Moanalua Valley Trail to Kalihi Saddle (Powerlines)

The surf was up over at Waimea Bay for the Eddie and the saddles were a go for Aileen, Art, Tessa and myself over in Moanalua Valley.

We soon caught up with a group that had pushed off earlier than us from the bathrooms. They were headed to the hike du jour – Stairway to Heaven via Middle Ridge. Or so they thought.

Our paths crossed again on the valley trail. “You guys going the right way?” “We know the way. Thanks Unko.” A few minutes later. “The trail is to the left.” Looks at their phone. “We are supposed to be to the right.” Face palm.

Examining part of the wreckage that was scattered from a Thunderbolt fighter plane that crashed into the valley back in 1948. The pilot parachuted out and was picked up on Moanalua golf course.

Leaving the maintained for the unmaintained. Always an experience.

Going up the short puff of the steep spur ridge.

Group photo at the top with Haiku Valley and H3 behind us.

The group making their way up the saddle.

Approaching the first crumbly climb.

Anchor assistance.

The report of the trail death was an exaggeration.

Why go Leeward, when you can go Windward?

Approaching the most famous obstacle on this side of the saddle.

Contouring our way around the face side.

Aileen climbing her way to the top of the ridge line.

Art bringing up the rear.

Climbing up the pile of rocks.

Erosion constantly changes the character and “face” of the mountains. It’s almost like having Alzheimer’s. It’s always a new day in the mountains.

Going straight up the eroded cliff. No detouring.

Tessa gaining the top of the crumbly climb.

The biggest little climb.

Will the real dirt dragon please sit down?

All the “sketchy” parts were behind us. Just straight forward ridge hiking until we reach heaven.

Art in between platforms.

There’s a lady who’s sure, all that glitters is gold, and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.

The inside was remarkably free of rubbish, save for somebody’s tent.

Looking down at the stairs whose fate seems to lie in the hands of money and politics.

A bystander took our group photo in exchange for some sunscreen. Not off my face.

Leaving the summit of Pu’u Keahi a Kahoe.

Look ma, no hands!

We bumped into members of the HTMC at the 2,760′ grassy knob.

Leaving the powerline towers behind us as we traversed the ridge line.

No stopping at the 2,740′ summit.

Descending down the sliver of a crumbly ridge.

Aileen sliding her way over the rock and clinging to the rope at the same time. Multi-tasking at its finest.

Tessa looking for the proper footing to cross over.

We set up a human double anchor so that Aileen could safely do the walk of faith.

The climb down was more a mixture of dirt and dry grass.

Contouring our way back to the ridge line.

Goofy footing my way down. No crowds here. Zero points.

Falling rock zone.

Now somebody can chalk up a broken stake in addition to the broken wave.

Tessa making short work of the down climb.

Art making his way down the “twister” of a climb.

Tessa going down the first rock triangle.

Hey, how about a spot? Hold on! I’m checking my FB status. Priorities.

We scooted over the narrow “bridge” while …

… Sugar Daddy in Training just skipped over with a song in his heart. I guess he’s not in training anymore.

Arresting Art’s fall at the expense of my hand.

Scooting our way down the saddle.

Checking out the Windward drop.

Aileen coming down the rockface whose Windward holds have eroded over time.

More scooting. Theme of the day.

One step at a time.

Let’s not make it three for three. Broken tree.

Contorting and climbing our way down.

Looking back at the group descending down the saddle.

Going up the wave crest.

The ridge slightly widened and then narrowed again. Just like a funnel.

Approaching the scenic point.

Making our way down to the last obstacle for the day.

The sun was setting as we made our way to the conical shaped rockface.

Golden hour.

Get busy hiking or get busy walking in the dark.

Tessa climbing her way up.

Tick tock. Daylight time was running out.

Making our way down the backside, Tessa had a bowl of snap, crackle and pop. Not talking about the cereal either.

All roads eventually lead to home.

Going down the last rope climb with proper illumination.

Approaching the lighted HECO substation as we made our way down to the service road.

You look familiar? We came out to find a cop pulling special duty on the side of the town bound highway which was closed for construction. Mahalo to El for picking us up despite the detours and taking us back to our cars.

Our saddle traverse covered roughly 7.6 miles over crumbly ridges, great scenery and with good company. Post hike meal at the only eatery still open. McDonald’s! All food tastes great in the mountains, that doesn’t necessarily hold true at sea level.

Photos taken by Aileen Agustin, Art Young, 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.

Tagged as: bowman summit, broken wave, dirt triangle, dirty slide, hot wheel tracks, kalihi saddle, kalihi valley, kamananui valley trail, koolau summit ridge trail, ksrt, kulana'ahane summit, kulana'ahane trail, moanalua saddle, moanalua valley, powerlines trail, rock triangles, south haiku stairs, stairway to heaven, tabletop, tripler summit, witch's hat