We paid a birthday visit to Hell today and some of us carried extra baggage with us. Might as well be comfortable sitting on that chair. Or not.

Keaiwa Heiau State Recreation Area

Why walk an extra ten minutes when the custodian is nice enough to open the gate early? Mahalo to Lilyn and Quan for dropping Aida, Aileen, Amber, Jen, Rose and myself off at the 384 acre park.

Trailhead

One person in the group photo is not hiking.

Aiea Loop Trail

Pushing off on the trail.

Aiea Loop Trail

Taking a load off their backs, some more so than others.

Aiea Loop Trail

Leaving the five mile loop trail for the mountains.

Aiea Ridge Trail

Aida with the background views of the H3 highway on Windward viaducts as it runs through Halawa Valley.

Pu’u Kawipo’o

Amber illustrating the difference between a headstand and a handstand at the 2,441′ hill.

Aiea Ridge Trail

There’s views in them thar hills. Not today.

Aiea Ridge Trail

Going around the base of the power line tower before gaining the summit.

Aiea Summit

You know your backpack is oversized, when people see it first before they see you when coming up to the summit.

Aiea Summit

No need to stand up group photo at the socked in 2,805′ top.

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

Descending into the clouds.

KSRT

Contouring around the fenced native plant enclosure.

KSRT

Climbing up our last hill …

KSRT

… to prove that there are views in them thar hills.

KSRT

Dripping wet.

Stairway to Hell

Happy Birthday Jen!

Stairway to Hell

It’s cold as hell. Oxymoron’s that work well together in this part of the mountains.

Stairway to Hell

Group photo at the stairs that leads to nowhere.

Stairway to Hell

The pair of Amber and Rose stashed their stuff for their upcoming KST traverse. Don’t touch our stuff. Pretty please. In sharpie. Permanent.

KSRT

Making our way on the steps that time forgot and that Mother Nature is slowly reclaiming.

KSRT

Following the wire rope that soon replaced the steps.

KSRT

Climbing out of hell.

KSRT

Leaving the rusted remnants behind us.

KSRT

Making our way up to the geodetic marker that has since lost its circumference.

KSRT

Dropping down into saddle that is also the junction for the Halawa trail.

KSRT

Approaching the summit of Red Hill.

Moanalua Saddle

Trip hazard.

Moanalua Saddle

Hold your excitement. This not the pearly white ohi’a lehua flower. The search continues.

Moanalua Saddle

Walking on the edge.

Moanalua Saddle

Going down on crumbly dirt.

Moanalua Saddle

Watching the rest of the group make their way down the thin ribbon of a trail.

Moanalua Saddle

If it’s not a tree hugger, it’s a rock hugger in the mountains.

Moanalua Saddle

We contoured on the Leeward side and regained the ridge line.

Moanalua Saddle

Looking back at the Western half of the saddle.

Kulana’ahane Summit

Approaching our last summit of the day.

Kulana’ahane Summit

What could this be? Let your imagination run wild.

Kulana’ahane Summit

Our last group photo in the slot.

Moanalua Falls

I see people. Live people. Coming down the spur ridge, we noticed a pair of people at the top of the falls. Turned out to be Jason and Pam setting up their anchors, a day that lasted over 24 hours for them. I thought my hikes were long!

Kulana’ahane Trail

Somebody started counting the stream crossings as we hit the valley floor. Never did finish the task. Unfinished business.

Kulana’ahane Trail

Threading our way through the thickets of hau tree branches.

Kamananui Valley Trail

Everybody looking forward to the walk out.

All pau

We washed our shoes and walked back out to our cars to finish the day. Post hike meal? One had steak waiting at home. The other was tuckered out and went home. The rest of us went to nearby Alley Restaurant to get our fix of oxtail soup.

GPS Tracks

Our birthday/stash hike covered 11.5 miles to hell and back. Mixed bag of weather day spent with good people.

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Aileen Agustin, Amber Fonte, Jen Odence, Rose Mathis, 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.

The hidden giants in Manoa failed to wake up; so Analyn, Bill, Cisco, Ferlino, Shirley and myself tagged along with Allison’s group that were meeting at Moanalua Valley to explore the falls in the back of the geological depression. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Moanalua Valley Park

A less than auspicious start to our hike as we were greeted by the land and air units of the Honolulu Fire Department. Training or rescue underway? We didn’t stick around to find out.

Trailhead

When the fashionably late arrival of Patrick Rorie failed to materialize, we shoved off on the trail.

Kamananui Valley Trail

Hey, who’s that wahine with Bill?

Brachiaria mutica

It’s not very comfortable pushing your way through grass that has more hair than you.

Moanalua Valley

Rock hopping in the back of the valley.

Moanalua Valley

We re-grouped for our group photo, left to right: myself, Bill, Analyn, Shirley, Erik, Ferlino, Cisco and Allison. Photo by Moorea Efird.

That way?

After hiking in circles and not being guided by the presence of Patrick Rorie, we threw in the towel and headed back to a more recognizable trail. Photo by Moorea Efird.

Moanalua Valley

Following the rainbow (man) out of the valley.

Lychee

Synchronized eating as we waited for the rest of the group to catch up.

Moanalua Valley

Flagged guava trees provided a marked contrast to our earlier lack of trail.

Moanalua Valley

Plane wreckage parts littered the landscape which provided photo opportunities for Allison and Laredo. Photo by Moorea Efird.

Moanalua Falls

We soon spotted the ephemeral waterfall.

Moanalua Falls

Erik making his way to the base of the pool with the valley backdrop behind him.

Moanalua Falls

Ferlino swinging in his hammock.

Moanalua Falls

Taking the plunge for the group photo, left to right: Ferlino, Cisco, Moorea, Allison, Erik, Analyn, myself and Laredo.

Scent of a woman

Somebody came pretty close to switching teams.

Moanalua Falls

Leaving the trickling waterfall.

Moanalua Valley

Weaving our way through the dense thicket of hau branches.

Moanalua Valley

Crossing one of over two dozen stream crossings. Who’s counting. Photo by Moorea Efird.

All pau

We ended our 11.13 mile valley hike back in the park where the group had split and gone its separate ways. Thanks again to Allison for letting us join her group. Post hike meal at McDonald’s. I’m wasn’t really lovin’ it.

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.