Rain was drenching the islands for almost a week, you would think the stream levels would be overflowing. One would think.

Wahiawa

We all met up on the street that was named after the California Colony that was founded by families from the 31st state who came to farm pineapples and fruits in the early 1900s.

Wahiawa Hills

Edgar making his way down the heavily rooted and forested hill.

Wahiawa Hills

Following the thick rope down that ran the entire length of the slippery slope. Kudos to whomever carried and left it for others to utilize.

Wahiawa Hills

Passing through a farmed and managed area.

Wahiawa Hills

Our first crossing of the longest river in the islands.

Wahiawa Hills

Putting our glutes and quads to good use this morning.

Wahiawa Hills

Scott getting our bearings in the rolling hills. Multiple hikers have gotten lost and rescued in this lush jungle and one hiker never made it back.

Wahiawa Hills

Descending to our exit stream crossing.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Scott tying a yellow towel to an overhanging branch so that we would have a visual reminder where to get out, otherwise we would rack up extra mileage. Not the kind you can redeem either.

Wahiawa Hills

They don’t call this place Wahiawa Hills for nothing.

Wahiawa Hills

Group photo on the relaxing horizontal stretch of ground.

Wahiawa Hills

Matt standing in front of a Traveller’s Palm, despite his doubts. Google Lens confirmed the flowering plant. It’s on the Internet, so it must be true.

Wahiawa Hills

Keeping to the lower trail.

Wahiawa Hills

The group “exploring” in the hills. All trails eventually lead to the stream. Right?

Wahiawa Hills

Deja vu.

Wahiawa Hills

We are absolutely and positively on the right trail this time. That and a nickel will get us wet.

Wahiawa Hills

Getting ready at the launch point, as we inflated our floaties and put on our wetsuits.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Making our way to the stream which was full of water but not as deep as we had hoped.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

We have buoyancy!

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Floating lazily down a river.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Squirting water on suspecting passerby’s.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Adding more air to my floatie as it was already running low. Do I need to lose weight?

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

The mostly shallow river meant we had to cross the exposed rocks by foot or by butt.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Sandra on the rocks. Shaken and not stirred.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Scott banking off the bank, like a pool shot.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Nature’s wet’n’wild waterpark. Saved us $39.99 and standing in lines and subject to the exorbitant food and beverage prices.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Groot and the chain gang.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Kenny adopting the drag coefficient position to float down the river.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Swimming and tubing in the deep section.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Matt requiring assistance from the Kauai chapter of AAA. I would also require assistance.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Sandra riding the rocky class two rapids.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Back at the finish line sans my gopro. I was more than ready for terra firma. Keep my floatie. Thank you very much.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Deflating the floaties as we dragged our water soaked bodies out of the river that drains into Kai’aka Bay.

Wahiawa Hills

Climbing our last hill for the day.

All pau

Exiting back to our cars where Sandra recovered her banana from my truck that was still sitting there. No hungry chronics in this neighborhood.

GPS Tracks

Our hike/floatie ride covered 4.67 miles through the hills of Wahiawa with a fun group. Thanks to Scott for putting this together. Post hike meal at a local staple in the town, Dong Yang Inn. Under new management without the pupus that used to come with your entrees and everything is now packed to go. Still tasty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8upgtMVRd8

Video by Edgar Gamiao of our tubing/hiking day.

Photos taken by Edgar Gamiao, Kenny Lui, Matt Vidaurri, Sandra Walter, Scott Dea and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

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. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.

I did a more inclusive hike this weekend. Somebody said I should do more of these. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Trailhead

Met up with Aida, Dale, Marilyn, Matt, Quan and Tessa in the city of pines.

Wahiawa Hills

We cut through the eucalyptus forest to start our hike.

Wahiawa Hills

Dale capturing the moving clouds rolling through the hills. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Wahiawa Hills

The group coming down the heavily rooted slippery slope.

Wahiawa Hills

Matt using the balancing shovel as he made his way across the log. Whatever works. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Wahiawa Hills

Going down the right (left) junction to stay on trail.

Wahiawa Hills

Dropping down to cross the longest stream on the island.

Kaukonahua Stream

Fording the wide and shallow stream.

Wahiawa Hills

There’s a reason why this place is called Wahiawa Hills and not Flats. Photo by Marilyn Bermudez.

Wahiawa Hills

Hike down. Hike up. Repeat until your desired destination is reached. Photo by Marilyn Bermudez.

Wahiawa Hills

Detouring off the loop trail.

Wahiawa Hills

The sunlight poked holes through the dense forest canopy. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Wahiawa Hills

Descending our way down to the irrigation tunnel.

Wahiawa Hills

Watching our steps as the rocks underfoot were slick and shifting.

Wahiawa Hills

Matt wanted to explore further down the stream before wading into the tunnel. Lucky I brought my webbing along. Photo by Dale Yoshizu.

Wahiawa Hills

Thanks to Quan for letting me borrow her spikes for that added traction on that slippery log. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Wahiawa Hills

Exploring downstream that was cluttered with lots of trees that must have been swept down from the numerous flash floods that engorges the streams. Photos by Matt Vidaurri.

Wahiawa Hills

Dale and Marilyn tried their footing on the slick log as we climbed our way back up.

Underworld

The water depth changed as we moved deeper into the tunnel, but the temperature remained constant. Cold. Ice cold. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Underworld

Approaching the light at the end of the tunnel.

Underworld

The poor man’s waterfall.

Underworld

Matt the beaver worked his way through the tree branches blocking the gate to see what was on the other side.

Underworld

Group photo left to right: Dale, Tessa, Marilyn, myself, Quan, Matt and Aida.

Underworld

Some of us found it harder to leave than the others. The draw of the photoshoot was stronger than plunging back into ice cold water. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Underworld

Aida approaching the end of the tunnel. Photo by Dale Yoshizu.

Underworld

Tessa keeping all her goodies dry. Well not all of them. Photo by Dale Yoshizu.

Wahiawa Hills

When you don’t offer a helping hand, but give a stick instead.

Wahiawa Hills

Quan coming up the steep hill. Cardio hill has nothing on this one. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Wahiawa Hills

Dale had to leave the hike; but Ani, Cathy and Edgar joined the group at the top of the hill.

Black Hawk Down

Behind the production scene. Photo by Ani Lagpacan.

Hawaiian Ninja Warrior

Only Matt made the cut. The rest of us have to stay on the sidewalks.

Ranger Rejects

I guess most of us are not getting our diplomas. Photo by Ani Lagpacan.

Wahiawa

When the 2D and 3D worlds collide, expectations fail to meet reality.

Wahiawa

Taking a break from the uluhe ferns that dominated the trail. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Valve Tower

Ani approaching the over 100′ tower that was built in the 1920s.

Valve Tower

Angles and perspectives.

Valve Tower

Group photo in the Ku Tree Reservoir, left to right: Ani, Quan, Cat, Edgar, myself, Marilyn, Matt, Aida and Tessa.

Wahiawa

Climbing out of the empty lake. Photo by Aida Gordon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9g9kVueNoI

Video by Edgar Gamiao of our valve tower exploration.

Wahiawa

We picked up another hiker in the form of the forgetful hiker who met us at the top.

My Precious!

Somebody was making the most out of finding a gold ring.

Catwalk

The dancing stopped as soon as somebody realized there were no dollar bills being taken out.

Weekend Warriors

We wanted to be all you can be; so we headed down the road to test our speed, endurance and agility. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Tarzan

Only one of us could monkey the bars. Two-way traffic on the balance beams. Somebody thought it was the place to practice their bachata moves.

Obstacle Course

The course evaluators relaxing in the shade. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Easy Balancer

Easy Peasy Japanesey. Being politically incorrect.

Vaults

We all got over the bars in our own ways. Some more graceful than others.

Swing, Stop and Jump

Most of us swung around without any direction until we got stopped and then jumped to the ground. Not exactly how it’s supposed to be done. Matt the Hawaiian Ninja Warrior was the only one to tap the top.

Belly Over

How do you get up there?

Island Hopper

Stretching those legs.

Obstacle Course

Nothing to see here. Move along. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Low Crawl

Somebody wouldn’t have popped up early if there was machine gun fire over our heads. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Wahiawa

Scrambling our way out of the hills.

Wahiawa

Walking our way out. It’s still daylight! Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Wahiawa

I hear you knocking, but you can’t come out.

All pau

Our fun exploration day covered over seven miles in the rolling hills of Wahiawa that gave us cardiovascular and physical exercise all rolled up into one hike. Post hike meal at Chicken in a Barrel. I guess it’s all in how you say it.

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.

Chris and Cisco met up with me in the central valley with plans to hike over and down into the valley of coral dived for or something close to that. We ended up getting something close to that.

Trailhead

Making our way down the heavily rooted hill covered with fallen leaves.

Wahiawa Hills

Going down one of multiple junctions scattered throughout the forest. Helps to know your way.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Chris decided to stay dry for now and get wet later. I was just plain lazy to take my shoes off for the stream crossing. Embrace the wetness. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Wahiawa Hills

Squishing our way back up the hills of Wahiawa.

Ewa Reserve

Enjoying the clouds settling in the forested canopy.

Wahiawa Hills

Our quadriceps were getting a good workout this morning.

Wahiawa Hills

Breaking out into the flat and open grassy fields which afforded our legs and lungs a break.

Poamoho Hunting Area

Cisco using his imagination to add to the bullet riddled sign. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Wahiawa Hills

Pushing our way through the swath of thick, tangled uluhe ferns.

Army fencing

Coming soon to a Ko’olau Summit Trail near you. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Poamoho Road

Chris making his own swing in the mountains.

Poamoho Road

Making our way up the muddy road sans a 4×4 jeep, we let our feet do the walking.

Poamoho Trail

Stepping foot onto one of the shortest routes to the Ko’olau Summit. Not counting the jeep road. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Poamoho Trail

Making our way up the graded and muddy trail.

Poamoho Trail

Do you smell swine? No, but we did smell loads of dog poop all over the trail.

Poamoho Trail

Heading into the gulch as the rain picked up its pace.

Poamoho Summit

The summit was a total whiteout with zero visibility. We sat hunkered below the Cline Memorial, sheltered from the biting wind but not the sleeting rain. Debating what to do, what do we see? Another hiker making his way up to the summit, soaked to his wire rim glasses. His name was Eric and he was hiking down towards the Schofield-Waikane Trail.

Ko’olau Summit Trail (KST)

Forecasts of lightning throughout the rest of the day persuaded us to ditch going down the storied Pig God trail and instead we struck out towards the South to catch up with Eric.

KST

The rain continued to keep our bodies and the ground soundly saturated as we decided to bypass the cabin as being temporarily dry was worse than being constantly wet.

Waterfall

Chris taking a shower ahead of schedule. A cold one at that. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Pauao Junction

Passing the newly posted green sign marker. A much needed improvement over the brown and weathered sign that many failed to notice.

KST

Chris with a rare sighting of the Ko’olau Branta Bryophyta. Seen only during the frequent rain showers that wash over the mountains, forcing them to come out from their nesting grounds in the uki grass to hunt for handouts from hikers.

Random Trail Meetings

Somebody was not hiking alone anymore. Still no sign of Eric.

Schofield-Waikane Junction

Group photo at the 2,360′ summit.

S-W Trail

Time to head down and hopefully leave the rain and clouds behind us.

S-W Trail

HTMC had just recently cleared the trail last weekend and it showed.

Droning

The weather let up for a spell, so I decided to make use of the drone that I had been carrying all day.

S-W Trail

Aerial view of “Country so wild it’s hard to believe you’re on populous Oahu.” (Stuart Ball)

S-W Trail

Leaving the fence line behind us.

S-W Trail

Boning up on our scant knowledge of the trail.

S-W Trail

Trying to see the snake for the tree?

S-W Trail

Climbing out of the trail.

Trailhead

Getting the most out of my drone until a light drizzle canceled further flights.

East Range

Trading the cleared trail for the textured road that had our dogs barking. Maybe they were whimpering?

East Range

Wondering whatever happened to Eric on our way down. One of the unanswered questions of our day.

All pau

Heading back to the cars after our 16.3 mile hike through rain, clouds and sunshine all thrown together in the mountains. Post hike meal at Popeye’s. Love that chicken. Photo by Chris Bautista.

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, Christine, Cisco, Ferlino and Janell to do some possible river riding on the longest stream on the island. Photo by Janell Tuttle.

Trailhead

Janell had checked the rain gauges online earlier and it did not look promising for a day of tubing. We fell back on Plan B. Get lost in the woods. Not literally.

Downhill

Going down the steeply rooted hill as we passed the twin iconic water tanks that were enveloped with scaffolding.

Blowdown

Making our way over the fallen trees blocking the trail. Time for some trail clearing. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Stream

Passing through a clump of elephant ears. Or was it taro plants?

Waterfall

Ferlino’s stay was brief due to the depth and temperature of the pool.

Downhill

We headed up and over to another water crossing.

Kaukonahua Stream

Janell crossing the longest stream in the island. Water levels were definitely low, good for crossing and not so good for tubing.

Uphill

They don’t call this place Wahiawa Hills for nothing. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Ewa Forest Reserve

Janell overlooking the expansive forest and watershed. Photo by Christine Galiza.

Trail

Pushing up another hill dotted with paperbark trees.

Magic mushrooms

The forest floor was littered with the usual leaves and occasional yellow capped mushrooms living on fallen tree branches.

4×4 road

We soon broke free of the tree line and walked on the rutted jeep road that lead to the hunting area. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Poamoho

Cisco contributing to the ongoing perforation of the hunting sign.

Poamoho

Janell treating Cisco for shooter’s elbow. Firing too many blanks. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

Poamoho

Group photo left to right: Christine, Janell, Ferlino, myself, Cisco and Chris with his eco selfie stick.

Poamoho

Where there’s a tree, you will find an upside down Ferlino. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

4×4 road

I had wanted to refresh my trail memory going to Poamoho, so with that being satisfied, we turned around and headed back.

Stream

The group getting their feet wet crossing one of several small stream crossings. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Wahiawa Hills

Back on the loop trail.

Junction

Getting off the loop trail.

Watercolor

You should be in a painting by Photoshop.

Log trail

Walking on the fallen tree that was seen as suspect by some.

Trail

Sliding our way down amongst the giant ferns and loose rocks.

Underworld

We dropped down into the tunnel that had a giant tree wrapped around the front entrance. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Underworld

Sloshing and subjecting our extremities to the chill of cold water. It got waist deep as we headed deeper into the tunnel.

Underworld

Looking ahead to the light that existed at the end of the tunnel. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Underworld

Group photo by Chris Bautista at the end where the full force of the water was muffled by the branches that had clogged the gates over time.

Underworld

Chris being diffused by the natural light from above.

Underworld

Thanks to Janell for showing us the “underworld.”

Trail

Scrambling our way back out of the gully.

Tipping point

Chris and Ferlino going out on a limb.

Downhill

Swimming our way through the green ocean of uluhe ferns.

Stream

Arriving at our launch or lunch spot, depending on the time of day.

Stream

Ferlino didn’t carry the inner tube all day for nothing. Time to huff and puff, but not for the hills this time.

Stream

We all tried riding the currents and being swirled around for our amusement. Found out that we needed bigger floaties. These little doughnuts would not have cut it, if we had gone tubing as originally planned. Lesson learned.

Stream

Panoramic photo by Janell Tuttle.

Stream

After our bottoms were somewhat dry, we launched our way out of the lunch spot.

Trail tree

One of many seemingly dead but still standing trees in the hills. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

Uphill

Huffing and puffing this time for the hills.

Tree poser

This is not your high school graduation photo. Photo by Chris Bautista

Trail

Coming down our last hill where we intersected with the loop trail from this morning.

Uphill

Climbing our way back up the steeply rooted hill.

Open road

The firing ranges were silent today as Cisco guided us to our last hike of the day.

Downhill

Leaving the spent brass behind us as we made our way down the slippery slope.

Tower

Our first glimpse of the 90′ plus tower that was built back in the 1920s. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla

Valve Tower

Ferlino wishing he had his hammock for that perfect picture. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla

Tower

Somebody always has to be different in the crowd.

Tower

The metal rungs became progressively worse as it reached higher to the top.

Ku Tree Reservoir

Group photo without Janell, as she decided to stay topside.

Kalakoa Stream

The carbonation was flat, but the taste was somewhat briny and gritty.

Empty metal jacket

Reporting for duty. Call of duty or off duty? Photo by Cisco Quintanilla

Trail

I guess Uber is not picking us up on this road.

Trailer

Just some bondo and duct tape and we can haul it away.

Jungle

Low crawling through my flash backs or just trying to find that penny that I dropped. Photo by Janell Tuttle.

Blackhawk down

I wish I could fly.

All pau

One’s childhood is only finished when one say it’s finished. Our adventure filled day covered over 11 miles through rolling hills, tunnels, and some neat finds. Post hike meal at Dong Yang Inn, where’s it more of an instituition than a meal. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

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.

I had a free weekend and decided to spend it in the mountains. How do you spell fun in the Ko’olaus? M – U – D.

Trailhead

My mirrors were folded in. The dogs were barking. The blue skies were smiling at me.

Wahiawa Hills

Time to get swallowed in the hills of Wahiawa.

Wahiawa Hills

My first stream crossing. Didn’t even get my feet wet. Just yet.

Wahiawa Hills

The rolling down hills.

Wahiawa Hills

Brightly colored float tubes as trail markers. Why didn’t I think of that?

Kaukonahua Stream

The longest river on the island. 33 miles. Got wet. Not deep enough for tubing.

Wahiawa Hills

The rolling up hills.

Wahiawa Hills

The vegetation has returned with a vengeance since it was burned out over a year ago.

Wahiawa Hills

Panoramic view of the vast Ewa Forest Reserve.

Wahiawa Hills

More rolling down hills.

Wahiawa Hills

Got wet again.

Wahiawa Hills

The hills have hills.

Wahiawa Hills

Leaving the hills behind.

Wahiawa Hills

Soon you will be able to read the bullet holes instead.

Wahiawa Hills

A freshly cut trail. Relatively speaking. Looks like the work of the HTMC trail clearing crew.

Wahiawa Hills

Pink ribbons fluttering from the branches that marked the trail. I miss the float tubes.

Poamoho Road

Time to transition from trail to road. All it took was a hop. No skip. No jump.

Poamoho Trail

No sign of bees. No honey either. I had my nuts too.

Poamoho Trail

Bench with a view. Warm bench.

Poamoho Trail

Something new. Time to edumucate myself.

Poamoho Trail

Well, at least it’s not imploring me to turn back.

Poamoho Trail

We meet again. A familiar but necessary eyesore in the mountains.

Poamoho Trail

The last stream crossing. Didn’t get my wet shoes wet.

Poamoho Trail

Memorial in sight.

Poamoho Summit

Not a bad spot to have lunch.

Poamoho Summit

Looking out towards the Waianae Range.

KST

The gate is open. The Ko’olau Summit Trail beckons.

KST

Still working on my plant identification skills. Lack of.

KST

Landslide. I’ve been seeing more of these on the trails lately.

KST

The trail for the most part contoured on the Windward side.

KST

Stacked fences. Assembly included.

Pritchardia

Native loulu palm trees dotting the sides of the mountain.

KST

Following the fence line.

KST

I spotted something wooden and rectangular off in the distance. What could it be?

KST

The iconic boot junction.

KST

Traversing the undulating fenced trail.

KST

Passing by a notch in the mountains that the clouds filled in.

KST

The clouds started to slowly drift and diffuse over the jungled landscape.

KST

The sock stake. Someone has a good sense of humor.

Trail

How do you spell fun again?

Opaeula Cabin

I’ll take the room with mountain views please.

Opaeula Cabin

Cabin life. Kitchen sink included. Night views not included.

Opaeula Cabin

Wakey wakey eggs and bakey. No eggs. No bacon. A bowl of hot beef pho will have to do.

Trail

Down into the rabbit hole.

KST

A lehua papa tree? sticking out like the proverbial veined thumb. Still working on those skills.

KST

Spider web catching morning dew drops.

KST

The trail soon met up with the fence again.

KST

Hiking through the cloudy, twisted topography of the Northern Ko’olau can be confusing and clarifying at the same time.

KST

Corridor of moss hanging trees sheltering a river of mud.

Papali Junction

The junction has been cleared and fenced. No stopping the fence migration.

KST

The cotton candy clouds seemed to slowly dissolve as they drifted over the mountains and out to the ocean.

KST

The overgrowth relented somewhat as the trail continued to contour on the Windward side.

KST

Spoke too soon.

KST

Curtain of hanging roots obscuring pungent and cloying rivers of mud.

KST

What hike wouldn’t be complete without wading through pockets of chest high uluhe ferns? Exactly.

KST

Temporary relief.

Trail snacks

Thimbleberry. Many berries to make a big berry.

Koloa Cabin

I guess the rats are all gone.

Koloa Cabin

Leaving the outhouse behind, no deposits left.

KST

The uneven fencing reflected the convoluted trail.

KST

Leaving the fence behind.

Kawailoa Summit

Stunning end to end views of the Waianae Mountain Range from the 2,360′ top.

KST

Crossing the bowl shaped depression to climb back up to the Windward side of the trail.

Laie Summit

Panoramic view from the 2,240′ top.

Laie Summit

The winds were biting cold as I took my hurried leave of the summit.

Laie Trail

Only six miles left. All downhill.

Laie Trail

The elevation hourglass seemed to drop slower than usual, as the trail descended through native forest and invasive strawberry guava trees.

Laie Trail

I soon ran across the grove of Norfolk Pines. Halfway there. Keep on going. Almost there.

All pau

My two day hike across and through the mud, overgrowth and stunning scenery of the Ko’olau Mountains covered over 24 miles. I was beaten like a rented mule at the end of the trail. Euphorically exhausted. Thanks to Dale for picking me up. Post hike meal at Outback. Eyes were bigger than my stomach. Doggy bag.

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.

I found myself back in the rolling hills of Wahiawa with Gen, Jose, Katy, Matt and Rob.

Cardio Hill

Jose going down the steep tree rooted lined hill.

Stream crossing

Matt looking back at our first little stream crossing. No tubing here.

Going down

Gen going down one of the steep ridges.

Kaukonahua Stream

Gen and Matt crossing the longest stream in the islands. I heard it’s great for tubing when the stream levels are high enough.

Going up

Eucalyptus trees lined many of the ridges, throwing off their distinctive minty pine smell.

Hills for days

They don’t call this place Wahiawa Hills for nothing.

Well done

A brush fire back in August had scorched over 500 acres before finally being extinguished. Click here for the larger image.

Traveler’s Palms

Flowering plants masquerading as trees marked a road that was not our path. We picked up the trail in the bushes and continued our merry way.

Rolling hills

The vast expanse of the Ewa Forest Reserve.

Coming down

Gen coming down one of the steep hills. Luckily the hills were amply rooted with sturdy trees.

Stream crossing

Gen trying not to get her feet wet on our last stream crossing.

Going up

I lost count of all the hills that we went up and down.

Good morning

Sun beams in the forest. Photo by Jose Luis Delaki.

Lost in the woods

You guys are where? Hello? The many twists and turns and multiple hills of this area have given many hikers pause and even swallowed one without a trace. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Mountain Yoga

We had a couple hours to kill since half of the crew went “exploring”, so Gen and Matt practiced their yoga skills.

Reunited

Many intermittent calls, dropped calls, failed texts and hoarse hollering finally guided the rest of the crew back to us.

Hmmm

What are we looking for? Oh yeah, koa seeds.

Poamoho Hunting Area

Group photo left to right: Katy, Rob, myself, Matt, Gen and Jose.

Flagpole

Matt displaying his upper body strength. Photo by Jose Luis Delaki.

Cleared

HTMC had recently cleared the trail, so we thought it would be prudent to take advantage of it before the uluhe ferns reclaimed it back to Mother Nature.

West side

Looking out at the Waianae Mountain Range, Helemano and Wahiawa.

Open fields

The hills eventually gave way to open flat fields of flowing weeds.

Trail meets road

We left the trail and hopped over the chain onto Poamoho road. Where’s a 4×4 truck when you need one?

Poamoho road

That’s a huge koa tree. Wait. My bad. It’s just a big tree.

4×4 trucks

Oh there they are!

Poamoho trailhead

Group photo at the trailhead.

Poamoho trail

Just in case you missed it.

Barricade

Group photo by Jose Luis Delaki.

Graded trail

Hiking on a state sanctioned trail. Felt odd.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Hazard

Don’t try this on a hike.

Meeting

We bumped into Ryan Chang and Katie Ersbak and some politicians I’ve never voted for.

Hello

Looking back at the trail cut into the side of the mountain. Oh and there’s Matt.

End of maintained trail

Rough trails ahead. Not really. There are two hikers in this photo. Really.

Hunter check in station

Where is the hiker check in station?

Cline memorial

The clouds had beat us to the summit. Lost views of Kahana and Punalu’u Valleys.

Staring into the sun

The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades. Or close my eyes.

Poamoho summit

Let’s all pretend there is a view behind us at the 2,520′ summit.

Follow the fence

We pushed onto the cabin as once again we got robbed of the best views on the island.

Poamoho cabin

The cabin was unlocked. I heard that the workers sometimes lock the cabin to protect their personal belongings. Luckily no work was being done on the mountain today.

Pumping

Jose and Matt filtering the rain water for the rest of the crew that needed to replenish their camelbaks before resuming our hike.

Trail

Hiking on the KST. Wish we had a view.

Cloudy trail

Still wishing. Photo by Jose Luis Delaki.

Loulou Palms

Katy and Rob passing through a clump of the only native palm trees to Hawaii.

Trail

Gave up wishing.

Schofield Waikane Junction

Group photo at the junction.

Schofield-Waikane Trail

Time to beat a path down the mountain or have the mountain beat us up for the next seven miles.

A long trail

Schofield-Waikane or Wahiawa trail is a long rugged hike through seemingly untamed country.

Rain

What would a hike in the mountains be without rain? Exactly.

Ridges for days

We still had quite a way to hike. Nothing but open country. The smell of tiger balm also started to decorate the air.

Trail

The trail for the most part contoured on the Windward side below the ridgeline.

City lights

Phhhttt. Hear that? Must be a wild pig. Those sounds would follow us to the end. Inside joke.

Trailhead

All pau.

Zzzzzzz

Not quite. We still had to walk out a stretch of military jeep roads to get out. And wake somebody up that was knocked out cold. Photo by Genesaret Balladares.

Deep thoughts

Facebook status check. Korean chicken. Chocolate milkshake. Shower. Sleep. We eventually roused ourselves from a semi-stupor and slumber and made our way out of the East Range, some through a gate and others over barbed wire.

GPS Tracks

The looping hike took us through the rolling hills of Wahiawa, the KST and down Schofield Waikane trail that covered 17.09 miles. Another grinder hike with a great crew. Major props to Katy for pushing through the pain to finish the trail. Post hike meal at Zippys. Miss my prime rib and clam chowder.

I got an excuse to break in my spanking brand new Costco backpack this weekend. Met up with Chris B, Chris C and Thessa to explore the rolling hills of Wahiawa.

Water tanks

We shouldered our 40 pound backpacks and disappeared into the hills.

The hills

The group making their way down the first hill through a stand of eucalyptus trees.

Dry stream

Passing through uprooted trees scattered like so many matchsticks.

Going down

We climbed up a hill, hit a switchback and followed the trail down to our first stream crossing.

North Fork Kaukonahua Stream

Took off our shoes and waded to the opposite bank in clear, cold waters.

Going up

The ample leaves surrounding us came in handy to dry our feet off. Climbing up another hill. Theme for the day.

Group photo

Cameras and monkeys fall out of trees. No monkeys around today. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Follow the ribbon

We followed this ribbon down into a thickly vegetated valley floor with false drops, so we turned around and headed back up again.

Let’s try this way

The trail looped back the way we had come from, so we found another side trail to explore.

Looks like a trail

Let’s see where this goes.

Poamoho stream

The trail dropped us down into another stream. Photo by Chris Chun.

Hills

Climbing up another hill peppered with paperbark trees.

Deja vu

Muttered curses filled the air as I topped the hill only to realize we had looped back again!

Ridge trail

Let’s find out where this ridge will take us.

Kaukonahua stream

We meet again. It the waters were higher, we might as well have gone tubing! Photo by Chris Chun.

Come on down

We crossed the stream and picked up a faint trail that soon disappeared as the uluhe got deeper and denser as we bushwhacked our way up another hill. Losing daylight. Time to turn around and set up camp. We didn’t lug these tents around for nothing.

Campsite

Group photo left to right: Chris B, Chris C, Thessa and myself.

What’s for dinner?

Cup of cramps. All night long. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Sunset

The day was drawing to a close. No more exploring for today. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Good night

Snoring. Cheese Farts. Eating. Rain. Tree branches creaking. Sleep. Not necessarily in that order. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Good morning

Wakey, wakey eggs and bakey. Or in our case, leftover MREs.

Back on the trail

We broke our campsite down, packed our bags and headed back out.

Uluhe forest

Nice to look at, not nice to be in it.

Rising waters

Runoff and rain had swollen and colored the muddy brown stream. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Until we meet again

Recycled walking sticks.

Playtime

The looping hike covered roughly 6 miles of rolling hills, pig trails, hunter trails, hiking trails, ridges and streams. Real easy to get lost in these hills. Post hike meal at Zippys. The eye is bigger than the stomach.