All posts tagged Waianae

Kuaokala Trail: A State Trail With Restricted Trailhead Access

by Coty on May 12, 2013 in Hikes with 3 Comments

By completing the Kuaokala Trail, I was able to strike off another Na Ala Hele maintained trail off of my list. Kuaokala terminates at a lookout that overlooks Makua Valley, however, the best views are to be had before reaching this lookout. Our crew had previously reached this same lookout point via the Kealia Trail in Mokuleia. The Kuaokala trailhead is located in Waianae, far from the trailhead of Kealia. Access to the Kealia Trail is open, whereas you will need to get a permit from the Hawaii Division of Forestry if you want to hike the Kuaokala Trail. That said, I believe that Kuaokala is a better hike, with much more varied vistas.

Hey, guy, don't get too close to the edge! Photo by Coty Gonzales

Hey, guy, don’t get too close to the edge! Photo by Coty Gonzales

Long dirt road. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Long dirt road. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Awkward peace sign. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Awkward peace sign. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

The day started with a long drive along the Waianae Coast. The meeting point would be the Kaena Point Satellite Tracking Station sign, located near a dirt parking lot, just before Yokohama Beach. The group then convoyed past the guard station and then through two large metal arm gates. During the drive up, we passed the two white satellite balls, which you can see from the highway below. Just slightly past the second metal arm gate wil be a dirt parking lot, and the trailhead to the Kuaokala Trail.

After a quick debriefing by Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club leader, Laura Owens, we were off on the trail. The trail begins by shortly meandering through the forest, until you get to a wide dirt road. The dirt road continues uphill for sometime, passing a picnic table to the left. Toward the top of the dirt road trail, you’ll begin to get some nice views of the Waianae Coast. The vast ocean will be your view, so be on the lookout for whales.

Shade. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Shade. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

That's Laura, she was the HTMC hike coordinator for this particular trail. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

That’s Laura, she was the HTMC hike coordinator for this particular trail. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Continue reading →

A Memorable Hike with Local Author Stuart Ball

by Coty on March 20, 2013 in Hikes with 7 Comments

I rarely hike a trail twice. This is becoming increasingly difficult, though, as I complete more and more of Oahu’s hiking trails. In search of a unique hike to do, I began skimming through the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club’s (HTMC) outing schedule. I noticed that local author, Stuart Ball, would be leading a hike to Puu O Hulu. Without hesitation, I decided to revisit this little puu on the Waianae Coast that looms over Maili, with the added benefit of being able to pick the mind of a local hiking and backpacking legend.

Joel and Allison making their way up the rocky trail. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Joel and Allison making their way up the rocky trail. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Makeshift Afro. Photo by Joel Sabugo.

Makeshift Afro. Photo by Joel Sabugo.

Lita excited about this rockface, which is not part of the trail! Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Lita excited about this rockface, which is not part of the trail! Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Stuart Ball looks on as Lita scales the small rockface. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Stuart Ball looks on as Lita scales the small rockface. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Continue reading →

Upper Makua Cave: A Bird’s-Eye View of Makua Valley to Kaena Point

by Coty on March 12, 2013 in Hikes with 3 Comments

Upper Makua Cave has been on my radar for some time now, ever since photos began popping up a little over a year ago. An avid Hawaii based hiker, looked up and took notice of the cave, and thus a new hiking destination was born. I had been waiting for the perfect time to go and I was finally afforded with that opportunity.

After a short hike up Puu O Hula with the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club, we (Joel, Allison, and myself) decided to drive further up the Waianae Coast to check out Upper Makua Cave. The upper cave is located to the left of the much popular lower Makua Cave. The lower cave, is located just across the street from the Kaneana Park parking lot. If driving toward Kaena Point, the cave will be on your right and the small parking lot will be on your left.

The view from Kamehameha Highway. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

The view from Kamehameha Highway. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Allison and Joel working their way up. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Allison and Joel working their way up. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

As soon as we parked our car, we noticed a pair of hikers going directly in the direction of Upper Makua Cave. We thought that was a bit weird, since the upper cave is relatively unknown. Not too many people hike up to Upper Makua Cave. I quickly jumped out of Joel’s 4Runner and followed the pair of hikers. Indeed, their objective was Upper Makua Cave. A few feet from lower Makua Cave, you will encounter a 45-mile-per-hour road sign. That’s the trailhead. Turn right and walk into the meadow of tall grass. From this vantage point, you should be able to see the cave if you look up and slightly to your right. Just to the left of the cave will be what looks like three parallel cliff lines. In order to access the cave, we hooked a right on the second tier cliff.

I think that the best way to describe this hike is by breaking it up into three parts. Part one involves bushwacking through tall grass, shrub, and dry trees. You’ll get very scratched up if you’re not wearing long pants and long sleeves. There is no visible trail here. Our objective at this point was to simply find a way to those three parallel cliffs. This was probably the most annoying portion of the hike, but also the easiest.

Taking a rest. The MicroSpikes came out for added traction. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Taking a rest. The MicroSpikes came out for added traction. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

...while Joel contemplates the meaning of life. (Or how foolish it was to come up here.) Photo by Allison Baird.

…while Joel contemplates the meaning of life. (Or how foolish it was to come up here.) Photo by Allison Baird.

Continue reading →

The First Hawaiian Sunset of 2013

by Coty on January 5, 2013 in Beaches, Photography with No comments

Having spent most of the first day of 2013 cleaning house, Michelle and I were itching to get out and do something. We decided to try and catch the sunset from Keawaula Beach (Yokohama Bay). Sunset hunting would be our first adventure ouf 2013.

We started our drive toward Waianae at around 4:30pm. The sun was scheduled to set at 6:01pm. We drove past Nanakuli, Maile, and Waianae. We noticed a crowd of people at Makaha Beach, but continued to drive forward. Past Kea’au, Ohikilolo, and Kaneana Cave. At this point, the rain really began to fall. We decided to turn around and head back toward Maile.

We stopped first at Makaha Beach, but it was way too crowded with surfers and onlookers. All we wanted was the sunset. We decided to jump back into our car and drive toward Maile. Then, we found a random beach that was quiet and empty. We parked next to a big truck. Sitting inside was a son on his mother’s lap, watching dad surf a few feet away. Michelle and I rushed to the rocky beach and proceeded to snap away. The first sunset of 2013 was indeed beautiful. Let’s hope that the rest of the year is just as stunning.

Waves crossing. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Waves crossing. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Wave against rock. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Wave against rock. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

A boom of orange just before the sun sets. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

A boom of orange just before the sun sets. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Making House on the Waianae Mountain Range (WST Thru Hike)

by Ahnate on December 6, 2012 in Hikes with 7 Comments

 

Oh, mountain of our eyes, we’re calling you
Will you hear our cries, what will the poor boy do?
What will the poor girl do?
We’re coming to you
~ Patti Smith

What follows is an account of a three-day backpacking trip of the Waianae Mountain Range, one of the two mountain ranges on Oahu spawned by volcanic activity that formed the island about 3.9 million years ago. The Waianae Summit Trail (WST)—as I’ll call it here—is not really a ‘trail’ in the typical sense, since it traverses over military and privately owned land, involves several dangerous climbs, and certain portions are not even maintained or generally hiked on at all. It’s possible that these factors together may account for the lack of documentation on the WST having previously been completed in a single trip.

Traversing the WST as a thru hike entailed carrying water and food that would sustain me for the entire trip. Although there are natural water sources on the summit bog, the generally dry nature of the WST terrain made carrying my own water the more obvious choice for me. The trip covered a total distance of about 30 miles, with a total elevation gain of approximately 15,000 ft. This journey started at sea level and traversed across the 3 highest summits on the island (Kaala, Kalena, and Kaua).

Preamble

Why do it?

Although the answer is pretty obvious for outdoors and adventure types, I think the motivation is not far from a common thread. By necessity our not so distant ancestors traveled solely by foot, and no matter what the destination, they would take as much time as needed to span that distance. Like breathing, walking is one of those things we were biologically engineered to do effectively (most of the local inhabitants of the Himalayan mountains, for instance, do what we would call ‘hikes’ just to get from one part of town to another on a daily basis). Hiking and backpacking is an activity that has it’s roots in hundred of thousands of years of practice.

What about taste for adventure? As a kid growing up in the hectic and polluted city of Bangkok, I found escape in reading fantasy novels and often schemed up epic adventures within natural scenes that were a complete antithesis to what the concrete jungle and endless grid of cars offered. In my mind this hike was an epic journey that rivaled heavily brewed plots of magic, otherworldly landscapes, and missions of subterfuge. Indeed, overcoming the obstacles took me literally to the edge of the precipice and back. It was a hell of an adventure.

Ere we go

As far as more specific motivation and technical details, it was really upon reading Chase Norton’s excellent write-up of his Koolau Summit Trail thru hike earlier this year that I began thinking about a similar trip for the WST. It led to the planning of all the details, footing the bill for the ultra light gear (not so ultra light on the wallet) and fitting together as many jigsaw pieces of the WST puzzle as I could. Although I didn’t actually finish the entire WST before attempting the thru hike, I tried to do the key sections (as it turned out, the sections I never did ended up being major surprises). Eventually October rolled around and when there was finally a letup of rainy weather I thought to myself, “Hell, let’s do it”, and subsequently started heckling my friends for an early morning ride.

Western Bound

Much like the way epic adventures in fantasy novels are often preceded by an evening of revelry and merry-making, this journey similarly started with a feast the night before. Festivities occurred at local favorite Shokudo on a Friday evening where there was a memorable goodbye dinner for a friend. I ate a ton of food and did actually think to myself that if something happened on the hike, I at least had one really good meal in prior.

I woke up early on Saturday and after some breakfast and last minute packing, picked up some 7-11 delicacies that would be my source of energy for the next three days. My friends Coty and Joel jovially picked me up from town at around 5AM and we were then en route to the most western point of the island via Waianae. We got to the end of Farrington highway at 6AM and after a photo or two and a couple handshakes, I started walking towards Kaena Point. There was already a bit of sunlight and I was able to catch a photo of the black structural arch. The hike from sea level at Kaena point up to Satellite Road was a nice warm up. I was excited, and my mind was preoccupied with the upcoming details of the journey.

The Kaena Point Arch

Then came my first apprehension: getting caught on Satellite Road. For all I knew this could have ended the hike right there at the beginning. This portion involved a fair amount of espionage and deftness. There is a cow path to the left and parallel to Satellite Road that I got on as soon as I could. This connects to other paths that run north of Satellite Road. At some points I had to get back on Satellite Road, since I was trying to make as straight a path as possible towards the ridge trail. I purposefully walked close to the side of the road so I could duck quickly if needed. In fact, at one point I saw a truck approaching in clear view, and immediately jumped into the side brush and laid flat on the ground while the truck passed by. Then there were sections where I had to walk in clear view of the facilities and buildings. Needless to say, it was a great relief when I finally got on the mountain trail at 9AM.

Who’s that happy camper? Wait til you see him later.

This next section was the only portion of the whole trip where I ran into other people. It was a wide and pleasant trail that turned into more of a dirt road at several points and eventually connected up to the ridgeline heading towards Three Corners. The sun was out most of the time and the weather was clear. The road meandered and gave occasional views of dry Makua valley to the right. My feet were developing some rashes already, which may have been due to the extra weight of the pack. Having been on this part of the trail before, my mind wandered a bit. I often think about the history of the surroundings and how along these paths ancient Hawaiians must have traveled. The self-sufficiency of ancient civilizations serves as a personal reminder that not all that is modern is better or often necessary.

View over Makua Valley

I’ve learned some Hawaiian folklore from Joel, that the Waianae mountain range was thought to be the body of a woman giving birth to the ocean, with the pregnant stomach being Mount Kaala, and the nipple being Kalena (and where’s the other nipple??). As I was soon to find out, entering Kaala would be akin to entering the belly of the whale.

Makua Valley ridge with native species information

‘End of Trail’ sign and view of Makua Valley

After strolling on the mountain road for a while, a path eventually split to the right from the main dirt road, and connected upwards to the ridgeline. Upon gaining the ridgeline, the path proceeded in an up and down manner following the contours of the mountains. The roller coaster ride eventually ended in an upward climb that dropped me off at three corners around 2PM.

Continue reading →

Puu Hapapa: Surveying the Waianae Range at 2883 feet

by Coty on June 18, 2012 in Hikes with 6 Comments

If I had to sum up Puu Hapapa in three words, those three words would be: short, thrilling, and exhilarating. This actually was not my first attempt at Hapapa. Last February I was scheduled to hike it with a few other people. However, it ended up pouring rain within the first 15 minutes of the hike. Due to the unforeseen circumstances, Joel, Ahnate, and I decided that it would be best to pass on the rest of the hike and instead go, ummm, bowling. Hey, bowling, beer, and comfort food is a nice alternative to wet hiking! Four months later, we returned to Puu Hapapa. Fortunately for us, the skies were clear and the trail was nice and dry. Today’s crew would be Exploration: Hawaii regulars, Joel and Ahnate, plus my good buddy John, who just returned from a stint in Afghanistan. John was game for an epic hike and so were the rest of us. Hapapa was on like Donkey Kong.

Within 15 minutes or so of hiking you get this view. The mountain in the back is the one we climbed. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

The Hapapa Notches. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

John looking toward Waianae. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

That’s Waianae behind Coty. Photo by Joel Sabugo.

The Puu Hapapa trail is located in Wahiaha and is situated on Schofield Barracks, a United States Army post. It can be an iffy situation if you’re a civilian trying to enter with the intent to hike Hapapa. You’ll definitely need identification and your vehicle registration before you’re allowed to enter. If the Army is participating in live firearms then you won’t probably won’t be granted access. Of course, it was easy for us to get in since John is in the Army. From the Lyman entrance, you will continue to drive straight until you reach a fork in the road. Turn left at the fork and continue driving straight. Just before you reach the Kolekole pass entrance, you will see a dirt lot to your left. This is the parking for the Hapapa trail and the location of its trailhead.

From the parking lot you will walk into the valley while passing a few warning signs. You’ll also pass a large rock. This rock is known as the Kolekole pass rock. There are rumors that this rock used to be used by ancient Hawaiians for beheadings. That’s just a rumor and something that I believed has been made up. Still, it’s a nice photo opportunity and story to tell. Continue pass the rock and up some dirt steps. Eventually you will pass a white tower. Continue pass the tower and shortly thereafter you will reach the open valley. From here you’ll have a clear view of the two notches and subsequent ridge that you be climbing and hiking on. It’s at this point that you should start to feel your palms begin to get sweaty. Those notches, they’re sketchy. Proceed with caution.

Steep hill. Use the roots as steps. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

The first notch that we had to climb is that monster in the background. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Continue reading →

Kaena Point: Return to the Western Most Point on Oahu from the North

by Marvin on February 23, 2012 in Beaches, Hikes with 1 Comment

Jim looks towards the sunset

Joel, Coty and I went to the western most point of Oahu, Kaena Point, a couple months back using the southern route from the leeward side. I recently went back there with Oahu Hikers and Adventurers (OHA) from the north side (waialua) to check out the seals and albatrosses and also to see if whales and dolphins were now in the scene.

Albatross

The walk from the north side is as easy as the one from the south side. Here are the directions directly from OHA’s meetup details:

 From Honolulu: 1. Take the Interstate H1 W/HI-61 N/Lunalilo Fwy/Pali Hwy ramp 0.2 mi 2. Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Interstate H1 W and merge onto I-H-1 W/Lunalilo Fwy 2.2 mi 3. Slight right at I-H-201 W 4.0 mi 4. Take the Interstate H1 W exit toward Pearl City 0.6 mi 5. Merge onto I-H-1 W 4.2 mi 6. Slight right at I-H-2 N 7.8 mi 7. The H-2 will end you will continue ahead as it will turn into Farrington Hwy /State Hwy 930 8. At the traffic circle, continue around to the other side and continue strait as if the circle wasnt there 9. Continue onto Farrington Hwy/State Hwy 930 Destination will be on the at the very end of the road dirt parking lot on the right 6.5 mi Kaena Point State Park, Waialua, Hawaii 96791, 96791 Located on the isolated northwestern tip of O’ahu, Ka’ena Point Natural Reserve houses many endemic as well as indigenous plants and flora found in the state of Hawaii.

The group searches for seals

From the parking lot, it will be a 60-90 minute walk to Kaena Point. It will be on even, but unpaved, road the whole way. Wear shoes that you would be comfortable in stepping over odd shaped rocks.

Looking for whales and waiting for the sunset

Long time friend of EH

Continue reading →

Kawiwi to Three Poles: A Rock Climbing Paradise Crossover

by Marvin on February 9, 2012 in Hikes with No comments

Wai’anae and Lualualei valley from the Kawiwi trail

Kawiwi is a fairly steep trail that takes you near the center of Kamaile’unu ridge that connects Mt. Ka’ala to the Leeward coast of Oahu. Kawiwi is best known for the series of rock faces it contains, many being in the 10-15ft range towards the end. Being a great climber, this is one of Francis Jimenez’s (aka Kinky, Blue Beetle) favorite trails and he invited me to summit Kawiwi then crossover to the north side to three poles. This would entail crossing over some narrow sections and clinging to a fence for short durations while hanging over a cliff as we visit No Name Peak and Tiki along the way.

What we did and where

Kawiwi starts in the same place in Wai’anae valley as the Wai’anae Kai and Tiki loops, Water Works and many more. To get here, read what Stuart has to say:

At Punchbowl St. get on Lunalilo Fwy (H-1) heading ‘ewa (west). Near Middle St. keep left on Rte 78 west (exit 19B, Moanalua Rd.) to ‘Aiea. By Aloha Stadium bear right to rejoin H-1 to Pearl City and on toward Wai‘anae. As the freeway ends near Campbell Industrial Park, continue along the leeward coast on Farrington Hwy (Rte 93). Drive through Nānākuli and Mā‘ili to Wai‘anae town. Pass Wai‘anae Mall on the right. Turn right on Wai‘anae Valley Rd. Turn left on a one-lane paved road (still Wai‘anae Valley Rd.) by a bus turnaround marked with white curbs. Pass several houses. A locked gate blocks the road at the forest reserve boundary. Park in the dirt lot on the left across from a house.

Bus: Route 75 to the turnaround. Walk 1.1 miles along Wai‘anae Valley Rd. to the forest reserve boundary.

Go around the locked gate and continue up the one-lane paved road on foot through scrub koa haole trees. Pass a water tank on the left. Ahead, Kamaile‘unu Ridge climbs to massive Ka‘ala. Along the ridge to the left is the prominent peak of Kawiwi.

Ball, Stuart M., Jr. (2000-09-01). The Hikers Guide to the O’ahu, Rev. Ed. (Kindle Locations 4937-4953). Latitude 20. Kindle Edition.

As you continue on the paved road, you will see a wide opening on your left that yields an excellent view of Wai’anae valley. This is the area where the above picture was taken and you can enter the forest from the left side on the image to gain access to Kawiwi. As you enter the forest, continue along the path and turn right when you meet up with the fence. Follow the fence until you are at the base of Kawiwi. There will be an opening in the fence and perhaps a few ribbons. The trail initially is vague and there will be multiple ways you can gain elevation. Simply start going up in the route that looks most manageable.

Scrambling over rocks is what you’ll be doing most of the trail

Kawiwi is not constantly maintained but there are some ribbons along the way to aid you and the overgrowth is never bothersome. Although pants would be suggested to avoid scratches from dry leaves, rocks and branches.

A cow skull at the base of Kawiwi and goat skull just passed the half-way point

The trail will become more obvious once you gain some elevation and there will generally be only two paths you can go on. You can tackle the rock walls head on or contour them. Almost all of the rock walls here can be contoured. Even the final set of rock faces can be contoured, although you may end up passing the Kawiwi summit like we did and have to backtrack to the summit.

The summit of Kawiwi in front of Francis

At the summit, you will get a near 360 view of Wai’anae and Makaha valley, as well as the terminus of Kamaile’unu trail and the peaks of Ka’ala and Kalena on a clear day. From the summit, you can make a left to connect to Kamaile’unu and Knife Edge ridge. This is a very advanced route, however. As this route makes you down climb 2 long cliff faces, with the second one being around 80 feet. Do not attempt this without someone in your party with experience with this route or similar routes.

From the summit of Kawiwi (L-R): Makaha Valley, No Name Peak, and Upper Wai’anae Valley

Continue reading →

Pu’u Heleakala: A Short, Steep and Sunny Excursion in the West Wai’anaes

by Coty on January 23, 2012 in Hikes with 2 Comments

I’ve been wanting to do Pu’u Heleakala for some time now, however, directions to the trailhead always eluded me. So when I saw that the Oahu Hikers & Adventurers Meetup Group had an excursion planned to the top of Heleakala I decided to jump on this opportunity to complete this elusive Waianae trail. And no, this is not a post about Haleakala (that attraction is located in Maui).

This was my first Meetup with the Oahu Hikers & Adventures, so I was a bit apprehensive at first. I’m not the biggest fan of hiking in large groups. However, I could not resist this opportunity for the reason stated above and because this would be a chance to hike with the very colorful Laredo Muredo, a Hawaii hiking legend. The plan was to meet at the Nanakuli McDonalds and then shuttle down to the trailhead in groups. A total of twelve people showed up for this hike (the most that I’ve ever hiked with at one time). Two cars were used to shuttle the group to the trailhead while the rest of the vehicles were left at the Nanakuli Shopping Center. If you do decide to park here then you should do so very discretely. The last thing that you want is to come back to find your car towed away.

Joel works his way up the initial Northwest potion of Heleakala while Udom climbs and John look on. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

There are two routes that you can take to reach the summit of Pu’u Heleakala. The traditional route involves a gradual 1.5 mile climb up the southwest ridge of Heleakala. To access the trailhead to the southwest route you will need to navigate through residential area (see directions below). In the dry and hot Waianae weather, those 1.5 miles can become very harsh, very quickly. Our meetup group opted instead to hike Heleakala via the 1 mile trek up the much steeper northwest ridge. To access this trailhead, we turned right after the Nanakuli McDonalds and drove about 2 miles down Lualualei Naval Road. We stopped and parked our cars on the dirt road next to the West-Side Pavilion. I’m not exactly sure what the West-Side Pavillion is. I initially thought it was a church and then a plant nursery. The trailhead is located just across the street. You will need to hop over the concrete wall. There were no ribbons in sight at the start of the hike so we simply blazed our way up, initially crossing paths with what looked liked an old heiau.

Quyen works her way up. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

The initial climb is quite steep and very rocky. Work your way up the trail carefully as the rocks are very loose and crumbly. On this day I chose to wear my Vibram FiveFingers KSO Trek Sports. However, if I do this trail again, I might instead choose to go with my Merrell Barefoot Run Trail Gloves because I constantly found dry weeds stuck between my toes.

As you work your way up Heleakala, you will pass two false peaks. Dayle Turner describes this portion of the hike best:

“The ridge is situated such that we couldn’t see the summit of Heleakala until we were almost upon it. Instead, as we climbed, a prominent pu’u always loomed above us. “The top is in sight,” I grunted gleefully to the folks in my vicinity. But when we had gained the high point of the pu’u, we discovered another pu’u beyond the one we had just ascended.”

The Hawaiian Pyramid. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

As you pass the second false peak and work your way up the true peak, be sure to turn left to catch a glimpse of what our Meetup leader of the day, Udom, called the “Hawaiian Pyramid.” The climb up the third peak will be the most tiring as it seemingly never ends. Rest assured that the trail does eventually end. You’ll know that you’ve reached the top when you see a small, yet very distinct, statue of what looks like Buddha in the lotus position. It took me approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach Buddha and the peak of Heleakala (elevation ~1900 feet).

Buddha at the top of Heleakala. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Once at the top, you are treated to this view of Nankuli Valley. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

At the top, you can also crossover and head toward Palikea. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Once we all made it to the top we snapped this shot. Photo by Udom.

Once at the top, take in the grand views of Nanakuli Valley and the Waianae Coast. As we looked beyond the coastline toward the depths of the Pacific Ocean, Udom noted that she saw a Humpback Whale. Just beyond the coast on your right will be Pu’u O Hulu. Turn your head and look mauka (toward the mountains) and you will see the flat peak of Mount Ka’ala in the not too far distance.

This was one of my favorite shots of the day. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

After a short break at the top, we all made the trek down the southwest ridge as a group. I had a great time chatting with Laredo Muredo, known in the Hawaii hiking circles as the Da Rainbow Man. He actually has a couple of nicknames that I’ve seen online, one of them being LeRambo. I tried to find a reference for the LeRambo moniker but I could not seem to locate it. I thought that I had seen it on one of Dayle Turner’s hiking sites, but my Google search came up empty handed. Maybe I made it up. Either way, the nickname fits, because Laredo is a hiking machine. At [nearly] 70 years old, Laredo has completed the entire Koolau Summit Trail (KST), including the most treacherous sections. When asked about the gnarliest Hawaii hike that he’s been on, he told me without hesitation, the Kalihi Saddle and the journey from the Pali Puka to the summit of Lanihuli.

Laredo's Hairway Colorway of the Day. Photo by Coty Gonzales

Now, you might be wondering why they call him Da Rainbow Man. It’s because of his ever changing hair color(s). While I was chatting with Da Rainbow Man, I asked him “So, Laredo, who does your hair?” He quickly replied, “moi.” I was shocked! You mean, he created those intricate designs all by himself? I told him that he must have a crazy mirror setup to get the job done. He said, “yeah,” and “I have years of experience practicing.”

The journey to the top of Pu’u Heleakala was an exhausting, but colorful one (Laredo’s hair stood out against the dry landscape). The early morning climb up the steep northwest ridge was worth it since we were able to avoid the sun pounding down us. Of course, it was also a pleasure to meet such an eclectic group of Hawaii hikers.

Coty in action mode as he negotiates his way down Heleakala. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

Continue reading →

Puu O Hulu: A Scramble To Five World War II Bunkers

by Coty on November 27, 2011 in Hikes with 6 Comments

Pu’u O Hulu is one of those places that I never knew existed by name but knew of just from its formidable appearance. Pu’u O Hulu is located in Maili on the Waianae Coast. Maili itself lies between Pu’u o Hulu and Pu’u O Ma’iliili. The legend [1] goes that Pu’u O Hulu used to be a chief that was in love with Ma’iliili. Ma’iliili, however, had a twin sister and the chief could not tell the two apart. A mo’o (powerful lizard or dragon spirits that are said to inhabit waterfalls, fishponds, and the ocean) is said to have turned them all into mountains, with Pu’u O Hulu being the chief looking over the two twin sisters, Pu’u O Mailiili, forever trying to figure out who which of the two is his true love.

Our buddy Dr. Dewald was joining us for this Sunday hike. He’s a busy guy so we were sure to choose something that wasn’t too long, but was still exciting. We needed to find a hike that squeezed a lot of thrill for the buck. Pu’u O Hulu filled the bill.

Since each of us had prior commitments in the morning, we decided to make this hike an afternoon one. At around 12:45pm we pushed off from Manoa and drove toward the Waianae Coast. First off, this isn’t one of those designated state trails. You’ll likely be trespassing on someones property (see fence climbing photo below). There are two points of entry when doing Pu’u O Hulu. You can either ascend via Hakimo Road or Kaukama Road. We decided to go the Kaukama Road route (for instruction on how to do the Hakimo Road route, please see this article by Richard McMahon from the now defunct Honolulu Advertiser).

Parking in Waianae can be tricky. Especially if you’re not local [2]. Joel and I parked in one of the older communities. The people in the neighborhood were friendly. It probably helped that we parked in front of an abandoned home. Interestingly, we parked just next to a house that had three orca whales hand painted on its driveway. After seeing the orca whales, our qualms about parking in this Waianae neighborhood were extinguished. I mean, how mean can people be who have orcas painted in the front of their house? Oh, and there was a guy blasting Christian music a few houses down. I told Joel that we chose the perfect parking spot. A few blocks down, Dr. Dewald parked his brand new Ford Fiesta in a recent development that I never even knew existed prior to that day. He felt very safe parking there and was convinced that his car would not be threatened [3].

The Majestic Snow Owl. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

OWLing was popular on this day. This here is a rare non-Fijian Indian Imitation OWLer. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Coty inspects all of the faux OWLing going on. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

Based on Joshua Serano’s post on Pu’u O Hulu, we headed toward Kaukama Road and counted 8 streetlight posts from the main road (Kamehameha Highway). The obvious trailhead is located just between the 7th and 8th streetlight post.

The first third of this hike is relatively benign and very safe, though be careful of the loose rock. At about 20-30 minutes in you will encounter a formidable 8-10 ft. rockface that you will need to climb. Just past this first rockface you will then encounter a second, taller, rockface. Clear this rockface and you’re home free as the rest of the trail is quite easy. The trail actually does go around this rockface, but you can also climb it if you want to. It’s very climbable. In fact, Andy, Joel, Ahnate, and I climbed it to the spine of Pu’u O Hulu. Marvin took the EASY route and walked around the rockface and took the “stairs” to the spine. Dr. Dewald insisted that I write that (In Marvin’s defense, the side route was much faster). It’s very climbable and shouldn’t be much of a problem as long as you watch your footing and test your foot and hand holds. Loose rock is your enemy here. Pass this and you will have your view of the first of 5 World War 2 era bunkers. Since the bunker was below us (you can see it from Kamehameha Highway), we decided to skip it and continue to work our way upwards.

A Small Rock Face. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

The view from inside one of the bunkers. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Inside The WW2 Bunker. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

Continue to follow the trail and you will eventually reach the spine of Pu’u O Hulu. Walk along this spine and you will find 4 bunkers as you journey mauka (toward the mountain; away from the ocean). We stopped at each of these bunkers and marveled at these old World War 2 relics. Each of the bunkers were unique of each other and interesting to inspect. As I looked out of the concrete windows I could only imagine what the soldiers who manned these stations witnessed. The graffiti also added another interesting element to these bunkers. Some are the graffiti is noticeably dated, while others are more recent.

Too cool for school. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Jump. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

After the final bunker we walked along the spine of Pu’u O Hulu a bit more. At one point, we needed to make a decision – continue on the trail and end at the water tank on Hakimo Road (known route), or blaze our own trail down the side of the mountain facing Kaukama Road. We could see our cars and the road did not seem too far. On the other hand, the thought of walking around the mountain from the main road after reaching the water tank did not appeal to us. So, we decided to blaze our own trail down the side of Pu’u O Hulu and work our way to Kaukama Road. I do not recommend this.

Top View of Puu O Hulu. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

Descending Pu’u O Hulu though an unknown path increased the excitement of the hike tenfold. The hike now turned into an unexpected adventure. We all donned our gloves, except Ahnate, who suffered without any. He also had short shorts that day. Then again, Ahnate always wears short shorts. I don’t recommend short shorts on this trail because of the dry vegetation – it will eat away your skin. Andy intelligently used very long socks, a practice that I adopted for my hike up Poamoho.

Not Weeds but Devil's Balls! Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Working Our Way Down. Photo by Marvin Chandra.

As we navigated our way down, we encountered a lot of loose rock. Fortunately, the dry vegetation made for good hand holds. If you slip, just grab on to something. After the rough descent, we found ourselves in a pickle. We were confronted by two fences which were probably installed to prevent entry to the mountain. These fences were now preventing our entry back into civilization. We now had to decide whether we wanted walk along the fence up to the point that it ended on Kaukama Road (I knew it ended because I had noticed its termination point while at the top of Pu’u O Hulu looking down) or we could hop both fences and walk on a paved road. We all decided that on this day we would be rebels and hop the fences. Our balls indeed hated us for this.

Once over the fence we ended up on Kaipo’i Street located in the new development area that I mentioned earlier. After a short walk, Dr. Dewald, Ahnate, and Marvin were back at the green Fiesta. A few minutes after that Joel and once again encountered the three orcas guarding the 4Runner. Moments later, the sun began to set over beautiful Maili. Pu’u O Hulu proved to be a short hike, with lots of thrill and a great view that was enjoyed by awesome company.

Marvin's Testicles Hate Him. Photo by Coty Gonzales.

Explorers: Marvin Chandra, Andy Dewald, Coty Gonzales, Ahnate Lim, and Joel Sabugo.

Continue reading →

← Older Entries