Oahu Hike Tales

Hiking in Oahu's mountains has given me a chance to see many things--razor-edged ridges, rare Hawaiian plants, pristine valleys, cascading waterfalls, and much more. I thought I had seen it all. Well, not quite. In mid-February '97, my fireman friend, Bill Melemai, and his 11- year-old son, Willie, and I planned an overnight campout on Waahila Ridge, the Koko-Head-side shoulder of Manoa Valley. Our plan was to hike an hour up the ridge, camp at a pleasant tree- covered clearing, and descend via the Kolowalu trail that bottoms out in the Woodlawn area of Manoa Valley. We left my car near the intersection of Alani Drive and Woodlawn Avenue and motored up St. Louis Heights to the Waahila Ridge State Park in Bill's van. We arrived at the park at around 5 p.m. (we actually left Bill's van just outside the park's entrance gate because any vehicle remaining in the park grounds after 6:45 would be dutifully towed away). So after lacing our boots and checking our pac...

If you want to do some ridge walking but don't want to hike five miles to do so, try this hike. Park at the Makapuu lookout, cross Kalanianaole Highway and ascend the hill until you reach the ridgeline. This will take 10 to 15 minutes more or less. You can continue along the ridgeline until you are directly above Sea Life Park. On the day I hiked this trail, I found a comfortable rock, took out my banana, apple, water jug and binoculars and watched the sea lion and killer whale shows from 1,000 feet above. Fun stuff. Just like all the other hikes I've written about, the view from atop the Makapuu cliffs are spec... well, you know what I mean. Laying before you are Rabbit Island, Makapuu beach, and in the distance is Mokapu, home of the Kaneohe Marine Base. Back to the hike. Although I ventured just a quarter mile or so past Sea Life Park, I've read that it's possible to continue along the ridgeline to the Tom Tom trail (I wish I knew the background for t...