Holidays are nice. No work. No school. For most people. Lucky us. Mari and I made the long drive out to the North Shore to do an easy hike.

Trailhead

The trailhead was not marked but we easily located it to the left of the gate that separated the parking lots of Sunset Beach Elementary School and Sunset Beach Neighborhood Park.

Nice open trail

Mari walking on the trail that started off fairly wide and level.

Tree climbing?

Banyan trees make wonderful climbing gyms. Not today.

Uphill

We soon gained elevation quickly as the muddy trail became steeper. Rope was strung out between the trees to help from falling on your butt and to help pull you upward. Take your pick or none at all.

Bat cave

A shallow cave partially covered in cascading banyan tree roots greeted us at the top.

Choose wisely

The trail eventually forked. We took the left trail. Gone are the candy cane ribbons that other hikers have mentioned. Christmas has left the hills. I explored a little of the right trail which I believe is part of the six mile Kaunala-Ehukai trail that makes its way to Pupukea. Another hike for another day.

Ocean view

The trail eventually opened to ocean views on our left. There seemed to be multiple trails that branched out from the main trail.

Dew drop

Dew drops hung from pine needles as we made our way along the trail.

WW2 Bunker

The trail eventually led to the first military bunker, that had a “bench” on top. Trivia fact: Bunker comes from the Scots word for bench.

Green things in the way

Surfers were absent from Pipeline, Ehukai and Gas Chambers, surf spots that can be somewhat seen from the top of the pillbox.

Exploring

Half expected to find homeless living inside the bunker. Pleasantly surprised to have only found brightly colored graffiti splashed on the inside walls and beach views.

Down we go

Took the trail to the left of the bunker as we made our way down the ridge looking for better views.

Heed the sign

We didn’t see the “keep out” sign when we first made our way down.

Tetanus shots up to date?

That would explain the barbed wire fence. But why is the opening wide enough that a truck could drive through? Okay, maybe a SMART car.

Peace bunker?

We traded elevation loss for open views when we came across this smaller bunker.

Rock stop

Only the skinny may enter.

Exploring bunker #2

Same interior decorator(s)?

Waianae Mountains

Good morning!

GPS Tracks

The 1.84 mile hike was a sweet and short trail on the North Shore that quickly gives up her two military bunkers from WW2 and ocean views of popular surfing spots.

The last day of my vacation in Japan, I decided to do one more hike before I flew back home. If you have ever been to Tokyo Disneyland, I would call Mount Takao the Tokyo Disneyland of hikes. It has a cable car, amusement in the form of temples and wall to wall people. One quick tip – if the weather has been rainy the prior week and you go on a sunny weekend, expect major crowds!

Trail 1

There are eight trails to reach the summit. I took the most popular and paved one – trail 1. Besides the wait for the funicular was easily over an hour just to get on the cable car.

Move to the side - ambulance coming down!

As I was trying to thread myself into the crowds making their way up the trail, I heard booming voices amplified by loudspeakers which were followed shortly by motorcycle cops and a mini-ambulance taking somebody to the hospital. That ambulance that came down gave new meaning to the word compact.

Tokyo

Twenty minutes later, I reached one of the scenic points where I saw the sprawling city of Tokyo.

Gate to Yakuoin Temple

I soon came across the Yakuoin Temple which was originally built back in 744. On the temple grounds, it was like a zoo as people of all ages thronged at the different shrines to pray for good luck.

Tengu

Mount Takao is closely associated with Tengu, which are mythical bird-men that can either help or hinder people.

One Yen Deposits

There are tons of these praying Buddhas or monks scattered throughout Mount Takao. Some of them have red “beanies” and “bibs”, I kid you not. People leave one yen coins on these statues to make their wishes or prayers come true.

Party time at the summit

At the top of Mount Takao, groups of people were camped out beneath the red maple leaf trees and having a great time courtesy of the vending machines at the top that supplied the beer. It reminded me of the cherry blossom viewing parties they have in March.

Now what is 599 meters in feet?

The view at the top was somewhat disappointing as the clouds had started to roll in, obscuring most of the view and Mount Fuji, which can be seen on a clear day.

Santa is that you?

Going back down, I saw one hiker dressed as Santa Claus, a very skinny Santa Claus. Yes, Virginia, Christmas is a big deal in Japan. The wait for the funicular going down was terrible, we had to wait over an hour. I would highly recommend doing this hike during a weekday, where you will experience less crowds and more time and opportunities to explore all that Mount Takao has to offer.

Our last couple hikes were all in the wet and windy trails of the Ko’olau mountains, so we decided to switch it up a bit and hike the Kea’au Ridge trail in the Waianae mountain range. Since nobody volunteered to leave their car parked on the side of the road in Waianae, we all met and parked at a friends house in Waipio. She dropped us off at the entrance to the former First Hawaiian Bank recreation center right after Kea’au Beach Park and sped off to Yokohama Beach to catch some rays. We climbed over the locked gate and walked down the paved road, which eventually turned into a dirt road and hopped over another locked gate.

Middle Ridge

We walked up the road to the Makua-Kea’au Hunting Area B and crossed a dry river bed and worked our way up to the ridge. We also had to watch our steps, as the trail had liberal droppings of cow pies. As we gained elevation on the ridge, the cow pies were replaced with goat droppings.

Ohikilolo Valley

Looking back at the middle ridge that cuts the valley in half. The blue waters looked cool and inviting!

Cliffs

On the way up the ridge, we stopped to look at the amazing fluted cliffs to our left, which harbored numerous “pocket valleys” that carried the sounds of bleating goats.

On the ridge

Some parts of the ridge narrows to the point, where it accentuates the drop offs on both sides, especially on the side facing Ohikilolo ridge. But that’s why ridge hikes keep you on your feet and rewards you with fantastic views.

Mount Ka'ala

We reached the top of Kea’au ridge at an elevation of 2,650 feet with clear views of Mount Ka’ala, Makaha and the Waianae coast. It was also hot as hell! Good thing we had hats and sunscreen, otherwise we would have been toast.

Pu'u Ohikilolo

Due to time restrictions, we decided or rather my friend decided not to hike the connecting ridge to Pu’u Ohikilolo. As we made our way back down, we came across a herd of stampeding cows in the public hunting area that forced us to briefly stop, before we made it back out to the road. Our friend picked us up and we all had a nice big lunch at Big City Diner’s. Food sure does taste better after you had a long, hot hike!

This was our second attempt at hiking Palehua Ridge in the Waianae Mountain Range. A week earlier, we had drove to the end of Umena Street at the top of Makakilo and had obtained the combination to the gate, which Camp Timberline changes every month, which soon lead to another locked gate, but no key. So we parked our truck and walked up and down the road in a frustrating attempt to find the trailhead. Not knowing that we had literally come within yards of the trailhead when we had walked to the top communications site. Luckily, the Palehua Ranch caretaker found us and politely told us that nobody is allowed to be walking on Palehua Road, as it’s considered private and leads to scores of homes sitting on land leased from the Campbell Estate. He told us that for a $100 deposit and signing a liability waiver form, he would give us the key to the second gate which would allow us to drive all the way to the top of the upper communications site where the trailhead was located. Being beat, we said we would do it another day, which was today. After we parked our van at the top, we found the trailhead, which is to the right of the communication buildings. The stairs lead us to a bamboo grove which leads to a knob called Mauna Kapu.

Nanakuli Valley

Reached the top of Maunu Kapu, which means “Sacred Mountain” in Hawaiian.

Boulder Tunnel

Scrambling through some large boulders stacked on top of each other, making it sort of a boulder tunnel.

Cook Island Pine Trees

Walking a narrow trail to the stand of pine trees in the distance. After we got within the pine trees, there is a large fenced area that we climbed over, I believe it’s meant to keep the feral pigs out.

Palikea

Arrived at the summit of Palikea at 3,098 feet, which is marked by a clump of ti leaf plants. It took us about an hour to reach the summit, luckily the trailhead starts at about 2,200 feet, so we only gained about 800 feet in elevation. You can see Lualualei Valley and Makaha in the distance.

Waianae Mountain Range

Looking back at where we came from, it’s the two communication towers poking up from the ridgeline in the middle. Soon after this, things took a turn for the worse. We got lost and were just trying to follow the fence and the colored ribbons fluttering from the tree branches. We were stumbling around for three hours, before we finally found our bearings and re-traced our steps back to the trailhead. We were trying to find the trail that is supposed to loop past an abandoned cabin and come out at the lower communications site.

Pearl Harbor

Walking down the trail, we caught this great view of Pearl Harbor or Pu’uloa in Hawaiian, which means long hill, home to the shark goddess, Ka’ahupahau. Diamond Head and the Ko’olau Mountain Range can also be seen in the distance. This hike is relatively easy, as there is not much gain in elevation, as your car does most of the climbing up the mountain. Just don’t get lost, like we did. Then again, sometimes half the fun of hiking is just walking around and exploring, as long as you can get back and don’t have to call 911!

UPDATE AS OF JANUARY 22, 2014: PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS, THE PROPERTY LANDOWNER OF MARINER’S TRAILHEAD HAS DECLARED THE MARINER’S RIDGE HIKE TO BE CLOSED. IF YOU WISH TO HIKE THIS TRAIL, YOU MUST CONTACT THE SIERRA CLUB OR THE HAWAIIAN TRAIL & MOUNTAIN CLUB TO GAIN LEGAL ACCESS.

Looking for an easy hike that has great views and where you can bring your kids and pets? Then, look no further than the Mariner’s Ridge or Kaluanui Ridge hike. This has got to be the easiest and shortest ridge hike to the Ko’olau summit. I drove all the way to the end of Kaluanui road in the Mariner’s ridge community and parked at the dead end. There is a distinctive, shingled house on the right side of the dead end that a lot of locals refer to as the “gingerbread house.” Don’t be put off by the no tresspassing sign at the entrance to the trail head, as this is a public hike and open to all.

Koko Crater

Going up the rocky and dirt trail, I could see Koko Crater dominating the Hawaii Kai skyline.

Hahaione Valley

Looking to the left, you can see Hahaione Valley, Kuapa pond and Koko Head.

View to the West

After about 30 minutes, I got to the summit at an elevation of 1,361 feet. I heard this hike is very popular and often crowded, but this particular morning, I had the place all to myself. One of the advantages when you start at the crack of dawn, I guess.

View to the East

Looking to the right, you can see Makapu’u Point from the flat area of the summit.

Spine of the Ko’olau Mountain Range

Looking to the left, you can see that you can actually continue hiking to Kuli’ou’ou Ridge, Hawaii Loa Ridge and points beyond.  But that is for another day and hike. This hike is easy, as there are no steep grades or dropoffs. It took another 30 minutes to get back down the trail, where I actually started running into other hikers and dogs.

GPS Tracks

The 2.4 mile hike can easily be done after work or for a quick filler.