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.