Ryan took us on a short ridge loop hike in East Oahu today. Met up with Chris, Glenn, Jake, Jasmin, Ryan and Thessa at the top of Waialae Iki luxury ridge and we then shuttled to the trailhead.

Trailhead

Right off the bat, the trail was well marked and relatively open. What? No bushwhacking?

Diamond Head

Jake against the background of Diamond Head and urban Honolulu.

Hawaiian teepee

How do I get out of here?

Ko’olau Mountain Range

The cloud deck was high enough to see the peaks and ridges of the Ko’olaus.

Easy peasy

The overcast conditions and exposed trail made this a sweet little hike.

Last of the Mohicans

When Ryan hiked this ridge several years ago, this small stand of Wiliwili trees were still alive. Gall wasps and Chinese rose beetles had taken their toll. Photo by Jake Kunukau.

Looking back

The blighted wiliwili trees dotted the side of the ridge.

Connector trail

The trail goes down to the valley and to the Wiliwilinui Ridge trailhead. A shortcut for those so inclined. We were not inclined.

Follow the ribbons

Jake and Jasmin going through a grove of strawberry guava trees.

Eroded section

A common sight on the trails.

Sitting tree

How many walking sticks can this tree support? Glenn?

Exposed trail

Ryan and Glenn passing through a stand of pine oil scented eucalyptus trees.

Sea of uluhe

Glad we weren’t in the thick of those prickly ferns.

Parting ways

The ridge soon connected to the jeep road that is part of the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail. Group photo left to right: Chris, Jasmin, Ryan, myself, Thessa, Glenn and Jake. Ryan peeled off and went back down the road.

Jeep road

Can you tell this is a State trail?

To stair or not to stair

Jasmin had cramps. Suck on that mustard packet. Jake had a hot date with Mighty Mo. See you suckers.

Wiliwilinui relay station

Striking distance of the summit, which is actually behind the relay station. The humming of the power lines kept us company.

Pick it up

Only 5 more minutes!

Wiliwilinui Ridge Summit

Multi-tasking at the 2,520′ summit.

Going back down

We decided to head back down before the rain clouds decided to release her payload. Plus we were hungry.

Swingers

Don’t step on my head!

Run Forrest Run

Hikes are like a box of chocolates. Or was that hikers are like a box of chocolates?

All pau

No time to explore the bunkers today. Fun little hike with a great crew.

GPS Tracks

The short ridge loop hike covered 6.73 miles. Post hike meal at Zippy’s. Eating on a budget. From the table to the bathroom.

Today was the day we hiked a ridge less traveled, which was Mauna o Ahi Windward. I found myself in the company of Marcus, Jay, Tom, KiLei, LyZel, Ted, Yoshi and Randy. Waimanalo Bob was our guide to the trailhead.

Butterfly country

We passed the old Meadow Gold Dairies ranch as we made our way to the trailhead, as white butterflies fluttered around us.

If a tree falls in a forest…

We picked our way through the forest, crossing dry riverbeds and walking across fallen trees.

Steep grade ahead

As the ground underneath us became heavily carpeted with ferns and took on a noticeably increased slant, Waimanalo Bob wisely waved us farewell and turned around. Photo by Ted Calvero.

…with lots of trees…

While the steepness of the ridge didn’t relent, at least trees started becoming more abundant as we worked our way up. A lot easier pulling yourself up with trees than ferns.

…and rockfaces

A couple rockfaces were thrown in for good measure, as if the ridge wasn’t steep enough. Photo by Marcus Griego.

Looking back

Looking back at the ridge we had just climbed up, the photo doesn’t convey the steep angle of the ridge.

Almost there

Did I mention how steep this ridge is? This has got to be the steepest ridge I’ve hiked to date. My guess is that not too many hikers come up this ridge. We did see some old and new pink ribbons coming up, so I could be wrong.

Top of Mauna o Ahi Windward Ridge

The group taking a well deserved break at the top. Left to right: Tom, Yoshi, Ted, myself, LyZel, Randy, Jay and Marcus. Photo by Marcus Griego.

Waimanalo view

Glad the weather Guy (hint) was wrong again. Nice weather on the Koolau’s.

Kuli’ou’ou Summit

Group photo at the Kuli’ou’ou Summit with the ridge we had just climbed to the left of us. Photo by Kilei Nelson.

Kings of the Hill

Scrambling up this section of the trail was pretty eroded due to lack of vegetation. The trail becomes a little more green once you pass Bear Claw Ridge.

Beautiful day on the Koolau’s

I never get tired of these views.

Bear Claw Ridge

Looking down at Bear Claw Ridge, I’ve come up this ridge twice. This would be my first time going down, which is a lot harder than going up, in my book.

Slippery slope going down

Going down this eroded slope, half of us scooted on our butts and the other half climbed it facing the ridge. Either way, it was slow going, as you only had clumps of grass to hold on going down.

Looking up

Ted and Randy looking up as the rest of our group made our way down, with Marcus providing spotting duties. Photo by Ted Calvero.

Swinging over the ridge

This part of the ridge, you had to swing yourself over the ridge and rely on tree roots and branches to pull yourself up back to the ridge. It was over in the blink of an eye.

A little ridge down climbing…

Going down the sometimes narrow ridge and always loose dirt and crumbly rocks, keeps you on the edge, literally.

…here…

Oh, and being several thousand feet above sea elevation doesn’t hurt either.

…and there

Kilei climbing down the rockface that tragically took Leslie Merrell’s life last year.

Fantastic views going down the ridge

Part of the reason that I love doing these kind of ridge hikes is the fantastic views it provides.

Geocache spot

Last rest spot before heading down the ridge.

Going down Left Fork

We lost our way briefly and then got back on track to go down the Left Fork.

Duck, weave and climb

The thicket of trees going down is both a blessing and a curse. They often hinder as much as they help.

Fun with rocks

Kilei climbing around a rockface.

More fun with rocks

Kilei climbing down the last major rockface. The two pipes are still stuck in the rocks, providing valuable assistance when climbing down.

Signs of civilization

Soon the trees thinned out and the grade started to level out, marking that we were coming to the end of our hike.

All pau

Looking up at the ridge we had climbed up and the ridge we had climbed down. Damn.

GPS Tracks of Mauna o Ahi Windward to Bear Claw Left Fork Hike

The 3.8 mile hike took us 5 1/2 hours to finish. Did I mention it was a steep hike? Good.

Wanting to do a twist on the Kamiloiki hike that I had done over a month ago, and not wanting to thrash my legs again, we decided to hike from Kamiloiki ridge to Makapu’u. We parked one car at the Makapu’u lookout and then drove to find parking on Waioli Street , where we walked up Makahuena Place to start our hike.

Pahua Heiau

I never knew or imagined that an ancient Hawaiian temple or heiau was located smack dab in the middle of the sleepy suburbs in Hawaii Kai. But then again, the temple was here long before Henry Kaiser turned Kuapa Pond into his planned residential development in East Oahu. The trailhead starts from the left side of the heiau, where we followed the trail through hale koa and dried grass to make the top of the ridgeline.

Rainbow over Kuapa pond

We quickly gained elevation and saw this beautiful rainbow over a drastically shrunken Kuapa Pond and Hawaii Kai neighborhood.

Rain over Kamiloiki Valley

Rainbows do not exist without raindrops, as we were about to find out when several passing clouds dumped rain on us as we walked on the exposed part of the ridge.  As we neared the summit, clumps of trees provided much needed shade from the hot sun, which quickly replaced the rain.

Waimanalo

We made the summit in about two hours, where blue skies greeted us along with views of Mount Olomana and Waimanalo.

Abandoned Nike Missile Site

We then followed the trail to the right which descended into a saddle and then back up to the ridge where the abandoned Nike Missile Site sits. It looks steep from afar, but once you get up close and personal, it’s just another climb up the mountain. Nothing to get excited about. Well, that’s what I kept telling my friend.

Koko Crater and Koko Head

After making our way through the abandoned Nike missile complex and checking out the views of Koko Crater and Hawaii Kai, we followed the paved road until we found the ribbon marking the Makapu’u trail on our left. Climbing up the dirt steps, we saw one of two hang gliding platforms which had fantastic views of the ocean and the Waimanalo coastline. Speaking of hang gliding platforms, that reminds me that I better use my Groupon coupon for paragliding lessons before it expires in November.

Rabbit Island

This part of the trail until Makapu’u is completely exposed, there is no shade from the withering sun. We brought sunscreen but failed to use it, so much for the supposed intelligence of some higher primates.

Makapu'u Puka

There is a natural rock formation coming down the trail that is called the Makapu’u Puka, which can also be seen from the road down below. Hawaiian legend has it that an archer saw a rat on the ridge and shot it with his arrow from his canoe, thus creating the hole that exists today. We also met another group that was doing the hike from the opposite way, after talking story a little bit, we went our opposite ways.

Makapu'u Lighthouse

We could see the Makapu’u Lighthouse in the distance, which was established in 1909 and has the largest lighthouse lens in the country.

Makapu'u Lookout

After hiking six hours in the hot sun and rocky cliffs, we arrived back at the Makapu’u Lookout. Now we had to complete the most dangerous part of the hike, crossing the road without getting hit or run over by the speeding cars.

NOTE: The Pahua Heia grounds are OFF-LIMITS as this is a sacred temple ground. Please respect the area and find other ways to access the ridge. Mahalo!

Unable to find any hiking buddies this weekend, I decided to do what I thought would be an easy hike by myself – Kaimiloiki Ridge. That’s what I get for thinking. I parked my car on Waioli Street in Hawaii Kai and walked up Makahuena Place where the Pahua Heiau marked the start of the trailhead.

Pahua Heiau

The trail starts to the left of this agricultural Hawaiian temple built circa 1400 and restored in 1985. I picked my way carefully as I made my way up the rock face and climbed several switchbacks to gain the ridge.

Kuapa Pond

Looking back at Kuapa Pond from the ridge, this ancient Hawaiian fishpond used to harbor over 500 acres until it was dredged to form the residential tract known as Hawaii Kai today.

Kamilonui Valley

Going up the ridge, I could see the few remaining farms in Kamilonui Valley to my left. I wonder if they are still going to be around after their Bishop Estate leases expire in 2025.

Got Marshmallows?

After walking along the grassy and rocky trail for about an hour, I entered an ironwood grove and passed this campfire spot, where there was enough dry tinder lying around to light up more than just a campfire.

Waimanalo

The trail flattens out a bit before a short, steep climb to the summit that tops out around 1,200 feet. This is the perfect spot to grab a bite as you’re afforded a birds eye view of Olomana and the town of Waimanalo.

Abandoned Nike Missile Launchers

After a short rest and not wanting to turn back, as this is where the usual Kamiloiki trail ends, I went down a saddle and went up the ridge where the abandoned Nike Missile Launchers loomed above me.

Kamiloiki Valley

After pushing my way through chest high grass, a taste of what was to come, the trail opened up to the abandoned missile complex site. I followed the fenceline until I found an unlocked gate and found some stairs that I didn’t know existed. I thought, all right, it’s the Hawaii Kai version of Haiku Stairs! The stairs soon petered out and my descent into hiking hell began.

Where is the trail?

I was trying to find the trail that connects Kamiloiki Ridge with the Valley. Key word of the day – try. I actually found a few ribbons as I tried to maintan the ridgeline going down, but I was soon detoured by countless rock faces, kiawe trees and shrubs that shredded my legs. Lucky I’m not a leg model or I would need to find another day job. Towards the end, I had to push my way though thick, chest high grass which just drained me on top of a typical hot Hawaii Kai day. After three exhausting hours, I finally climbed over the fence and followed the drainage ditch to solid ground, where I made my way back to my car. I’m sure glad that hike was over!