here for the larger image of my section hikes across the Ko’olaus. Map by Marvin Chandra.

I joined Marvin, Les, Lita, Matt and Robb on a “baby grinder hike” (Marvin’s words) from Aiea to Red Hill, with a descent into Stairway of Hell.

Keaiwa heiau

We stashed a couple of cars outside of Moanalua Valley Park and carpooled in Matt’s van to Aiea Heights. It is highly recommended to park outside both parks, as there is a strong chance that when you come down that the gates will be locked. The 17th century ruins of an Hawaiian healing temple was near the entrance of the Keaiwa Heiau Park, as we followed the road in.

Trailhead

The road led us to the top of the Aiea Loop Trail, where we also picked up Robb to round out the hiking crew.

Bench with a view

The trail sees heavy use by two legged and four legged hikers.

H-3

If you see the H-3, you went too far. Backtrack a bit and make a right up towards the ridge.

Halawa valley

Paralleling the H-3 as we made our way up Aiea ridge.

Looking back

The last clear view we had as clouds soon enveloped us on the ridge.

Powerlines

Looking ahead at the false summit which is marked by a massive powerline tower.

On the KST

We soon topped out on the Koolau’s. What a view! What view?

Cloudy views

Making our way on the narrow trail choked with vegetation, typical KST trail, the clouds would teasingly break apart to give us Windward views and take it right back.

Hawaiian mint

Marvin pointed out this endemic flowering plant, also known as Phyllostegia glabra.

Hiking in the clouds

Hiking in whiteout conditions is surreal and a bummer as no views are present.

Protected area

This small fenced area affords protection to a rare endemic bellflower plant known as Cyanea st.-johnii, that only grows on the Ko’olau Mountains. Didn’t see any today.

Partly cloudy

We can see again!

Rolling mountains

The cloud cover lifted her veil for a moment to reveal the Ko’olau Mountains in all her glory.

Ohia lehua

A red lehua blossom on an ‘ohi’a tree.

Sliding down the ditch

Making our way down the summit trail, we eventually scooted down a ditch where the hidden stairs soon popped into cloudy view.

North Haiku Stairs

Visibility was zero at the top of the stairs. The last time we were here, I had wanted to go down to the end of the stairs, but time constraints dictated otherwise. Was today going to be different?

Look to the left

As I dropped in elevation going down the stairs, the Windward views opened up.

Look to the right

Clouds hanging over the Ko’olau’s Mountains.

Stairway to Hell

Going down the stairs is a different experience than Stairway to Heaven, as railings and steps are missing or rusted to the point of dust. Gloves are highly recommended. Vegetation has reclaimed most sections. The stairs abruptly end at a steep cliff section, a view that was denied to me again. I think I got within a hair of the end, but Marvin called and said the group wanted to leave. Guess I’ll be coming back for another visit.

What goes down, must come up

I raced back up the stairs as fast as my legs and the stairs condition allowed me.

Leaving hell

Got back to the top of the stairs and was gassed out. Munched on my musubi and guzzled some water and then we headed out to catch up with Lita and Robb who had left earlier.

Geo Marker

No views again at the geo marker spot, as we made our way down the summit trail.

Halawa junction

Group photo clockwise: myself, Lita, Robb, Marvin, Lester and Matt. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Going down Halawa ridge

Lita and Robb decided to part ways and go down Halawa Ridge due to concerns about hiking in the dark.

Over the H-3

We picked up the pace as we resumed our hike on the summit trail, passing the H-3 directly overhead.

Red Hill junction

Taking a short break in the clouds.

Long and flat

Going down Red Hill Ridge was defined by a couple big hills and then roller coasting over smaller ones.

Going down the Godek-Jaskulski Ridge

We eventually turned left and made our way down to Moanalua Valley.

Kulana’ahane Trailhead

Time to break out the head lamps for the three mile walk back to our cars.

GPS Tracks

Baby grinder my butt! The 13.03 mile hike over the rolling mountains of the Koolau’s resulted in a long day filled with clouds and intermittent views, but still a great way to end the day or should I say night?

I had gotten invites to hike Bear Claw Right Fork and Lanihuli on this Labor Day. Hmmm. Feeling in the mood for something different, I was fortunate to hook up with Lita and her crew of Jasmin, Michael and Rey for the hike up to Pu’u Keahi a Kahoe.

Moanalua Valley Park

A Korean Hiking Club member was nice enough to take our group photo. Left to right: Michael, myself, Reynante, Lita and Jasmin.

Bridge crossing

One of seven arched stone bridges that crosses Moanalua stream.

Pohakukaluahine

The petroglyph rock that stopped the H-3 from coming through this valley.

Marker 12

We left the old carriage road and turned right at Marker 12 to start our climb up towards Tripler Ridge. Photo by Lita McGovern.

Uluhe fern country

Long pants highly recommended!

Rock climbing

Taking a short break from the vegetation. Photo by Lita McGovern.

Strawberry guava country

Continuing the steep climb. Good cardio workout.

Tripler ridge

We took a short break at the Tripler Ridge junction. The trail actually starts back at Tripler Hospital. We were taking a “shortcut.”

Town view

The low cloud deck and breezy trade winds helped to make the hike a little more comfortable.

Moanalua Middle Ridge

Looking at our way back down.

Splash of color

‘Ie’ie in bloom, a endemic and woody climber of the screwpalm family.

Moanalua Valley

The H-3 would have definitely changed the character of this valley.

Landslide

We still have the other side to hike on!

Bamboo orchid

A beautiful but invasive orchid.

zzZzz

The group was nice enough to let me catch a quick nap. Photo by Jasmin Nepomuceno.

HECO trail marker

We followed the bottle capped stakes to the summit.

Looking back into the valley

Can you find the group?

Summit view of the Eastern Koolau’s

We arrived at the top to be greeted by 360 degrees of blissful views of the island.

Summit view of Windward Oahu

I never get tired of these unrestricted views.

Summit view of Southwest Oahu

Mother Nature was very nice to us today. Just outstanding views all around.

Panoramic view of Windward Oahu

Click here for the larger image.

Panoramic view of Southwest Oahu

Click here for the larger image.

Coming down the powerline ridge

Making our way down the Bowman trail of the ridge.

Checking out the views

Lita looking out towards the Windward side of the island.

Relay station

Rey and myself couldn’t resist climbing on the WW2 relay station. Still solid after all these years. Photo by Lita McGovern.

Leaving the jungle gym behind

Pushing up the last big hill.

Pu’u Keahi a Kahoe

The clear 2,850′ summit.

CCL Building

We climbed up the ladder to the top of the CCL building. Yes, a ladder. Before there was a rope. Before that was nothing. Now it’s a lot easier to get on the top. Photo by Jasmin Nepomuceno.

Stairway to Heaven

Not another soul in sight. We had the place all to ourselves. Photo by Lita McGovern.

Middle ridge junction

We followed the ridge back to the middle junction to head back into the valley.

Going down Moanalua Middle Ridge

I have been up this ridge a couple times, my first time going down.

Getting late

The daylight was drawing shorter as we got closer to the valley floor.

To poop or be pooped

Rey had torn his shorts earlier on the hike, putting him and others in an awkward situation. Glad he wasn’t commando on that day.

Back on the road

The rest of the group coming out of the middle ridge trailhead. They look happy. One more so than the others.

GPS Tracks

The 10.14 mile hike lived up to it’s reputation as a long trail but the payoff was views that can’t be matched and making new hiking friends.

This was our third hiking route to Haiku Stairs and the most challenging to date. I met Chris and Glenn at the end of Ala Aolani Street and we started our hike into Moanalua Valley Park around 6:20am.

Kamananui Valley Road

We passed the numerous bridges that cross Kamananui stream and Korean hikers started to pass us by as they briskly made their way on the trail. Another new sight since we last did this hike, was the presence of several information signs along the trail that gave the history of the valley.

Kulana’ahane Trail

After three to four miles, we turned left onto the Kulana’ahane trail and made multiple stream crossings oftentimes below the tangled thicket of hau tree branches.

Moanalua Waterfall

Eventually we came to a sign that pronounced it was the end of the maintained trail, where we took another left that led to the ridge going up to the saddle. Moanalua Waterfall was dry, which was good as water gushing over the waterfall would probably mean flash floods down in the valley. 

Ridge going to the saddle

Going up the somewhat steep ridge made our lungs work harder after the long and flat trail through the valley.

Haiku Valley and Kaneohe

We reached the saddle at an elevation of 1,660 feet around 9:10am and was rewarded with sweeping views of Haiku Valley and Kaneohe. Click here for the larger panoramic image.

Moanalua Saddle

Our goal was the CCL building at the top of Haiku Stairs which the clouds hid from our view most of the time until we got closer. But to get there, we had to first traverse the saddle that we had heard so much about; being described as mental, gnarly and challenging. We were about to find out for ourselves firsthand.

Moanalua Valley

We turned right and started walking on the saddle that was initially vegetated and eventually opened up to a more narrow and exposed trail. Looking into Moanalua Valley, we could see how far we had hiked to get to the saddle.

Climbing up the rockface

Climbing up this rockface showed how brittle the rocks or choss on this saddle is. I was going up the Windward side and halfway up, when the rocks gave way which sent me sliding back down about five feet. Sliding down a rockface, especially one that is over an exposed cliff, is not a good feeling. Chris and Glenn climbed it by contouring more to the Leeward side, which afforded more stable holds.

Triangle of Dirt

The next challenge facing us was this area or triangle of dirt. As we made our way down to the triangle of dirt, we could see a black cable/rope dangling from above, so close and yet out of reach. So we started contouring around to the Leeward side. This is where holding onto clumps of grass and dirt does not pay off, which resulted in me sliding down about 20 feet before Chris arrested my fall by catching my ankle.

Leeward Detour

As we made our way up from the Leeward side to regain the saddle, it was all about grabbing onto tree branches and clumps of vegetation to pull oneself up. Ropes would have been nice here. Glenn was the first one up, so he was giving advice on which way to take. I was behind Chris coming up, as he was deciding which way to take, my hold was getting precarious so I moved up next to him. After that, Chris started to climb up and in the blink of an eye, he lost his handholds and slid at least 60 feet down the mountain to be stopped by one of the numerous trees on the Leeward side.

No need to call Rescue!

Calling out to Chris returned replies that he was shaken but okay, no broken bones or major injuries. Rule#1 – Don’t fall. Rule #2 – If you fall, fall on the Leeward side and not the Windward side. Because a fall on the Windward side would not be good news. While any falls are not good, the Leeward side generally has more gradual slopes going down and trees dotting the terrain. Now all we had to do was get Chris back in the saddle. Glenn rapelled down with rope to locate Chris and brought him back up after spending almost three hours down the side of the mountain. Rule #3 – Bring rope when you hike these summit trails. If we didn’t have rope, we would have been on the 6 oclock news. Not good.

Fall Pray Hike

Chris maintaining his sense of humour after his tumble down the mountain. Props to him for finishing the hike.

Last rockface

Going up this rockface was made easier with ropes left by other hikers. Shout out to the clubs and hikers that have cleared and roped these trails that makes it easier for the rest of us. Without all that prep work, hiking some of these trails would be nuts. Parts of this rockface was made up of brittle rock and questionable handholds and footholds, so putting all your weight on the rope was necessary in order to climb up.

Coming up the last rockface

Glenn coming up the last rockface, with Chris waiting at the bottom for his turn. After this, the trail becomes a “typical” Koolau summit trail in terms of being narrow and overgrown with vegetation. But that was a piece of cake compared to what we had just done.

Haiku North Ridge

Glenn and Chris taking a break in the shadows of Haiku North Ridge, where there are another set of “sister” stairs called the Haiku Hidden Stairs. Another hike for another day.

Haiku Back Stairs

We arrived at the back door of the CCL Building or Haiku Back Stairs around 4:00pm. These stairs don’t look like they receive regular maintenance, as they were heavily overgrown, rusted and bent in places. But they were a welcome break from trodding on the trail.

Haiku Cable

Eventually the stairs ended and was replaced by a steel cable that ran alongside the Windward side of the cliff. Parts of the cable are broken, jagged, rusted and twisted. Make sure your shots are up to date!

Panoramic view from top of Haiku Stairs

We reached the top of Pu’ukeahiakahoe at an elevation of 2,800 feet around 4:30pm. Click here for a larger panoramic image from the top.

Top of Haiku Stairs

Only 3,922 steps to the bottom! A hiker coming up told us of another hiker that had died on these stairs earlier this morning. Turned out to be from a medical condition and not from falling off the hike.

Coming down Haiku Stairs

After munching down our bento, canned peaches and granola bars; we started going down the stairs around 5:30pm.

Panoramic view going towards the Hoist House

Click here for a panoramic view as we descended the stairs approaching the Hoist House.

Almost there

These views never get old for me, no matter how many times I’ve done and seen them.

All pau

We got to the bottom of the stairs around 7:00pm and the guard was long since gone. Heard from other hikers coming up the stairs that the guard usually leaves around 3:30-4:00pm on the weekends. We went down the road, crawled underneath the fence and thrashed our way through the bamboo forest in the dark until we found the road that took us to Glenn’s truck and back to Moanalua Valley Park. It was a very long day, but glad that we all made it out safe and sound.

Having hiked Haiku Stairs from the Windward side before the sun has even cracked the day due to access issues, I have found there is another way to get to the top of Haiku Stairs, without skulking around in the dark! That being said, I picked up my friend in Kaneohe and drove into Moanalua Valley and parked at the end of Ala Aolani Street which is right before the park. We climbed over the fence and came across some hunters who were opening the second gate to the trail. They asked us if we were hiking to Haiku Stairs and gave us a couple of pointers and we started out on the old Damon Estate road now known as the Kamananui valley road that took us an hour to reach the Kulana’ahane trailhead.

Middle ridge

We walked about 30 feet past the trailhead markers and crossed the river bed and started working our way up the ridge. If you cross the stream at the trailhead markers, that will take you to the Moanalua Saddle which also leads to Haiku Stairs, but I understand it’s intense okole busting.

Moanalua Valley

Here we are looking back into Moanalua valley with the ridge splitting the valley into two. We also caught glimpses of the Windward side over the Koolau mountains.

Clouds rolling in

Pushing up the ridge, the clouds started to roll in and the wind started to pick up, Mother Nature’s air conditioner was cranking full blast.

Where's the ridge?

At this point in the hike, the clouds and the wind made it a real challenge to walk on the ridge. Luckily, heavy mud glued our feet to the ground as we trudged along the heavily vegetated trail.

Pu'u Keahiakahoe

We came upon the geodetic marker for Pu’u Keahiakahoe at an elevation of 2,820 feet after hiking for about three hours. We had zero visibility thanks to the clouds that had enveloped us at the peak. But we knew the CCL building had to be close by, so we branched off to the right from the sign, hoping the clouds would clear up soon.

CCL building

After hiking for about 10 minutes, our hiking prayers were answered and the clouds cleared up to reveal the CCL building.

Kaneohe

We carefully made our way along the ridge towards the CCL building, with steep drop off views of H3 and Likelike highway snaking through Kaneohe.

H3 freeway

From the CCL building, we saw the H3 freeway disappear into the cloud capped Koolau mountains. To the left, is the ridge that comes up from the Moanalua Saddle, another trail for another day.

Mokoli'i Island

From this direction, we could see all the way up to Kualoa Ranch and Mokoli’i Island sitting offshore, or more commonly known as Chinaman’s Hat.

Haiku Stairs

Looking down at all 3,922 of Haiku Stairs. One thing that was strikingly missing from this hike was the absence of other hikers. We had not run across another soul from the start of Moanalua valley to the top of Haiku Stairs. Where did they all go?

Olomana

Coming down the stairs, we saw the Mokulua Islands, Olomana and Waokele Pond before the clouds started spilling over the Koolau mountains and splattering us with a light rain.

Hoist house

We stopped to take a breather at the graffiti covered hoist house. Hmm, A-frame, pulley, could a zip line be in the works one day?

Going down

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, the guard asked us if we saw a dog up there. On the stairs? He said hunters were looking for their missing dog. Then he casually threw in that he had called the cops about 15 minutes ago when he saw us coming down the stairs. He said there were some recent injuries, so they were really cracking down. That explains the lack of hikers. We beat a hasty retreat, found out that the hole in the fence that we had used months ago was now fixed up, so we had to scale the fence and walked back to my friend’s house in Haiku Gardens, where he drove me back to Moanalua Valley.