When I hiked on Oahu,
my cousin Darrell hiked with me to keep me company and look out for me.
I will miss him and will always remember his quiet confidence.
At the base of Mount Olympus summit
Hanauma Bay Rock Bridge
Peacock Flats hike
Aiea Loop Hike
Descending Pali Puka
(Pali Highway in background)
Mount Olomana
Mount Kaala
Lulumahu Falls - testing his underwater SmartPhone
Hike up to the Haiku Stairs via Moanalua Middle Ridge
Haiku Stairs Descent (video)
Here's a list of all the hikes that cousin Darrell and I did. We also had great company with us as well - mahalo to Neil for joining us on these fun hikes.
Haiku
Stairs (2,800ft) aka Stairway To Heaven Elevation
Gain: 2,560ft
Pu’u Keahi
a Kahoe (2,820ft) Elevation
Gain: (2,580ft)
Trails:
Kamananui Valley Rd, Kulana’ahane Trail Distance:
8.5 miles Duration:
6.5 hours(includes stops for breaks along
the trail and at summits) Difficulty:
Easy to Very Strenuous Danger: High (exposed/narrow ridges with steep drop-offs, steep staircase, high winds)
The beauty of lush, tropical ridges and the Haiku Stairs summit in clouds coupled with high winds made this hike both beautiful and amazing! Not only did this hike peak my curiosity, it commanded my respect. A truly unforgettable hike! Shoots, an unforgettable walk from Honolulu to Kaneohe!
My cousin and I joined up with 3 others to hike!
Our original plans were to hike all 3 peaks of Olomana but the night before I checked weather reports for rain and it looked like it would be way too
slippery for Olomana. We were invited to hike to Haiku Stairs via the Moanalua Middle
Ridge from the Moanalua Valley Park. So my cousin and I decided to go for it!
The
Kamananui Valley Road trail is a classic stream hike that took us over several
Moanalua Stream crossings. This portion of the hike was easy to
navigate as it winds through the lush valley. Shortly
before taking the Kulana’ahane trail, we met up with the Hiking Oahu
Trailblazers (H.O.T.). My Kahtoola Microspikes got a lot of attention. I didn't realize that I was the only one wearing spikes. Several of the hikers in the HOT group asked me about them.
From the
get-go the Kulana’ahane Trail gains elevation quickly and doesn’t let up. The trail along the
lower ridge is overgrown in some spots. Some sections of the trail were board
and other sections were narrow with very little or no foliage to offer the hiker a sense of security or grip. As we
continued our traverse upwards, there were many long, steep climbs where ropes had been
installed. I was so glad for the ropes as the trail got slicker as we gained elevation.
I was also glad that I wore my Microspikes!
The higher we hiked the wetter it got and we continued to
slop our way up muddy trails that were just a foot or two wide! More butt sliding, this time downward (video)
We finally
summited Pu’u Keahi a Kahoe (Kahoe’s fire)! There is a small wooden sign as
well as 3 benchmarks to distinguish the summit. We continued on and the winds grew stronger and we were in the clouds more often! :)
Video of the views from the last ascent before reaching the top.
The winds here had to be 25-30 mph! (Still shots really couldn't capture the magnitude of the winds like a video can!)
After 5.5 hours, we reachedthe CCL (Communications Control Link) building.
Now for the fun part, descending Haiku Stairs.....all 3,922 steps!
Haiku Stairs descent (video)
Warning: Haiku Stairs is officially closed and it is illegal to access the stairs.
If you attempt this hike, you do so at your own risk.
