Red Hill to Trench Trail

by kenji SAITO on July 16, 2023

Hiking Red Hill to Trench Trail

I decided to do a solo outing today and see how far my legs would take me in the mountains.

Kulana'ahane Junction

Kulana’ahane Junction

The darkness in the valley gave my legs added fleetness as I made it to the sign in under 30 minutes.

Red Hill Summit

Red Hill Summit

Making my way to the 2,237′ top after being rained on for the most part of the ridge climb. Luckily, the rain paused as I summited. Thank heavens for small favors.

Ko'olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

Looking back at the Western half of the ridge line that I had just came down.

Kulana'ahane Summit

Kulana’ahane Summit

Quick selfie in the middle of the saddle.

Moanalua Saddle

Moanalua Saddle

Contouring around the most famous obstacle on the saddle, the Dirt Triangle. I had startled two feral pigs in the bushes earlier on the ridgeline. First time I have ever seen pigs on the saddle.

Moanalua Saddle

Moanalua Saddle

Looking down at the original Naval Radio Station that was built in 1942 from one of the antenna anchor sites, the bomb proof building is now known as the Omega Station after the US Coast Guard took it over in 1975 until it was decommissioned in 1997.

Moanalua Saddle

Moanalua Saddle

Climbing up the ladder that connects to the lesser known Stairway to Heaven.

CCL Building

CCL Building

I had the top all to myself. I saw a couple hikers descending down the 3,922 metal steps that are now slated to be dismantled as the city could not find a common ground between the various parties involved to save the stairs.

Moanalua Middle Ridge

Moanalua Middle Ridge

The rain followed me down the scarred ridge, where slats installed by Ted Calvero and friends have helped to retard the erosion.

MMR

MMR

Checking out the Manono tree which has survived largely due to the efforts of Ted Calvero and friends. Before their timely intervention, the tree was being used to pull and lower hikers down and it was slowly being strangled and eroded to death.

MMR

MMR

Slippery slope.

MMR

MMR

This is the picture of over trafficking by hikers on the ridge line. Believe it or not, most of the ridge was actually flat with vegetation on top at one time. Now it’s a wasteland of deeply rutted trenches that scar the topography. And it’s only going to get worse as the stampede to see the Stairway to Heaven intensifies as news of its impending removal circulates among the international community.

MMR

MMR

Looking into Moanalua Valley, the original site of the planned H-3 highway until a court ruled in 1977 that the area was a National Historic Landmark and exempt from any construction.

Kulana'ahane Junction

Kulana’ahane Junction

Dropping off the ridge and crossing the parched stream bed as I made my way back out on the Kamananui Valley Trail.

All pau

All pau

I met up with Tessa in the park who was my ride if I had continued my mountain traverse, but she was nice enough to drop off a cold carbonated beverage and freshly baked goods for my consumption. Mahalo!

GPS Tracks

GPS Tracks

My solitary day in the mountains covered 10.7 miles that was covered with a mixed bag of inclement and sunny weather. Not a bad way to spend the day.

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.

{ 2 comments }

Walk around Oahu (Waialua to Makua Cave)

July 9, 2023
Thumbnail image for Walk around Oahu (Waialua to Makua Cave)

Met up with Aida, Allison, Mari, Mona and Tessa at Dillingham Airfield for our perimeter walk#7 around the island. Group photo at missed opportunities. Entering the remote coastline park. The team building rope course. Do we need supervision? Adult supervision? Passing by the YMCA camp that was built back in 1926. Entering the area that […]

Read the full article →

Piliwale to Pali Lookout

July 8, 2023
Thumbnail image for Piliwale to Pali Lookout

Met up with Aileen and Tesssa to do a quick hop and pop over the mountains. Where’s the goat whisperer when you need him? Somebody was running fashionably late aka Hawaiian time, so we enjoyed the breaking sunrise over Olomana. We soon left the future lots of affordable homes and began our hike. But first, […]

Read the full article →

Manana to Poamoho

July 1, 2023
Thumbnail image for Manana to Poamoho

Our camping weekend was a working case of what can go wrong and right at the same time. Met up with Amber, Doug and Thomas in the cat village at the top of Pacific Palisades. My original group of five had shrunk to two and Amber’s group had shrunk to two as well, and they […]

Read the full article →

Walk around Oahu (Waimea to Waialua)

June 25, 2023
Thumbnail image for Walk around Oahu (Waimea to Waialua)

We spent the last Sunday in June doing our perimeter walk#6 around the island. Thanks to Matt for dropping Agnes, Aida, Enrique, Jasmin, Mari, Tessa, and myself off near Waimea Bay where we had last ended our walk. Passing by the oceanside home that has a Japanese theme and built around five bedrooms and nine […]

Read the full article →

Mount Ka’ala to Kolekole

June 18, 2023
Thumbnail image for Mount Ka’ala to Kolekole

Back to the West side to tie up some loose ends. We even got to see a Achatinella mustelina, an air-breathing land snail that is endemic to the Waianae Range. Mahalo to Daryl for coming out of hiking hibernation and dropping Aida, Aileen, Chris, CJ, Thomas and myself off in the remote valley. Chasing the […]

Read the full article →

Walk around Oahu (Kahuku to Waimea)

June 11, 2023
Thumbnail image for Walk around Oahu (Kahuku to Waimea)

We spent Kamehameha Day doing our perimeter walk #5 around the island. Early hiker gets the sunrise view. Aida, Mari, Tess and myself boarded the bus as the others failed to wake up or became ill. We got off the bus, checked out some wood carvings and pushed off on our walk. Passing by shrubs […]

Read the full article →

Kolekole Pass to Pohakea Pass

June 10, 2023
Thumbnail image for Kolekole Pass to Pohakea Pass

It was that time to connect the shortcut and hope it doesn’t turn out to be another long day. 100% ID check. Thanks to Edgar for dropping us off at the lowest point in the Waianae Mountain Range. Going up the wooden steps. Who wants to be on the chopping block? We have our first […]

Read the full article →

Walk around Oahu (Punalu’u to Kahuku)

June 4, 2023
Thumbnail image for Walk around Oahu (Punalu’u to Kahuku)

Rain showers failed to rain on our parade as Aida, Chico, Ferlino, Mari, Tessa and myself started on our fourth perimeter walk. Waiting for the bus as a couple friends failed to wake up in time. The show must go on. Chico catching up on the news. Walking on the right side of the road. […]

Read the full article →

Wiliwilinui to Kamehame

June 3, 2023
Thumbnail image for Wiliwilinui to Kamehame

I decided to do a solo section of the KST today as the forecasted weather called for beautiful conditions. Drove through the hilltop community created in the 1960s and known as the original luxury view ridge on the island. I was hoping to bag some of those luxury views myself, albeit without paying millions of […]

Read the full article →