Met up with Gen, Justin and Matt on the West side with the intention of doing a camp over. Sweeping rain showers that inundated the highest point on the island dictated otherwise. Besides camping in the rain was getting old already. Just a week old. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Waianae Valley

Group photo by Justin Hirako, left to right: Matt, Justin, myself and Gen in front of our reserved parking space.

Trailhead

The road to the highest mountain on the island.

Prickly Pear

Harvest time.

Trail snacks

Peel carefully, lest you get some spines lodged in your hands. Just ask Matt. Photos by Justin Hirako.

Dirt road

Trading the paved road for a dirt road.

Picnic shelter

Nothing to see here. Hike along. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Waianae Kaala Trail

A sign is needed here to prevent hikers from going astray and getting lost or rescued.

Waianae Kaala Trail

Slow, steady climb. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Waianae Kaala Trail

Halfway there.

Three Poles

Group photo by Justin Hirako.

Waianae Kaala Trail

Follow the fence.

Waianae Kaala Trail

Gen and …

Waianae Kaala Trail

… Justin made short work of the slippery boulder sections.

Mount Ka’ala

Rain, rain go away. Group photo by Justin Hirako.

Ka’ala bog

Hitting the boardwalk.

FAA tracking station

No hat. No salute. Talk of camping went away as fast as the rain came our way.

What’s cooking?

We ended up eating lunch. Chicken noodle soup and Chicken pho.

Solitude

Catching the scenery when the clouds gave us a break.

Trematolobelia kaalae

Spectacular flowering of this endemic bellflower plant.

Community service

We ran across some volunteers who volunteered to give us a ride back down to Waialua. So we volunteered to help pull those thorny blackberry plants and other invasive plants from the bog. One by one. Ouch by ouch.

Mount Ka’ala Bog

Adopt a plant.

Mount Ka’ala Road

Letting the tires do the riding and not our feet do the walking for a change. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Hawaiian tree snails

The volunteers pulled off the road a short distance down to show the group these endemic tree snails.

Mount Ka’ala Road

The road is slippery when wet … Photo by Justin Hirako.

Stoppe!

… and so are the mountains. Just ask the two Norwegian girls who had been hiking from Three Corners and saw our cars and flagged us down in the rain. Talk about timing and luck. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Sjokolade

The best chocolate in the world. Well, according to the girls from Norway.

All pau

The volunteers dropped us off in Waialua and we dropped the girls off at their friends place. Pay it forward. Driving back to Waianae Valley, we even saw one of Marvin’s models in a photo shoot. None other than Kat Sweets. Photo by Justin Hirako.

GPS Tracks

While our hike didn’t go as planned; we got to meet some awesome volunteers, including Ken Lee, pulled some invasive plants from the highest mountain on the island, ate the world’s best chocolate and met a facebook famous model. All in all, it was a great day well spent with friends. Post hike meal at Tacos and More. More salsa please.

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.

Jon Medrano had sent me a link to this video, which was the inspiration for today’s hike. Met up with Chris B, Chris C, Jon, Matt and Rebecca deep in Waianae Valley.

Trailhead

It was still dark as we pushed off the much hated road that leads to the Waianae Ka’ala trail trailhead. Copper thieves must have struck in the area, as illumination was noticeably absent. Save for the twinkling stars.

Mothman prophecies

Giant spider webs and moths were our only company on the trail. No sign of Richard Gere.

Purple Trail

We followed the trail that were profusely marked with purple caps and ribbons.

Three Poles

The group taking a break at the 2,720′ junction. What’s for breakfast?

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Looking ahead

Halfway there. Just warming up.

Boulder climbing

The crew making their way over the two boulder sections.

Kaala Natural Area Reserve

Group photo at the highest mountain on the island, left to right: myself, Rebecca, Matt, Jon, Chris C and Chris B. Photo by Chris Chun.

Boardwalk

Rebecca making her way though the ancient Hawaiian forest ecosystem, home to many rare endemic fauna and flora.

Water sample

Matt collecting water to test for future hikes. Then an Australian accent chimed in “I don’t understand you Americans, we just drank straight out of the stream back home. What’s the big fuss?”

Bog

The crew exiting the 1,100 acre cloud forest.

Open house

Free cookies and a ride down. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Follow the fence

We skirted the fenced installation and began to make our way down the ridge.

FAA tracking station

Leaving Mount Ka’ala. The clouds would soon follow us down the ridge, much to our dismay.

Kamaohunui ridge

The long ridge down. We just didn’t know it yet.

Coming down

The trail up to this point was still somewhat passable with little effort. That was about to change.

Central view

Looking out towards Schofield Barracks.

Bushwhacking

The trail quickly disappeared into a dense tangle of blackberry thorns and uluhe ferns. Rebecca soon parted ways with us and returned back down Ka’ala.

Evelyn

Looking down in the valley, we clearly saw the wrecked remains of a B-24 bomber that crashed in the forest shortly after takeoff in 1945 from Wheeler Airfield. Another hike for another day.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Looking back

Chris chatting with a neighbor on the other side of the fence. Is the grass greener?

Fence trail

Typical ridge hiking. Multiple short ups and downs.

Halo rainbow

We saw this fleeting rainbow down in the valley.

Fenced trail

The metal eyesore extended as far as the eye could see, or more accurately as far as the clouds would let us see.

Break spot

Group photo. Where’s the view? Photo by Chris Bautista.

GPS huddle

Let’s see. That tree looks familiar. Let’s not follow those blue ribbons. Hmmm, we seem to be on the right track.

Webbing trail

The fence was gone for now. Webbing took its place. As we dropped in elevation, we left behind the clouds and began to see what was around us.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Waialua Whiskey

We climbing that?

Bark worse than the bite

Easy peasy. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Looking back

Matt popping the pimple.

Contour

Chris contouring the ridge on the Windward side.

Ridge

Hiking on top the ridge.

Looking back

Jon making his way down the ridge.

Ridge

The ridge rose and fall with multiple false summits to mark each passing.

Saddle

Are those metal poles staked on the ridge?

Looking back

The crew climbing out of the saddle. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Ridge

Are we there yet?

Erosion

Chris C and Matt making their way over a eroded section of the ridge. Where’s that fence when you need it?

Helipad

We waited for the chopper to fly in our prime rib and clam chowder. In vain. Photo by Chris Bautista

Pu’u Pane?

Chris B and Chris C approaching a summit we thought was Pu’u Pane. Thought.

Junction

Jon climbing over the fence to begin our descent down the spur ridge.

Climb

Rock climbing galore ahead.

North Shore

Looking out towards the sugar town of Waialua and the tourist town of Haleiwa.

Hiker’s pole

Chris C responding to a milk shortage. Watch out for the bark shavings!

Tricky crack

Chris B about to make his way down.

Blue webbing

Rated to 4,000 pounds. Should be enough. Wait, how much do you weigh again? Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Love rock

Chris C hugging the rock as he makes his way down.

Rocky ridge

The crew between moments of concentration and relaxation as they made their way down.

Looking back

That was a fun ridge. Not finished yet.

Cliff

Chris C and Matt coming down a steep section.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Twilight

The setting sun reflected off the shimmering windmills in the distance.

Wild West

We soon got off the ridge to be met by blocking tree lines and head high California grass. Bushwhacking. Night bushwhacking. Complete with wild life.

Waterfall

Eventually we bushwhacked our way to the stream, which offered a respite from the suffocating overgrowth. Photo by Chris Chun

Kaukonahua Stream

Our last obstacle was a fast flowing stream that fluctuated from knee to waist high depth. Photo by Matt Vidaurri

All pau

After our white water stream crossing, we walked out through the gated housing area and made our way to Matt’s staged truck.

GPS Tracks

Our West side hike to North shore hike covered 10.22 miles through rugged terrain and beautiful scenery. Epic hike with a great crew. Post hike meal at Zippy’s. Missing my prime rib and clam chowder.

Predictions of rainy weather over most of the island, found us looking for a dry trail to hike on the West side. Be careful what you wish for.

Trailhead

Met Glenn, Jasmin and Thessa in the parking lot across Makaha Beach by the pungent bathrooms. Jasmin knew of the Donkey Z trail that would get us to the ridge.

Bushwhacking?

No donkeys sighted, so we just headed straight up to the ridge.

Rocky road ahead

Rows of stacked rocks lined the uneven ground, that harked back to an earlier time.

Rocks…

We climbed over big rocks…

…and more rocks

…and walked over little rocks in the dry grass.

Waianae coast

Thessa checking out the view of Makaha Valley and beyond.

Blue sky

The sun shined down unfiltered on the parched ridgeline.

Ocean view

Looking down the ridge towards the ocean.

On the ridge

There was no shade, clouds or trade winds. It was turning out to be a hot Waianae hike. So much for winter.

Pull us up

An abandoned motor and winch long baked into the ground.

Kea’au Bunkers

Thessa and Jasmin on the WW2 bunkers overlooking Makaha Beach.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image spanning the North Shore to the Waianae side.

Walking the ridge

Glenn going down the slight slope towards the saddle of the ridge.

Looking back

Jasmin and Thessa making their way down.

Green mile(s)

The grass was greener on the other side of the ridge.

Geodetic marker

Unlike other geodetic markers I’ve run across, this one didn’t have the place name nor the elevation.

Tree sighting

The first of few trees on the hot and barren ridge.

Kaena point

Looking towards the “golf balls” at Kaena Point.

Summit in sight

The triangular summit of Kea’au on the left.

Junction

The junction we would use to go back down water tank ridge. The girls decided to wait here for us.

Rocky ridge

The ridge started to take on a slightly steep pitch.

Bleating goats

Bleating goats on nearby ridges explained the littered spent cartridges.

Climb or contour

We did both.

True Kea’au

Glenn and myself at the 2,650′ summit.

Sign in

A slight breeze at the summit explained the fluttering flag. It wouldn’t last long.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Going back

We snacked and guzzled water before making our way back down to the junction.

Water tank ridge

Group photo, with Makaha Towers in the background, left to right: Thessa, Jasmin, myself and Glenn.

Pausing

Glenn checking out the view. Nice day. Hot day. Trade winds would have helped. Cloud cover too. But, you can’t have everything on a hike.

Looking back at the summit

Jasmin and Thessa making their way down the ridge.

Watertanks

Glenn making his way down to the water tanks. So close, yet so far.

Erosion at work

The ridge seemed to be in a constant state of erosion. Some sections looked fresh.

Rock climbing

The last section of the ridge involved minor rock climbing…

Rock hopping

…and lots of rock hopping.

Follow the fence

The fence trail was a welcome relief from the rocky ridge we had just come down.

All pau

Glenn was nice enough to drive to the nearest 7-11 and grab us ice cold Cokes. Mahalo!

GPS Tracks

The hot and rocky hike covered 3.91 miles, made bearable with good company. Post hike meal at Tacos and More. Can’t go wrong with picking the Sea Bass. Extra side of salsa!

The mountain was calling. The highest mountain on the island. Ka’ala. Met up with Carmi, James, Rocky, Ron and Ryan at Waipio Costco, our staging point. Ron’s wife was nice enough to drop us off in Waianae Valley. We even got to watch a comedy video while driving to the trailhead. All we were missing was the drink service.

Clear skies

The skies above Mount Ka’ala were unusually clear. A good sign.

On the road again

There’s just no getting around the paved road to Ka’ala.

Leaving the road

Transitioning to the dirt road. Straight ahead. The trail to Tiki Ridge is on the left.

Purple junction

We turned left at the purple bottle capped tree and dropped into a gully to continue the hike.

Morning cardio

Making our way up the tree covered ridge that provided ample shade that kept the heat down.

When a tree falls in the forest

Walk on it and see where it goes. Photo by Rocky Abad.

Three Poles

Group photo at Three Poles junction left to right: Ryan, myself, James, Garmi, Ron and Rocky.

Bolohead ridge

Bolohead Ridge and sweeping views of Lualualei and Waianae Valleys to our right.

Follow the fence

Making our way up the fenced Kamaile’unu Ridge.

Scenic point

Picture perfect day. Break out the camera. Photo by Rocky Abad.

Still a long way to the top

The ridge flattened and widened though an Australian tea grove as the mountain loomed ahead of us.

First boulder section

The only rock climbing to be found on this trail.

Test all ropes

Ron making his way up.

Second boulder section

Fun but short lived. The trail soon became rather steep and muddy to the top.

Summit view

The view was strikingly clear all the way to the “golf ball” radar stations at Kaena Point.

Ka’ala Natural Area Reserve

Severe fly infestation at the top. They were either feeding or breeding. Let’s get out of here!

Entering the bog

Rocky walking on the boardwalk that helps to protect the fragile ecosystem that are home to endemic mosses, ferns and plants.

Leaving the bog

After walking about 3/4 of a mile through the misty blog, we emerged on the other side.

How many hikers can fit on a bench?

The answer is two. Group photo in front of the expansive bog.

Fly away

A glider flew overhead and swung around the summit. We thought we had a view, that pilot must have had a better view. Photo by Rocky Abad.

No hat, no salute

Group photo in front of the FAA tracking installation. Only James, Ron and Ryan gets a salute.

Mount Ka’ala Road

Walking down the road with a million dollar view.

Group selfie

Who cleans all these mirrors?

Dupont trail

Leaving the road for greener trails.

Stairs

The stairs extended for a good stretch down the trail.

Goodbye Ka’ala

Looking back at Mount Ka’ala.

Any echo? Any echo?

Is this thing active? Good question to ask before poking your head inside.

Da Bus Stop

Is my watch broken? Hey, is that Steve Perry? What does my horoscope say today? Running thoughts at the bus stop. Thanks to Troy Solano for pointing this iconic hiking fixture out to me. Photo by Ron Kimura.

Freycinetia arborea

The ‘ie’ie plant, has medicinal qualities when combined with other endemic plants.

Checking out the view

Sometimes you just have to stop hiking and eyeball the views. Photo by Rocky Abad.

Hiking past erosion

The group making their way past one of several eroded sections on the trail.

Hiking on the edge

Ron and Rocky making their way past the shrubbery on the trail.

Rock climbing…sort of

Rocky going up a 30′ rock face. Ron waiting his turn. Easy peasy.

Tasty trail snacks

James picking from the abundant strawberry guava trees that lined the trail.

Walking on the ridge

The group making their way along the well defined section of the ridge.

Dirt slalom

Going down this eroded section was fun. Had to stay balanced and slide on loose dirt, past the narrow section without falling down. Staked ropes were provided for assistance.

Looking back

The radar dome on the summit was getting smaller as we made our way down.

High ground

Still a long way to go.

Following the dirt trail

The trail was for the most part open and obvious…

What trail?

…until we hit this section of head high California grass that just swallowed the trail and us. I could barely see Ron ahead of me.

Back on the trail

Visibility restored.

Cattle fence?

Our first fence on the trail. Meant to keep cattle from higher ground?

Trail disappears

We ended up bushwhacking a bit to regain the trail.

Sunday services?

We spotted a huge white cross on the ridge to our left.

Dry trough

No water. No cows. Makes sense.

Back on the trail

The trail soon turned into a jeep road.

Broken gate

The group making their way over a gate that looked like it got hit by a cattle stampede.

No signs of cows

Other hikers had told us of cows giving chase on the trail. Guess they were sleeping or it was too darn hot to be out and about.

Headed to the highway

The road to civilization. Photo by Rocky Abad.

Security stop

Security stopped us short of the gate, asking where we had come from. Down from the mountain. They said next time call the landowner, Pioneer in advance to request permission. Thanks for the tip!

Hold the gate

As we approached the road, the gate swung open to let a car in. Perfect timing. James brother in law was waiting on the other side to give us a ride back to our cars.

GPS Tracks

Our 8.43 mile hike started on the Waianae side, crossed over the highest mountain on the island and ended up on the Waialua side. Love hikes that don’t come back the same way. Post hike meal at Outback. No surprise. Great hike with old and new friends.

Joining me on this hot and humid day to tackle my last segment of the Waianae Summit Trail (WST) were Chris and Thessa. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Take my picture

There were more bicycles on the road than cars this morning, due to the 112 mile Dick Evans Memorial Road Race.

Farm trail

Where are the farmers? Photo by Chris Chun.

Trailhead

Thessa and Chris in front of the trailhead that lead us into part of the Honouliuli Contour Trail.

Steep

We soon left the trail to begin our push up the steep ridge lined with strawberry guava trees. The carpet of leaves was particularly thick under our feet; fun sliding down, not so fun going up.

Steeper

The ridge is straight up with a couple weak switchbacks thrown in the middle. As we neared the top, the vegetation became thicker and wet.

Pu’u Kaua

Clear and hot day on the 3,127′ summit; with views of the Ko’olau Range, Central Oahu and the Leeward coast and valleys. We tried in vain to spot our friend, Jose on the KST, where he was hiking from Pupukea to Waiahole. Where were the trade winds when you need them? Photo by Chris Chun.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image towards the leeward valleys and Mount Ka’ala.

The fence

The grass was head high at the summit, when we finally pushed our way through, a familiar sight awaited us. The fence line.

Hopping the fence

The fence soon turned left and down a spur ridge. We hopped the fence to stay on the Waianae Summit Trail (WST).

All natural

No fence, just nature.

Rock climbing

This section until the pass contained the most rock climbing found on the WST. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

The fun begins

Making my way down. Photo by Chris Chun.

This way?

Thessa making her way down.

Like a goat

Chris making his way down. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

More rocks

It was like being at an outdoor rock jungle gym. All to ourselves.

Pohakea Tours

A helicopter flew right past us and continued below the ridgeline. I want to be on one of those aerial tours.

Which way?

We worked our way around the clump of trees to continue our hike.

The fun continues

Dropping into the saddle. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Clear?

Watch out for falling rocks.

Pohakea Pass

We meet again. Took a quick break at the base and inspected what we expected. 80′ of crumbly rock. Is that webbing?

Climbing up

Climbing up the pass, I found out the webbing that was oddly placed was of no help. Photo by Thessa Bugay

Hmmm

The webbing had snapped from the top anchor and fallen onto this rock. A dangerous false illusion of assistance when in fact the webbing was anchored to nothing. Guess it was free climbing for me. Should have joined the VRG.

Chris coming up

Once at the top, I let out an elated whoop. My WST journey was completed. I then secured my 100′ of webbing around the anchor rock and dropped it to Chris and Thessa.

Don’t use the red webbing!

As Chris made his way up the cliff, the old webbing came off the rock. Good riddance. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Looking down

Sitting on the anchor rock. Photo by Chris Chun.

Thessa coming up

Thessa making it look easy.

Made it!

The top of the pass was extremely crumbly. Dirt crumbly. Nice to have a helping hand.

Leaving the pass

Leaving behind the hardest parts of the hike. Pu’u Kaua in the distance. Still had a lot of ground to cover.

Return of the fence

The fence line came back to greet us, like an old friend.

Steep climb up

Huffing and puffing our way to the top. Photo by Chris Chun.

Follow the ridge, not the fence

Climbing over another fence, meant to keep out goats and pigs. We are not farm animals!

Smoky mountains

Smoke coming from a ridge near Makakilo. Fire was over a week old.

Uluhe hell

The uluhe ferns were thick and tangled. Chris, like the true Spartan he is, bulldozed through the fern nightmare.

Heleakala

Looking at the ridge that connects Palikea to Heleakala out in Nanakuli.

Palikea

The ti leaf plants seem to have dwindled in numbers at the 3,098′ summit. Clear views of Nanakuli and Lualualei Valleys were available for our viewing pleasure.

Doorman

Thessa had wanted to check out the tree snails and happy face spiders at Palehua, but time was running short, so we made our way out of the Honouliuli Preserve. Chris, always the gentleman, opened the gate for Thessa. The fenced area contains a lot of native fauna and flora that are best guided with an experienced eye.

Boulder tunnel

Making our way under some very large boulders.

Are we there yet?

It was turning out to be another long day on the trail.

End of the trail!

Chris and Thessa walking down the stairs that leads to the communications site at the top of Palehua Road. Oh yes, the road. All five miles of paved goodness.

Where’s the fire?

As we were walking down, numerous fire trucks were traveling up and down the road. The smoldering brush fire had flared up again.

GPS Tracks

The 15 mile hike actually ended up roughly 11.5 miles under our feet. We lucked out and got a ride down the rest of the road. As we were driving down the road, a family of pigs were blocking the road and they didn’t take too kindly that they had to move off. One pig even gave chase after our truck. Lucky we weren’t walking on the road. Don’t think we were in any condition to outrun pigs. Post hike meal at Ruby Tuesday. No prime rib? Had to settle for steak and rock lobster. Times are hard. Awesome hike with great friends.

Waianae Journey

Click here for the larger image of my section hikes across the Waianae Summit Trail. Map by Marvin Chandra.

Rain kept me off the mountains. Again. Plan B. Despite assurances from a hunter at the Manana trailhead, that it only rains in the morning, we all piled into Jose’s car and drove to the West side looking for a dry trail to hike.

Westside Pavilion

We soon found ourselves roughly two miles deep on Lualualei Naval Road in Nanakuli, where we parked outside Westside Pavilion, a party venue. If one has the proper military clearances, the road goes all the way to Kolekole Pass and beyond. A somewhat suspicious caretaker swung by and quizzed us as to what we were doing and if we worked in the insurance or law enforcement fields. Hiking was our reply. His parting advice to us was “Lock your car as this is Waianae.” Sound advice anywhere.

Trailhead

The trailhead is across the street and easily gained by climbing up a concrete wall and squeezing in between a barbed wire fence.

Where is the trail?

We followed the faint foot trail in the dry grass and kiawe trees.

Heiau?

Going up the rocky slope, we skirted the remains of a rock wall. Perhaps it was once part of a heiau?

Scrambling

The trail going up the northern ridge is somewhat obvious, punctuated with faded ribbons that marks the path.

Two more humps

Going up the somewhat steep ridge provided a cardio wake up and several rock faces sprinkled along the way were easily climbed thanks to numerous handholds and footholds.

Can you see the rainbow?

Rain made a quick show in Lualualei Valley and a rainbow soon appeared over the coastline, washed out by the strong Waianae sun.

Maui!

Passing the second false peak, the triangular face of the adjacent ridge which bears a striking resemblance to a pyramid, popped into view. Heleakala means “where the sun is snared” as the Hawaiian demigod, Maui, caught the sun and slowed her down so that his mother’s bark cloth would have more time to dry.

One more hump to go

Thessa climbing towards the summit of Pu’u Heleakala.

Pink flowers

As we neared the summit, we left behind the dry shrub, which was replaced by greener vegetation and a profusion of these tiny pink flowers.

Lualualei Valley

Looking down into Lualualei Valley and the Navy’s VLF Antenna Farm that towers over the land at 1,503′.

Hawaiian Pyramid

Jose pointing to the ridge commonly called the “Hawaiian Pyramid” for obvious reasons. As one climbs higher, the perspective changes and it looks less like a pyramid and more of a ridge.

Pu’u Heleakala

Group photo at the 1,900′ summit left to right: Jose, Brian, Thessa and myself. I heard that a Buddha statue once marked the summit, Buddha was nowhere to be seen.

The trail to Palikea

Looking towards the 1,000′ drop to the saddle and the 1,200′ climb back up towards the pyramid ridge. The ridgeline continues to Palikea and Palehua if one so wishes. Today we had no such wish. Another hike for another day.

Going down

We decided to take the gradually sloped southern ridge, which splits Nanakuli and Lualualei Valleys, back down.

Baby mantis

Jose found this tiny critter, which was about the size of a grain of rice. Thank goodness for macro capability in cameras.

Raining in the ocean

Looking out towards the ocean, we saw several rainclouds. Recycling in action.

Looking back

The summit of Pu’u Heleakala is easily gained and easily lost. The hike seemed too easy to be true.

Henry Guevara, we meet again

Coming down the ridge, we ran across this base that had “Henry Guevara” tagged on it. Apparently, he had just died a week earlier as his ashes are hanging on a tree at the summit, perhaps this was his favorite trail. Luckily, Brian did not sit in the ashes, like the last time on Olomana. Inside joke.

Down to the pillbox

We started descending down from the ridge before the residential housing area and towards this white topped pillbox.

No vacancy

The pillbox was taken, in terms of occupancy, by homeless people as their camp was located nearby.

Trail out

Walking back towards the road with Puu o Hulu Kai and Uka in the background.

Following the tracks

Remnants of railroad tracks that once crisscrossed the island.

Emergency Access

The road to nowhere? Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Is the coast clear?

Thessa hamming it up. No palm trees were taken or harmed during the photographing of this event.

GPS Tracks

Our dry hike in Nanakuli was a short and sweet 3.9 miles, as compared to a wet and long muddy hike if we had stuck with the original plan on going from Manana to Waimalu.

Rain had cancelled our plans to hike from Kalawahine trail to K1 to Lulumahu Falls, so it was off to Kaena Point with Chenay, J, Kinky, Nate L and Nate Y.

Fishing spot

We parked past Yokohama Beach and joined the rest of the hikers on the trail to Kaena Point. This trail sees a lot of use from fishermen and hikers, especially on the weekends.

Bouldering spot

Approaching a popular bouldering spot. One who spends time at VRG ( Volcanic Rock Gym ) can put all their practice to use here.

Another view

Looking back at the spot offers another perspective.

Rugged coastline

The Waianae side never fails to impress me with her rugged beauty.

Crossing to the other side

The last time that I had hiked to Kaena Point from Mokuleia, this pest control fence was still being built. Mission accomplished.

Resting in the shade

Spotted this albatross chick on the way in.

Rock climbing

J showing us how it’s done. Getting ready for Kalihi Saddle!

Looking for a new home

 This blue-eyed hermit crab was looking for a new home. The current tenant didn’t want to move.

Ladybug

There was a thin film or sheen covering this ladybug. Don’t know if it was molting or hatching, is that the correct word? Sorry not a bug person.

Knock Knock

Check out this interesting looking mustachioed spider. What’s for lunch?

Going up

We were also hoping to see some monk seals, but no such luck. So we left the fenced area and made our way up to the mountain.

Looking back

Looking towards Kaena Point, the westernmost tip of Oahu.

Bunker #1

Group photo left to right: myself, Nate L, Nate Y, Kinky, J and Chenay (sitting) at the first bunker.

Some more climbing

Nate L, Chenay and Kinky making their way up the mountain. It was hot. Waianae hot.

Bunker #2

Another group photo at the second bunker.

Going inside

Nate Y showing us the way into the bunker. The island is littered with military bunkers from WW2 that occupies the high grounds, some are safe to explore and others are not. Use caution when exploring these military relics, as they are over 70 years old.

Going up?

Chenay halfway up the ladder. The ladder is twisted at the top, making the full climb to the top and out sketchy. It was a sweltering sauna in the bunker, so we all exited through the bunker doors.

Still more climbing

We came across some other hikers on the mountain that were totally unprepared. No water on this scorcher of a day. J was nice enough to give them an extra bottle of water.

Looking down

Eventually the heat got to some in our group, so we made our way back down.

Cave exploration

Nate L entering one of the caves that is located outside of the fenced area. You have to climb down from the trail to get to this cave.

Inside the cave

It was a lot cooler inside this cave than the bunker.

Going back out

Nate L leaving the cave.

The tracks back home

Walking in the remnants of the railroad ties as we made our way back. Oahu Railway & Land used to operate railroad tracks from 1889 until 1946 when the Aleutian Tsunami and increased road infrastructure signaled the end of the locomotive in Hawaii. These tracks once ran around Kaena Point to Haleiwa. What a ride that must have been.

GPS Tracks

The 6.12 mile exploration hike took us a little over five hours.

I found myself walking on the Waianae Valley Road with Marcus, Jay, Tom, Scott, Brian and Aaron to hike up Bolohead Ridge. Did I ever mention I hate this mile plus road of unyielding concrete with a passion? This was our second attempt, as two weeks ago we got rained out and had to turn back.

Weather looks good!

It wasn’t raining and Mount Ka’ala looked clear and cloud free. Looking good!

Waianae Kai Forest

Passing the first water tank, we took a right onto a trail that took us deep into the Waianae Kai Forest as we followed the pink and yellow markers.

Start of Bolohead Ridge

About half an hour later, we found ourselves at the beginning of Bolohead Ridge.

Point of No Return

This was the same area where we had to turn back two weeks ago due to wet conditions. The rocks in this area start to get steeper and are covered with moss. Not a good idea to be climbing in these conditions when rainy and wet.

Group photo at the first obstacle

Back to front: Jay, Scott, Brian, Tom, myself, Aaron and Marcus. I would say this section of the ridge was the narrowest part on the whole ridge, and we were taking a group photo on it! Photo by Marcus Griego.

Looks harder than it actually is

As we prepared to tackle the first obtacle, we noticed moisture in the air and rain spilling over the top of Mount Ka’ala. We agreed that the best plan of action was to make it past the second obstacle and hope the rain would hit us after that, which the terrain would allow us to safely handle. Click here for the larger image.

First obstacle

Looks can be deceiving. From a distance, this obstacle looks imposing and somewhat intimidating. But up close, the climb was made easy by ample handholds and footholds. Photo by Scott Bowling.

Looking back at the thin ridge

Aaron making it to the top of the first obstacle with a neat view of the valley and the ridge we had just left behind.

Second obstacle – Bolohead itself

We soon approached the second and hardest obstacle, the feature named for the ridge itself – Bolohead. So named by Waianae Steve because it resembles a bald man. Sorry, I don’t get the resemblance. Maybe if I squint and look real hard from a certain angle. Then again, I’ve never been good at abstract thinking.

Watch out for falling rocks

While we were waiting our turn to go up Bolohead, we were being showered by dirt and small pebbles from the guys above us. If you got micro-spikes, now would be a good time to put them on. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any. Lucky me.

Climbing up Bolohead

A good chunk of Bolohead is all loose dirt and rocks, making it somewhat of a chore. A weathered rope that was installed who knows how long ago, greatly helped out.

Top of Bolohead

As we all made it to the top of Bolohead one by one, it was hard not to be impressed by the spectacular views below us.

Panoramic view of Waianae Valley

Click here for the larger image.

Climbing down the backside of Bolohead

The fun was not over yet. We stil had to climb down the backside of Bolohead, which involves a somewhat narrow rockface. Once again, there was webbing, but it was frayed so we didn’t depend on it much as we made our way down. Photo by Francis Joy.

Looking down the backside of Bolohead

Tom climbing down as he makes “love” to the rocks. Caveman jargon for hugging the rocks as you down climb.

Almost to the top of Ka’ala

Gone were the narrow ridge and the fun. Replaced by relatively wide open areas on the way to the top of Ka’ala. Luckily, the rain showers never did show up.

Getting bogged down

As we got nearer to the top, the open ridge was replaced by the bog forest and thick uluhe ferns. Photo by Scott Bowling.

Top of Mount Ka’ala

No sightseeing today. It was decided not to pay the Ka’ala bog a visit today and instead go straight down the mountain.

Coming down from the mountain

Tom passing one of the boulder sections as he makes his way down.

Tiki Ridge

Instead of going down the Waianae-Ka’ala Trail, we decided to go down the next ridge, which was Tiki Ridge. 

Tiki #1

Passing the first tiki marker on the way down the ridge. There are two small rockfaces that must be down climbed and the rest of the ridge is downhill.

Tiki #2

We made our way down the ridge, traversed the Waianae Kai Forest, waded through head high grass and popped back onto the much hated road and made our way back down to our cars.

GPS Tracks for Bolohead Ridge to Kaala to Tiki Ridge

The entire 6.3 mile hike took us 7.5 hours. Glad we made it the second time around. I heard there are seven trails to get to Ka’ala, two down and five more to go!

Walking back down from Waianae Valley after our failed attempt to hike Bolohead ridge was called off due to rainy conditions which made it unsafe to continue, we decided to end the day by exploring Upper Makua Cave.

Where is the trail?

We drove past Kaneana Cave, which I kick for myself for not stopping by and checking it out as I have never been to that cave as well. Several hundred yards after the cave, we parked on the side of Farrington Highway. There seemed to be several indistinct trails going up to the grassy gully, Scott and I and Jay and Marcus took two separate routes up to the cave.

Going up the gully

Going up the gradually increasing slope that was littered with loose rocks that constantly shifted under our weight, made it seem harder than it actually was.

Goat trails

Eventually we contoured to the right using what seemed like goat trails through the grassy incline.

Upper Makua Cave

Jay, Scott and myself standing in Upper Makua Cave. It took us about 30 minutes to reach the cave from the road.

Cave view

The cave is roughly 450 feet above sea level and affords one stunning views from Makua Beach to Kaena Point.

Cave-less view

Jay mentioned that other hikers have started from this point to continue on towards Ohikilolo. That would make for an interesting hike one day. After checking out the great views, we made our way back down and had a tasty lunch at Tacos & More in Waianae.

After a month of relatively easy hikes, it was time to get my “hiking legs” back. And what better way to do that, than an ridge hike with the Caveman? That’s why I found myself in Tamura’s parking lot along with Marcus, George, Jay, Tom, Brian R, Darren, Brian C, Peter, Helen and Scott at 7:45am sharp. Adjusted for Hawaiian time of course.

The long dirt road

We then drove North on Farrington Highway until we passed Kea’au Beach Park and parked outside of the Lady of Kea’au, which is the former FHB recreation center. After climbing over the gate, we walked for about half an hour upon a series of roads while the sun started to break over the Waianae Mountain Range. We soon turned left into the treeline to follow a fence uphill, which we eventually hopped over to make our way up one of the side ridges.

Cardio climb

It was a steady cardio climb up the rocky ridge that was thinly covered by dry grasses and shrubs.

The fence

We soon found ourselves at the top of the ridge to face the fenceline which would pretty much run up all the way to the top of Ohikilolo. Of course, they were several rockfaces along the way up, that presented climbing opportunities to those inclined.

Free range goat

The saying “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” certainly applied to this goat that we found stuck in the fence. There seems to be much more green vegetation on the Makua Valley side, which is why this goat stuck his head through the fence to munch his lunch and was luckily freed by Jay, Darren and Peter.

Makua Valley

A nice view of Makua Valley from the ridgeline. The fence was installed to prevent goats and pigs from entering this valley and other protected areas. Photo by Tom Engle.

Skin and bones

Further up the ridge, we discovered the remains of a goat that wasn’t so lucky.

Scenic viewpoint

Taking two minutes to stop and enjoy the stellar views. I think Marcus gave us a break and actually gave us ten minutes.

Mountain cabin

Just before the summit of Ohikilolo, is a cabin in the mountains. Great timing as a passing rain shower pelted us briefly as we took refuge in the cabin. We took another short break inside the cabin, checking out the inside ( which can bunk up to 12 people ) and the great views of Ohikilolo and the surrounding mountain range. There is even an outhouse with outstanding views of Makua Valley, a good reason to take your time on the throne.

Pu’u Ohikilolo

We left the cabin to pick up the fenceline trail going up to the summit. While the fenceline is a blight on the landscape, it did come in handy in areas where the loose, brittle rocks made footing a little tricky.

Summit of Ohikilolo

We reached the 3,052′ pyramid summit of Pu’u Ohikilolo at 11:00am, with clear views of Makaha, Ohikilolo and Makua Valleys.

Panoramic view from Pu’u Ohikilolo

Click here for the larger image.

Going down the saddle to Pu’u Kea’au

We headed back down from the summit and turned left towards the saddle of Kea’au ridge. Photo by Scott Bowling.

Rock climbing ahead

We scrambled and climbed our way along the rocky ridge, absent was the fenceline. I guess there are places that even goats can’t climb over.

Climbing down the saddle

Climbing down the exposed dike formation was a litte tricky due to a small drop and gap in the rocks. Photo by Scott Bowling.

Top of Pu’u Kea’au

We topped out at the 2,650′ summit of Pu’u Kea’au at around 12:20pm, with the flat topped mountain of Ka’ala in the background. Bottom row left to right: George, myself, Jay and Tom. Top row left to right: Brian R., Darren, Brian C., Marcus, Peter, Helen and Scott.

Panoramic view from Pu’u Kea’au

Click here for the larger image.

Going down Kea’au ridge

We soon headed back down the ridge into Kea’au Valley.

Almost pau

George checking out a bunker on our way down.

GPS Tracks

The 6 1/2 mile hike took us exactly 6 hours to complete. The weather also blessed us by giving us cloud cover for most of the hike, which dialed down the notoriously hot Waianae sun.