We decided to roam the hills and walk down a jeep road this Mother’s Day.

Helemano

Thanks to Sandra, our German driver, who shuttled us to our starting point in her Japanese truck.

Paalaa Uka Pupukea Road

Where are the seatbelts? Is this OSHA approved?

California Avenue

You know Chief Logan? A reserve HPD officer approached us to make sure we were not up to any nefarious activities, like smoking weed or something.

Wahiawa Hills

Plunging into the forest laced with woody and minty undertones.

Wahiawa Hills

The group dwarfed by the towering eucalyptus trees that were introduced to the islands in the 1870s for timber. They are considered invasive as they leach toxins into the soil that prevents native trees from taking root and flourishing.

Wahiawa Hills

Aida passing patches of green moss on her way down the hill.

Wahiawa Hills

Mari climbing her way carefully down the rooted hill. One wrong step and you’re tumbling or twisting your ankle.

Wahiawa Hills

Treading over the tangled and twisted roots that carpeted the trail.

Wahiawa Hills

Slight detour to see the side waterfall.

Wahiawa Hills

Akira scampering up a fallen tree to avoid getting wet.

Wahiawa Hills

The rest of us tried our best in staying dry.

Wahiawa Hills

Going up our first hill as we passed through the taro and ti leaf patches that were obviously being cultivated.

Wahiawa Hills

Cristy nimbly going underneath the fallen tree.

Wahiawa Hills

Leaving the “trail” to descend down the hill.

Wahiawa Hills

The group descending down to their second water crossing. This time, everybody is getting wet. No matter what.

Kaukonahua Stream

Mari fording the longest stream on the island, measuring 33 miles that empties into Kai’aka Bay in Waialua.

Wahiawa Hills

Pushing our way up through the uluhe infested hill.

Wahiawa Hills

The group resting after our first “cardio climb.” More to come.

Wahiawa Hills

Alexis following the edge of the tree line.

Wahiawa Hills

Fitting nine hikers on the geo stone structure in the middle of the woods.

Wahiawa Hills

Kenny and Mari checking out a “charcoal” tree, possible remnants from the brush fire that scorched 500 acres back in 2015.

Wahiawa Hills

You guys think we can get a thousand bucks for this photo? That ship has sailed.

Wahiawa Hills

Photo shoot is over. We soon left the loop trail to stay on course to our destination.

Wahiawa Hills

Let’s follow the sign, the second time.

Wahiawa Hills

If a tree falls in a forest, and somebody records it, then it does make a sound.

Wahiawa Hills

Dropping down another hill. This place is not called Wahiawa Hills for nothing.

Poamoho Stream

Our last stream crossing of the day.

Poamoho Stream

A hop, skip, and a jump. Shouldn’t even get the soles of your shoe wet, well at least your feet.

Wahiawa Hills

Climbing up the hill populated with paperbark trees, that were introduced to the islands in 1865 for windbreak and watershed cover.

Wahiawa Hills

Taking a load off our feet while all of us recharged in our own way. Some ate. Some drank. Some smoked.

Wahiawa Hills

Not all who wander are lost. There have been two recorded instances of hikers being lost on the trail, only one had a happy outcome. In 2000, Robert Lefevre was never seen again. In 2015, Justin Clark was rescued after four days in the jungle. Never hike alone and always tell somebody where you are going. You just never know.

Wahiawa Hills

The group going in and out of the shallow saddle.

Wahiawa Hills

Climbing our way up the last forested hill.

Wahiawa Hills

One step at a time, one foot in front of each other.

Ewa Forest Reserve

Leaving the hills behind us as we walked through the grassy fields.

Ewa Forest Reserve

Following the jeep road to its continuation.

Ewa Forest Reserve

Group photo with the bullet riddled sign that has seen better days.

Ewa Forest Reserve

Following the uluhe clogged ridgeline to our destination.

Ewa Forest Reserve

Snacking on the trail.

Ewa Forest Reserve

I found a shiny object on the trail. Who needs a makeup mirror?

Ewa Forest Reserve

Jeremy going up the slight grade with the KST in the background. Oh wait, that’s the WST. Mountain identification at its finest.

Ewa Forest Reserve

Kenny trudging through the thin ribbon of water that passed for a trail.

Ewa Forest Reserve

Taking our lunch break near a container and water catchment.

Poamoho Road

Failed synchronized crossing.

Poamoho Road

Now the fun part. Going down the five mile jeep road.

Poamoho Road

The group walking up the slight incline.

Poamoho Road

Crossing paths with the only other hiker we saw all day on the trails. She was training for a hike in Canada.

Poamoho Road

The boys making a wish. It was already granted.

Poamoho Road

An excruciatingly slow drone flyby of the group.

Poamoho Road

Walking on sections of the road that saw the erosional effects of the recent Kona lows that carved huge ruts in the road.

Poamoho Road

Dirt bikers were having a field day as the road is now closed to vehicular traffic.

Poamoho Road

Skimming the mud puddle.

All pau

We made it to the gate and our cars!

GPS Tracks

Our Mother’s Day hike covered 8.65 miles through rolling hills, forest and stream crossings and a jeep road. Fun times with good friends. Post hike meal at Chicken in a Barrel, where I should’ve ordered the pizza instead and got to see Bill Gates. Sorta and 30 years ago.

Photos/Crew taken by Aida Gordon, Akira Suzuki, Alexis Catarina, Chico Cantu, Cristy CM, Jeremy Cannone, Kenny Lui, Mari Saito, 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.

We camped this weekend in the mountains to find out how the aina had weathered the back to back storms. Nothing like first hand experience instead of second hand reporting.

Laie Trail

Thanks to Stephanie for dropping us off directly at the trailhead and it turned out that bouncing around on the jeep road in a jeep was more appropriate than a Jetta.

Laie Trail

Passing underneath a fallen pine tree that are directly descended from the original trees planted in the 1920s to help with reforestation and water retention.

Laie Trail

Crossing over the old landslide where reinforced posts and sandbags are installed to help retard erosion or staving off the inevitable.

Laie Falls

Passing the weathered sign that leads down to Wailele Stream. No skinny dipping today.

Laie Trail

Scott crossing over another old landslide.

Laie Trail

Traversing over a relatively “fresh” mass wasting.

Laie Trail

Hiking the trail bordered by a steep cliff on the right and sharp drop offs to the left.

Laie Trail

Scott rounding the exposed ridgeline that soon gave way to uneven terrain and overgrowth.

Laie Summit

Enjoying the exceptionally clear day from the 2,240′ foxhole.

Ko’olau Summit Trail (KST)

Scott trying to avoid the mud pits that dot the landscape as we crossed over the bowl shaped depression to make contact with the ubiquitous fence line. Love them or hate them. They are here to stay.

KST

Using the fence line to traverse our way across the section that was wiped out by a landslide. Love them.

KST

Scott pushing his way through a patch of uluhe ferns that had clogged the trail.

KST

Following the fence line as the trail wound its way through the mountains.

KST

Scott climbing up one of the few incline sections on the trail.

Koloa Cabin

Walking past the collapsed outhouse that was taken down by either an explosive fart, the big bad wolf or successive storms.

Koloa Cabin

Checked out the largest cabin on the KST where somebody had left a stockpile of enough butane fuel to ride out the zombie apocalypse and rats had ravaged the stock of cup of noodles left behind.

Koloa Cabin

Taking a photo with the native duck sign.

KST

Back on the muddy trail.

KST

Scott climbing in and out of the notch.

KST

The trail overgrowth was cloying, stifling and at times confusing. We also heard a snort and rustling in the bushes which soon lead us to do our best impression of Who Let the Dogs Out.

Papali Summit

Rain soon replaced sunshine which flipped the weather narrative.

KST

When the gate is rusted shut, one has to climb over.

Opaeula Cabin

Cabin sweet cabin for the night.

Opaeula Cabin

Cloudy weather denied us the normal views of the spectacular sunset. But hey, we had a roof over our head and water for the night.

Opaeula Cabin

Day 2
We woke up the next morning, swept out the cabin and took our leave to be greeted by the typical mountain weather.

Opaeula Cabin

Hiking in the morning mist. Not good for people with respiratory problems. Luckily we did not suffer from those ailments.

KST

Passing the “rabbit hole” with the new and old signs.

KST

The forecasted rain was being substituted with suspended water droplets. No complaints here.

KST

Passing through the Kaluanui Natural Area Reserve which sprawls over 378 acres that was established to protect the 29 native endangered or rare species that call this place home.

KST

Scott at the start of what I like to call the “rolling hills.”

KST

Case in point.

KST

The sun was fighting the clouds. Where is Maui when you need him?

KST

Crossing the spongy and windswept meadow as we made our way to the other fence line.

KST

Break at the iconic boot and sign, both which have seen better days.

KST

Manipulating the battered glove to show aloha instead of “flipping” off traveling hikers.

KST

We left the fence line to stay closer to the ridgeline.

KST

Back on the fence line.

KST

The overgrowth gone wild which masked parts of the trail. One has to literally put their nose on the ground to see trampled vegetation which usually marks the way.

KST

Enjoying the splendid views as we contoured below the ridgeline.

KST

Scott leaving the overgrown trail behind him, or so he thought.

Poamoho Summit

Enjoying the windy and breathtaking views from the 2,520′ grassy hump.

Poamoho Summit

Looking out towards Punalu’u and Kahana Valleys.

Poamoho Summit

Scott passing the Cline Memorial and views of the Waianae Mountains as we left the summit.

Poamoho Trail

Crossing over the still stream.

Poamoho Trail

I’m glad we are leaving the unmaintained trail for the maintained trail. We were in for a rude shock.

Poamoho Trail

Approaching our first unstable slope that was easily traversed.

Poamoho Trail

The most pressing problem seems to be is that the overgrowth has overtaken the trail.

Poamoho Trail

Not to mention the numerous blowdowns that blocked and littered the trail. The more glaring concern is that the feral pigs have run rampant on the trail, evidence of their rooting was seen spaced out on the trail at roughly 50′ intervals.

Poamoho Trail

Scott walking over the second landslide.

Poamoho Trail

Skip, hop and a jump over the third landslide littered with accompanying plant life in varying forms of decay.

Poamoho Trail

Traversing over what’s left of the trail as the bottom slope had slid down to the stream below.

Poamoho Trail

Not out of the woods yet.

Poamoho Trail

Scott crossing over the final landslide on the trail.

Poamoho Trail

It doesn’t work if you come from the other direction.

Poamoho Road

Passing another landslide on the jeep road as we walked our way down.

Poamoho Road

Active shooters?

Poamoho Road

I’m glad the cows decided to stay in their lane.

Poamoho Road

Runoffs have severely eroded and rutted the lower parts of the road.

Poamoho Road

I’m glad I’m not a cow or I wouldn’t be able to traverse over the cattle guards.

Poamoho Road

The dirt bikers were having a field day as they had the road all to themselves.

All pau

Approaching the exit as we started and ended our weekend hike under 2WD. Thanks to Edgar and Stephanie for picking up our hygienically challenged bodies.

GPS Tracks

Our camping weekend covered close to 22 miles through mud, landslides, overgrowth, rain, sunshine and jaw dropping views. Or in other words, a typical weekend on the KST. Post hike meal at Chicken in a Barrel, where the chicken is still smoked but the carbonated beverages are served from a bar.

Photos/Crew taken by Scott Peterson 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.

Rainy weather diverted us from one section of the Ko’olaus to another section. That’s how Gen, Jose, Justin, Thessa and myself found ourselves in Laie. Thanks to Matt who woke up early to ferry us to the other side. For naught. Back to sleep.

Morning yoga

We had some time to join together as we waited for Thessa.

Trailhead

Bodily functions taken care of. Alcohol transferred. Ready to hike. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Pine trees

Norfolk or Cook Pine – Which is it?

Strawberry guava trees

Leaving the shaded corridors of pine and strawberry guava trees and mud behind.

Laie Falls

Passing the swimming hole and twin waterfalls fed by Kahawainui Stream.

Trail

The rest of the hike to the summit was on a graded trail through native forest.

Fire in the hole

These trenches were dug back in WW2 and were to be filled with explosives to block the trail, in case of a Japanese land invasion.

Laie trail

The Wahiawa Camp of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) finished Wailele Trail in 1935. After WW2, the trail became known as the Laie Trail.

Laie Summit

Group photo by Justin Hirako, left to right: Thessa, Gen, myself, Justin and Jose.

Laie Summit

Another group photo at the windy 2,240′ top looking out towards the Waianae Mountain Range.

Big Island Boy

I don’t smoke … ( pause ) … tobacco.

Trail

Talk of past and desired relationships forced us off the summit and back on the trail.

Trail

The crew climbing out of the bowl shaped depression.

Fence line

Our first contact with the infamous KST fence. Love it or hate it.

Fence line

The fence soon lead us straight to the cabin. Just like bread crumbs.

Outhouse

I smell no sh*t. I see no sh*t. It was pretty nasty. Photo by Jose Luis Delaki.

Koloa Cabin

Justin opening the door to his first cabin visit. His cabin cherry was broken.

Cabin life

Our original plan was to push towards the Army Cabin and overnight there. Given the distance left and the looming rain clouds, we decided to stay put. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Cabin fever

Birthday cupcake. Is that a spam musubi in your underwear or are you just glad to see me? Abused animated characters. Well at least one was abused.

Cabin idol

Somebody please take Kikaida and Mickey Mouse away from them! Just blame the alcohol laced hot chocolate.

Cabin mouse

“Twas the rainy and windy night on the Ko’olaus, when all through the cabin; rustling space blankets were stirring under snug and restless hikers; when there arose such a calamitous clatter, as our collective slumber was pierced by riotous screaming and a body falling; I struggled from my bunk to see what was the matter; a f*cking mouse pitter – pattered by my face was the colorful expletive that was offered.

Goodbye cabin

Group photo of us checking out from the best KST cabin.

Hello sunrise

It was a chilly morning to catch the cloudy sunrise. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Trail

Making our way on the Windward side of the trail.

Scenic rock

Sometimes you just have to stop and soak in the Leeward views. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Trail

Switching back to the Windward side.

Mud circle

Taking stock of our muddy footwear. The worst was yet to come.

Trail

Crossing over to the sheltered and overgrown Leeward side.

Trail

Switching back to the Windward side. Back and forth. Up and down.

Koolau Range lobelia

Glimpse of a rare native plant in bloom.

Trail

Passing through a small stand of native loulou palm trees.

Trail

Burrowing through some overgrowth.

Papali junction

Let’s take a break, shall we?

Spartan Mud Race II

When push comes to shove. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Trail

Back on the fence line again.

Mud

Knee deep. Not that bad.

Junction

Left? Right? Photo by Justin Hirako.

Mud

Waist deep. Seriously? Photo by Genesaret Balladares.

Trail

We soon approached the wooden cabin, that had mountain views and a kitchen sink!

Cabin life

Hello and goodbye. Photos by Justin Hirako.

Opaeula Cabin

We left the cabin behind along with Gen and Jose who decided to stay another night in the mountains.

Mud

Justin wanted to see for himself if the mud was really that deep. It was.

Trail

Back on the KST.

Trail

Goodwill was alive and well in the mountains. Need a spare glove?

Trail

Justin and Thessa making their way along the fence line.

Trail

Looking ahead as the fence line wrapped around the ridge and disappeared into the clouds.

Trail

Justin and Thessa making their way across the open field to re-connect to the KST.

Boot Junction

Watching the clouds rolling into the mountains. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Trail

Pu’u Ohulehule rising from the floor of Kahana Valley.

KST

Looking out towards the contour trail carved below the ridgeline of the Ko’olau Mountains.

Shaka

Sharing some aloha on the trail. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Trail

Are we there yet? Not quite.

Cabin interruptus

We met Dave Fahrenwald who had hiked in from Poamoho and was headed towards the Army Cabin. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Wind gauge

Passing the wind gauge station. We picked up our pace as we knew the summit was close.

Poamoho Summit

Group photo by Justin Hirako at the 2,520′ summit. Hey, we actually got a view!

Trail

Time and weather did not look favorable for a cabin visit, so we headed down the muddy trail.

Got mail?

No mail for hikers, just hunters.

End of unmaintained trail

All smiles now. The rest of the trail was graded and downhill. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Trail

Justin trotting down the trail.

Sunset

Photo by Justin Hirako.

Poamoho trailhead

Trail meets road. Photo by Justin Hirako.

Ribbit

If I kiss you, will you turn into a 4×4?

Rainy road

What’s better than walking down a six mile jeep road? In the dark. In pouring rain. Yeah. That’s the ticket. The one way ticket.

All pau

Shout out to Chris Bautista who picked us up and drove us to Laie and Moanalua Valley to retrieve our cars. Post hike meal at Zippy’s. Justin appreciated the extra wait for his food. Made it more tasty.

GPS Tracks

The two day cabin hike covered 23.05 miles over and through the rugged and wild Northern Ko’olaus. Fantastic fun filled weekend with great friends.

I joined the OHA ( Oahu Hikers & Adventurers ) group to drive and hike up Poamoho Trail today. You will need a permit (free – click on this link) and 4 wheel drive to make it up the trail. We met at the parking lot right before the entrance to Helemano Military Reservation at 8:00AM or something close to that. I picked out a familiar rainbow colored hair in the form of Laredo who arrived fashionably late. Everybody else was a first time greeting.

The long road up

Udom, who was the hike leader, gave a short briefing on what to expect in terms of hike conditions and duration and then took our group photo. The group then split into three 4×4 vehicles and made our way to the first of three gates along the six mile jeep road. Udom who had the combinations that came with the permit was nice enough to hop out and open and close each gate. Along the way, we saw numerous cattle grazing and the views of the valley opened up as we gained elevation.

Trailhead

Group photo at the trailhead. Left to right: myself, Laredo, John, Rebecca, John, Amelia, Jim, Rene, Cindy, Vivian, Fanny, Elmer, Terrence, Cody and Udom (sitting).

Easy trail

We pushed off and started making our way along the relatively wide open trail carved out of the side of the mountain. I understand this trail receives periodic maintenance from DLNR. Thanks guys!

Hole in the clouds

 Checking out the nice cloud formations in the sky.

Poamoho stream

Looking down into the valley, we spotted Poamoho stream.

Mango break

Udom was nice enough to share her ono mangos with us as we took a short break and another group photo. Top row left to right: Cindy, John, Rene, John and Cody. Middle row left to right: Fanny, Vivian, Rebecca, Amelia, Elmer and Terrence. Bottom row left to right: Udom, Jim and myself. What happened to Laredo? He had broken off from the group and speed hiked his way to the summit. That guy is in super shape.

It gets harder?

After this point, the trail became narrower, steeper and muddy. Real hiking!

Stream junction

We soon crossed the stream junction, turned left and resumed our way to the summit.

Waianae Mountain Range

Crossing the meadow and looking back towards the flat topped mountain of Ka’ala.

Cline memorial

This rock memorial was built in 1978 to honor Geraldine Cline, an avid hiker. It marks the junction where the Poamoho summit meets the KST.

Panoramic view of Punalu’u Valley and Kahana Valley

Click here for the larger image. The windswept vista views at Poamoho summit are hard to beat. You have to see them in person to truly appreciate the views!

Check out the view!

Pu’u Manamana, True Manamana, Kualoa Mountains and Pu’u Ohulehule behind me. The views were just fantastic. One could sit here for hours soaking them up.

Poamoho cabin

After the rest of the group caught up to us at the summit, we turned right along the muddy trail to Poamoho cabin. We signed the guestbook, some used the outhouse and we all climbed up the small hill to have our lunch.

Celebrity hikers!

Soon we saw some other hikers returning from their snail hunting expedition. They turned out to be left to right: Tom, J, Nate and Agnes. Back in 2012, Agnes fell 300′ off the Pali Notches trail and lived to hike another trail! Rene from our group had to have her picture taken with them. Their fame in the hiking community had preceded them! Photo by Udom.

You got 12 seconds!

We took a last group photo from the top of the hill looking down towards the cabin. The camera was set on 12 second timer and Jim volunteered to press the shutter and run down the slippery and muddy slope to ham it up for the picture. Sporadic rain signaled it was time to start heading back.

Marsh

As we made our way back towards the summit junction, we saw some interesting scenic spots such as this marsh…

Kahuku windmills

…and the windmill farm over at Kahuku. Arriving back at the summit junction, the cloud deck had lowered and blotted out the tasty views we had enjoyed earlier.

Bench with a view

Where was Laredo again? It turned out that he had some kind of baby shower to attend, so he ran down the six mile jeep road. What a hiking beast! The rest of our group made our way back down the trail, to the cars and rode down the six mile jeep road.

GPS Tracks

The entire trail was 19.57 miles, but subtract the 12 miles of the jeep road, and we actually only hiked 7.57 miles round trip. But if you have the chance, hike this trail to some of the most amazing views on this island! You will not be disappointed.