I decided to salvage what was left of the camping weekend by introducing somebody to the “easiest” of the three main saddles on the KST.

Standing on the first of seven storied bridges that runs deep into Moanalua Valley that used to belong to Samuel Mills Damon, most known among other things, for convincing Queen Liliuokalani to give up her throne and propelled Hawaii into becoming a republic, then territory of the US and eventually the 50th State.

We soon split off the main road and plunged deep into the tangled thicket of low-hanging hau tree branches.

One of multiple stream crossings, 28 if you want to count.

Fence creep has reached down into the valley floor.

Scrambling up the short and steep unmaintained spur ridge trail.

We left the oppressive humidity in the valley behind us and enjoyed the trade winds cooling us down at the lowest depression between the peaks of Red Hill and Pu’u Keahi a Kahoe.

Akira stretching before our climb up the Eastern half of Moanalua Saddle that is part of the Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail.

Stepping foot on the crumbly ridgeline that are bordered by vegetation on the Leeward side and steep drops on the Windward side.

The group traversing on one of the few “sidewalk” sections of the trail.

Aida climbing up with the help of questionable webbing that has been installed for quite some time. Use at your own risk or peril.

Chandra scrambling her way up a pile of rocks that are in a constant state of erosion.

Aida climbing against the backdrop of the Ko’olau Range with the Tetsuo Harano Tunnels that burrows over 5,000′ into the mountains to allow commuters to pass through on the H-3 highway.

Webbing? We don’t need no stinkin’ webbing!

The group making their way down. Easy peasy.

Making our way to the most famous obstacle this side of the saddle, the Dirt Triangle.

Contouring …

… and climbing the Dirt Triangle.

Safe and sound at the top.

Aida with Akira shadowing her on the climb up.

Our group reduced to quadrupedal locomotion as the pitch increased and the terrain became less sure-footed.

Climbing and contouring our way around some good sized rocks on the ridgeline.

Aida and Chandra taking selfies and pictures while holding down their precarious perch. Multi-tasking at its finest.

Waiting in the queue, as we all made our way up the chossy cliff one by one.

Insta360 view looking down. Look up.

The line between scary and happy is the sweet spot for those with a propensity towards acknowledged inhalation.

Whew! All the “technical” parts of the hike were now behind us.

The thorny bush that gives back. Sweet and tart.

Climbing instead of contouring. Pick your poison.

Looking back towards the dry stream that feeds the current dry Moanalua Falls that we had passed earlier on our climb to Kulana’ahane Summit. Come back on a storming day to see the falls flowing.

Making our way to heaven.

Heaven can wait. It’s lunchtime. Udon with tamago(egg) and tuna creations. Thank you Chef Suzuki and StarKist.

Group photo at one of five platforms that used to anchor aerial cables spanning 7,600′ across Haiku Valley that were used to communicate with the ships and submarines of the Pacific Fleet during WW2.

One took the ladder and the other took the grassy hill. Which one got up first?

The ridgeline has been stripped of the stairs or as somebody eloquently once said “given a Brazilian wax job.” Vegetation has yet to reclaim the narrow strip of land that still bears the footprint of its former occupant.

Climbing our way down to the last platform on this side of the valley and the termination of where the stairs used to end.

Threading our way along the grassy ridgeline punctuated by rusty stakes and sharp shards of twisted wire that invited you for a tetanus shot if handled improperly.

Pushing our way to the 2,820′ summit marked by the Communications Control Link (CCL) building that is perched on the top.

Talking to other hikers who had reached the summit that means “Kahoe’s fire” through other avenues.

Our pic for your pic. The fate of these storied stairs are currently in legal limbo as FHS filed a legal injunction against the City to stop the proposed dismantlement of “Stairway to Heaven.” Let’s examine the main arguments that the stairs are unsafe; that they are a blight to the aina (land) and it encourages rampant trespassing into people’s yards and property. What other hike has stairs and steps from top to bottom? Exactly. None. Albeit, some of the stairs and rails are damaged due to landslides and neglect, but none to the point of where it’s actually dangerous as evidenced by the fact that nobody has died on this hike, despite the thousands of people that have done it. Olomana has claimed at least six lives and Diamond Head ranks at the top of the list for rescues. Where are the calls to shut these trails down? Some has claimed that the stairs are a defacement to the aina and needs to be removed so it can be restored back to its natural state. If that’s the case, then we need to remove all man-made buildings including homes as they are a “blight” to the aina are they not? What about all the other WW2 structures that “litter” the islands? Pink Pillbox. Lanikai Pillbox. Diamond Head. To name a few. The last argument regarding trespassing is the only one that rings true due to there being no easy means of access. The City acquired ownership in 1997 and spent $875,000 to fix the stairs in 2002 with the intentions of opening it to the public. Lack of leadership, competing agendas and no consensus among all involved parties failed to come to a solution of managed access to the public that would have eliminated the trespassing problem and generated revenue for the City’s coffers.

The original plan was to loop it back down to Moanalua Valley but a medical emergency forced us to depart the summit and use the stairs as the fastest way down short of a rescue helicopter.

Looking back at the rest of the group descending down what used to be 3,922 steps, but scavengers and souvenir hunters have reduced the numbers somewhat.

Approaching the roofless Hoist House that was used to winch a cable car up the ridge to move men and materials.

Now it seems that some hikers have turned the abandoned structure into an impromptu gym.

Two-hand pull-ups? Hold my beer.

If we only had a trampoline.

Chandra against the sprawling vista of lush mountains, verdant valleys, urban blight and ocean views.

Brendan and Kaylee carefully climbing their way past the section of twisted stairs that was damaged in the Valentine’s Day storm of 2015. The death of the stairs has been greatly exaggerated.

Descending down to the valley floor as we soon passed motorists on the H-3 Highway.

Medical emergency aborted and addressed as we completed our hike safe and sound. Thanks to Allison and Ferlino for their assistance in this matter. Post hike meal at Alley Restaurant to consume their oxtail soup as the places to find them have decreased by one with the closure of Kam Bowl Restaurant. Our Father’s Day hike covered 6.63 miles with a fun group + 2. Congratulations to Chandra for completing her first saddle on the KST.

Photos/Crew taken by Aida Gordon, Akira Suzuki, Chandra Robison, 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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