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.

 

 

 

 

 

Oneawa Hills aka. Friendship Garden Trail

This is one of those hikes that’s been on my to do list for a long time.  I hiked Friendship Garden’s short trail 3 years ago with my hiking buddy Michelle.  At the time we spotted the trail heading up the ridge and said we wanted to come back when we were in better shape.  We never got around to it since I got busy with my diving adventures and she started working full time.

Another friend recently contacted me and said she had done part of this trail and wanted to finish it.  So we set out from friendship garden for our little adventure into the hills of Kaneohe on a Saturday morning.

The trail starts in Friendship Garden in Kaneohe.  It’s a privately maintained Chinese garden which is a great place to meditate and just enjoy nature.  The trail into the hills starts along the upper loop and goes up a crumbly slope to it’s first view.  After the lookout it goes up some more crumbly ground and continues back into the hills toward Kapa’a Quarry.

As the name implies, there are several ups and downs on this trail but nothing too severe.  Our route would total 5 miles including some bushwhacking to the veterans memorial cemetery where we would catch a ride back to the trailhead.

We intended this trail as and out and back hike until my friend became tired and her knee started to bother her.  About that time we met 2 other ladies on the trail and they offered a ride back to the start.  Looking at satellite imaging I determined that we were more than half way to the other end and convinced my friend to come and meet up with me.  As time went on we would lose our ride and have to call in reinforcements from town.  Luckily her friend was willing to give us a ride.  It was an adventure neither of us will soon forget but the views were worth it.

Others who have written about this hike have called the quarry beautiful.  I don’t know if I agree with that assessment.  It’s basically a big water-filled hole in the ground where rock is mined for commercial use.  I’m just not sure that I would consider such an industrial site beautiful.  Interesting or neat would be the words I would use.  The best views, in my opinion, are the ones looking back out to the coastline.

When all was said and done the hike took a little over 6 hours and totaled about 5.25 miles.  Under normal circumstances would probably take around 3 hours to complete done one direction and about the same if you were to hike in to it’s highest point an back out.

 

 

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

 

Kuaokala Trail

I gathered a group of friends for this venture on Columbus Day weekend.  The trail is one of only a few on the west side of the island that is state maintained.  It can be accessed from the north shore through the Mokuleia Firebreak road but that makes for long 15 or so miles.  I decided to access the trail with a permit that I acquired through the department of land and natural resources (DLNR).  The permit isn’t hard to get and there is not fee.  The permit can be obtained either through the mail or in person at one of the DLNR offices.  The only requirement is a 4wd vehicle since the trailhead is up on top of Mt. Ka’ala near the satellite tracking station.

I went to the DLNR office in Makiki and obtained my permit for this trip.  I have done it through the mail in the past for our trip to Poamoho Ridge.  We had a 4 man crew on this hike because that’s all our Jeep would hold.  Well, 4 people and a dog anyway.  I drove over to the west side and met everyone else there.  The jeep is older and when I turned it off at the restroom before we went up it refused to start again.  I called my husband and he said one of the terminals on the battery was loose.  It would have been nice to have known that before I left!  With the help of my handy Gerber and a friend we got the problem remedied quickly.

The security at the gate is controlled by the US Airforce who take security very seriously.  I showed ID and my pass at the first gate.  While they were reviewing the pass they put up this huge steel plate so that I couldn’t crash the gate.  The guards are also fully locked and loaded with the airman’s best friend an M4.  After the first gate there were 2 more gates to pass through before entering the preserve.

The start of the Kuaokala trail is at the beginning of the unpaved road and there is a parking area right next to it.  So, you really don’t need 4wd for that but every car going up there is required to have it.  The preserve is a popular place to hunt wild boar and also with 4wd enthusiasts who like to place In the mud on the dirt road leading to “peacock flats” camping area where the Mokuleia trail begins.  I had hoped to hike this trail on that same weekend but that was not meant to happen.

Friday was a beautiful day for a hike and the views were incredible.  We never saw a single sole on the trail.  Our group included my friends Kristi, Corry, Dana and myself.  The total distance on this loop hike was about 5.5miles.  Enjoy the photos and I think you will see why this hike is so worth the little effort required.  We could see the west side and Makua Valley on the first half of the loop and the north shore and Waiamea Valley on the second half of the hike.