Met up with Bill, Lilyn and Shirley to spend Easter in the mountains this weekend.

Kunia

Thanks to Jalen who dropped us off and wished us well on our “painful” hike, how did he know?

Sunflower field

Grow them and they will come. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Kunia

Heading towards the tree line. We missed it by that much. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Kunia

Making our way up the short and stiff spur ridge.

Kunia

The trail was a marked departure from the last time I hiked it three years ago, as some folks had cleared the overgrowth and marked the trail. We also found somebody’s stash of chemical leached bottled water. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Hono’uli’uli Contour Trail

We soon met up with the firebreak road that contours on the Windward side of the Waianae Mountain Range. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Hono’uli’uli Contour Trail

Leaving the trail that spans from Kolekole Pass to Palehua Road.

Kunia

Following the trail which soon dipped into a saddle.

Kunia

Looking back into the Kunia farm lands as we gained elevation in the mountains. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Kunia

Lilyn climbing out of the saddle and up to the WST.

Waianae Summit Trail (WST)

Stepping foot on the eroded remains of an ancient shield volcano. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

Looking back as the rest of the crew emerged from the spur trail.

WST

We topped out on the ridge line just shy of Pu’u Kanehoa to be met by stiff winds and spectacular views wherever we cast our wandering eyes. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

The only sheltered spot on the ridge line from the gusting winds that dropped the air temperature and discouraged some from continuing the hike. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

Photo of our group before we dwindled down to a pair of hikers.

WST

Bill and Shirley decided to explore the sheltered trails at lower elevations. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

Dropping down the side of the rock face. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

Two dots on the ridge line. Photo by Shirley Gloriani.

WST

Lilyn making her way on the exposed ridge line buffeted by the strong winds. Nature’s air conditioning.

WST

Ready to plunge into the forested spot of the ridge line. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

Breaking out of the forest and back onto the exposed ridge line.

Gorilla Heads

Meeting up with the first pair of obstacles. One small and one big. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Gorilla Heads

Lilyn working her way up the smaller rock face.

Gorilla Heads

Climbing up the bigger head. Webbing optional. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Gorilla Heads

Lilyn climbing up while trying not to lose her Chicago Cubs hat. No mean feat by itself in these windy conditions.

Gorilla Heads

Going down the backside. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Gorilla Heads

Lilyn looking for her next foothold or spot.

Gorilla Heads

Can you see the primate for the rocks? Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

Fence hopping. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

Going up through the fence line that was interrupted by the rocky ridge line.

WST

Climbing up the fenced hill. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

Lilyn overlooking the Gorilla Heads.

WST

We resumed our hilly climb to be briefly interrupted by several nasty patches of uluhe overgrowth before reaching the third highest peak.

Pu’u Kaua

Photo from the remarkably cleared 3,127′ summit.

WST

Leaving the summit and following the fence line where some spots of the trail were littered with non-potable water jugs and barrels.

WST

Enjoying the central plains view. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

We soon left the fence line behind us and started our program of rock climbing. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

Lilyn angling her way down one of the rock climbs.

WST

Low center of gravity. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

High center of gravity.

WST

Lilyn contouring her way down the short and steep climb.

WST

Going down a short drop. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Pohakea Pass

It was butterfly time as we made our way towards the imposing 80′ crumbly cliff. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Pohakea Pass

Lilyn climbing up towards the base of the pass using ropes that have seen better days.

Pohakea Pass

Climbing straight up, always mindful of the chossy rocks. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Pohakea Pass

Like somebody said, pictures do not do this climb justice.

Pohakea Pass

We both passed the pass.

WST

Lilyn scrambling back up the ridge line, thinking all the hard stuff was behind us. Think again.

WST

So far, so good.

WST

Enjoying the windy views. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

Pushing up the last big hill. Promise?

WST

We had to jump the fence line multiple times to stay on trail. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

WST

The suffocating uluhe overgrowth and the seemingly never ending false peaks were exhausting and irritating. This was the hardest section according to the backseat hiker. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Heleakala

Looking at our original exit route which got tossed out due to lack of time. I also switched my music from headset to speaker to serve as a pseudo-navigational aid, as the overgrowth and multiple trails were a tad confusing. It also helped to drown out the broken record. I didn’t know record players could work in the mountains.

Palikea

Happy Easter from the 3,098′ ti leaf summit where I marked my sixth time finishing the WST.

Palehua

Crossing through forest land teeming with native fauna and flora.

Palehua

Keeping the feral ungulates out but the two legged primates in. Or something like that. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Palehua

Leaving the pine tree forest behind us as we enjoyed central and town views on our way out.

Palehua

Rolling through the Indiana Jones boulder tunnel. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Palehua

End of the trail for us but the beginning of the long ass road that winded down to Makakilo.

Palehua Road

Pounding the pavement as several cars passed us on the road, all failing to follow protocol.

All pau

Hit the road, Jack. And don’t you come back. No more, no more, no more, no more. Hit the road, Jack. And don’t you come back no more. A more lyrical interpretation of the greeting we received at the end of the road. Thanks to Bill and Shirley for picking us up and giving us cold carbonated beverages. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

GPS Tracks

Our 12 plus mile covered the hardest climbing section of the WST, made even more taxing by the annoying overgrowth. Post hike meal at McDonald’s where we locked our doors for peace of mind as we ate our cholesterol drenched food.

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.

I went out the West side to dry out this weekend with Charlie, CJ and Tessa. Thanks to Matt for dropping us off at Schofield Barracks. Citizens of all country are welcome.

Trailhead

The start of the trail was teeming with hikers. We got a jump on them before the trail got too congested. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

KoleKole Pass Rock

I hope heads will not be rolling today.

Meadows

Group photo before Matt took his leave of us, left to right: Matt, Tessa, myself, CJ and Charlie. The brisk winds aborted Matt’s attempt at some drone shots. So he called it a day and bade us farewell.

Hapapa Trail

We took the crumbly and direct route up. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

Hapapa Trail

The rest of the group making their way up. Somehow, somebody got lost on their way up. Excuse me, he was exploring. LOL.

Hapapa Trail

We made our way through the stand of paperbark trees and soon found ourselves at the towering rock dike. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

Hapapa Trail

Climbing down to start our climb up the first notch. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

Hapapa Trail

CJ and Tessa on the photogenic dike.

Hapapa Trail

Tessa sitting on her perch in the mountains. Photo by CJ Mendiola.

Hapapa Trail

The girls on top of the second notch.

Hapapa Trail

Are we home for the night? Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Pu’u Hapapa

Group photo on the square summit overlooking the West side. The best side.

Waianae Summit Trail (WST)

We left the 2,883′ summit to begin our hike on the fenced trail. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

WST

Looking back as Tessa climbs over one of many fenced junctions.

WST

Descending down towards the imposing rock dike which interrupts the ridge line. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

WST

Making our way around the eroded section. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

WST

Heading towards the knob of Kanehoa.

Pu’u Kanehoa

Group photo at the 2,778′ summit that offered splendid panoramic views.

Pu’u Kanehoa

One of the splendid views from the top.

WST

Looking back at the exposed summit. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

WST

Tessa hiking through the mixed tree section of the ridge.

WST

Approaching the “Christmas Tree” which is the gateway to the first set of obstacles before us.

WST

CJ and Tessa cresting over the small hill.

Gorilla Heads

Scrambling up the smaller head. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

Gorilla Heads

Climbing down towards the bigger head. Don’t touch it too much. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

Gorilla Heads

CJ making her way up. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Gorilla Heads

Charlie bringing up the rear. Photo by CJ Mendiola.

Gorilla Heads

Looking for my next foothold. Where’s my spotter? Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Gorilla Heads

Tessa’s turn to climb down. Step by step. Heart to heart. Left, right, Left. We all fall down. Wait, don’t follow the last lyric.

WST

CJ making her way up the interrupted fence line. Hard for the fence installers to follow the pitches of the ridge line.

Need webbing?

We soon left the fence line to climb up a rock face. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

Bee in my bonnet

Tessa was being buzzed and it wasn’t from alcohol. I was of no help. Luckily CJ had a stick handy and flicked the bee out.

WST

Back on the fence line.

WST

Charlie pushing through the overgrowth. Visibility was mostly uluhe ferns in your face. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Pu’u Kaua

The 3,127′ summit was extremely overgrown, no stop here. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

WST

Back on the fence line with CJ pointing at our destination, which was still far away. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

WST

Climbing my way down. The start of the most rock climbing this side of the WST. Photo by CJ Mendiola.

WST

Charlie ready to climb down.

WST

Looking for our next rock face to climb down. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

WST

CJ making short work of the rock face. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

WST

Tessa climbing down the correct route.

WST

The other two decided on an “easier” descent and ended up losing their webbing. Apparently my words of advice were drowned out in the wind. LOL. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

WST

Contouring a somewhat tricky rock face. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

WST

The others following in my footsteps. Pack optional.

WST

Scrambling up another rockface. After another. And another. You get the picture. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

WST

Give me your hand and forget about losing your manhood.

WST

Contouring around the tree line to stay on trail.

WST

Tessa dropping off the ridge line. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

WST

The group hugging the rockface as we made our way down the sliver of a trail.

WST

Making my way down a short drop. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Camp Pohakea

Camp life. We could have survived for quite some time in the mountains what with Charlie’s industrial sized can of butane fuel and copious amounts of unfiltered water. We were just missing enough food. We didn’t look appetizing to each other.

Camp Pohakea

Camp site. We pitched tent on what looked like the remains of another cabin or bunker. We were not breaking new ground.

Camp Pohakea

Good night from the Waianae Mountains. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

Camp Pohakea

We woke up the next morning after rain showers pelted our campsite, made breakfast, broke down camp and left to tackle the biggest obstacle in the mountains. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

Pohakea Pass

I won’t lie. Every time I see this 80′ crumbly cliff, I get butterflies in my stomach.

Pohakea Pass

Climbing and contouring our way up. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

Pohakea Pass

The group queued up at the base of the cliff.

Pohakea Pass

Everybody ready to climb? Photo by Charlie Antonio.

Pohakea Pass

The climb up was greatly assisted with the red webbing that another group had left. Caution was still exercised as never fully trust webbing that wasn’t set by your own hands. It pays to also have somebody that can safely free climb obstacles in case webbing is suspect or lacking.

Pohakea Pass

Checking out the group coming up, the wind stalled somebody’s progress immeasurably. But everybody made it up safely. In the end, that’s all that matters.

Pohakea Pass

CJ perched on her rock. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Pohakea Pass

Hello from the top of the pass.

Bonsai Trail

Leaving the pass behind us.

WST

It was another steep climb up the fenced ridge line. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

WST

Wading through the sea of forest green uluhell.

WST

Water catchment break. Photo by CJ Mendiola.

Palikea Summit

Group photo with the rainbow behind us in Lualualei Valley.

Palehua

Going down the stairs. We must be nearing civilization.

Palehua

Leaving the forest of pine trees as we left the gated area.

Palehua

Traversing the trail cut from the side of the cliff.

Palehua

Indiana Bugay coming through the boulder tunnel. Photo by Charlie Antonio.

Palehua

Switch backing our way to the bamboo forest.

Palehua

Going down the last set of stairs for the day.

Palehua

End of the trail and beginning of the road. We are not out of the woods yet.

Hiker Humane Society

I am not your Daddy! Photo by Charlie Antonio.

All pau

Mahalo to Quan for picking us up halfway on the road.

GPS Tracks

Our two day camping and climbing hike in the Waianae Mountains covered 9.5 miles with fun company and marked my fifth time completing the Waianae Summit Trail (WST). Post hike meal at Outback Steakhouse where Aida, Chris, Lilyn and Quan also joined us on two separate tables. No clam chowder on the menu. What is this world coming to?

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.

Note: I made a couple changes/omissions to the story. If you were in the group, you would understand.

A small group of us made our way up from Umena Road in the nicely gentrified housing area of Makakilo. We were doing an exploratory-extreme hike today.

The long road up

Vehicles in all sizes and shapes passed us by as we made our way up the long and unforgiving road. We soon passed the junction to Camp Timberline and continued right on the road.

Trailhead

After passing the alphabetically numbered lots that had homes ranging from modest to McMansion, we made it to the trailhead. Instead of pounding the pavement, there are easier ways to get to this trailhead. One could hook up with an approved hiking club that would give you access to the two gates and then just drive all the way up to the trailhead. That would shave a lot of miles and time off.

Mickey Mouse Cactus

Passing the Mickey Mouse ears cactus still encrusted on the boulder at the top of Maunu Kapu.

Boulder tunnel

Playing Indiana Jones as we made our way through these jumbled boulders.

Is it live, or is it a beetle?

Our first bug sighting – some kind of coral beetle? It didn’t flinch even one antenna as we all took our turns at getting some macro shots. Must have been dead or playing possum.

Headed into the pine trees

We made our way on the contour trail that is carved into the side of the rock which leads to the fenced area of the preserve, that is gated by towering pine trees.

Snail sighting

Our first snail sighting – I think these were common snails nestled in the tops of the leafy branches. I found it funny that when you see snails in your backyard, you run for the pellets or think escargot. But in the wild, you pull out your camera. NIMBY.

Palikea

Top of Palikea at 3,098 feet, the views did not disappoint. Ranging from Diamond Head to Pearl Harbor to Mount Ka’ala.

Starting point

Looking back at where we had been about an hour ago, which are marked by the two communication towers sticking up from the ridgeline.

Lualualei Valley

Lualualei is the largest coastal valley on the Leeward side, and is also home to the tallest military antenna towers in the Western hemisphere.

Happy Face Spider

After following the ridgeline for about 30 minutes, we turned right and dropped down into a snail and spider rich environment. I finally got to see the spider I have been hearing about so much. The Happy Face Spider or Theridion Grallator. They are very small, about the size of a grain of rice and make their homes under certain types of leaves.

Knock Knock

A red spider crawling on top of an white pupu kuahiwi snail. Taking these macro pictures requires a lot of patience. I have a lot to learn.

Itsy bitsy spider

This unidentified spider jumped on Marcus’s shirt. While the rest of us were painstakingly looking for these spiders and snails, one just came to him!

Zig zag snail

Jay found this rare sanguine litter snail in a pile of poop. Literally. I don’t know how he does it. He should work for National Geographic.

Snot in a hat snail

This rather disgusting looking succinea snail is called snot in a hat, for a snail that is too big for it’s shell.

It’s that way

After we had our fun and fill of nature exploration, Marcus was ready to start “hiking.”

Uluhe fern madness

We followed the ridgeline and soon plunged into a huge patch of uluhe ferns, the bane of hikers everywhere. Luckily, there was some semblance of a trail through the ferns, which made for less bushwhacking.

Where did we park?

“Wait, Royal Kunia Golf Course is that way!”  “We were supposed to park at Hawaii Country Club!”  We had somewhat of a mix-up in staging directions. The plan was to park Marcus’s car at the golf course that was relatively close to our jeep road exit from Pohakea Pass once we climbed down. Instead we had parked at the golf course that was a long haul away. Taxi! Photo by Aaron Toma.

Fence support

These fences are a common sight in the Waianae Mountain Range. Meant to keep out feral animals such as goats and pigs that destroy endemic flora and fauna.

Almost there

Soon the ridgeline came to a vertical rocky drop known as Pohakea Pass. Photo by Tom Engle.

Anchor team

Aaron and Lynn had tagged along to bring back an old webbing that was left by another hiker, Baron Yamamoto, on a prior hike. Jay and Tom tied together a 100′ and 50′ webbing to provide support for the climb down to the pass.

Marcus checking it out

Just getting down to the pass required webbing, as the whole area was composed of crumbly rocks and loose dirt.

Second opinion

Unfortunately the webbing fell short about 20′ to the bottom. A fellow hiker, Troy Solano, was telling us the last 20′ of the pass was the hardest. Also Baron’s original webbing that was tied around a rock was frayed and not secured enough to be counted on.

Pohakea pass

Looking down at the almost near 80′ + vertical drop.

Going down

Marcus climbed down about 15′ and didn’t like how it looked, so he came back up.

Third opinion

Jay came down to take a look. The concern was the last 20′ that was not covered by the webbing. We would need more webbing for the next time.

Not today

The face is worth a thousand words.

Going back up

I guess we are going back the way we came. No taxi ride for us! This was my first hike that was not completed as intended, but safety always comes first. I would rather come back and try again, than be on the news or worse.

Panoramic view of Pearl Harbor and beyond

Looking towards Pearl Harbor as we ate our lunch. Click here for the larger image.

Panoramic view of Leeward and beyond

Click here for the larger image.

Happy Face Spider Mama

On our way back out, we saw some more Happy Face Spiders, with eggs. It almost made up for not doing Pohakea Pass. Almost.

GPS tracks

The 5.23 mile exploratory hike took us 8 1/2 hours to complete. Not counting the road that winds up from Makakilo.

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!