Thessa joined me to explore a new trail on Schofield Barracks, as Kolekole Pass was open to the public this weekend. Many thanks to Jared Nakahara for throwing this idea out, where I promptly picked it up.

Kolekole Pass Road

We broke away from the clustered crowd at the trailhead to walk down a less traveled road.

The Forbidden Mountain

The winding road hugged towering cliffs, where it soon opened up to reveal our destination.

Going up

We left the road to bushwhack up a cacti infested finger ridge to get to the steep base of the mountain. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Looking back down

Thessa climbing up one crumbly rock at a time.

Makai view

The howling wind raced down from the ocean and buffeted us on this isolated mountain in the valley.

Where did it go?

The wind snatched Thessa’s yellow bandana clean off her head and sent it sailing down the mountain.

Hairsock

Thessa hanging onto a tree as the winds pushed us around the mountain. Winds at 40 mph gusting to double nickels. Or at least that’s what her hair said.

Crumbly

I had read this mountain was actually rubble piled against the old caldera wall. Explains a lot.

Mauka view

The rugged Waianae Mountain Range.

Ka’ilio notches

A small step and it was all over. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Steep?

From afar, the mountain looks somewhat less than statuesque. Up close and personal, it was somewhat intimidating as it looked like a huge hot mess of rocks just waiting for the inopportune time to come crashing down.

Hang on

Thessa cresting a small rocky hump.

Who’s that?

Find Waldo. Photo by Joshua Keoki Versola.

Scrambling

It was slow going up the mountain, as the rocks were very loose and brittle. Not to mention the windy conditions.

Contouring

We interrupted our straight up climb to contour a particularly steep and crumbly section.

Almost there

It’s not that bad!

More scrambling

I can see the summit! Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Final push

Thessa making her way up.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Pu’u Ka’ilio

Thessa and myself at the 1,940′ summit. Consideration of dropping down the other side of the mountain was dissuaded by high winds and crumbly conditions. Back another day.

Pu’u Ka’ilio

The view of Pu’u Ka’ilio from Pu’u Hapapa. Photo by Joshua Keoki Versola.

Zoom zoom

I think somebody is on that mountain. Photo by Jake Kunukau.

Going back down

Time to head back down. Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Clear

I scrambled down a safe distance in case an errant rock came my way.

One step at a time

Kicking it on the mountain.

Footwear options

To shoe or not to shoe?

All pau

We ran into a lot of familiar and “heard of you” fellow hikers at the trailhead. Impromptu meet and greet.

Mild or spicy?

Post hike meal at the most famous Korean eating place in Wahiawa. You say meat jun. We say meat chun. Group photo standing left to right: Ryan, Pip, Erik, Allison, Melita, Darren, Gary and Eric. Sitting left to right: Katie, Agnes, Thessa, Bernice, Janice and Carol.

GPS Tracks

The short, crumbly and gusty hike covered a measly 1.91 miles, but afforded spectacular views of the Waianae coastline and mountain range. Definitely want to pay a repeat visit to finish the other side.

Rain kept me off the mountains. Again. Plan B. Despite assurances from a hunter at the Manana trailhead, that it only rains in the morning, we all piled into Jose’s car and drove to the West side looking for a dry trail to hike.

Westside Pavilion

We soon found ourselves roughly two miles deep on Lualualei Naval Road in Nanakuli, where we parked outside Westside Pavilion, a party venue. If one has the proper military clearances, the road goes all the way to Kolekole Pass and beyond. A somewhat suspicious caretaker swung by and quizzed us as to what we were doing and if we worked in the insurance or law enforcement fields. Hiking was our reply. His parting advice to us was “Lock your car as this is Waianae.” Sound advice anywhere.

Trailhead

The trailhead is across the street and easily gained by climbing up a concrete wall and squeezing in between a barbed wire fence.

Where is the trail?

We followed the faint foot trail in the dry grass and kiawe trees.

Heiau?

Going up the rocky slope, we skirted the remains of a rock wall. Perhaps it was once part of a heiau?

Scrambling

The trail going up the northern ridge is somewhat obvious, punctuated with faded ribbons that marks the path.

Two more humps

Going up the somewhat steep ridge provided a cardio wake up and several rock faces sprinkled along the way were easily climbed thanks to numerous handholds and footholds.

Can you see the rainbow?

Rain made a quick show in Lualualei Valley and a rainbow soon appeared over the coastline, washed out by the strong Waianae sun.

Maui!

Passing the second false peak, the triangular face of the adjacent ridge which bears a striking resemblance to a pyramid, popped into view. Heleakala means “where the sun is snared” as the Hawaiian demigod, Maui, caught the sun and slowed her down so that his mother’s bark cloth would have more time to dry.

One more hump to go

Thessa climbing towards the summit of Pu’u Heleakala.

Pink flowers

As we neared the summit, we left behind the dry shrub, which was replaced by greener vegetation and a profusion of these tiny pink flowers.

Lualualei Valley

Looking down into Lualualei Valley and the Navy’s VLF Antenna Farm that towers over the land at 1,503′.

Hawaiian Pyramid

Jose pointing to the ridge commonly called the “Hawaiian Pyramid” for obvious reasons. As one climbs higher, the perspective changes and it looks less like a pyramid and more of a ridge.

Pu’u Heleakala

Group photo at the 1,900′ summit left to right: Jose, Brian, Thessa and myself. I heard that a Buddha statue once marked the summit, Buddha was nowhere to be seen.

The trail to Palikea

Looking towards the 1,000′ drop to the saddle and the 1,200′ climb back up towards the pyramid ridge. The ridgeline continues to Palikea and Palehua if one so wishes. Today we had no such wish. Another hike for another day.

Going down

We decided to take the gradually sloped southern ridge, which splits Nanakuli and Lualualei Valleys, back down.

Baby mantis

Jose found this tiny critter, which was about the size of a grain of rice. Thank goodness for macro capability in cameras.

Raining in the ocean

Looking out towards the ocean, we saw several rainclouds. Recycling in action.

Looking back

The summit of Pu’u Heleakala is easily gained and easily lost. The hike seemed too easy to be true.

Henry Guevara, we meet again

Coming down the ridge, we ran across this base that had “Henry Guevara” tagged on it. Apparently, he had just died a week earlier as his ashes are hanging on a tree at the summit, perhaps this was his favorite trail. Luckily, Brian did not sit in the ashes, like the last time on Olomana. Inside joke.

Down to the pillbox

We started descending down from the ridge before the residential housing area and towards this white topped pillbox.

No vacancy

The pillbox was taken, in terms of occupancy, by homeless people as their camp was located nearby.

Trail out

Walking back towards the road with Puu o Hulu Kai and Uka in the background.

Following the tracks

Remnants of railroad tracks that once crisscrossed the island.

Emergency Access

The road to nowhere? Photo by Thessa Bugay.

Is the coast clear?

Thessa hamming it up. No palm trees were taken or harmed during the photographing of this event.

GPS Tracks

Our dry hike in Nanakuli was a short and sweet 3.9 miles, as compared to a wet and long muddy hike if we had stuck with the original plan on going from Manana to Waimalu.