Oahu Hike Tales

Rising up in the middle of Kalihi Valley is a prominent ridge called Kamanaiki. I hiked the trail atop Kamanaiki for the first time with the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club in the latter part of 1996. The trail begins off of Kalihi Street at the top of steeply sloping Manaiki Place. About 30 hikers gathered at the foot of a concrete stairwell at the apex of the road awaiting the go-ahead from hike leader Joe Bussen. Then we were off, a friendly resident greeting us as we climbed the stairs past his home. I began counting the steps as we ascended but my mind drifted from that task as the more vital chore of summoning enough oxygen to my lungs took precedence. If I recall correctly, in all, about 150 steps needed to negotiated before we hit the actual trail. The trail passes through a pleasant stand of ironwoods and to the right of a large water tank. Cool wisps of wind sighed through the trees and seemingly dozens of roosters trumpeted their calls to one another from the backyar...

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...