Opae’ula Cabin (Army Cabin)

The cabin is calling and we must go. Met up with Akira, Chico, Mari and Tessa for another weekend adventure in the mountains.

We dialed in the lock combination and closed the gate as we left civilization behind us.

Group photo at the start when we are all nice and clean.

Hugging the uluhe carpeted cliff as expansive views of the Ewa Forest Reserve opened to our right.

Chico transferring some of his ice water to a friend in need of something more than room temperature.

Man down!

Traversing through the largest landslide that shut down this trail several years ago.

Some can climb over, while others have to step over.

Crossing the trickling stream.

Group photo on the clear and windy 2,520′ grassy hump. What a view!

Checking our mileage before we left the summit to begin our cross-over.

Dropping down to the sheltered trail which offered us temporary refuge from the howling winds.

Akira closing the gate behind us as we stepped foot on the Windward (exposed) side of the trail.

Contouring our way below the ridge line.

Making our way to another gate.

Mari cresting a hump with commanding views of the valleys behind us.

Scrambling our way up the hill to reconnect to the fence line.

Joining up with the ridge fence line.

Akira next to the gloved one, because it’s cool and different than just having two gloves on the fence line.

Looking through the ubiquitous fence line as the group followed the man-made structure as it meandered its way through the mountains.

Climbing over the fence line to the trail that has now been largely reclaimed by Mother Nature.

Group photo at the iconic weathered boot that has marked this junction for at least a decade. I still am curious as to who left the boot and the backstory.

Climbing over the fence to traverse the spongy meadow field.

Valley views that would be better off without the fence line. I believe the fence line started to be installed in the early 2000s to protect the watershed and endemic fauna and flora from invasive critters. Several noted hikers such as Patrick Rorie were opposed for the most part to the fence line being installed as it would be a blight on the landscape among other reasons. However, it does help with navigation in the mountains, especially when the area is socked in as it is for the most part.

Mari climbing up with the summit of Pu’u Ohulehule behind her.

The girls climbing up a steep hill with a wrap around sign marking the way.

Our destination soon sprang into our sight. Motivation.

Hiking sticks are used for balance and stability. They can also be be used to measure the depth of a mud pit.

Wandering off the reservation.

Some people use their legs to measure the mud depth.

Approaching one of the few KST cabins with a view.

Cabin sweet cabin.

Group photo with the sun setting in the background.

Pictures don’t do it justice.

Our dinner menu consisted of steak, shrimp, tempura udon, zucchini, rice and brownies for dessert. Thanks to Chefs Cantu and Suzuki for cooking the food, Sommelier Bugay for the wine and Baker Saito for the browies.

Catching a last glimpse as the sun shimmered its way down the Waianae Mountain Range.

Pop and vino toast.

Table talk revolved around paternal origins, new words and family activities.

Shithead! The preferred card game of hikers, or so I’ve been told.

Day 2
We woke up to a completely different landscape, one that was soaked in clouds. Packed our bags, swept the cabin and took our leave.

Mari passing through the gate to get back onto the reservation.

Embracing the suck. Literally.

Tessa leaving the Kaluanui NAR.

Which way does the wind blow? Take a wild guess.

Following the fence line on our return trip as we had learned our lesson.

Tessa entering the tree tunnel.

Making our way down back to the fence line.

Crossing over a narrow section of the trail that was a result of a prior mass wasting. The inclement weather decided for us to skip another summit visit and continue down the graded trail.

The group working their way out of the gulch where the stream gurgled below them.

Fauna and flora hitchhikers had attached themselves to us during the hike. One was a native Hawaiian fern and the other was a pre-escargot.

Passing through an old landslide area where we ran into two groups of hikers making their way to the summit.

We soon arrived at the trailhead which ended our roughly 11 in and out mile hike but began our six mile ride down the bumpy and muddy jeep road amplified by aggressive driving.

The best cheeseburger in the country was not open, so we had our lunch at Chicken in a Barrel. Chico making Akira work for his gummies and providing entertainment at the same time. Great camping trip with good friends.

Photos taken by Akira Suzuki, Chico Cantu, Mari Saito, 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: army cabin, boot junction, cline memorial, koolau summit trail, kst, opaeula cabin, poamoho summit, poamoho trail