It was that time to celebrate another friend’s birthday in the mountains.

Trailhead

Group photo left to right: Chico, Jason, Deborah, myself, Merrill, Aida, Scott, Groot, Tessa, Ryan, Amber, Chris, Dale and Akira.

Olomana Trail

Aida securing the birthday balloons to Chico’s pack. Will they make it to the top?

Olomana Trail

Does anybody have a sticker to add to the pole? Scott?

Olomana Trail

We must be on the right track.

Olomana Trail

Groot leading his pack through the pine forest section of the trail.

Olomana Trail

Chico watering Groot and Amber, the self-annointed #1 Olomana FANatic on top of the big f*cking rock.

Olomana Trail

Can you spot Groot for the root?

Olomana Trail

Merrill and Deborah climbing their way up the steep part of the trail.

Olomana Trail

I believe I can fly! Well, at least for approximately two seconds.

Olomana Trail

Jason yielding to a couple of descending hikers. Pop quiz. Who is practicing the correct mountain etiquette here?

Olomana Trail

Stretching my legs as I didn’t want to use the ropes.

Olomana Trail

Elevator service in the mountains.

Olomana Trail

The peak was keeping the clouds at bay on the Windward side as Amber scrambled her way up while Akira and Chris checked on the progress of the rest of the group.

Olomana Trail

Merrill and Akira on the “runway” leading to the first summit.

Olomana Trail

Tessa and Aida approaching the final climb to the first peak.

Ahiki

Looking at the knife-edged third 1,480′ peak of Ahiki seemingly letting off some steam.

Olomana

Happy Birthday Chico! You are one of the most energetic and positive people I have had the privilege of meeting on or off the trail. May your days always be healthy and filled with adventure.

Olomana

Group photo on the 1,643′ peak where Anne-Marie and Jenny also joined us at the top. You can see the second peak of Paku’i at 1,520′ elevation and the third peak of Ahiki in the background which fails to deliver on the views but not on the adrenaline for some. Olomana means forked hill or divided hill in Hawaiian for obvious reasons.

Olomana

I am not Simba and this is not the Pride Rock!

Olomana

The drone has landed.

Olomana

The summit was slowly being flooded with other hikers, which was our cue to depart the peak and head back down the trail.

Olomana Trail

Ryan always believe in stretching and carrying a ti leaf with him on hikes. Ti leaves are considered a symbol of good luck and protection in the islands. Chico lost one of his balloons on the way down. Maybe he should have carried a ti leaf as well.

Olomana Trail

Chris decided to take a different approach on the way down or he just didn’t want to wait for everybody else in the climbing queue.

Olomana Trail

Tessa climbing her way down the rockface.

Olomana Trail

Handle with care.

Olomana Trail

When you are Groot’s size, every step is a big step, every fern is over your heard. But his big heart overcomes all obstacles. Sometimes with a little help from his friends.

Trailhead

How many Falls does that make to date?

All pau

A man, his remaining balloon and his dog walking on the bridge where turtles dwelled below. Straight to DVD coming soon to a Blockbuster near you.

Casa de Cantu

We retired to the house by the bay and were joined by James and Destiny, Raul and Janny, Stefano and Val to continue the birthday celebration. Many thanks to Lilia for cooking up the birthday feast and everybody else that participated and chipped in for Chico’s gift. Mahalos!

Casa de Cantu

Stefano made more dollar bills playing Left-Center-Right than most strippers make at Hula’s. Slight exaggeration. Game well played and a birthday well played by all.

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Akira Suzuki, Amber Fonte, Chico Cantu, Chris Bautista, Dale Yoshizu, Deborah Tom, Jason Murano, Merrill Kalopodes, Ryan Meyer, Scott Peterson, 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.

In search of a short hike to replace the aborted perimeter walk, I settled on what is commonly called Anamolo or Reverse Olomana.

Trailhead

Thanks to Lilia for dropping us off deep in Bumpy Kanahele’s Pu’uhonua o Waimanalo neighborhood.

Maunawili Ditch Trail

Walking the trail that parallels the old Kailua Ditch that was built in the 1920s to carry water from Kawainui Swamp to the canefields of Waimanalo Sugar Company. No motorcycles are allowed, but horses are permitted on this trail.

Maunawili Ditch Trail

Why are we climbing up this rooted hill when there is a perfectly good trail just a stone’s throw away? Character building.

Maunawili Ditch Trail

Scrambling up the eroded hill.

Maunawili Ditch Trail

Doing my part to keep the ‘aina clean. Hold the applause.

Olomana Ridge

I think I may have been unwittingly sucked into this bizarre finger pointing cult. Where is Scientology when you need them?

Olomana Ridge

One person on the rope at a time. Hold your horses.

Ahiki

We arrived at the base of the backdoor to Three Peaks to begin our ascent.

Ahiki

Chico climbing his way up between a rock and a tree. At least, it’s not a hard place.

Ahiki

Amber threading her way through the profusion of ropes and webbing that draped this cliff section.

Ahiki

Climbing my way up with the fluted ridges of the KST in the background.

Ahiki

Aileen making her way up.

Ahiki

Mona climbing up the cracked rocks.

Ahiki

Rose used her freakishly long arms to her climbing advantage.

Ahiki

Contouring our way around the gap in the rocks.

Ahiki

Climbing queue.

Ahiki

Chico left his heart in Olomana. OMG. The cult thing.

Ahiki

Eye in the sky.

Ahiki

Amber going up the notorious pipe ladder that unfortunately claimed a life back in April 2022. We met two kids at the top who had second thoughts about going down the ladder and wisely decided to turn around.

Ahiki

Ladders? I don’t need no stinkin’ ladders! Especially when I have these freakishly long arms.

Ahiki

Group picture at the top where one needs to keep their arms close to their sides and don’t be chasing after ball caps.

Ahiki

Leaving the third peak for the other two peaks. One can see why the Hawaiians called these three peaks “divided hill.”

Ahiki

I briefly entertained the foolish notion of scrambling down the side of the cliff to check out a puka, but retreated. Otherwise, I would have probably ended up with a puka in my head.

Ahiki

Dropping down to the iconic rock formation.

Keyhole

That’s one way of going through the hole.

Keyhole

Are we taking the scenic or climbing route? Rhetorical question.

Keyhole

Hey, this rock moves!

Keyhole

This other rock moves too!

Keyhole

Let’s make like a rock and roll!

Keyhole

Drone down! We scrambled down a bit in a futile attempt to recover Chico’s Skydio drone that crashed into the woods below us. We soon gave up just as how the company gave up on their consumer production line. Update: Chico was able to find and recover his drone several weeks later.

Paku’i

Climbing our way up to the second peak.

Paku’i

The knife edge view of the third peak behind us.

Paku’i

We ran into Andre and his friend coming from the opposite direction.

Paku’i

No hammock. No problem. Webbing is like duct tape in the hiking world. Flossing the cracks.

Paku’i

The rest of the group making their way down the sheeted and stepped rocks.

Paku’i

We ran into Aida and her friends also coming from the opposite direction. Small world.

Olomana

Decided to check out a side “trail.” Fools rush in where other hikers are smart not to tread. A paraphrase of a popular saying.

Olomana

Pushing myself up.

Olomana

I bet somebody was glad that I didn’t leave my webbing hammock behind.

Olomana

Mona with the background view of the second and third peaks.

Olomana

Group photo at the top of Olomana, the peak with the all around scenic views. Not to mention, crowds of people wanting to share that view with you.

Olomana

Mingling with other hikers as we dropped off the first peak.

Olomana

Everybody chose their own path down the rocks.

Olomana

Dealing with these pesky ropes as they could be potential tripping hazards. It would help if I had freakishly long arms.

Olomana

Mona climbing her way down the last rockface and then the group either walked, ran or got lost on the trail. Depends who you talked to.

All pau

If Rose falls, does it count? Or does it have to be capitalized? Thanks to Lilia for picking us up. Fun hike up and over the erosional remnant from within the caldera of the Ko’olau Shield Volcano.

Post hike meal at Genki Sushi, where the table talk was extra loud, extra spicy and extra special.

Photos taken by Aileen Agustin, Amber Fonte, Chico Cantu, Monaliza Guillermo, 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.

Met up with Art and Ryan in Waimanalo to finally tackle the spur ridge that Ryan had his eye on for quite awhile.

Waimanalo

We soon split from the bike path and started to make our climb up towards the peaks.

Waimanalo

Going through a patch of feathery ferns, much more agreeable than the clawing and scratching uluhe ferns.

Waimanalo

Fluttering ribbons marked the trail in case ones memory fails.

Waimanalo

Grabbing the profusely planted trees to pull us up the steep hill.

Waimanalo

Trying to stay clear of the ropes as we climbed up the rocks.

Waimanalo

Art climbing up with the background of Kailua behind us.

Olomana

Ryan staring off into the distance, the ridge coming off the second peak was our destination today.

Olomana

Making our way to the second peak.

Olomana

Scrambling up the “stepped” rocks.

Paku’i

Group photo on the second peak between Olomana and Ahiki.

Paku’i

Middle Earth does exist, in a 360 camera.

Paku’i

I guess I can cancel my membership in the Flat Earth Society.

Olomana

Passed the hanging hammock and hiked out the spur ridge from the second peak.

Olomana

What’s going on here? Have spikes. Will hike.

Olomana

Ryan checking out the lay of the land.

Olomana

A head scratcher.

Olomana

I climbed down a bit to check out the neighborhood. Didn’t look too friendly.

Olomana

We backtracked to the saddle to try it from a different approach.

Olomana

Ryan dropping down to the contour trail.

Olomana

Art contouring to stay on higher ground.

Olomana

Working our way around bothersome branches and small drops.

Olomana

Scrambling our way down loose rocks and slippery terrain.

Olomana

How’s it look down there?

Olomana

Not looking good.

Waimanalo

Making our way back down to the bike trail. Yield to bikers.

Waimanalo

Ryan promised to show us something that was a secret surprise. Still waiting. We did run into somebody that is part of the company that is reshaping the community of Kaka’ako, for good or bad. The jury is still out on that one.

All pau

Our scout hike covered a scant 3.19 miles and I guess Ryan’s eye will still be on this ridge until we finally hike it one day.
Post hike meal at Round Table Pizza. Despite my general aversion to edible plant matter, I actually took a liking to the Gourmet Veggie Pizza. Quite tasty for something that had no meat.

Photos taken by Art Young, Ryan Meyer 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 some friends to hike a trail that I last did over seven years ago. Decided to eschew going up the front side as it was too pedestrian and clogged with other hikers. Back side it is. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Waimanalo

Shout out to Jasmin and Matt for shuttling our rather large group to the trailhead that was within spitting distance of Bumpy Kanahele’s, Pu‘uhonua o Waimanalo. Group photo left to right: Ferlino, Lilyn, Chris, Sally, Aida, Edgar, Analyn, myself, Tesssa, Cisco, Anne, Jasmin, Matt, Janell and Art.

Maunawili Demo Trail

Left or right? Choose wisely. Or just check the GPS tracks.

Maunawili Demo Trail

We were startled by Casper, the exotic pinay on the trail.

Maunawili Demo Trail

Walking in the foothills of the Ko’olau Mountains. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Maunawili Demo Trail

Staying on the twisted trail.

Maunawili Demo Trail

Passing through a semi-gated section of the trail.

Cheeky

One was more phat than the other.

Woody

The making of Groot. Baby shower in 12 weeks. Photo by Janell Tuttle.

Yellow Heleconia

What? Take a picture. It’ll last longer. After admiring the local flora, we found out that we overshot the trail and had to double back to the gate.

Maunawili Demo Trail

Climbing our way to the ridge line. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Waimanalo

Passing the barbed wire fence that possibly harked back to the days that cattle roamed the valley. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Skeleton Leaf

The group passing by the exposed leaf. Somebody once said it was like finding a four leaf clover or seeing a double rainbow. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Waimanalo

Lilyn climbing up the short and steep hill. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Waimanalo

We broke out of the tree line to panoramic views of the land of potable water. Photo by Sally Chow.

Waimanalo

Plunging back into the tree line where Chris and Ferlino took to the trees. I took to the trail. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Ahiki

Approaching the backside of Ahiki.

Ahiki

Janell’s climbing concentration was interrupted by a cacophony of laughter and loudness emanating from the forest. Even the birds were complaining about the “competition.”

3 yawyaw pinays

The source of the laughter and loudness. Captured in a rare moment of silence. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Ahiki

Matt climbing up against the background of Aniani Nui ridge that connected to the Ko’olau Mountains. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Ahiki

Cisco in the climbing queue as we put down webbing in some spots for those that desired the additional assurance. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Ahiki

Edgar and Lilyn thinking this is a piece of cake. With icing on top. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Ahiki

Janell climbing up the steepest section of the rock face as Cisco spots her from below. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Ahiki

It’s always Flag Day in the mountains with Ferlino. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Ahiki

Waiting my turn so I don’t get pelted by rocks from above. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Ahiki

Cisco making his way up. I felt sorry for the couple that was stuck behind our 14 person group, but I heard they took advantage of our webbing. So win-win for everybody involved. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Ahiki

Janell waiting for her turn to go up. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Ahiki

Aida living life on the edge. Not taking up too much space. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

How high?

If it’s not a jump shot in the mountains, it’s a butt grab. Must be a girl thing.

Ahiki Anchor

Holding the ladder steady as the group climbed their way to the top. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Ahiki

Art wearing the latest fashion climbing accessory around his neck – yellow webbing.

Ahiki

Tessa near the top of the summit.

Ahiki

Panoramic photo of Waimanalo and Kailua by Sally Chow.

Ahiki

How many hikers can fit on the postage stamp sized summit of Ahiki? Apparently 14 with a little room to spare. Group photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Ahiki

Leaving the summit after our lunch break. Photo by Art Young.

Ahiki

The group descending from the summit of Ahiki.

Ahiki

Making my way down the somewhat narrow trail. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Ahiki

Somebody was not using three points of contact. Photo by Tesssa Bugay.

Keyhole

Lilyn climbing her way down to the keyhole. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Ahiki

Chris spotting Aida as she comes down.

Keyhole

The chunk of real estate that required a lot of photo shoots. Thankfully drizzling rain cut it short.

Ahiki

Climbing down from the third peak. Photo by Edgar Gamiao.

Paku’i

Anne and Sally climbing up the rocky hill.

Paku’i

Sally with the razor thin peak in the background.

Paku’i

Chris carefully climbing up the section that probably accounts for most of the accidents on this trail.

Paku’i

Janell coming up the most photographed tree framed approach. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Paku’i

Cisco relaxing while he waits for the rest of the group to catch up from their photo shoots.

Paku’i

Leaving the keeper of the ponds summit. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Olomana

The rest of the group approaching the first peak of the divided hill. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Olomana

Thanks to everybody for another rousing rendition of getting older. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

Olomana

Matt droning us at the 1,643′ summit.

Olomana

Leaving the top as it was getting inundated with other hikers wishing to experience the three peaks or at least one of them. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Olomana

Ascending hikers yielding to descending hikers. Photo by Art Young.

Olomana

Cisco making his way down the last main rock face.

Maunawili

The group coming down the rooted and rutted trail under thick tree canopy.

Tarzan

Matt testing out the load capacity on the aerial roots. I guess he doesn’t need to go on a diet. Photo by Aida Gordon.

All pau

Thanks to Jasmin for picking up our large group from the Royal Hawaiian Golf Club grounds.

Post hike meal

We all had front row seats to the Hawaii audition for Dancing with the Hikers. Chris Chun and Somphet also joined us with plates of Spicy Pork and Oxtail Soup. Thanks to everybody for contributing to the potluck spread that was our post hike meal.

GPS Tracks

Our short jaunt on the erosional remnant from the Ko’olau Mountains covered roughly 3.3 miles through panoramic scenery with fun company and good times.

Video by Matt Vidaurri of our Anamolo hike.

Video by Edgar Gamiao of our Anamolo hike.

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.

Having promised myself that I would tackle the descent down the third peak of Ahiki ever since we did Olomana almost two years ago, today was the day to cash that check. Glenn, Chris and myself all met right before the bridge on Auloa Road and started the hike around 6:30am.

Climbing the rockface

Glenn and Chris climb the last major rockface before the first peak of Olomana. It turned out to be a very nice sunny day with scattered clouds in the sky, which also made the hike hotter than most of our previous hikes that had extensive cloud cover.

Top of Olomana

Best seats in the house, as far as panoramic viewing from Olomana. This is the highest of the three peaks and the one that affords the best vantage to check out the stunning views from Kaneohe to Makapuu.

Panoramic view from Olomana

Click here to see the larger panoramic image.

Looking at Olomana from Paku'i

Descending down from the first peak, the trail pretty much to the third peak gives way to dirt and loose rocks.

Climbing down from the second peak

Chris scrambling down the second peak after finishing rappeling down the first part of the peak, with other hikers coming down the second peak right behind him.

In the saddle between Pakui and Ahiki

Glenn and Chris taking a break in the saddle between the second and third peaks.

Keyhole rock formation

Ever since I saw the keyhole rock formation on our first hike up Olomana, I had always wanted to climb into the hole and get my picture taken. It’s way easier to climb from the backside and a lot safer too.

Top of Ahiki

We arrived at the third peak of Ahiki around 9:30am and promptly signed the hiker’s log while munching on beef jerky and drinking lukewarm water.

Rockface #1

Going down the backside of Ahiki, the first rockface we encountered had a small rope ladder that was more of a hindrance than a help in my opinion. You have to balance yourself just right as the rope ladder is not rigid and is constantly moving, so if one is not careful, you could end up getting hurt coming down that short ladder.

Rockface #2

Chris and Glenn climbing down the second rockface.

Rockface#3

Going down the third rockface was aided by a somewhat tattered blue and white rope anchored to the rocks. Needless to say, we didn’t put much of our weight on the rope coming down. We also met three hikers that were coming up from the Waimanalo side, one of whom was Nate Rubio or The Hobbit.

Rockface #4

This part of the rockface was the toughest part in my opinion. As you go over the ledge, you really can’t see the footholds coming down, so you have to put all your trust and weight on the rope going down until you get to your first foothold.

Rockface #5

Chris coming down the last and longest major rockface.

All pau!

After we all made it down the backside of Ahiki, we took the right junction that led us into the ravine where we eventually went up the hill following the ribboned branches. When in doubt, stay right held particularly true on the trail going back. Towards the end, we lost the main trail and decided to take the straightest line which led us onto the 7th hole of the Royal Hawaiian Golf Course. And what luck we had, as there was also a complimentary drinking water station right by the greens. We didn’t bother to ask if it was just for the golfers or hikers. Ice cold water never tasted so good after six hours of hiking!

Olomana, in Hawaiian, means divided hill. Looking at the three peaks rising out of Maunawili Valley, you can see why it got that name. Called Oahu’s Matterhorn by Stuart Ball, there is a passing resemblance to the iconic mountain of the Alps. However, in true aloha fashion, you get three peaks for the price of one! We parked on the road before the Maunawili Bridge at the Luana Hills Country Club. Do not park after the bridge, as they will tow your car. We walked down the road for a quarter of a mile and found the sign pointing out the start of the Olomana trail.

Peak of Olomana

The beginning of the trail was marked with groves of bamboo, strawberry guava, Christmas berry plants and ironwood pine trees. There are also a couple of switchbacks going up the ridge. 

Are we hiking or climbing?

As we gradually made our way up the trail, we came across several areas that were quite steep and rocky. Fortunately, there are ropes that somebody left behind that helped us get up these steep areas.

Rock face

This 12 to 15 foot rockface was the last major obstacle we had to scale before reaching the top of the first peak known as Olomana. As with all ropes we came across the trail, we tested them and never fully relied on them, more as an assist to get us up.

View towards Kaawa

View from the first peak, known as Olomana, with an elevation of 1,643 feet. This is actually the highest of the three peaks and the one that affords the most scenic and 360 degree views of the Windward side, Maunawili Valley and the Koolau Range.

View of Mokapu Peninsula

Here you can see Mokapu Peninsula, home to the Kaneohe Marine Base and parts of Kailua and Enchanted Lakes. Today was also the day that the Blue Angels were supposed to put on a show, if the timing was right, we would have had the best seats in the house. Too bad, we were too early. The awesome views more than made up for missing the Blue Angels.

View of Waimanalo

Here you can see the sun washing over the town of Waimanalo, Bellows Beach, Manana (Rabbit) and Kaohikaipu (Turtle) islands. Both islands are now designated seabird sanctuaries.

View of Paku'i and Ahiki

From the first peak of Olomana, you can see the second peak, known as Paku’i, and the third peak, known as Ahiki in the background. A lot of hikers call it quits after making the first peak and return back. Not us, since we made it this far, we decided we might as well go all the way! No guts, no glory!

View of Olomana

Descending from the first peak to the saddle was somewhat steep but manageable. The climb to the second peak was over before we knew it, here we are looking at Olomana from the second peak.

View of Ahiki

Only one more peak to go! The ridge looks razor sharp from this vantage point, but that’s because we are far away!

Rapelling or hiking?

Coming down from the second peak to the saddle, we had to rappel down almost 300 feet.

Keyhole

This striking rock formation on the way to the third peak, is called the keyhole for obvious reasons. I read that around this area, a couple of hikers lost their footing and bounced down the mountain, but managed to scramble their way back up. Needless to say, we were extra careful around this area, as I didn’t want to be like a bad check.

Back in the saddle

Leaving the keyhole behind and climbing up the ridge with some noticeable dropoffs on both sides. If you are afraid of heights, this hike is not for you.

View of Olomana and Paku'i

Looking back towards the first two peaks. We were almost to the third and final peak! I heard that there is suppose to be a big bee hive between the second and third peaks. The only bee we came across, was one that decided to make itself at home in my glove. So for a short distance, I was buzzing until I realized it wasn’t alcohol!

View from Ahiki

The views from the summit of the third peak are almost anti-climatic, as compared to the first peak. But the feeling of making it to the third peak was awesome. The hike is difficult as there are extreme steep areas that must be carefully climbed and hiked. It took us roughly two hours to get to the third peak and about two and a half hours to make it back to our cars. I read that some hikers have made the scary descent from the third peak going down into Waimanalo. That’s for another day.