We all gathered to check off a list, not necessarily on everybody’s checklist, but a list nevertheless.

Pali Lookout

Thanks to Lilia and Tessa for dropping us off at the historic vista that was witness to the 1795 Battle of Nu’uanu and was strangely devoid of the usual gawkers but not the whipping winds that caressed and carved the neighboring mountains.

Nu’uanu Pali

Climbing our way up the rooted and forested landscape.

Nu’uanu Pali

Enjoying the breaking sunrise as our blue marble rotated on its axis.

Nu’uanu Pali

Akira entering the rock corridor as we slowly gained elevation.

Pali Notches

Chico was not maintaining his three points of contact. Throwing caution to the wind.

Pali Notches

Scotty descending down the first notch on his first visit to this part of the Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail or Nu’uanu Saddle.

Pali Notches

Marilyn climbing down the first of the rectangular gap which folklore states that Hawaiians carved these notches out of solid basaltic rock for canon emplacements to be used against King Kamehameha when he invaded Oahu in 1795.

Pali Notches

Climbing our way out of the first notch that was more likely formed when the dikes fractured over time and erosion.

Pali Notches

Scott going down into the largest of the dike fractures.

Pali Notches

Posing and climbing down into the second canon emplacement or scout lookout used by the defenders of King Kalanikupule against the invading army of King Kamehameha who sent his scouts up the mountain to disable the sentries.

Pali Notches

Cristy demonstrating the correct way to climb down and not the exaggerated leaning back look made for dramatic IG shots and potential falls.

The Nipple

Making our way towards the stubby column of isolated basaltic rock.

The Nipple

The group climbing down the rock spire.

The Nipple

Make or break time.

The Chimney

Deep thoughts. Somebody was not ready for prime time. The mountains will always be here.

The Chimney

Somebody still wanted a small taste, so without further aplomb, heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off we go.

The Chimney

If there ever was a personified definition of true grit, it would be this individual right here. Kudos to Chico for completing his second climb up and down the chimney, unassisted.

The Chimney

Shout out to my noisy_hawaii fans. Please visit my YouTube channel.

The Chimney

Three’s a crowd. More the merrier.

The Chimney

Seen from the front and the back. Double the viewing pleasure.

The Chimney

Demonstrating the classic rule of gravity as immortalized by Sir Isaac Newton.

The Chimney

POV that makes the grade look not half bad.

The Chimney

I got you bro. Charge is still only a nickel. Doing my part to keep inflation at bay.

The Chimney

Akira waiting to get off the sliver of a rock to more solid footing.

The Nipple

Reunited back on the windswept rock where Akira lost his cap to the mountains but got it back on the contour trail below us.

Pali Notches

Olomana framed by the notch walls.

Pali Notches

We crossed paths with two other hikers who were debating going past the first notch, for one, the World Cup showing at 0900 took precedence over setting foot on new ground.

Pali Notches

The hike is not complete with dancing in some form or fashion. Participation is welcome.

Nu’uanu Pali

Hanging out at the KST campsite until Lilia and Scott came to collect us. Mahalos!

All pau

Chico being blown away by Akira channeling his inner Dragon Ball energy. Not to be confused with kimatteiru. Our morning hike didn’t even crack a mile let alone beads of sweat. It was still a safe and fun hike with good company. Post hike meal at Koa Pancake House as the wait at Koko Head Cafe exceeded our parking time.

Photos/Crew taken by Akira Suzuki, Chico Cantu, Cristy Meador, Marilyn Bermudez, 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.

Met up with Aileen and Tesssa to do a quick hop and pop over the mountains.

Maunawili

Where’s the goat whisperer when you need him?

Maunawili

Somebody was running fashionably late aka Hawaiian time, so we enjoyed the breaking sunrise over Olomana.

Maunawili

We soon left the future lots of affordable homes and began our hike. But first, let’s stay hydrated as demonstrated by Tessa.

Piliwale Ridge

Stepping foot on the ridge pioneered by Silver Piliwale, a legendary hiker who hiked from Pupukea to Moanalua in five days to celebrate his 72nd birthday.

Piliwale Ridge

Climbing up towards the notch.

Notch

360 degree group photo at the natural cut in the ridge. We saw rain showers headed our way and after some deliberation, decided to press on.

Piliwale Ridge

Dropping down into the notch.

Piliwale Ridge

Hello from the other side.

Piliwale Ridge

Scrambling up some rocks.

Piliwale Ridge

Aileen climbing up the crack between a tree and a rock.

Piliwale Ridge

Scrambling up more rocks.

Piliwale Ridge

Aileen pulling herself up.

Piliwale Ridge

Somebody left a rope behind which made this climb easier. How nice of them.

Piliwale Ridge

Tessa climbing up and over the rock.

Piliwale Ridge

Going up the honest cardio climb, no switch backs on this ridge.

Piliwale Ridge

Tessa pushing to the junction.

Piliwale Junction

Group photo at the 3,050′ elevation mark.

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

What goes up, must come down.

Mud Wall

Going down the slippery slope.

KSRT

Tessa silhouetted on a prominent bump on the ridge line with panoramic views of the surrounding areas.

KSRT

Dropping off the boulder and back on the ridge line.

Nu’uanu Saddle

The ridge became steeper, narrower and a tad more “technical.”

Contour

Aileen coming around the rockface that always gives me pause, as this is where a fallen angel fell 300′ and lived to hike another day.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Talk to the hand or use the hand. Whichever you prefer.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Making our way down to the last major climb on this ridge line.

Chimney

It was like going down a spiderweb of ropes. Best to be mindful of how you go down, otherwise one might get hung up like some hapless prey.

Chimney

The “friendly” slanted angle of the climb.

Chimney

Swinging Tessa to a safe spot. Ouch.

Chimney

The “less friendly” vertical angle of the climb.

Nipple

360 degree group photo on the bump of a rock.

Nipple

Aileen coming down from the rocky perch.

Pali Notches

Ropes? We don’t need no stinking ropes. Paraphrasing the classic line from the 1948 movie “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”

Pali Notches

Tessa climbing up from the man-made notch that once housed cannons that were installed by King Kalanikupule to defend Oahu against the armies of King Kamehameha. However, Kamehameha found out about these cannons and sent his scouts to descend from the top, perhaps the same route we had just come down from, to disable the cannons.

Pali Notches

What is Amber doing up here at Pali Notches? I think she wanted to add more death threats on Tik Tok to her files. She’s an addict.

Pali Notches Trail

Headed down to mingle with the tourists.

Pali Notches Trail

Tessa biting her gloved fingers in mock horror. Or is that for real?

Pali Notches Trail

Making our way down to the site of the historic 1795 battle that saw the defeat of Oahu’s army, where the remaining warriors were either pushed off the cliff or jumped to their deaths.

Pali Lookout

Playing tourists.

All pau

Thanks to Amber for picking us up and trying to take us to hike Olomana. Sorry, that’s your favorite mountain and not ours. Back to our cars please.

GPS Tracks

Our short day in the mountains covered a little over two miles with a fun crew. Post hike meal at Big City Diner, not to be confused with TGIF.

Photos taken by Aileen Agustin, 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.

We decided to have Christmas come early for Lilyn today. Met up with Analyn, Anne, Art, Lilyn and myself at the Pali Lookout where typical windy conditions greeted us.

Trailhead

Right off the bat, it was a short and steep climb up. The best part of waking up, is hiking up. Photo by Art Young.

Pali Trail

Anne breaking out into the open grassy spot which afforded us much better views than the lookout.

Pali Trail

Working our way towards the first of the man-made notches where we ran across two other hikers. Photo by Art Young.

Pali Notches

Lilyn climbing down the first notch. Photo by Art Young.

Pali Notches

Taking a break on the other side. Photo by Art Young.

Pali Notches

Everybody waiting their turn to make their way down the second notch.

Nipple

Time to climb the chimney. Photo by Art Young.

Chimney

Lilyn trying not to get tangled up in the ropes on her way up.

Chimney

Need a hand?

Chimney

Some folks liked to savor their climb up the chimney by sitting down. Photo by Art Young.

Chimney

Others like to be on their back. Photo by Art Young.

Nu’uanu Saddle

The climbing was not over yet. Photo by Art Young.

Contour

Lilyn pulling herself up to the ridge line with backdrop views of Kalihi Valley and points beyond.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Making our way up the grassy ridge line that was punctuated with boulders of assorted sizes and shapes. Photo by Art Young.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Looking back at our crumbly climb.

Nu’uanu Saddle

The girls enjoying a relatively flat section of the ridge line with sweeping Windward views in the background.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Rock climbing. Photo by Art Young.

Nu’uanu Saddle

What happens when you don’t take the helping hand is you land on your back. Some people are used to that already.

Mud Wall

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something purple.

Nu’uanu Saddle

Pushing our way on the muddy trail to the top.

Konahuanui

Group photo at the highest peak on the Ko’olau Mountain Range. Socked in as usual.

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

Traversing between the schweddy balls.

K2

Met up with Aida, Janell, Quan and Tessa at the shift right peak. There was also a reunion of sorts celebrated with a yawyaw dance and food regurgitation.

K2

Before we left, the girls did their traditional male-excluded butt grab group shot.

KSRT

Watching as the ridge line kept the clouds at bay on the Leeward side.

KSRT

Panoramic cloudy view.

KSRT

Coming down the trail that was partly open and partly overgrown. Photo by Art Young.

KSRT

Janell making her way down with the spine of the Ko’olau Mountain Range ahead of her. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

KSRT

Leaving the crown jewels of the Ko’olau Mountains behind us. Photo by Art Young.

KSRT

One had to be quick to catch this rainbow. Not all of us saw it. Photographic proof by Aida Gordon.

KSRT

Coming down the sandwiched meadow.

KSRT

Horizontal rain blurred the way to our destination summit.

Manoa Middle Summit

Our not so synchronized group photo, where some of us were more enthusiastic than the others.

Manoa Middle Trail

Heading down into Manoa Valley. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Strawberry guavas

Trail snacks to keep you constipated while hiking.

Manoa Middle Trail

Coming down the steepest part of the trail. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Queen’s Bath

Communal bathing to rinse off the collective mud and grime.

Manoa Valley

Climbing out of the stream fed bath.

All pau

Exiting Pu’u Pia Trail, where we got rides from Tessa, Aida and Quan. Some of us showered and freshened up to make ourselves somewhat presentable for our dinner that was a little more demanding in terms of personal hygiene than our usual hang outs. Photo by Art Young.

Post hike meal

We celebrated Ferlino’s birthday at Jade Dynasty where Cathy, Dale, Edgar, Jasmin (2), Matt, Richard and family, Sally and Somphet also joined the party. Thanks to Sally for putting the delicious menu together and setting up the private room arrangements. Photo by Ferlino Carinio.

GPS Tracks

Our 4.7 mile hike that took us to the highest peak on the Ko’olau Mountain Range and down into the deep and thick valley of Manoa was another fun adventure with good company.

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.

Met up with a rather large group comprised of Aida, Allison, Ani, Art, Bill, Chris, Dale, Janell, Jason, Justin, Katie, Naomi, Quan, Shirley and Tessa at the Pali Lookout with favorable conditions or so I thought. Some of us had places to go and some of us didn’t. Drone photo by Justin Wahl.

Pali Lookout

Somebody found one of Dale’s painted rocks that he plants around the island’s hiking trails. Photo by Dale Yoshizu.

Trail

Nothing to wake you up like a short, steep and slippery climb first thing in the morning.

Trail

Trail runners yielding to the hikers.

Kalihi Valley

Dale overlooking the valley that once housed leprosy patients before they were shipped out to Molokai. Photo by Art Young.

Pali Vista

Janell with the backdrop of the Windward Oahu unmatched by the Pali Lookout.

Trail

Climbing up the short and steep rocky section to get to the notches. Photo by Dale Yoshizu.

Pali Notches

Met up with Allison, Naomi and Jason at the top of the first notch.

Pali Notches

Dale spotting Janell as she made her way down, while Bill and Shirley caught up with the group. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Pali Notches

Drone photo by Justin Wahl of the group scattered throughout the notch.

Pali Notches

Catching the breaking sunrise on our way to the second notch. Photo by Ani Lagpacan.

Pali Notches

Art watching Bill making his way down as Janell takes her leave of us. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Trail

We lost Allison, Ani, Janell, Jason, Justin, Naomi and Quan as we pushed past the notches. Photo by Dale Yoshizu.

Nipple

Why contour, when you can go up and over? Photo by Art Young.

Nipple

Katie climbing up the side of the rock formation. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Nipple

The group in various stages of picture taking, posing, waiting, climbing and watching.

Chimney

Everybody waiting their turn to climb the vertical rock stack as Aida makes her way up. Photo by Art Young.

Chimney

The many faces of the chimney. Photos by Aida Gordon, Bill Yogi and Tessa Bugay.

Chimney

Most people come prepared to hike. While others just eat their breakfast and sun themselves on the rocks. The nerve of some people. Bill and Shirley turned around after getting their fill of Portuguese sausage and Vitamin D. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Chimney

Bird’s eye view aka WAP. Photo by Katie Bingham.

Trail

Katie climbing over more rocks on our way up.

Contour

Working my way towards the Leeward side of the constantly crumbly rock side. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Contour

Tessa pulling herself up. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Trail

Katie using her slightly large gloves to get a halfway good grip on the crumbly dirt.

Trail

Climbing our way up as we slowly gained elevation.

Trail

Katie grabbing on the woody climbers that populated the ridge line.

Trail

Is this webbing safe? Photo by Aida Gordon.

Trail

Making our way up the ridge line infested with uki grass, the hiker’s ubiquitous friend. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Trail

It’s always hump day somewhere in the mountains.

Trail

Always happy to extend a helping hand. Photo by Katie Bingham.

Trail

The girls perched on a particularly skinny section of the ridge line. Photo by Art Young.

Mud Wall

Making my way up the side of the mountain that has turned more step than wall. Photo by Art Young.

Mud Wall

Tessa pulling herself up the slippery slope. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Trail

Approaching the summit through a hole in the clouds.

Konahuanui Summit

No views on the highest peak on the Ko’olau Mountain Range with nothing but biting flies for company that seemed to have a particular affinity for the Year of the Rat blood. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Ko’olau Summit Ridge Trail (KSRT)

Traversing the ridge that kept the clouds at bay on the Windward side. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

K2 Summit

Chris joined us at the summit where somebody had ripped off one of the geodetic markers from its pipe stand. I guess the threat of fine or imprisonment had failed to deter the individual(s) involved. Photo by Aida Gordon.

KSRT

Leaving the twin peaks on our way down to Manoa Middle, a long cry from our original exit point of Kuli’ou’ou.

KSRT

The group following the spine of the Ko’olau Range. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Schweddy Balls

Looking back at the crown jewels of the Ko’olau Mountain Range.

KSRT

Chris in one of the grassy meadows on the trail. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Manoa Middle Summit

Staring into the sun to get our group picture.

FIrst Aid

Tessa trying to flush Katie’s eye out after too much exposure to dirt and sunshine.

Trail

The sun was out and about, so Art and Katie beat a path down the trail to escape the heat.

Trail

Passing a towering Albizia tree on our way down the trail.

Trail

To summit or to stream?

Queen’s Bath

Aida climbing her way down the steep section of the trail.

Queen’s Bath

We hit the valley floor and followed the stream for a bit. Some followed it more than the others.

Trail

Chris going up the last hill of the day.

Pu’u Pia Trail

Katie’s face said it all. The end of the hike couldn’t come fast enough.

Pu’u Pia Trail

Art coming down the heavily rooted trail. Photo by Aida Gordon.

All pau

We finished our 4.39 mile hike in the back of Manoa Valley where Quan and Justin were waiting to pick us up.

Lilihia Bakery

Our post hike meal was at the eatery that doesn’t seem to run out of oxtail soup. Great hike with a fun crew.

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.