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

 

 

 

 

Kauai Day 2

Our second day in Kauai started out cold, but clear skies.  We were awoken by roosters, many roosters.  I thought the Pali look out and Haleiwa had chickens but they have few chickens in comparison to Kauai.  I even saw t-shirts that said that the rooster was the mascot.

We ate a breakfast of cheese danish and strawberries and then headed up to the look out points before the clouds had a chance to roll in.  It turned out to be a good move since the clouds roll in every afternoon.

When I originally planned this trip I looked at the proximity of the Kalalau trail to Koke’e state park figuring we could hike the canyon one day and the Na Pail coast the next.  It would have been a short trip between the two, if there was a road connecting them.  Instead you have to drive completely around the island to reach the Kalalau trail from Koke’e.  Fortunately someone pointed this out to me a couple of weeks before our trip so we knew what we were in for.  Michelle and I both felt like this was a bucket list trip and said we didn’t mind making the drive.  We had an alternate plan but didn’t need it.

Despite our restless night we set off down the long and winding road back to civilization.  Really, I’m not kidding, there is zero cell service up there and even my endomondo GPS couldn’t get a signal.  As we came down the mountain we were able to see the canyon on one side and Ni’ihau on the other.  Ni’ihau is western most of the 7 Hawaiian islands and is privately owned.  It has no hotels or resorts and is largely occupied by people of native Hawaiian ancestry who live off the land and have few amenities.  You have to be invited to Ni’ihau in order to travel there.

Once we hit the main road we decided to take a ride out to Barking Sands Missel range and see what it was like.  I tried to get a cabin there but they were all booked.  It’s beautiful with cabins right on the beach.  We watched some surfers for a little while before deciding to make our way back to the south and east and head to the Kalalau Trail.  Michelle’s husband is a Marine and if they ever get stationed there I am definitely going to have to visit her!

Along our route to the trail we got to see great coastline views and pass through some quaint little towns.  We stopped and took pictures of Hanalei Bay and explored some caves close to the beach.  The closer we got to our destination the taller the mountains became and the more spectacular the views were.

We finally reached the trailhead around lunch time and munched some fruit and more granola bars.  Yes, we pretty much lived on them all weekend.  We started the hike around 1 or so and it took us around 4 hours out and back.

The first .5 mile or so is shale type rock and usually wet.  There were lots of places to put your feet because it’s very well-traveled.  There is a lookout only about .25 mile in that many go to.  Beyond that first lookout there were fewer people but still a good number.  We planned to hike to Hanakapi’ai and see how we felt.  The water from the campground that we filled our camelbak’s with didn’t agree with Michelle so she was a little under the weather.  She stuck it out despite my offers to turn back.

We saw people of all ages on the trail but you could tell the ones that had thought the hike through and the ones that didn’t.  We saw people in slippers, barefoot, backpackers in boots and everything in between.  Slowly though, we saw families that passed us in the beginning turning back.  They were saying it was really muddy and slippery and some just didn’t have the stamina to continue.  But we pushed on because we’ve done mud and muck enough times that we were not concerned.

The last .75 mile of the trail is downhill to the beach.  Hanakapi’ai beach is the first pit stop on the 11 mile trail.  In order to get to the beach you must cross Hanakapi’ai stream.  Most were stepping from rock to rock trying not to get their feet wet or walking barefoot or both.  I decided to just wade through with my boots on for more traction on slippery rocks and because my balance isn’t all that great.  Michelle decided to do the same.  The day we were there the water was about knee-deep but it can rise quickly and people can be stranded on the far side.  It happens a few times a year usually.  On both sides of the stream are lifeguard floats which seem a bit ominous.  Hanakapi’i beach is rocky and is known to have strong currents.  There are signs at the top of the last flat before the descent to the beach for dangerous shore break, loose rock, and slippery ground.

We spent a half hour or so among the stilted palms on the rocky beach watching the surf before we turned around and headed back.   The climb back to the ridge above isn’t steep but it’s a good .75 miles and it is definitely a workout.  This was also the first time I used a hiking pole and I was glad to have it several times along the way.  I would definitely recommend them.  I am seeing more and more people using them on the trail.

On the return journey we chatted with a nice young couple and enjoyed talking to them.  They were heading back from their backpacking trip.  At one point they mentioned wanting a “bubba burger”, which I had heard are very good.  So our dinner was planned and were glad it wasn’t granola bars.

When we got back to the trailhead the ocean was calling my name and it was nice to get in the cool water.  We didn’t stay too long since we planned to spend the following day at the beach.  We did, however, take a quick shower since we didn’t want to take a cold shower at the campground when it was only 50 degrees.

The last day we were in Kauai we kept things simple.  We went and got souvenirs and planned to spend some time on the beach before our afternoon flight.  We should have done that in reverse because when our shopping was done it started raining. No wonder they call it the garden isle!  They get rain every day!

But, we were undaunted by the rain and decided to view 2 different waterfalls close to town and viewable from the road.  The first was Opaeka’a falls and it was really gushing.  Michelle said she had never seen a waterfall that big.  I have!  Niagra Falls!  Seriously this sucker was really moving.  The second was Wailua falls which is also viewable from the road and very nice if you just want the view without the hike.

So that’s our trip.  A few pointers for Kauai.  If you want the quiet island feel then Kauai is for you.  If you want night life, bars and restaurants its not for you.  Bubba burger is not very good.  The burgers are a little larger than McDonalds burgers but not much.  Teddy’s Bigger Burger is much, much better.  Along the trail we saw people hiking barefoot on their way in and some pretty grungy people on their way out.  Apparently there are actually quite a few people at the end that live there.  I understand that they like to trade food for a certain plant they have an abundance of if you catch my drift.  Kauai has a real country feel and we observed quite a few people live a nomadic lifestyle.  There were quite a few people living inside Koke’e state park in cabins only accessible with 4 wheel drive.  It has natural beauty and charm written all over it.  I’m so glad I got to experience it before I leave.

Kauai Day 1

Back in March I took a trip to Kauai with my friend in order to hike the Waimea Canyon and the Kalalau Trail before I leave.  We arrived in Lihue around 9:30am, picked up our rental car and set off for Koke’e state park.  It takes approximately an hour to get to Koke’e from Lihue.  Kauai I incredibly beautiful and more rural than Oahu.  Because we both had military ID we were able to get one checked bag for free.  So we had planned well and packed all of our camping gear into those bags.

I will chronicle our experience because there are a few things that are worth mentioning.  We had planned to eat granola bars for dinner on the first night because we wanted to hike to the canyon for sunset.  When we reached Koke’e we had some trouble finding the campground.  There is a sign and a bath house but no campsites are visible from the parking area.  Each camp site is semiprivate and up behind the bath house.  Once we located the camp sites we were able to set up fairly quickly.  It’s worth noting that the camp sites are first come first served.  When I have camped on the mainland you usually choose a specific site when you book.  Not the case in Hawaii, you get a permit but there is no specific site assignment.

After we set up camp we took a short drive up to the top of Koke’e and the top of Mt. Wai’ale’ale where the lookout to the Kalalau Valley is.  When we reached the top it was totally socked in.  We were in the clouds.  That was pretty cool but we wanted to see the view too.  Mt. Wai’ale’ale is one of the wettest places on earth getting something like 500 inches of rain a year.  If you want to see through the clouds I recommend going early in the morning before the clouds move in.  We ended up going around 6am and were able to see the view.

Our planned hike to the canyon started about 3pm.  We got a map of trails and decided to connect several trails and make a loop.  We first hiked into a marsh area with lush green plants and birds.  We then left the marsh for traditional Hawaii rainforest.  We ran into hunters several times along our route so be aware that you are in a hunting ground.  The first trail was the Halemanu Koke’e trail followed by the Black Pipe trail.  We had a little help from some hunters along the way in finding our way.  Not difficult but we got some good tips.

The black pipe trail is listed at .8mi.  It’s more than that for sure.  In fact, around 5:30pm we had been on the trail for a while and were concerned we had taken a wrong turn.  We thought we should have reached the trail junction already.  We briefly considered turning around because we were not prepared to spend the night in the canyon.  But we pressed on and came to a junction very soon after we had considered turning around.

The canyon trail to the Waipo’o falls lookout is a dry ridgeline.   With spectacular views.  We reached the canyon about 30 minutes before sunset and were not disappointed with the views!  The way the sun sets in the sky made for amazing pictures!  We poked around, took lots of pictures, and got as close to the waterfall as we dared.  Waipo’o falls can be seen from the Canyon lookout and is a double waterfall plunging over 1000 feet into the canyon.

Neither my buddy or myself had ever hiked at night before.  We brought flashlights for the return journey and, of course, they didn’t work.  We tested and re-tested them but when it got dark they didn’t work.  My friend was using the flashlight on her phone and I was using a battery pack light.  It was interesting.  We planned to hike out to some 4wd roads and then take the main road back up the hill.  The first .5 mile or so was interesting since it was on a trail.  We reached the 4wd rd rather quickly but there are significantly more roads than are shown on the map.  Navigating wasn’t hard but we crossed more junctions than we anticipated.  We finally made it back to camp about 9pm.  We both agreed that hiking an unfamiliar trail in the dark wasn’t our favorite thing to do.

But the adventure was just beginning.  We went to bed right away since we didn’t feel like doing everything in the dark.  Because we packed everything in suitcases I had packed lightweight sleeping bags made of fleece.  Seems adequate for the temperate weather of Hawaii right?  Not exactly.  I had been monitoring the weather for a week or so before and the lows seemed to support my assessment.  The temperature at that elevation, about 3000ft above sea level, dropped to about 55 degrees both nights.  So, at about 3am, I gave up and retreated to the car.  Michelle followed me about an hour later.  She said she wondered where I went.  I thought she was sleeping so I slipped out quietly.  I didn’t know she was awake and also freezing.