No matter what hike I’m on, I always pack a headlamp. You never know what will happen. I’ve been on plenty hikes where we’ve stayed on the trail longer than we anticipated and had to spend some time hiking in the dark. On some occasions we’ve gotten lost and on others we voluntarily decided to stay out longer than we had planned for.

This is a Petzl Zipka Plus 2 Headlamp. I like it because it has a retractable head strap and is super compact. This model provides 50 lumens of light and is plenty bright. 50 lumens, by the way, is the minimum strength you want in a hiking headlamp. I recently upgraded to a 100 lumen Black Diamond Storm Headlamp for nighttime rock climbing sessions. On any hike where you know you’ll be using a headlamp, make sure to pack extra batteries.

When you buy a headlamp, check that it has a red led option. Most do. The red light lets you see in the dark without constricting your pupils. So, when you turn it off, you’re eyes will still be adjusted for seeing in the dark.

Also, remember that when you’re hiking with your headlamp on, never point your light towards a street or neighborhood. People on the ground could mistake your light for a distress signal and call search and rescue. This happened to me once. I hiked down with some friends from the Mokule’ia Crag in the dark and there were cops waiting for us on the street. (Oops!) Headlamps can be visible from miles away.

I use a CamelBak M.U.L.E. Hydration Pack hydration pack. There are many others to choose from but CamelBak has the best reviews because it seems to be the most durable. I tend to like the packs they make for mountain bikers as they are more narrow than a traditional hiking day pack. In general, hikes in Hawaii don’t require too much gear. I found that full size day packs are too bulky for my taste. The M.U.L.E. packs are super compact yet carry 3 liters of water. And if you need more gear, they have expansion storage compartments. Or, you could simply clip your gear on using carabiners. Perfect for a 4 to 8 hour hike.

This might not apply to everyone but, for me, a camera is an essential piece of equipment for hiking in Hawaii. Maybe it’s because I’m Asian. Or, maybe it’s because the views from the top of the ridges in Hawaii are epic. I carry a dSLR but any camera will do. For those of you that like to carry dSLRs, I’ll show you my method of carrying such a heavy camera on the trail.

Everyone I hike with packs differently and has different opinions on what would be considered “essential hiking gear”. If you are interested in what I would recommend, read on…

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The hike starts by climbing the two Pali Notches and then up this … the Chimney.

You’ll follow the Koolau Summit Trail (KST) up to Pu’u Konahuanui. This pu’u (or mountain) has the two highest peaks on the Koolau mountain range. The peaks are known by hikers as K1 and K2.

The views from up here, at just over 3,000 feet up, resemble those from a helicopter.

Past Konahuanui you can follow the KST (the long ridge that can be seen above) for as long as you like. We completed this hike by hiking down into Manoa Valley via the Manoa Middle ridge.

This is an extreme hike.

Here’s a little info on the KST:
As you probably know, the mountain range on the East side of Oahu is called the Koolau Range. The mountain range crosses the entire island from Makapu’u (southeast Oahu) to Pupukea (on the North Shore). When you look at the range on a topographic map, you can see a well defined crease or spine that spans the entire range. That crease is the narrow summit ridge of the mountain range and on it sits the Koolau Summit Trail. If you follow the KST, you can connect all the peaks of the Koolaus. But people that hike the KST typically break it up into sections. To hike the entire trail from Makapu’u to Pupukea would take days and solid mountaineering skills.

Baron’s goal as a KST hiker was to hike (in sections) the KST from Makapu’u to the Pali Lookout. Prior to this hike he had just one small section left and, on this day, he completed it.

The rest of us had two goals: climb the Chimney and obtain the summit of the highest point on the Koolaus.

DISCLAIMER: This blog post is for entertainment purposes only. Hiking can be extremely dangerous. One slip or trip and you could easily fall down the side of the mountain causing injury or death. Do not attempt what you see in these pictures.

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Accidents happen. All it takes is one trip, one slip or, if you’re by the water, one rogue wave to put you on the ground. And when the ground looks like this, a fall is no laughing matter. But when something does happen, it’s good to know that a rescue team can get to you and help you quickly.

We hiked down to the Makapu’u tide pools last weekend and found three people in distress. Two of them had been knocked over by a wave and sustained cuts and possible head injuries. They did not have a cell phone and were unable to hike back up the cliff. The feeling of being injured and stranded down here without a phone must have been unsettling.

When we showed up, Reanne and her friend Angela (both nurses), went to check out the two injured people. They were banged up pretty good but were conscious and talking.

I called 911. Being that we were at the bottom of a cliff, I was connected to a 911 operator in Molokai (the island you can see off this part of the shoreline). I told them I was at the Makapu’u tide pools so they routed me to an Oahu operator. The operator asked if I needed police, an ambulance or a firetruck and I said ambulance. I was then routed to different operator who was able to dispatch the a rescue crew. I was bounced around from operator to operator but each person I was transferred to picked up the phone immediately.

About 15 minutes later a fireman called me to get details of the situation. I could tell he was calling from a firetruck as I could hear the siren. About 10 minutes after that we could see 3 firemen hiking down to us at the tide pools.

And about 10 minutes after that, a helicopter showed up.

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You can get here via kayak, boat, outrigger canoe or stand up paddle board.

The beach on Moku Nui Island faces Lanikai and Kailua.

There’s a cove on the backside of the island where you can cliff jump.

You’ve seen the Mokulua Islands countless times I’m sure. They are the two small islands that sit off the coast in Kailua and are commonly referred to as “the Mokes.” The larger island is called Moku Nui and is a popular destination for kayakers. The smaller island, Moku Iki, is currently off limits.

Last memorial day, we rented some kayaks and paddled out to Moku Nui to BBQ on the beach and explore the island.

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