We decided to have Christmas come early for Lilyn today. Met up with Analyn, Anne, Art, Lilyn and myself at the Pali Lookout where typical windy conditions greeted us.

Trailhead

Right off the bat, it was a short and steep climb up. The best part of waking up, is hiking up. Photo by Art Young.

Pali Trail

Anne breaking out into the open grassy spot which afforded us much better views than the lookout.

Pali Trail

Working our way towards the first of the man-made notches where we ran across two other hikers. Photo by Art Young.

Pali Notches

Lilyn climbing down the first notch. Photo by Art Young.

Pali Notches

Taking a break on the other side. Photo by Art Young.

Pali Notches

Everybody waiting their turn to make their way down the second notch.

Nipple

Time to climb the chimney. Photo by Art Young.

Chimney

Lilyn trying not to get tangled up in the ropes on her way up.

Chimney

Need a hand?

Chimney

Some folks liked to savor their climb up the chimney by sitting down. Photo by Art Young.

Chimney

Others like to be on their back. Photo by Art Young.

Nu’uanu Saddle

The climbing was not over yet. Photo by Art Young.

Contour

Lilyn pulling herself up to the ridge line with backdrop views of Kalihi Valley and points beyond.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Making our way up the grassy ridge line that was punctuated with boulders of assorted sizes and shapes. Photo by Art Young.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Looking back at our crumbly climb.

Nu’uanu Saddle

The girls enjoying a relatively flat section of the ridge line with sweeping Windward views in the background.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Rock climbing. Photo by Art Young.

Nu’uanu Saddle

What happens when you don’t take the helping hand is you land on your back. Some people are used to that already.

Mud Wall

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something purple.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Pushing our way on the muddy trail to the top.

Konahuanui

Group photo at the highest peak on the Ko’olau Mountain Range. Socked in as usual.

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

Traversing between the schweddy balls.

K2

Met up with Aida, Janell, Quan and Tessa at the shift right peak. There was also a reunion of sorts celebrated with a yawyaw dance and food regurgitation.

K2

Before we left, the girls did their traditional male-excluded butt grab group shot.

KSRT

Watching as the ridge line kept the clouds at bay on the Leeward side.

KSRT

Panoramic cloudy view.

KSRT

Coming down the trail that was partly open and partly overgrown. Photo by Art Young.

KSRT

Janell making her way down with the spine of the Ko’olau Mountain Range ahead of her. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

KSRT

Leaving the crown jewels of the Ko’olau Mountains behind us. Photo by Art Young.

KSRT

One had to be quick to catch this rainbow. Not all of us saw it. Photographic proof by Aida Gordon.

KSRT

Coming down the sandwiched meadow.

KSRT

Horizontal rain blurred the way to our destination summit.

Manoa Middle Summit

Our not so synchronized group photo, where some of us were more enthusiastic than the others.

Manoa Middle Trail

Heading down into Manoa Valley. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Strawberry guavas

Trail snacks to keep you constipated while hiking.

Manoa Middle Trail

Coming down the steepest part of the trail. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Queen’s Bath

Communal bathing to rinse off the collective mud and grime.

Manoa Valley

Climbing out of the stream fed bath.

All pau

Exiting Pu’u Pia Trail, where we got rides from Tessa, Aida and Quan. Some of us showered and freshened up to make ourselves somewhat presentable for our dinner that was a little more demanding in terms of personal hygiene than our usual hang outs. Photo by Art Young.

Post hike meal

We celebrated Ferlino’s birthday at Jade Dynasty where Cathy, Dale, Edgar, Jasmin (2), Matt, Richard and family, Sally and Somphet also joined the party. Thanks to Sally for putting the delicious menu together and setting up the private room arrangements. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

GPS Tracks

Our 4.7 mile hike that took us to the highest peak on the Ko’olau Mountain Range and down into the deep and thick valley of Manoa was another fun adventure with good company.

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.

Met up with a rather large group comprised of Aida, Allison, Ani, Art, Bill, Chris, Dale, Janell, Jason, Justin, Katie, Naomi, Quan, Shirley and Tessa at the Pali Lookout with favorable conditions or so I thought. Some of us had places to go and some of us didn’t. Drone photo by Justin Wahl.

Pali Lookout

Somebody found one of Dale’s painted rocks that he plants around the island’s hiking trails. Photo by Dale Yoshizu.

Trail

Nothing to wake you up like a short, steep and slippery climb first thing in the morning.

Trail

Trail runners yielding to the hikers.

Kalihi Valley

Dale overlooking the valley that once housed leprosy patients before they were shipped out to Molokai. Photo by Art Young.

Pali Vista

Janell with the backdrop of the Windward Oahu unmatched by the Pali Lookout.

Trail

Climbing up the short and steep rocky section to get to the notches. Photo by Dale Yoshizu.

Pali Notches

Met up with Allison, Naomi and Jason at the top of the first notch.

Pali Notches

Dale spotting Janell as she made her way down, while Bill and Shirley caught up with the group. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Pali Notches

Drone photo by Justin Wahl of the group scattered throughout the notch.

Pali Notches

Catching the breaking sunrise on our way to the second notch. Photo by Ani Lagpacan.

Pali Notches

Art watching Bill making his way down as Janell takes her leave of us. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Trail

We lost Allison, Ani, Janell, Jason, Justin, Naomi and Quan as we pushed past the notches. Photo by Dale Yoshizu.

Nipple

Why contour, when you can go up and over? Photo by Art Young.

Nipple

Katie climbing up the side of the rock formation. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Nipple

The group in various stages of picture taking, posing, waiting, climbing and watching.

Chimney

Everybody waiting their turn to climb the vertical rock stack as Aida makes her way up. Photo by Art Young.

Chimney

The many faces of the chimney. Photos by Aida Gordon, Bill Yogi and Tessa Bugay.

Chimney

Most people come prepared to hike. While others just eat their breakfast and sun themselves on the rocks. The nerve of some people. Bill and Shirley turned around after getting their fill of Portuguese sausage and Vitamin D. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Chimney

Bird’s eye view aka WAP. Photo by Katie Bingham.

Trail

Katie climbing over more rocks on our way up.

Contour

Working my way towards the Leeward side of the constantly crumbly rock side. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Contour

Tessa pulling herself up. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Trail

Katie using her slightly large gloves to get a halfway good grip on the crumbly dirt.

Trail

Climbing our way up as we slowly gained elevation.

Trail

Katie grabbing on the woody climbers that populated the ridge line.

Trail

Is this webbing safe? Photo by Aida Gordon.

Trail

Making our way up the ridge line infested with uki grass, the hiker’s ubiquitous friend. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Trail

It’s always hump day somewhere in the mountains.

Trail

Always happy to extend a helping hand. Photo by Katie Bingham.

Trail

The girls perched on a particularly skinny section of the ridge line. Photo by Art Young.

Mud Wall

Making my way up the side of the mountain that has turned more step than wall. Photo by Art Young.

Mud Wall

Tessa pulling herself up the slippery slope. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Trail

Approaching the summit through a hole in the clouds.

Konahuanui Summit

No views on the highest peak on the Ko’olau Mountain Range with nothing but biting flies for company that seemed to have a particular affinity for the Year of the Rat blood. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

Traversing the ridge that kept the clouds at bay on the Windward side. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

K2 Summit

Chris joined us at the summit where somebody had ripped off one of the geodetic markers from its pipe stand. I guess the threat of fine or imprisonment had failed to deter the individual(s) involved. Photo by Aida Gordon.

KSRT

Leaving the twin peaks on our way down to Manoa Middle, a long cry from our original exit point of Kuli’ou’ou.

KSRT

The group following the spine of the Ko’olau Range. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Schweddy Balls

Looking back at the crown jewels of the Ko’olau Mountain Range.

KSRT

Chris in one of the grassy meadows on the trail. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Manoa Middle Summit

Staring into the sun to get our group picture.

FIrst Aid

Tessa trying to flush Katie’s eye out after too much exposure to dirt and sunshine.

Trail

The sun was out and about, so Art and Katie beat a path down the trail to escape the heat.

Trail

Passing a towering Albizia tree on our way down the trail.

Trail

To summit or to stream?

Queen’s Bath

Aida climbing her way down the steep section of the trail.

Queen’s Bath

We hit the valley floor and followed the stream for a bit. Some followed it more than the others.

Trail

Chris going up the last hill of the day.

Pu’u Pia Trail

Katie’s face said it all. The end of the hike couldn’t come fast enough.

Pu’u Pia Trail

Art coming down the heavily rooted trail. Photo by Aida Gordon.

All pau

We finished our 4.39 mile hike in the back of Manoa Valley where Quan and Justin were waiting to pick us up.

Lilihia Bakery

Our post hike meal was at the eatery that doesn’t seem to run out of oxtail soup. Great hike with a fun crew.

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.

Returned back to the mountains after a two-week hiatus filled with Christmas parties and festivities. Met up with Chris and Ferlino at Tanatalus. Thanks to Jasmin for dropping us off again.

Trailhead

Chris keeping the sign under wraps until we get to the summit.

Kalawahine Trail

Pushing off on the trail that is part of the Honolulu Mauka Trail System, a sprawling network of 19 connected trails in the Maikiki Heights area.

Kalawahine Trail

Chris crossing the plank into the mixed forest.

Kalawahine Trail

The trail meandered in and out of the numerous gulches.

Kalawahine Trail

Groot is alive and well in the Maikiki Forest.

Kalawahine Trail

Stepping up the trail. We must be on a Na Ala Hele Trail.

Pauoa Flats Trail

Taking a left at the junction on the heavily rooted trail.

Pauoa Flats Trail

Back on the boardwalk, dry shoes for now.

Pauoa Flats Trail

Bogging our way through the bamboo forest.

Nu’uanu Overlook

We popped out of the forest to the windswept view at the 1,600′ lookout.

Trail

Contouring on the Windward side of the ridge which afforded us views of upper Lulumahu Falls on our way up.

Twin Testicles

We got an itch to scratch up there or down there.

Trail

Looking down at the ridges flowing into Nu’uanu Valley.

Trail

Whew! That was a good cardio burn going up the hill. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

K2

Group photo at the socked in summit, left to right: Chris, myself, Ferlino and a girl from Utah that had come up from the Pali Notches. Mahalo to Chris for taking the time out to make a sign marking the summit of Konahuanui 2.

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

The girl from Utah decided to join our group as the clouds began drifting away.

KSRT

Wrap around ridge views of Maunawili Valley as we dropped off K2.

KSRT

One of my favorites sections of the KSRT due to the broad ridge with the grassy meadows on the side and the straight shot view to Makapu’u. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Manoa Middle

Hmmm, what is the rated load limit for that tree? Photo by the girl from Utah.

KSRT

Making our way to contour around the ironwood stand and crawl over the sedan rock.

KSRT

We decided to drop off the ridge and explore the contour trail on the Leeward side.

Trail

Coming around the contour trail with Manoa Valley behind us. Photo by Chris Bautista.

KSRT

On our steep climb to Olympus, we lost the girl from Utah, who had enough of being cut and scratched on her legs by the uluhell ferns and decided to go down the Waahila Trail.

KSRT

The hills have hills in these mountains as Ferlino can attest.

Awaawaloa (Olympus)

Picking out Olomana, Manana Island, Koko Head, Ka’au Crater and Diamond Head from the 2,486′ summit.

Awaawaloa (Olympus)

Looking down at the contour trail continuing beneath the Ka’au Crater Loop trail as it left a brown streak across nature’s lawn. Photo by Chris Bautista

KSRT

Dropping down from Olympus.

KSRT

Making our way to the tuff cone nestled against the Ko’olau Mountains that are marked with twin power poles marring the otherwise scenic view.

Ka’au Crater

I guess it’s always Flag Day in the mountains.

Ka’au Crater

How many hills are there in the mountains? Many. With more to come.

KSRT

The bamboo staff has been passed along. Take care of it and it will take care of you.

KSRT

Enjoying the superb valley view before climbing up the big hill.

KSRT

Ferlino and Chris making their way up the mother of all hills on this particular section.

Pu’u Kainawa‘anui

Ferlino arriving at the 2,520′ summit. No rest for the weary as we continued on the trail.

KSRT

Passing a false summit before gaining the “true” summit of Lanipo.

Lanipo

Soaking in the coastal, mountain and valley views from the top.

KSRT

Passing the Waialae Nui junction on our way down the HECO pole lined ridge.

KSRT

Coming up from the helipad through the freshly shaven trail, courtesy of HECO. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Wiliwilinui

Some hikers got carried to the 2,480′ summit. Lucky dawg!

KSRT

We left the summit that was quickly filling up with hikers coming up from the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail.

KSRT

Making our way across the undulating ridge.

Wailupe

Long gone are the green wooden sign and the colorful fluttering prayer flags.

KSRT

Passing the Waimanalo reservoir as we made our way across the slightly overgrown ridge.

KSRT

Encountering a stunted loulu palm tree on the trail.

KSRT

Almost there!

Hawaii Loa

Group photo at our final summit stop on the Ko’olau Mountains.

Hawaii Loa Trail

Leaving the 2,520′ summit.

Hawaii Loa Trail

Stepping our way down the ridge trail.

Hawaii Loa Trail

Going down the severely eroded and rutted trail.

Hawaii Loa Trail

Reflecting back on the mountain views.

All pau

Approaching the final ironwood stand before dropping back to our cars and leaving the gated community of the rich and famous.

GPS Tracks

Our pre-Christmas hike covered almost 10 miles that was filled with scenic views, cheer and good company. Post hike meal at Pieology. Loaded up the carbs for tomorrow’s hardest hike on Christmas 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.

Met up with Chris, Derek, Ethan, Khym and Krissy to finish Chris’s last segment hike of the Ko’olau Summit Trail (KST).

Pali Lookout

Some of us caught the breezy, breaking sun over the Pali. Others waited in the valley. Photo by Ethan Clavecillas

Trailhead

Going up the surprisingly dry pock marked trail.

Pali Notches Trail

Just a couple minutes later, we were treated to outstanding Windward views. The winds were surprisingly light.

Pali Notches Trail

Chris and Khym climbing down the first notch.

Pali Notches Trail

Making our way up the mountain. Photo by Chris B.

Pali Notches Trail

Khym making his way down the second notch. Photo by Ethan Clavecillas.

Pali Notches Trail

Dropping down from the nipple. Photo by Derek Potter.

Chimney

Climbing up the chimney. Photo by Derek Potter.

Chimney

The many happy faces of the chimney.

Chimney

Group photo by Khym Ansagay.

Chimney

I think my pants have seen better days.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Time to resume our climbing.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Krissy making her way around the contour. Photo by Derek Potter.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Khym creeping up the contour.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Continuing our climb up the rocky ridge.

Nu’uanu Saddle

More Windward views. Photo by Ethan Clavecillas.

Nu’uanu Saddle

We spotted a hovering helicopter dropping off supplies down by the golf course. Photo by Chris B.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Popping up over the ridge. Photo by Derek Potter.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Pulling ourselves up with uki grass. A hiker’s best friend on the mountains.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Chris peering down the mud wall.

Nu’uanu Saddle

The muddy Piliwale junction. Almost there.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Chris making his way to the summit.

Konahuanui

Group photo at the highest spot, 3,150′, on the Ko’olau Mountains, left to right: Chris, Derek, myself, Khym, Ethan and Krissy. The usually persistent cloud cover was surprisingly light and scattered today.

KSRT

Looking down the Southern spine of the Ko’olau Mountains. Photo by Chris B.

KSRT

Making our way down to K2.

K2

The views kept on improving. Life was good. Group photo by Chris B.

KSRT

Leaving the twin testicles behind us. Photo by Ethan Clavecillas.

KSRT

Dropping down onto the Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail.

KSRT

Hiking on the edge. Photo by Ethan Clavecillas.

KSRT

Coming and going. Photo by Ethan Clavecillas.

KSRT

Sitting down and soaking in the views.

KSRT

Looking out towards Manoa Valley.

Manoa Middle

Failed group photo at the 2,320′ summit. All talk, no photos. Photo by Chris B.

KSRT

The fence is coming. The fence is coming.

KSRT

Khym and Krissy coming around the stand of ironwood trees. Photo by Chris B.

KSRT

Continuing our hike as the ridge pitched up and down on our way to Olympus.

KSRT

The group scrambling over sedan rock. Can I get that in another color besides gray? Photo by Chris B.

KSRT

We took the trail less cleared up to the summit.

KSRT

Looking back. Photo by Chris B.

KSRT

On the way to Awaawaloa (Olympus). Foot traffic ticked up as the KSRT soon intersected with the Waahila Trail.

Awaawaloa

Close your eyes. No pop. Just twist. Not chilled. Room temperature. Less bubbly. Just pour. Surprise!

Awaawaloa

Congratulations to Chris for completing the Ko’olau Mountain Range. Next stop. The Waianae Mountain Range.

Awaawaloa

Summit life at 2,486′. Napping. Eating. Outpatient surgery. Thank you Nurse Eizenhoefer. Two gulps. Where is the summit?

Waahila Trail

Hikers making way for the newly crowned King of the KST.

Junction

Taking the junction trail at 1,640′, down to Manoa.

Kolowalu Trail

One of many fallen trees on the trail. Yes, a loud crashing sound was made.

All pau

Coming off the ridge and down onto the valley floor, which lead us back to our parked cars.

GPS Tracks

Our hike covered 7.43 miles as the GPS flies. Congratulations again to Chris for completing the KST. Awesome accomplishment.

Post hike meal

Post hike meal at Haleiwa Joe’s, because somebody wanted prime rib. Somebody got the chicken instead. I got the honking slab of cow that was just missing the horns and tail.

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.

When I heard that HTMC was going down Waiakeakua Falls, I jumped at the chance to go visit another new place. Glenn picked me up and we met the other club members by the Manoa Chinese Cemetery. We also witnessed why hikers in general get a bad rap from the stupid minority of hikers who fail to exercise common sense. Another hiker with a different group blocked somebody’s driveway and some sort of accident ensued, with the obvious unpleasant outcome as a result. I fail to see why people can’t just follow a couple rules – don’t block people’s driveways, don’t use their garden hoses, don’t leave trash and don’t make a lot of noise. Is that too much to ask? Time to get off my soapbox and start hiking!

The briefing

Thea, the hike leader, told us during the briefing that we weren’t going down Waiakeakua Falls as originally planned, but would instead go down Manoa Middle Ridge. Bummers. I saw a couple of familiar faces in the group, Bob and Randy, from prior hikes.

Which way to go?

A couple hikers split from the main group and went on the Puu Pia trail. They wanted to go up the Manoa Middle Ridge and would meet us at the top.

Kolowalu Trail

The rest of us made our way uphill on the Kolowalu trail.

Wa’ahila Trail

An hour later, we were at the junction that went up the “unmaintained” part of the Wa’ahila trail.

Clearing

It was shaping up to be a nice day on the Koolau’s. There are three of these clearings as you make your way up to Olympus. Perfect times to take pictures and catch your breath.

Panoramic view of town

Click here for the larger image.

Dirt + Water = Mud

When Mother Nature turns on the faucets, this section literally becomes a mud slide.

Mount Olympus

This is the closest we came to Olympus. Even though the hike was billed as going to Olympus, there were no takers. What a shame as Olympus is usually swathed in clouds, today was the exception.

Headed to the Koolau Summit Ridge Trail

We went back down the trail a bit until we connected to the KSRT ( Koolau Summit Ridge Trail ).

Koolau Summit Ridge Trail

It’s always a blast to be walking on top of the Koolau’s, especially when the weather cooperates and gives unrestricted views as far as the eye can see.

Looking for the “sedan” rock

As we made our way along the ridge, we failed to see the rock formation that looked like a “sedan.” Must have been more like a smart car. But we did pass the trail that would have took us down to Waiakeakua Falls. Another hike for another day.

Which way does the wind blow?

It’s always interesting to see how the wind shapes the trees and terrain up in the mountains.

Making it up to the Manoa Middle Ridge

The rest of the group making their way up to meet us at the top of Manoa Middle.

Lunch time

What a lunch spot!

Manoa Valley

After we filled our bellies and stretched our legs, some of us headed down the Manoa Middle Ridge. Hikers can thank the HTMC for clearing this trail going down into Manoa Valley. The rest stayed to enjoy the views a little bit longer. Who could blame them?

A big tree

As we lost elevation coming down the ridge, these huge trees started looming over us and forming a canopy at the lower elevation.

Ridge going down towards Waiakeakua Falls

We spotted the ridge that would have taken us to Waiakeakua Falls to our left.

Upstream

Exploring a little bit upstream, we found a rock dating back to 1891. It’s always amazing what one can find in these valleys. You just have to take the time to look.

Queen’s Bath

The water at this popular watering hole was so crisp and clear, it was almost out of a spring water commercial.

Until we meet again

We bid farewell to one of the group as he followed the stream out to his house in Manoa. We had a short cardio blast going up this small hill past these huge Chinese Fan Palm Trees.

Puu Pia trail

After a short climb to the top, we made a left and followed the Puu Pia trail out back to our cars.

GPS tracks

The 5.4 mile leisurely paced hike took us about 5 1/2 hours to complete. Even though we didn’t get to go down Waiakeakua Falls, it was still a fun hike.

The twin peaks of Konahuanui (K1 and K2) have beckoned to me for quite some time. All four of our previous attempts to climb them were either derailed by Mother Nature or Human Nature. Today was the day we were going to get to the top of the highest peak on the Koolau Mountains. It would have took a tsunami with hurricane winds to stop Glenn, Chance and myself from making this hike today. 

Koolau Mountains

I picked up Glenn from Alani Drive in Manoa, as that was where we were planning on coming out and we met Chance at the Pali Lookout. The climb going up towards the Pali Notches was steep off the bat and then we scrambled through a tangled thicket of hau tree branches. After that, we got to a flat clearing where we saw the sun painted fluted cliffs of the Koolau Mountains.

1st Pali Notch

Scrambling down the first Pali Notch was just a warm up for what lay ahead of us which was the second notch and the Chimney.

2nd Pali Notch

When we got to the second Pali Notch, we were pleasantly surprised to find that somebody had left ropes. The last time we did the notches, there were no ropes. The route we found that works best going down, is starting from the left and working your way to the right with or without ropes.

The Chimney

As we made our way to the nub or nipple right before the Chimney, the wind started to pick up again. This wouldn’t be the Pali Lookout without strong winds pushing you around. We had heard a lot about the Chimney and it’s near vertical face with limited handholds and footholds, so we had bought rock climbing shoes in preparation. Make that Glenn had brought his shoes, while I forgot mine’s in my car and Chance decided he could do without them.

Top of the Chimney

Much has been made about the Chimney, while it was a good climb, it was nowhere near the terrifying experience we were anticipating.  It was more a comedy of errors on our part, as the following story illustrates. We had decided it would be easier to climb without our backpacks, so I had brought along 550 parachute cord to haul the backpacks up the Chimney. I volunteered to go first and borrowed Glenn’s rock climbing shoes to scale the Chimney. Once at the top, the 550 cord got tangled and was too short to reach Glenn at the bottom. I wasted a lot of time trying to untangle the cord and then attached Glenn’s rock climbing shoes to the end to provide some weight as the wind was whipping the cord every which way but Glenn’s way. The cord was still too short as it was still partially tangled, so Glenn climbed up from the base of the Chimney and then tried to swing the cord to Chance at the bottom. During one of his swings, one of Glenn’s shoes flew off the cord and tumbled down the windward side. Goodbye $180 shoes. Chance finally snagged the cord and attached two of our backpacks and it was a bear hauling it up as it swung towards the town side where there were more branches and rocks for the cord to catch on. Glenn then made it up and Chance completed the climb with his backpack on. That little exercise probably added an extra hour plus to our hiking time.

Another rockface

After the Chimney, the path ahead lay strewn with narrow ridges and brittle rock. Buoyed by the confidence of completing the Chimney portion and ropes left behind by others, we made short work of the rockfaces. 

...and another...

As we started to climb higher, the rocky trail eventually turned into a narrow trail held together by dirt, grass and plants.

Windward view

Taking a break to soak in the bird’s eye view of the Windward side. This is what makes ridge hikes so worthwhile as the views knock it out of the park.

Town view

Looking towards Nuuanu Valley and town. You can see the top of Lanihuli on the right.

Can't see the top for the clouds

As we looked up trying to find the peak of Konahuanui, the clouds kept hiding it from us. More often than not, the top is usually covered in clouds. Today was no exception.

Slippery slope

We came across this section where it was straight going up 25+feet of mud. Luckily there were ropes again, you will need some upper body strength to pull yourselves up using tree branches, grass and ropes. Glenn actually took his shoes off to get a better grip going up.

Cloudy view

Here we are almost at the top. We were so high up, we actually saw an red bi-plane flying below us, which I think is the original Hawaiian Airlines plane. Pretty cool.

Top of Konahuanui

We arrived at the top of Konahuanui at 3,105 feet to be greeted by whiteout conditions. While it was disappointing not to have clear conditions, Mother Nature teased us every now and then as the clouds would partially open up to show us the Windward and Town views.

Headed to K2

After vainly waiting about 30 minutes hoping that the clouds would clear from the top, we decided to move on to the second highest peak of Konahuanui or K2. Here is where we made our second mistake of the day. Since we could barely see, we started going down the ridge on the town side. When the clouds partially lifted, we realized we were going the wrong way and had to backtrack back to the top and follow the ridge on the Windward side that would take us to K2. Another extra hour tacked on to the hike. 

Konahuanui 2 marker

The view from K2 was just as cloudy as K1. A big disappointment. The views were actually better getting to the peaks than when we actually got on top of the peaks.

Panoramic view of Windward and Town

Click here to see the larger image of the just stupendous views of the Windward and Town sides.

Koolau Mountains

The fact that we could see the Koolaus all the way to Makapu’u just made this hike even more breathtaking.

Headed down the Manoa Middle Trail

As we were walking along the spine of the Koolau’s, we were wondering if we had missed the turn to go down the Manoa Middle trail. We thought we were going to have to hike all the way to Mount Olympus and go down the Waahila Trail. Then as Glenn was hiking ahead of us, he came back with a shit eating grin on his face that said he found the clearing and the Manoa Middle pink ribbon. The hike down Manoa Middle is all downhill and the last part before the trail drops you into the Waiakeakua stream is almost vertical with strawberry guava trees and ropes to brake your descent, which reminded me of the Cemetery Ridge coming down Pu’u Manamana. After that, we just followed the stream all the way out until we found ourselve on Waaloa Place, a little off from our intended exit of Alani Drive. It took us over twelve hours to finish this hike, if we hadn’t gotten lost and spent wasted time untangling our cord, we would have completed the hike in a little over nine hours.