Projected thunderstorms derailed our camping hike, so we went to a popular watering hole instead.

Trailhead

This was my first time using the regular entrance to the trail that was established back in 1995 by Dick Davis, the Sierra Club and the Marines.

Follow the signs

I guess we go to the right.

Trail

Making our way down the notoriously muddy trail that were interrupted by slick wooden steps.

Trail

The log that was ignored at first for a photographic prop, but its use could not be denied for long.

Trail

Passing by Maunawili stream, which is the longest in the entire Windward district of Ko’olaupoko.

Trail

Analyn rock hopping across one of the stream crossings.

Trail

Making our way towards the back of the valley.

Maunawili Falls

We captured a large amount of time before letting others have their 15 minutes of photographic posterity.

Trail

Analyn watching her overhead clearance as she made her way up the even muddier trail above the falls.

Bridge

We ran across another hiker on the dilapidated bridge who was droning himself.

Bridge

Most of the wooden steps on the swaying bridge have long rotted and fallen away, which did not give Analyn much confidence in crossing the decaying structure. Fortunately, she changed her mind after some coaxing.

Moss Slides

Locked in a swimsuit version of Groundhog Day.

Moss Slides

Time to have some fun in nature’s water park. Photos by Adrian Nando.

Reflections

Back in the groundhog day.

Moss Slides

Group photo left to right: Analyn, myself and Adrian. Drone photo by Adrian Nando.

Trail

Following the irrigation ditch on our way back out.

Trail

Taking the lower trail as nobody wanted to go on the slippery pipe.

Crawfish got your tongue?

When the food bites back.

Bridge

Look ma! No steps!

Bridge

Analyn coming back up the rickety bridge.

Bridge

Looking heroic going back down.

All pau

We came back down to the crowded watering hole where some hikers were interested in what was beyond the falls. Trying to explain it in terms a tourist can understand. Language barrier. It was a fun and short photo shoot, err hike. Photo by Analyn Baliscao.

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.

Ben and I woke up before the crack of dawn to attempt our three saddle traversal hike. Key word on attempt. Somebody overslept again.

Trailhead

Heading up the ridge, too early for the bees.

Piliwale Ridge

Gazing at the Windward city lights.

Piliwale Ridge

Ben peering over the notch into the inky darkness.

Piliwale Ridge

Daylight breaking over the mountains, allowing us to put away our headlamps and actually see where we’re going. Photo by Ben Hinders.

Nu’uanu Saddle

We sat down for a spell to take in the incredible show of the clouds drifting through the mountains under the morning sun. Photo by Ben Hinders.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Our only company on the ridge.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Squinting to figure out if we were seeing 2 or 3 fogbows. Photo by Ben Hinders.

Nu’uanu Saddle

The show was over, so we started to make our way down the ridge, when Ben slipped into a false hole and rolled his ankle. Game over.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Leaving the clouds behind us as we dropped in elevation.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Ben checking out one of the engineering marvels of the arachnid family.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Hitting the chossy rocks.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Throwing a shaka out. Photo by Ben Hinders.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Ben decided not to throw a shaka out.

Chimney

We spotted a green shirted individual hanging out by the man made notches, who turned out to be Chris, as we took our group photo.

Chimney

Time to go down the chimney. Ho ho ho. Too early and too skinny. Photo by Ben Hinders.

Chimney

Ben making his way down between the slabs of rocks.

Nipple

Morning yoga in the mountains. Photo by Ben Hinders.

Nipple

Ben braving the strong winds and eroded rock to redeem himself. Maybe next time.

Pali Notches

Ben climbing up the second notch.

Pali Notches

Chris making his way up the first notch.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Making our way down through the rabbit hole.

Pali Lookout

Taking in the panoramic views of Kailua and Kaneohe.

Pali Lookout

Making our way down to mingle with the tourists who couldn’t take our picture with the timer on for all the Ginseng in Korea.

All pau

But wait, why can’t we take a picture at the lookout instead of the sign? Our abbreviated hike covered 2.10 miles through a pitch black ridge, cotton candy views and rainbows. Not a bad way to spend the morning with good company in the mountains. Thanks to Chris for meeting us and driving me back to my car. It was too early for us to eat, so we all called it a 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.

This was my second hike to Mount Olympus, a trail that is a town favorite as evidenced by the abundance of hikers on the trail. The first hike was with the HTMC which was marked by rain, clouds and not making the summit. This time I was determined to reach the summit and hoped Mother Nature would cooperate and clear the clouds at the summit.

Trailhead

 We drove to the top of St.Louis Heights and parked at the Wa’ahila State Recreation Park which opens their gates at 7am daily. If you get there early, you can park outside and still walk inside.

Trail

The clearly marked trail goes up and down several times that are punctuated with rocky areas and the ever present strawberry guava trees whose fallen fruit had been trampled by countless hikers before us to release their strong, sweet smell.

Manoa Valley

We soon saw views of the city with Manoa valley taking center stage.

Up or down?

This marked the end of the lower trail, so we took the trail to the right to continue our hike to Mt. Olympus. The trail to the left continues down to Manoa Valley.

Palolo Valley

View of Palolo valley with Diamond Head in the background. Looking ahead we saw that the top of Mount Olympus was alternating between clouds and blue skies. We hoped to catch the latter when we made the summit.

Cloudy Mount Olympus

The last part of the trail is a somewhat steep hill that is mostly dirt, luckily there was a grassy trail to the left that we used to make the final push towards the summit. Clouds greeted us as we made the top of Mount Olympus at 2,486 feet. We stayed at the top for awhile hoping that the clouds would pass, we got several teasing glimpses of the windward side and then rain convinced us to turn back and go home.

Olomana, in Hawaiian, means divided hill. Looking at the three peaks rising out of Maunawili Valley, you can see why it got that name. Called Oahu’s Matterhorn by Stuart Ball, there is a passing resemblance to the iconic mountain of the Alps. However, in true aloha fashion, you get three peaks for the price of one! We parked on the road before the Maunawili Bridge at the Luana Hills Country Club. Do not park after the bridge, as they will tow your car. We walked down the road for a quarter of a mile and found the sign pointing out the start of the Olomana trail.

Peak of Olomana

The beginning of the trail was marked with groves of bamboo, strawberry guava, Christmas berry plants and ironwood pine trees. There are also a couple of switchbacks going up the ridge. 

Are we hiking or climbing?

As we gradually made our way up the trail, we came across several areas that were quite steep and rocky. Fortunately, there are ropes that somebody left behind that helped us get up these steep areas.

Rock face

This 12 to 15 foot rockface was the last major obstacle we had to scale before reaching the top of the first peak known as Olomana. As with all ropes we came across the trail, we tested them and never fully relied on them, more as an assist to get us up.

View towards Kaawa

View from the first peak, known as Olomana, with an elevation of 1,643 feet. This is actually the highest of the three peaks and the one that affords the most scenic and 360 degree views of the Windward side, Maunawili Valley and the Koolau Range.

View of Mokapu Peninsula

Here you can see Mokapu Peninsula, home to the Kaneohe Marine Base and parts of Kailua and Enchanted Lakes. Today was also the day that the Blue Angels were supposed to put on a show, if the timing was right, we would have had the best seats in the house. Too bad, we were too early. The awesome views more than made up for missing the Blue Angels.

View of Waimanalo

Here you can see the sun washing over the town of Waimanalo, Bellows Beach, Manana (Rabbit) and Kaohikaipu (Turtle) islands. Both islands are now designated seabird sanctuaries.

View of Paku'i and Ahiki

From the first peak of Olomana, you can see the second peak, known as Paku’i, and the third peak, known as Ahiki in the background. A lot of hikers call it quits after making the first peak and return back. Not us, since we made it this far, we decided we might as well go all the way! No guts, no glory!

View of Olomana

Descending from the first peak to the saddle was somewhat steep but manageable. The climb to the second peak was over before we knew it, here we are looking at Olomana from the second peak.

View of Ahiki

Only one more peak to go! The ridge looks razor sharp from this vantage point, but that’s because we are far away!

Rapelling or hiking?

Coming down from the second peak to the saddle, we had to rappel down almost 300 feet.

Keyhole

This striking rock formation on the way to the third peak, is called the keyhole for obvious reasons. I read that around this area, a couple of hikers lost their footing and bounced down the mountain, but managed to scramble their way back up. Needless to say, we were extra careful around this area, as I didn’t want to be like a bad check.

Back in the saddle

Leaving the keyhole behind and climbing up the ridge with some noticeable dropoffs on both sides. If you are afraid of heights, this hike is not for you.

View of Olomana and Paku'i

Looking back towards the first two peaks. We were almost to the third and final peak! I heard that there is suppose to be a big bee hive between the second and third peaks. The only bee we came across, was one that decided to make itself at home in my glove. So for a short distance, I was buzzing until I realized it wasn’t alcohol!

View from Ahiki

The views from the summit of the third peak are almost anti-climatic, as compared to the first peak. But the feeling of making it to the third peak was awesome. The hike is difficult as there are extreme steep areas that must be carefully climbed and hiked. It took us roughly two hours to get to the third peak and about two and a half hours to make it back to our cars. I read that some hikers have made the scary descent from the third peak going down into Waimanalo. That’s for another day.