Wahiawa Hills to Laie Trail

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.

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

Time to get swallowed in the hills of Wahiawa.

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

The rolling down hills.

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

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

The rolling up hills.

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

Panoramic view of the vast Ewa Forest Reserve.

More rolling down hills.

Got wet again.

The hills have hills.

Leaving the hills behind.

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

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

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

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

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

Bench with a view. Warm bench.

Something new. Time to edumucate myself.

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

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

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

Memorial in sight.

Not a bad spot to have lunch.

Looking out towards the Waianae Range.

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

Still working on my plant identification skills. Lack of.

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

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

Stacked fences. Assembly included.

Native loulu palm trees dotting the sides of the mountain.

Following the fence line.

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

The iconic boot junction.

Traversing the undulating fenced trail.

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

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

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

How do you spell fun again?

I’ll take the room with mountain views please.

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

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

Down into the rabbit hole.

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

Spider web catching morning dew drops.

The trail soon met up with the fence again.

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

Corridor of moss hanging trees sheltering a river of mud.

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

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

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

Spoke too soon.

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

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

Temporary relief.

Thimbleberry. Many berries to make a big berry.

I guess the rats are all gone.

Leaving the outhouse behind, no deposits left.

The uneven fencing reflected the convoluted trail.

Leaving the fence behind.

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

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

Panoramic view from the 2,240′ top.

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

Only six miles left. All downhill.

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

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

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.

Tagged as: army cabin, kawailoa summit, koloa cabin, koolau summit trail, kst, laie summit, laie trail, opaeula cabin, poamoho summit, poamoho trail, wahiawa hills