Kuliouou Ridge- Complete

My friend recently suggested we do this trail and it was a great opportunity to finish this trail.  The first time I did it I had 3 kids with me and they just pooped out.  This time, I finished it but there is no way the kids would have been able to finish this trail.  Maybe my 8 year old would last now.

The trail starts at the end of Kalaau Pl on the south eastern part of the island.  From Kalanianeole Hwy you will turn onto a road called Kuliouou so it’s pretty easy to find.  It begins on a board of water supply maintenance road and bears right.  There are signs to help you identify the route.  The whole hike is pretty well shaded for 3/4 of the hike.  Only the last mile or so is exposed.  Maybe it’s only a half mile, but the 200+ steps made it feel like a mile.  If you’re looking for a cardio workout you can get it with this trail.

All the work is worth it though.  When we got to the top of the ridge we had a view of Kaneohe and Waimanalo on one side and Hawaii Kai from the other side.  It’s was an incredible view.  We were thankful for the cloudy day because the last push would have been totally brutal if the sun was beating down on us.  I thought we were going to get wet several times but the showers were light an brief so we didn’t have to be soaked, except in sweat.

If you look closely you can see bellows field runway. Still visible even though it’s no longer in use

I’ve been trying to squeeze these trails in before I go and I have been doing that when the kids are in school.  So, as much as I would have liked to, I didn’t get a chance to explore beyond the end of the sanctioned trail on to the KST.  But, it was a great way to blast some calories, enjoy some incredible views and socialize with one of the most wonderful people I have met in Hawaii.

 

 

 

 

 

Iliahi

I found a group of people that hike every Saturday through my friend and dive buddy Debbie.  It’s great because there are enough people in the group that they always have enough to hike and the fact that they go on Saturday mornings is perfect for me.  Everyone in the group is pretty experienced and they often choose off the beaten path hikes.  It gives me a chance to do a bunch of hiking I might not otherwise find and some longer distance ones I have had trouble finding buddies for.

A typical Saturday morning starts at 8:30am at the trailhead that is determined by the group’s coordinator and emailed out on the preceeding Thursday.  This was my first hike with the group and it started at the top of Komo Mai Dr. in Pearl City.  It shares a trailhead with Manana Ridge, which I hiked with a friend earlier this year.

The name Iliahi is actually the name of a rare endemic tree that is found along the route.  The trail splits off from the Manana Trail at a set of power lines and continues downhill for the first half-mile or so.  It then begins a series of ups and downs that are quite tiring.  While it’s not a long hike, at 5 miles, and not particularly dangerous, it’s requires endurance.  The trail is cleared periodically by the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club and can also be done with them for a small fee.   I think I probably would have joined the HTMC if I had more time left here.

The views from the Iliahi trail are similar to those from the Manana trail, in fact, the Iliahi loop returns on the Manana trail.  I enjoyed the views if the lush green valleys and photographing my fellow hikers on the ridge in front of or behind me.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Plains in the middle of a mountain range? Actually pretty typical of certain areas of the Ko’olau Mountains

I don’t know why, but I like to frame these cool dead trees in my shots

 

 

 

 

Likeke Falls- Two hikes is better than one

I’ve wanted to do this hike for a long time now. It can be done 2 ways, either from the Ko’olau Golf course or from the Pali Lookout. I chose the latter because it’s longer and the route sounded like more fun. Well, I asked for fun and I got it.

The first time we hiked this with 5 kids and 2 adults. Two of the kids are 10 or older and 2 more were 8 so we really only had one that needed a lot of help. Julia and I have become friends and we’ve found that taking all the kids hiking is a lot of fun and that they keep each other going. Neither of our husbands are big hikers so it works out nicely for keeping them busy on days off from school.

Our hike started out fine. We parked at the Pali Lookout and started down the old Pali Hwy toward where the trail splits. One direction goes down to the Maunawili Demonstration Trail and one goes to Likeke Falls. The Likeke falls trail is popular but not a state maintained or sanctioned trail and therefore there are no signs to guide you on the trail. Many of the trails here have at least ribbons to mark them but this one proved confusing.

Just after the trail splits there is a ladder that take you down under the current Pali Hwy. At the base of the ladder is a lot of cool graffiti and a trail that leads off to the right. Do Not take this route! Unless, of course, you want to slip and slip and slide down into a big gulch and get a little lost.

Obviously, we went right on our first attempt. It was a downhill slide on dried leaves and loose dirt down to a dry streambed where the trail vanished. We had a lot of fun along the way, though, so I don’t regret it at all. We came out onto a mysterious road that led to a few houses. After checking the map on my phone and having a snack Julia and I decided to stay on this old unused road and look for a better route back. The road led us to some other people and several trails off to the side. Thankfully, the other people were able to tell us how to make our way back and also where Likeke Falls could be found. We opted to turn back instead of going to the falls because it was getting a little late and neither of us really wanted to sit in traffic for hours.

Our second attempt came a couple weeks later and we went as a family. It was a miracle that we got my husband to agree to hike with us! But daddy caves when the kids ask him to do something. We began at the Pali Lookout again and this time had a better idea where we were headed. Once we made it out to the old Pali Hwy again we headed in the direction of the waterfall. We had a good idea where we were going but still played a little bit of a guessing game. We finally got to Likeke Falls and it was a nice family friendly hike. It is popular, though, so if you like quiet and solitude this probably is not the hike for you. I tend to like the off the beaten path hikes myself but I enjoyed our little adventure.

The Crew

 

Na Mokulua

The Mokulua Islands commonly called “the mokes” are just off shore from Lanikai Beach. Parking is pretty limited because it’s a residential area.  An alternative would be a paddle from Kailua Beach Park where there is much more parking.  But the paddle from there is much longer.  The seas are generally pretty calm year round since Kailua and Lanikai are both pretty protected by the Marine Corps base peninsula.  Both beaches are known for having powder fine sands and beautiful clear water.

I, once again, borrowed a kayak from my neighbor and headed to the east side.  This time my older son, Aidan, wanted to go.  So we gathered up enough food for about a half day the camera, plenty of water and set out for Lanikai bright and early.  We felt it best to start early so that we would be able to park close to a beach right of way minimizing the distance we had to carry the kayak to the water.

It wasn’t the best weather, cloudy and misting on and off, but we had planned for this day and decided to go out despite the weather.  Hey, we were going to get wet anyway right?  The paddle out to the mokes took about 45 minutes into a small headwind and against a minor long-shore current.  We are both pretty novice paddlers so we spent a lot of time turning and getting headed in the right direction.

As we got closer to the islands we aimed for a beach to take the kayak out.  The waves come around both sides of the island and meet right in front of the beach.  The waves weren’t an issue but the way they the were meeting was interesting.  We kind of got washed up as we were getting out of the kayak.  Not a big deal but I thought I would mention it so that others won’t be surprised by it.

These islands are largely protected as a bird sanctuary but you can walk around the coastline and it’s pretty neat to look back at Oahu from them.  We did some walking around on the rocks first to the north and then to the south.  We couldn’t make our way all the way around because it became impassable.  So we circled back around and found the “queens bath”.  We sat on the rocks for a little while and just took in the waves while Aidan played in the tide pools.  It was really relaxing and a great day.  We only went to moku nui since moku manu is off-limits because it’s a wild life sanctuary as well.

And this is what happens when you try to open gogurt with your teeth…ROFL

Rock Bridge

This hike was something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while but since the kids are in public school now my kid free window has shrunk considerably.  I have about 90 minutes less every day than I did with the other school.  We decided to tackle this one day when the kids were off from school.  This hike is much talked about locally but I was a little afraid we wouldn’t find it.  It’s actually easy to find.  Stay close to the coast and you’ll run right into it.

Our group included my friends Michelle and Julia along with Julia’s 2 kids, my 2 kids, Julia’s husband and their friend.  The parking lot to Hanauma Bay was full so we parked a short distance away on a side street.

looking back at Hawaii Kai

Initially the trail starts on a service road up to some sort of towers.  All I know is that they are marked “US government property”.  A short ways in we found a side trail that heads steeply down along the ridge above Hanauma bay.  This trail was dry with lose dirt and stones.  After the down hill section there is a short uphill and then it levels out.  Keep heading toward the coast here.

I don’t know how the heck they did it but this was carved into the rock

Julia’s husband was on his bike so he was far ahead of us.  I think we pretty much just followed his lead and there it was.  We stopped had a snack and took some pictures of everyone that was adventurous enough to get on the rock bridge.  My kids were not allowed.  It only took 30 minutes or so to reach this spot.

I was nervous about going out there but after I watched the waves for a few minutes I decided to give it a go.  I stayed just long enough to get a picture for posterity and then high tailed it back to the safe zone.

We all enjoyed a snack and watched the wave crash against the rocks.  The whole time that people in our group were out on the bridge the waves were not big enough to be breaking up over the bridge.  But probably 5 minutes later a set came in that did.  Someone was watching out for us because being out there in those conditions could easily resulted in someone being knocked off into the churning sea.  I’ve never read a story of someone falling in but a few other bloggers wrote about the danger.  I would have to agree.  I guess the saying that lifeguards use applies “if in doubt don’t go out”.

After our snack and rest we got back on the trail and followed the coastline to the west a bit.  I decided to lead the group this way and explore a little more of the beautiful coastline.  You may recognize the rock formations from the Pirates of the Caribean movies.  We reached a point where the kids, Julia and Jerimiah climbed up and over the rocks.  Michelle and I explored a little more but not for long.  We caught up with them at the top and then parted ways again as Michelle and I headed down another path that would make a loop.  It looked less steep than the hill we came down.

I would say this hike is a moderate hike.  There aren’t any real dangers of falling off the side, unless you’re on the rock bridge at the wrong time.  This hikes biggest challenge is probably the sun and the heat.  It’s dry ridgeline and rock so there is no shade at all.  Took us about 3 hours round trip but we went pretty slow and took lots of breaks.  Total mileage was 3.5 miles.