My original plan was to fly to Kauai and set foot on the Kalalau Trail this weekend; instead Jasmin drove Cisco, Ferlino and myself to the end of the island to kick off our weekend in the West.

Trailhead

We crossed paths with an amphibian only a princess and Lopaka could love.

Kaena Point

Passing one of multiple WW2 bunkers going up the ridge. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

Sunrise

We caught the breaking sunrise, only thing that was caught. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Kaena Point

Good thing these things are just tracking satellites.

Kuaokala Trail

Glimpsing some views of the rugged coast line …

Picnic Shelter

… nibbled on some breakfast bites and returned back on the trail …

Kuaokala Trail

… glimpsing no views at all now.

Kuaokala Trail

Ferlino following the hiking arrow to stay on track.

Kuaokala Trail

Walking through the cloud soaked tree lined trail.

Kuaokala Trail

Making our way down the rocky and rutted trail. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Kuaokala Trail

Guess who’s playing King of the Hill?

Dew Drops

Brushing past the water droplets hanging from the pine needles.

Waianae Summit Trail (WST)

We ignored one gate to follow the fence line to …

WST

… go through another gate.

WST

Missing that 4×4 bus service on this trail.

Junction

To paraphrase Alexander Graham Bell, “Leaving the beaten trail to dive into the mountains to experience the rugged character of the Waianae Mountains.”

Makua Valley

Looking into the wounded valley that has yet to be allowed to heal itself.

WST

The clouds soon snatched our valley views away, so we continued to follow the fence line. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Moku

Our feet are located at N213239.22131 W1581140.52996, according to the National Geodetic Survey.

Pahole

Stopping at the scenic view point of …

North Shore

… the north shore towns of Waialua and Haleiwa. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

WST

And now back to our regularly scheduled hiking.

WST

Switch backing amongst the tinkling sounds that marked native plants?

UXO

Passing one of many signs that warns people to stay on the other side of the fence. Well heeded.

WST

We jumped the fence to soak in some views. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

WST

Back on the fence line.

Junction

No time to harvest the sweet and juicy tangelos down below us, as tempting and appetizing as that may sound.

Mokuleia Lookout

We took a break on the only benches on the entire trail. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

WST

Cisco going down the undulating ridge line.

WST

Pushing up the last climb to the summit.

Three Corners

Group photo where we had three views of clouds. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

WST

Where the fence line meets the road.

Ka’ala Road

It was a punishing 2.5 mile walk up the solid, paved and incline road that were scattered with rocks of assorted sizes. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Ka’ala Road

Convex mirrors are not only good for blind spots but selfies as well. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Weeping Wall

Bottling water straight from the mountain tap. No false advertising here.

#74 Waterfall

Only when it rains, does she flow.

Mount Ka’ala

End of the road for us.

Mount Ka’ala

Time to settle in at the highest point on the island, which translates to quite a chilly night.

Mount Ka’ala

We woke up to a typical socked in morning.

Mount Ka’ala

Entering over 1,000 acres of endemic Hawaiian fauna and flora.

Mount Ka’ala

Walking through the boardwalk. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

Mount Ka’ala

Picking our way through the marked and sometimes confusing trail.

WST

Leaving the bog as we followed the ridge line to drop off the 4,025′ summit.

WST

Cisco peering over the moss and rain slicked boulders.

WST

Ferlino standing over the “Leap of Faith” boulder section. I was trying to take Cisco’s picture when he was crossing this section, as I backed up to get a better angle, I slipped on the mossy rock and my phone took a fall. Luckily, Ferlino saw where it had landed and retrieved it for me.

WST

At least Cisco was not condemned for eternity to hold back the boulder, just long enough for this photo.

WST

Back to bushwhacking with no views. The joys of hiking.

Hobbs

Group photo at the ridge that will lead you back down into Waianae Valley.

WST

Crossing the gap that the fence can’t cover.

Pu’u Kalena

Sun dances and shaka’s don’t work at the summit. Well, at least not this particular one.

WST

Leaving the clouds and rain behind us as we left the 3,504′ summit.

WST

All smiles now as the sun came out to play with us. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

WST

Ferlino making his way down the drier part of the trail.

WST

Leaving the cloud capped summit of Kalena behind us. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

WST

Looking out at sexxxy ridge. No sexy time for us today.

WST

Cisco and Ferlino crossing the narrow dike section.

WST

Leaving the ridge line behind us as we dropped down another narrow dike section.

WST

Cisco making his way down. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

WST

Looking down at Lualualei Valley pocked with navy bunkers filled with who knows what.

WST

Turned off the ridge to wind our way down to the gap in the mountains.

WST

Heading down to the lowest point in the Waianae Mountain Range.

WST

Different layers of removal until it meets the definition of erosion – Pu’u Ka’ilio. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

WST

Going down the sliding sands of Kolekole Pass. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

All pau

Out of the danger zone, but not the weather zone. With heavy rain predicted to fall tomorrow, we decided to call it a weekend. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

GPS Tracks

Our two day trek in the Waianae Mountains covered roughly 19.7 miles. In the end, I avoided being stranded on Kauai if I had stuck to my original plans, but instead we got booted off the Waianae Mountains a day early. Still a good deal. Thanks to Matt for picking us up and having our post hike meal at Popeye’s on base. Followed by a chaser of Taco Bell. All in all, it was still a great experience with a fun crew.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers.

We decided to boldly go where many a (wo)man has gone before today. Thanks to Troy for the beta on this West side hike.

Trailhead

Mahalo to Jasmin and Tricia for dropping us off deep in the Waianae Valley to start our hike. Group photo by Tricia Adams, left to right: Chris, Daryl, Ferlino, Analyn, Lopaka, myself and Owen.

Ka’ala Road

Fortunately we only had to spend scant minutes on this much hated road before …

Trail

… plunging into the forest and hopping over a rock wall that runs through the woods.

Trail

Where the buffalo grass roam.

Junction

To the old country or where no man has gone before? Photo by Daryl Cacatian.

Trail

Jumping over one of many manmade structures sprawled throughout the valley. Photo by Daryl Cacatian.

Junction

Why follow the arrows when you can make your own arrows? Bad choices lead to unnecessary “exploring.”

Green Mile

Following the color of nature as it switch backed us through the valley.

The Rock

Analyn taking her photo with this rather large boulder sitting in isolated silence of the woods. Photo by Daryl Cacatian.

Trail

Passing a rotting log decorated with ghost capped mushrooms.

Trail

The rest of the group scrambling up towards the ridge.

Trail

Our pic … Photo by Daryl Cacatian.

Trail

… for your pic.

Trail

Climbing up the narrow corridor with the help of some weathered webbing.

Trail

Making our way up one at a time. Photo by Daryl Cacatian.

Trail

Group photo by Ferlino Carinio at the top of the picturesque cliff.

Trail

Who you calling an ape? Photo by Chris Bautista.

Trail

Making our way on the narrow shelf of a ledge. Photo by Daryl Cacatian.

Trail

The grade got significantly steeper as we had to rely on the trees to pull ourselves up the ridge.

Trail

We may have lost the trail as the ridge became ridiculously steep and the dirt was soft and shifting underneath our scrambling feet.

Trail

Owen coming up Star Trek II: What the hell am I doing here?

Waianae

Topping out on the spur ridge with commanding views of the valley.

Ridge

We can see the fence for the ridge!

Ridge

Looking back at the spur ridge that we threaded our way up through the thick clumps of trees.

Waianae Summit Trail (WST)

Group photo at the fence line.

WST

Following the fence, a common and necessary eyesore in the mountains.

Waianae

Watching the rain showers off shore as it slowly migrated towards our way.

Wahiawa

Enjoying the dry spell on the eroded section of the ridge. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

WST

Hiking in the rain towards the second highest summit on the island.

Pu’u Kalena

The sun dance, devoid of any personal sacrifices, failed to produce the desired outcome. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

Pu’u Kalena

Might as well sit down, as misery loves company and take our group photo at the 3,504′ summit.

WST

Waiting in the freezing rain for the rest of the group to make their way down the ridge.

WST

Lopaka traversing the notched ridge.

WST

Splash of color on the other side of the fence.

WST

Fighting and pushing our way through the uluhell overgrowth, with trailing thorny thimbleberry plants thrown in for good measure.

Junction

Leaving the exhausting overgrowth as we climbed over the fence to take our leave of the WST. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Hobbs Ridge

Analyn coming down from the 3,200′ junction.

Hobbs Ridge

Lopaka going down the initial steep descent of the ridge.

Hobbs Ridge

The ridge soon leveled off to a more “walkable” grade as the rain decided to stay with us for a little while longer.

Hobbs Ridge

Dwarfed and outnumbered by the huge and plentiful agave plants on the lower section of the ridge. Photo by Daryl Cacatian.

Hobbs Ridge

Walking down the easy part of the ridge.

All pau

We made our way back to the road just as darkness dropped over the valley where Jasmin and Tricia were waiting for us. Our hike through charted and possibly uncharted trails covered just shy of six miles. Great day with new and old friends on the West side. Post hike meal at Outback Steakhouse where the prime ribs are gone but the clam chowder cups are still full.

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.

It has been over two years since we last hiked up to the flat topped mountain known as Mount Ka’ala. This called for a reunion hike and another reunion of sorts, as Jason joined Glenn and myself after taking a long break from the hiking trails.

Left for Tiki Ridge

We pushed off a little past 7am and made our way up a mile of alternating asphalt and concrete road. Boy, do I hate this road! Once the paved road ended at the water tank, we turned left into the bushes and started following the red and white bottle caps nailed to the trees.

Follow the red/white bottle caps

The trail lead us through dry riverbeds and kukui nut trees with their droppings crunching and rolling underneath our footsteps. There are an abundance of markers in the form of red/white and white bottle caps, along with red/white and white ribbons. It can be confusing as one is supposed to follow the red/white bottle caps and now you have white bottle caps as well. One should stay to the left and gain the ridgeline when the markers and the opportunity presents themselves. If you start heading to the right and only see solid white markers, then you are heading into the valley and going a different way.

Slight grade going up

Going up the ridgeline was a nice treat for our cardio workout, not too steep and at just the right grade to get the heart pumping.

Looking back into the valley

The ridge finally broke out of the treeline and afforded us views of the valley we had just left behind.

Tiki #1

There are three small rock sections that must be climbed, all relatively easy. All of them have webbing and a bright yellow garden hose, if so needed. Past the first rock section, is a small tiki statue. Which I totally missed. Jason and Glenn had to point it out to me, so I had to climb back down to get my picture!

Hey, give me a hand!

Jason coming up the second rock section. He didn’t really need a hand. Clap. Clap. Clap.

Tiki #2

Looking down at the second tiki statue. Are there any more that we missed?

Top of Tiki Ridge

Glenn holding the black webbing that marks Tiki Ridge, something that we totally missed on our hike last time. After making our way down the goat fenceline, it was a pleasant and flat stroll to 3 poles.

3 Poles

Taking a short lunch break at 3 poles. Jason started cramping up and despite my meager motivations, decided to stay put until we came back down from the mountain top.

Climb to Mount Ka’ala

The winds started to chill us down as we made our way up to the top. At least it wasn’t as blustery as it was on our last hike.

Boulder section

About halfway to the top, are two boulder sections that must be climbed. Both offer ample footholds and handholds to get over them. Ropes are present, if needed.

Panoramic view from top of Ka’ala trail

Click here for the larger image. Pictures, well at least my pictures, don’t do the views justice. You have to see them in person.

Entering Mount Ka’ala Reserve

Nice windbreaker Glenn. Inside joke.

Any happy face spiders in the bog?

As we made our way on the planks through part of the 1,100 acre Mount Ka’ala Reserve, I didn’t realize how big the bog really is. It seemed to go on and on. Endless.

Top of Mount Ka’ala

We finally popped out of the bog to be greeted by the huge dome of the FAA radar station, it was a beautiful day at the 4,025′ summit of Mount Ka’ala.

Panoramic view of North and Central Oahu

Click here for the larger image.

Going back down

Going back down to 3 poles was eye candy almost the whole way. The views of the Waianae Mountain Range and surrounding valleys were just spectacular. When we got to 3 poles, Jason was nowhere to be found. He had decided to go down the trail with another hiker that was waiting for her group.

The long road home

Once we made our way down the Waianae Kaala Trail, we had to subject our toes to that paved road again. Going down. Did I mention I hated this road?

Moon over the mountains

Glenn took his shoes off and jogged down the road in his socks. Hardcore hiker!

GPS Tracks

It took us a little under 8 hours to complete this 8.18 mile hike.