Oahu Hike Tales

    At work on the Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving, Leslie Munro, one of my Leeward Community College colleagues, bid me a happy holiday and gleefully reminded me that most of us working folk would have the opportunity to sleep-in the next day. While Leslie and no doubt many others may have spent an extra hour or two in bed on Thanksgiving morning, I had something else planned: a hike up Wiliwilinui Ridge. In Stuart Ball's informative book about Oahu hiking trails, Wiliwilinui is listed among the two dozen or so "closed" hikes. In other words, access to these trails is either barred or so difficult to arrange that attempting to hike them would either involve trespassing or an act of God. Recently, however, a dispute between the residents' association of the Waialae 5 Subdivision and the Sierra Club regarding access to Wiliwilinui has hit the local news. The controversy led to the hammering out of an agreement so that mountain trekkers can now partake of W...

If you have about three hours to spare and would like a chance to hike to the Koolau summit and back and be treated to world-class views, try the Kuliouou Ridge hike. The trail begins at the back of Kuliouou Valley, the one just town-side of Hawaii Kai. The hike begins with switchbacks, which--if you're in a hurry--can be avoided for the most part by taking a series of shortcuts up the ridge. If you opt for the shortcut route, be prepared for some heavy duty sweating and heavy breathing. I'd recommend against taking shortcuts, for doing so contributes to erosion--an ever-increasing problem on our trail system. Whatever route you choose, you can reach an eroded hill at the Koolau summit in an hour and a half with little difficulty. Absolutely wonderful views of the Waimanalo coast and of the coastline from Hawaii Kai to Diamond Head are your rewards. For the brave at heart, a half-mile ridge-walking balancing act to Pu'u O Kona can be attempted. To do thi...

To do this hike, drive to the end of Hao Street and walk on a buffalo grass-covered jeep road for 10-15 minutes, at which time the vegetation turns to Christmas berries and hau. Look for a ribbon and a boulder on the right that marks a trail that heads off to the right. Follow that trail. The path doubles back and heads mauka for a couple minutes, crosses a gully and contours across the slope (to the east). Then it crosses a dry streambed and then the main streambed. Thereafter one ascends the middle ridge of Wailupe Valley. The trail goes thru an open area and features very pleasant ridge walking. Below to the left is a nice Norfolk pine grove. Looming above to the left on the summit is the radio tower building that marks the apex of the Wiliwilinui trail. A somewhat steep ascent thru a guava forest follows with many of the branches cut to make the way easier. That must have taken a lot of work. Whoever was responsible--mahalo!! After the trail levels off again there's anot...

Several exclusive neighborhoods exist on Oahu, such as oceanside estates like Kahala and Portlock. Oahu's rich folks also have a fondness for high elevation abodes. One such locale is Hawaii Loa Ridge, a posh subdivision up P'uu Ikena Drive off Kalanianaole Highway just kokohead side of Aina Haina. On a recent October morning, for the first time ever, I ventured mauka up Pu'u Ikena not to gawk at the million dollar homes up there, but to hike a wonderful trail that begins at the highest point of the subdivision. As a visitor, I had to stop at the security booth near the start of Pu'u Ikena and sign a waiver--which I idiotically never read (it was probably some guarantee that I wouldn't sue the bejabbers out of rich folks if I maimed myself). The waiver signed and my right to sue forfeited, I shifted my Cherokee into low gear for the steep climb to the very top of the subdivision. Residents of the ridge have a view of Oahu's sout...

Like most folks, I usually use Sunday mornings to catch up on lost sleep time. For some reason, I woke up at 5:30 this morning (Sunday 10/6), and despite several attempts, couldn't return to the sweet realm of slumberland. What to do? While laying there, I decided to go hiking as a pat-on-the-back for grading essays and working on my tenure dossier for ten hours the day before. Still wiping the sleep from my eyes, I realized that the esteemed Stuart Ball, the author of *The Hikers Guide to Oahu* and the *Backpackers Guide to Hawaii* would be leading a Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club outing up Kulepeamoa Ridge. Yup, that's what I'd do, I told myself. So began my Sunday. Along with about two dozen other folks, I met Ball at the gazebo in the back of Iolani Palace at eight this morning. A managment-type for Bank of Hawaii, Ball looks like a 40ish version of Dick Clark, the American Bandstand emcee. Ball was personable, introducing himself and greeting hikers with a firm ...

Grant Tokumi and Alex Okihara, and more recently, Dick Beaton and company, provided the spark for the hike I completed today. The above-mentioned folks submitted write-ups about climbing up a steep ridge deep in Kuliouou to gain the west (left) side shoulder of the valley and upon hearing about their exploits, I added that trek to my hiking to-do list. With some free time today, I decided to give the route a go. I asked Pat and Wing to accompany me, but Pat passed, saying he was a tad under the weather after just returning from the mainland; Wing also declined, claiming he wanted to save himself for a big hike tomorrow (Waimalu middle). So I set off alone, departing the trailhead at Kalaau Place at 8:45 a.m. Before leaving, I left a note on the front seat of my vehicle stating, "Hiking to Pu'u o Kona via Kuliouou Valley trail end," just in case I encountered some difficulties. The valley trail is in really nice shape for the first 20 minutes, probably a result of ...

I'll be assisting John Hall with the HTMC hike next Saturday so I marked the route and did some light trail maintenance yesterday in preparation. The route begins at the Kuliouou Ahi trailhead on Kala'au Place. Less than 100 yards past the hunter check-in, there is an indistinct trail that heads upslope on the right. I didn't put any ribbons within easy view at this junction on Ahi since I didn't want to lead any of the many hikers of Ahi astray. However, once one finds this route, orange ribbons will mark the way. For the most part, this trail heads straight up the ridge, basically following a shallow ravine, until topping out on the right side ridge of Kuliouou Valley. Once at the ridgetop, hikers will turn left, heading mauka. Actually, if one continues along the ridgetop, the picnic shelter along the Ahi trail will eventually be reached. However, the HTMC route will follow a trail down into the back of Kaalakei Valley. This path is wide open and may have eve...

My buddy Chris Thomas emailed me this morning, asking about the Haihaione trail. I've only hiked that route once and when I did I noticed some additional options to explore; accordingly, I figured why not head out to Hawaii Kai side to check it out. One end of the Haihaione trail begins at the terminal point of Haihaione Street. However, instead of starting there, I drove up Kuliouou Valley and commenced hiking at the head of the Kuliouou Ahi trail on Kala'au Place. My tentative plan was to go up the Ahi switchbacks and look for a trail that dropped down to Kaalakei Valley which sits between Kuliouou and Haihaione. From Kaalakei, I'd ascend to Mauna o Ahi ridge, pick up the Haihaione trail atop it, and continue to the Koolau summit. At the summit, I'd turn left and continue to the top of Ahi, which I'd descend back to my vehicle. For the most part, I followed that plan, with some minor variations. I arrived at the Ahi trailhead at 11:45 and after readying my st...

I hiked this trail from the top down on the fourth of July 1997. I ascended the Kuliouou switchbacks and after arriving at the summit, turned right (east) in the direction of Makapuu. A rough trail exists along the summit and the thing to remember is to stick close to the windward crest to avoid bushwacking and/or descents along steep, slick slopes. Eventually, I reached a towering set of powerline poles and soon thereafter is a fairly distinct trail that heads off through a thicket to the right. That trail is Haihaione/Mauna o Ahi. Actually, the ridge the trail is on is Mauna o Ahi. The descent is somewhat steep but ample trees and footholds are available to make the downward trek manageable. The Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club uses this route for a hike so the way is cleared periodically and ribbons are affixed to trees on the way down. Eventually, when the ridge leveled off, I reached a junction with an old jeep road that went off to the right and descended to Kaalakei Vall...

One fall Friday morning, I took off a few hours from grading essays and headed out to the Sandy Beach-side of the island to hike up Koko Crater. It was my first time up that oft referred-to Oahu directional landmark, and I enjoyed the 3-mile roundtrip journey. The hike began at the Koko Crater Botanical Gardens which is adjacent to Koko Crater stables and the Hawaii Kai golf course. In fact, as I was putting on my hiking boots, I watched several golfers tee off. The day was a superb one for ascending Koko Crater: the sky was clear, the winds were delightfully cooling, and best of all, I had the trail to myself. To reach the actual trail, I ambled along a dirt road through the Gardens, all the while inhaling the sugary aroma from a thick grove of plumeria. Reaching the end of the garden, I followed a rutty dirt road until I found the trail heading up to the rim of the crater. The ascent to the rim was a lung-buster but after about 10 minutes of cl...

I woke up to one of those near-cloudless mornings with a bit of a nip in the air--excellent conditions for heading into the mountains for a bit of exercise and exploration. After eating breakfast and posting my daily sports report, I packed up my gear, jumped in my vehicle and motored for Oahu's east end to put in some trail time. My starting point on this day was a cul de sac in Hawaii Kai that sits at the base of a ridge that rises above Kamilonui Valley to the west and Kamiloiki Valley to the east. Also at the base of that ridge is an agricultural heiau called Pahua. According to a plaque at the entrance to the heiau grounds, Pahua was originally constructed in the 15th century and refurbished in 1984 by the members of the Hawaii Kai Outdoor Circle. I found the trail by chance on a previous scouting sojourn. While driving down that steep section of Hawaii Kai Drive from Kalama Valley in the latter part of '95, I noticed the ridge and went cruising around the neighborhoo...

  I had some time and energy to burn today so I headed out to Oahu's east side this afternoon to do some hiking. It was mostly cloudy today over much of the island; however, one plus about the Koko Head side is that it often is quite sunny there when the rest of Oahu is covered by white stuff. While I didn't have to worry about the weather, I did have concerns about where I'd park. With car thieves running rampant here, one of my major considerations when and where I decide to go hiking is how safe I think my vehicle will be while I'm off tramping about in the hills. I knew for sure that the parking lot at Hanauma Bay, aside from usually being packed, is a juicy target for those backward-baseball-cap-wearing car ripoff gangs. Ditto for the Lanai Lookout lot. After a bit of thought, I decided to park at the Koko Head Rifle Range. In a way, parking there made sense. After all, probably everyone who had a vehicle parked there was packing a weapon of som...

One of my goals is to someday hike the entire spine of the Koolau Range from Makapu'u to Konahuanui. Along with several friends-- Wing Ng, Chris Thomas, and Bill and Willie Melemai--I knocked off about four miles of that span on December 14, 1996 when we hiked from the Makapu'u Lookout to the apex of Kaluanui (aka Mariner's) Ridge. The hike is one of the more magnificent treks along the Koolau backbone because much of it is along open ridge with superb views of the windward side of Oahu. To facilitate the hike, we staged cars at the base of Kamiloiki Ridge (by Pahua Heiau on Makahuena Place in Hawaii Kai) and atop Mariner's Ridge subdivision (Kaluanui Road). That way, we had a couple descent options should something happen on the trail. I volunteered to drive everyone to our starting point on Kalanianaole Highway by the Makapu'u Lookout. The trail begins on the rocky slope across from the lookout and after a short 15-minute climb, we had gained the 400-foot lev...

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...

Most of us who live in Hawaii or have an interest in the islands are familiar with the TV shows Magnum P.I. and Hawaii Five-O. Remember scenes from a high vantage point with Rabbit Island and the Waimanalo coast in the background? If you were wondering, those scenes were filmed at the Makapuu Lighthouse overlook, a site accessible via a 45 minute walk from Kalanianaole Highway.  After years of driving from Honolulu to my windward side home in Kaneohe, I finally decided in the summer of 1994 to check out what lay beyond that gated roadway at the bottom of the long hill on the Hawaii Kai Golf Course side. What had taken a lifelong Oahu resident so long to explore this place? Probably like many others, I had a notion that access to the road beyond the gate was not allowed. Even though more times than not I saw cars parked along the roadway fronting the gate indicating that people were tramping around up there, I categorized these folks as trespassers who'd placed themselves at the mer...

Mauna o Ahi ridge My wife and I hiked today (23 July 2005). Our original plan was to hike out in Hauula, but the weather out that way wasn't cooperative as we discovered when we drove out to Hauula Homestead Road at 9 a.m.  So, as big drops of rain pelted my white 'yota, we backtracked along Kam Hwy to Kaneohe, where the sky was overcast. Still not looking good for hiking. Hoping that the weather scenario would improve later on, we decided to attend a meeting of a group we are members of and then perhaps catch some better weather thereafter.  Yup, by 1-ish, the weather shaped up quite nicely, so we motored out to Hawaii Kai to hike in the back of Hahaione Valley. Jacque had never hiked in this area before, so she was excited about exploring new territory and getting a good workout. Ditto the latter for me, especially after having my heart problem (irregular rhythm) fixed via a catheter ablation procedure in mid-June at Queen's Medical Center where Jacque works. Happy ...