Wiliwilinui to Mariner’s Ridge (New Mariner’s Ridge)

by kenji SAITO on March 24, 2024

Met up with Aida, Akira, Ferlino, Tessa and Roger to finish connecting the dots on the Southern side of the Ko’olau Mountains.

Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Is this Wailupe or Wiliwilinui?

Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Going up the slow burn of a road.

Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Where the road meets the trail.

Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Scenic view of all the “finger” ridges sprawling through the urbanized pockets.

Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Kudos to whoever carried a ladder up here and installed it to help with the climb.

Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail

Are we there yet?

Wiliwilinui Summit

Wiliwilinui Summit

Group photo at the 2,480′ summit of the “large ridge.”

Ko'olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

Tessa pushing the ferns down as she made her way down the trail.

Wailupe Summit

Wailupe Summit

Kore wa Wailupe summit desu. Now how do you say “kite water” in Japanese?

KSRT

KSRT

Left the 2,580′ summit to continue our hike along the spine of the Ko’olau Mountains.

Hawaii Loa Summit

Hawaii Loa Summit

Group photo at the eroded knob at 2,520′ elevation.

KSRT

KSRT

Dropping down to the lows …

KSRT

KSRT

… and going up the highs. Not that type of high high.

Kulepeamoa Windward

Kulepeamoa Windward

PTSD flashbacks to the failed ascent of this extremely eroded and steep ridge many years ago. I lived to hike another day.

Kulepeamoa Summit

Kulepeamoa Summit

360 degree group photo at the 2,480′ summit of the “flapping chicken.”

KSRT

KSRT

The cloud ceiling stayed overcast which contributed to the comfortable temperatures on the hike.

KSRT

KSRT

Aida making her way down a somewhat steep section of the trail. How old is this webbing?

KSRT

KSRT

Enjoying the relatively flat section as we made our way to the grassy knoll.

KSRT

KSRT

Lunch time. Somebody brought fresh eggs to add to his boiling pot of beef and rice. Chef Hai Hai eats good or feels really good in the mountains. Usually both.

KSRT

KSRT

Ferlino heating up ribs and rice. Need a bigger grill.

KSRT

KSRT

Enjoying the Windward views.

KSRT

KSRT

The group going down one of the steeper sections of the trail.

KSRT

KSRT

Traversing over the heavily eroded section of the ridge line.

KSRT

KSRT

Akira standing out at the oft-photographed spot with the fluted backdrop of the Ko’olau Mountains.

Bear Claw Summit

Bear Claw Summit

Ferlino representing the Filipino colors at the top of what is also known as Pu’u O Kona Windward.

Pu'u O Kona Summit

Pu’u O Kona Summit

Passing through the 2,200′ flat topped mountain.

KSRT

KSRT

Tessa hopping her way down the severely eroded trail.

KSRT

KSRT

The group avoiding the contour and taking the most direct route to the summit of the “sounding knee.”

Kuli'ou'ou Summit

Kuli’ou’ou Summit

Passing resemblance?

Kuli'ou'ou Summit

Kuli’ou’ou Summit

Group photo on the lower summit. Away from the crowds at the 2,028′ eroded hill.

KSRT

KSRT

Plunging into the forest dominated by pine trees.

KSRT

KSRT

Coming across one of two sets of powerline towers that straddles the ridge line.

KSRT

KSRT

Enjoying the scenic spot after getting slightly disoriented in the forest.

KSRT

KSRT

Following the pink ribbon.

Hahaione Pyramid

Hahaione Pyramid

Contouring on the Windward side of the triangular pile of rocks.

Hahaione Pyramid

Hahaione Pyramid

Akira standing naturally high on top.

KSRT

KSRT

Climbing and contouring our way on the overgrown trail.

Mariner's Summit

Mariner’s Summit

Akira climbing straight up the cliff.

Mariner's Summit

Mariner’s Summit

The girls taking the contour way up to the top.

Mariner's Summit

Mariner’s Summit

Relocating the painted rock to a safer place.

Mariner's Summit

Mariner’s Summit

Look who came to join us. Climbing and complaining about the fat Alaskan that raided her stash of food and water at Wiliwilinui. Quite the multi-tasker.

Mariner's Summit

Mariner’s Summit

Group photo with Amber who had started at the Pali Lookout earlier in the day and would finish at Makapu’u some thirteen hours and change later.

Mariner's Ridge Trail

Mariner’s Ridge Trail

Meanwhile, we descended down the trail that Kamehameha Schools would like most hikers to forget. Unless you happen to belong to one of the two hiking clubs granted intermittent access to the trail.

New Mariner's Ridge Trail

New Mariner’s Ridge Trail

Splitting off the off-limits trail and going down the “new” trail that dropped us down into Hahaione Valley.

All pau

All pau

Somebody was done hiking and ready to jump into Ferlino’s truck and call it a day.

GPS Tracks

GPS Tracks

Our breezy stroll through the mountains covered 7.4 miles with a fun group. Post hike meal at Mama Pho. Somebody wanted to pick from 31 flavors of ice cream and got the nickname “Pochari.”

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Akira Suzuki, Ferlino Carinio, Roger Schiffman, Tessa Bugay, 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.

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