Aida, Aileen, Andrew, Akira, Chico, Chris, Jeremy, Mari, Roger, Ryan, Val and myself collectively gathered to do a short birthday hike on Superbowl Sunday.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

We all parked nearby the seventh pole and after some discussion, went up the “normal” switchback trail.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Tessa leaving the “pebbly” neighborhood behind her.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Aida and Roger sitting in a tree. P-H-O-T-O-B-O-M-B.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

One can’t escape graffiti, even in the mountains. Just wait until you get to the top.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Switch backing our way up the trail as we gained elevation and with it, stunning coastal, valley and mountain views.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Good morning sunshine.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

The group reaching the top of the ridge line of the hill after climbing roughly 700′ up the hill.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Some of the girls checked out the concrete emplacements below the vantage point.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

The group at the first bunker that was painted in a jigsaw pattern. The graffiti is constantly changing up here. Here today, gone tomorrow.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Chris in the first WW2 bunker.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

The girls approaching the second and third bunkers.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

This particular hike is very popular with the public as evidenced by the abundance of other hikers on the trail.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Looking down on the first and second bunkers.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Andrew getting two shakes for the price of one.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Mari inside the pillbox that gives the trail its current and popular name.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Outside photo of the bunker that was painted pink in 2015 to promote breast cancer awareness.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

We have a liftoff at seven minutes past the hour, liftoff on Skydio 1.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Drone views.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Enjoying the sparse shade while we can.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Approaching the fourth and fifth pillboxes that are also known as Maili Pillboxes or Puu o Hulu Pillboxes.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Happy Birthday Aida! Enjoy your stick of butter.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Group photo at the summit which is roughly 800′ in elevation.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Chico working hard for his money. Nobody said retirement was going to be easy.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Leaving the summit and whatever shade that was offered.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

This section offered a tad more climbing than the bunker lined trail.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Shadow watchers.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Making our way down into the saddle.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Chico climbing down the rocks.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Andrew and Aileen making their way down.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

What sound does it make when a hiker falls off a rock? Marine.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

The Marine looking for the easier route down.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Checking out the different routes in case the Marine got in trouble.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Tessa following the group climbing their way down.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Everybody took their own path of least resistance on the way down.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Negotiating the narrow part of the ridge line.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

The graffiti guys leaves no rocks untouched.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Checking out the puka.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

How many hikers can fit in and around a puka? In today’s evolution, lucky 13.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Descending down towards the lowest point in the ridge line.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Aida climbing her way down sans backpack. She’s not called Princess for nothing.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

The boys checking out the available ways down. There were three choices. 1. The Climbing way. 2. The Contour way. 3. The Marine way.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Even though we were only around 400′ elevation at this point, the framing seems like we are high in the Hawaiian Alps, if such mountains existed.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Looking back at the summit of Pu’u O Hulu.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Aida and Ryan working their way around the rocks.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

The group making their way down the last of the rock climbs.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Contouring our way past the water tank and to the trail that would take us out to Sea Country. The original plan was to hike to the end, but it was getting hot and the kickoff was getting too close for comfort for some in the group, so we cut the hike in half. Compromises.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Who wore it better? Text your answer to 246-6532 (AINOKEA).

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Now all Chico and Mari need are real bicycles. Perhaps search the nearby chronic camps for the mode of transportation that was invented in 1817.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

Hanging out near the rockfall protection fence installed to catch any errant rocks that may come tumbling down into the residential houses below us.

Pu’u O Hulu Trail

The last obstacle of the day as we climbed over the fence meant to keep out the riff raff from using the RORO dumpster.

All pau

The Princess Diaries. Get lost. Get picked up in a Lexus. Not as good as inheriting the throne of a small European kingdom, but for today’s purposes, all good.

Casa Cantu

Susan making it rain dollar bills. She didn’t even have to dance on a pole. Life’s not fair.

Casa Cantu

Happy Birthday to Aida and Lilia. Many more happy returns.

Casa Cantu

Group photo to end the Super Bowl blowout. I think most of the group were interested in what the bar had to offer anyway while I nursed my Coca-Cola as the Eagles beat the Chiefs 40-22.

Casa Cantu

Sunset over the saddles. Thanks to everybody that came to the birthday hike that clocked in at around 2.6 miles, chipped in and brought food and their appetites and smiles. Mahalo to the Cantus for hosting and also making too much ono food.

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Aileen Agustin, Akira Suzuki, Andrew Green, Chico Cantu, Chris Bautista, Jeremy Cannone, Mari Saito, Roger Schiffman, Ryan Nakahara, Tessa Bugay, Val Wang, 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 decided to connect the dots with a trail that I haven’t done yet. Met up with Analyn and Janell on the North Shore for another HTMC hike. Making use of my hiking membership, since I’m letting my gym membership go to waste.

Trailhead

Met up with the HTMC group, where we saw familiar faces in Art, Christine and Dale at Sunset Beach Elementary School parking lot where we then carpooled to the end of Pupukea Road to begin our hike.

Paalaa Uka Pupukea Road

Leaving the trail and hitting the road.

Kaunala Trail

Leaving the road and hitting the trail.

Kaunala Trail

Following in the footsteps of the HTMC trail clearers from the week before.

Kaunala Trail

Our forward momentum was momentarily stalled as some confusion existed as to where to turn off from the main trail. Where are the people that know the path? Oh, all the way in the back of the group.

Trail

Making our way through a patch of mixed forest.

Trail

Passing through the cleared trail topped by power lines.

Trail

Looking out towards the military installations that populate central Oahu.

Trail

Yielding to bikers on the path.

Beer goggles

Yeah, everybody is starting to look pretty good in this heat and humidity.

Lilikoi Junction

Arriving at the picnic bench area and the seeming nexus of the well maintained bike trail system that exists back here.

Lilikoi Junction

Signs pointing everywhere and nowhere.

Just need the Queen

Isn’t this stating the obvious, or am I just that oblivious? Photo by Janell Tuttle.

Trail

The rest of the club continued down the trail to the bunkers, while Dale took us on the higher road to see a giant swing.

Spare

One of many spares hanging on the trees.

Ellbo junction

Analyn using some grease to move the trees as we headed the wrong way.

Trail

Headed back to the right way.

Bowling

Props to the biking community that keeps these trails maintained and their creative expressions.

Swingers

Some of us had fun on a giant unstable swing.

Roost

Others had their fun climbing or soaring higher than a metallic bird.

Bowling

We soon had our fill of climbing and swinging and made our way back to catch up with the group.

Opener

Now all that was missing were the wine bottles. Red or white?

Trail

Switch backing our way up as we trudged through the thick carpet of pine needles.

Trail maintenance

Raking the pine needles from one side of the trail to the other side. Just trying to make a difference. Irrelevant difference, but a difference nonetheless.

Splish Splash

There’s nothing like soaking in a hot tub after a long hike. And this is nothing like that. Photo by Christine Galiza.

Sunset Beach

We soon met up with other dog walkers, hikers and bikers on the trail as we neared the sandy beaches of Paumalu.

Chief’s arrival

Passing another creative sign marker and other bikers sharing the trail.

Running out

Left, right, straight or back. So many choices. Not enough time.

Trail

Pushing up the final hill where we soon arrived …

Top Bunker

… at the three storied WW2 bunker with commanding views of the North Shore coastline.

Personal Bunker

Finding my own personal space to enjoy my carbonated bliss. Photo by Dale Yoshizu

Bottom Bunker

Drone view from the lower bunker. Hey, where did everybody else go? And why didn’t I point the drone towards the ocean view?

Chill

It seems the picnic bench undergoes many paint changes. Just like the seasons.

All pau

Our mountain meandering covered a little over 6.2 miles with a fun group, thanks to Quintin for leading the hike. Post hike meal at Ted’s bakery. The wait was insufferably long and I almost forgot to grab my slice of chocolate haupia pie. GYOD. Where’s the petting pig?

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.

My wife and I tackled the mother of all extreme hikes today – Pu’u Ma’eli’eli or Digging Hill located by Temple Valley in Kaneohe.

Trailhead

We parked in the Temple Valley neighborhood and walked back up Kahekili Highway to find the trailhead that starts in the back of Hokuloa townhomes. You can’t miss it, just follow the guardrail until it ends and the trail starts to the left of the private property fence.

Bamboo orchid trail

The lower part of the trail was teeming with bamboo orchids on both sides.

First junction

Mari staying on the left trail at the first junction.

Second junction

Continue on the left trail, your other left! The trail is clearly defined and ribboned from this point.

Christmas tree

Some type of algae gift was growing inside this water filled ornament.

Noni

This Polynesian medicinal fruit has made the jump from native applications to MLM to Costco.

Campfire

Now all we need are marshmallows and some singing!

Thicket of trees

Hardest part of the hike – ducking and weaving amongst all these tangled trees.

End of the rope

The final push to the top.

Pu’e Ma’eli’eli

The Hawaiian name translates to Digging Hill, as legend has it that companion Gods, Kane and Kanaloa raced up this hill and had to dig with their hands to get to the top. At least that’s what the sign said.

Views at the top

The winds were kicking and the views spectacular at the top.

Panoramic view from the pillbox

Click here for the larger image.

The trail continues…

From the bunker, a trail continues down to Heeia State Park. Another hike for another day.

GPS Tracks

The 2.48 mile hike was an extreme undertaking to say the least. It took us 30 minutes to get to the top and 15 minutes to get back down. I need a lomilomi massage stat!