Poamoho Cabin

We spent a weekend in the mountains. Glamping.

Backing up the truck from a mud pit to a mud stop. Small difference.

When one doesn’t have a rain jacket, a sun visor will make do in a pinch.

Group photo at the trailhead. Already wet.

Mari passing the trail marker.

Going through the gates meant to filter only hikers onto the trail.

Looking out into the vast expanse of the rain soaked Ewa Forest Reserve.

Traversing over an old landslide area, still bereft of vegetation.

Mud on the trail. A constant theme for the weekend.

Halfway point. Are we there yet?

Approaching the trail section that saw the most impact from the landslides that hit the area back in 2021.

Rounding the bend in the trail.

Looking at the flowing Poamoho Falls in the distance that we had just hiked to last week.

The maintained trail has made further inroads into the trail from our last visit.

Heading into the side gulch with the stream crossing.

Approaching the Cline Memorial framed with lobelia of mountain past.

Summit photo at the 2,520′ grassy hump.

Stepping on the boardwalk.

Rain showers rolling in from Ka’a’awa Valley.

Approaching the oldest cabin on the KST.

We took off our wet clothes, fired up the stoves and started cooking chicken papaya, steak and shrimp. Soda on the side. Mahalo Chef Suzuki!

A burner stove not only heats up food, but wet clothes and pillows as well.

Cabin life.

Sunday – May 5, 2024
Akira practicing proper dental hygiene while greeting the sunrise.

One of these was not the part of our breakfast.

When you got to go. Hope it wasn’t the escargot.

Cleaned up the cabin. Bagged our trash. Put back our wet clothes and shoes on our warm and dry bodies. Ready to get back in the mud.

Somebody just couldn’t get off on the right foot in the morning.

Thanks for the five-star mountain hospitality!

Mountain views in the morning.

Looking down into the swollen marsh.

Mari transitioning from the Leeward side to the Windward side of the trail.

It was a chore to reach the wind blasted summit. The winds were howling something fierce.

Somebody was holding on for dear life. No exaggeration.

The Foolish Four at the 2,520′ summit. The gusting winds snatched the cap and sunglasses off my head and sent it sailing into the bushes. Thanks to Brian for retrieving them.

We retreated to the defilade and the protection from the wind afforded by the memorial that was built in 1978 by stones that were individually carried by Cline’s friends.

Crossing back over the stream as we left the windy summit.

Following the fence back out.

Low clearance on the trail.

Traversing the uluhe carpeted trail.

Halfway there!

Tracking mud in and out.

Somebody’s burden became somebody else’s burden.

End of trail.

We threw our stuff in the truck and drove back down the muddy road. Stopped at Green World Coffee Farm to get caffeinated and sugar kick in the form of coffee drinks and shave ice. Post hike meal at Chicken in a Barrel. Our fun glamping weekend hike covered a little over six miles with good friends and good food.

Photos taken by Akira Suzuki, Brian and Kilani Hudson, 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: cline memorial, koolau summit ridge trail, ksrt, poamoho cabin, poamoho summit, poamoho trail