Haiku Stairs to Kalihi Saddle to Mo’ole Valley

Met up with Justin, Pip and Thessa to get back in the mountains and hike a saddle.

We found over three dozen hikers clustered inside and outside the CCL building. I found out the majority of the hikers had simply strolled past the guard at the bottom and climbed up the stairs. What the heck? The only current legal access is through Moanalua Valley.

City lights.

Passing the defunct radar station nestled in between Moanalua Middle Ridge and Tripler Ridge.

The magical moment before the sun crests over the horizon. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Good morning from Kahuauli (Bowman) summit. Group photo by Justin Hirako, left to right: myself, Justin, Thessa and Pip.

Looking back towards Stairway to Heaven.

Leaving the summit to start our descent down into the saddle.

Justin making his way over one crumbly rock at a time.

Bowman’s crumbly character has not aged well since I last paid a visit.

The crew watching to see if I would pull an Icarus or billy goat.

Watching out for showers of dirt and falling rocks as Thessa made her way down.

We contoured around to get back on the crumbly ridge.

Are those webbings safe? Well, let’s see. They’ve been out here, for who knows how long. Weathered by the sun. Pounded by the rain. Used repeatedly by countless hikers of unknown weights. 24/7. Yeah, we should be good. Always bring your own webbing to the party.

Justin soaking in the view.

The watcher being watched. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Let’s stop and take a group photo on this crumbly ridge. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Pip hiking on the edge of the ridge.

Justin making his way down.

Pip climbing down one of the rock faces.

Justin making his way down.

Pip straddling the baby dirt dragon.

Justin taking a selfie. On a crumbly ridge.

Thessa making her way around a wobbly rock.

Pip making his way down to the Witch’s Hat.

Justin and Thessa scooting over the hump.

Pip climbing up the Witch’s Hat. Somebody left a rope. Ropes everywhere. A good and bad sign that certain trails are becoming more popular.

Justin making his way over the skinny ridge.

Pip cruising to the middle of the saddle.

We dropped over 1,000′ in elevation going down into the saddle.

Justin and Thessa coming over to join us in the shade for a little break.

What goes down must go back up. We still had to climb up 1,200′ in elevation to make it to the top of Lanihuli.

The crew threading their way on the skinny ridge.

Approaching Shark’s Fin. I could go for some Chinese food now.

Pip coming down the backside.

Making our way to the bunny ears.

The crew making their way down the backside of the last bunny ear. Where was the foot?

Thessa coming down the doorstop, Justin in the middle and Pip popping the pimple. Say that three times real fast.

The can opener. Time for lunch. Hmmm, did I bring my can of Spam?

Group photo by Justin Hirako below the can opener.

Pip contouring around the can opener.

Justin and Thessa climbing up the Lanihuli Wall.

Justin and Thessa on the last leg of the Wall.

Pip contouring along the Wall.

Almost there. Our upper body strength was put to good use on this section.

There. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

No rest for the weary. Up, up and more up.

The three amigos riding the dirt dragon.

False peak.

Justin popping up over the ridge.

Enough sightseeing. Back to hiking.

Almost there. We can see the summit.

Who wants to go to Pali Puka? Crickets. Okay, let’s go down the valley. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Justin going down the ridge. Thessa set a good pace and was blazing down the trail. Guess she really wanted to go home in a hurry. Or she was just really hungry. Photo by Valentin Ordonez.

Justin going down the spur ridge that would take us down to the valley.

The crew taking a short break at the base of the ridge.

One of seven waterfalls fed by the Mo’ole stream. A teasing trickle. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Walking through the valley, formerly known as Hillebrand Glen. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Awesome hike with a great crew. Our hike covered roughly 9.22 miles. We had a small problem when we popped out of the valley and found ourselves sitting next to the Pali Highway. Our ride called in sick. Uber? No drivers in the area. 422-2222? Quick. Jump in Lindsay’s car before Frank Delima chases us down. Post hike meal at Dennys. More bang for your buck.

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: bowman, bunny ears, doorstop, haiku stairs, hillebrand glen, kahuauli, kalihi saddle, koolau summit ridge trail, ksrt, lanihuli, lanihuli wall, moole falls, pimple, sharks fin, stairway to heaven, witches hat