We hiked through a sea of this.

We pushed through this.

We climbed up this.

At the top, we saw this.

Pu’u Piei is a mountain peak that sits on the north wall of Kahana Valley. There are a few different ways to get to this peak. A couple weeks ago we decided to hike the ridge mauka of Pu’u Piei (“mauka” = towards the mountains).

The hike took us 10 hours and was a full body workout. Even though we spent most of the time up on the ridgeline, we found ourselves contorting our bodies to weave our way through trees and shrubs for almost the entire hike to the summit. We encountered a few steep climbs as well where there was nothing to hold on to but grass and the occasional well placed root.

There’s not much of a trail up there. I mean, there’s something to follow but it’s not much.

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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Meet Chase Norton.

Bro really likes hiking.

About a month ago, Chase spent a week up in the mountains and completed a hike that no one has completed before. (In modern times at least.)

He hiked the entire length of Oahu’s largest mountain range.

On April 1, 2012, Chase Norton became the first documented person to hike the entire Koolau summit in a single trip.

It took him 8 days. He brought in a two days worth of water and hiked down to streams when he needed to fill up his supply. He carried all his food and camping gear on his back. Nothing was stashed along the trail in advance. He had companions on a couple sections of the trail but for the most part, Chase hiked and camped alone.

When it was done, Chase had traveled by foot from the North Shore of Oahu to the southeast point of the island. From Pupukea to Makapu’u to be more specific. He had covered some 50 miles. With the side hikes needed to collect water, it was probably a bit more. It’s hard for me to imagine trying to even walk that distance on a paved road. Chase did it along the top of a mountain range.

Now, I don’t know how to put this but … this is kind of a big deal. If you’re interested in hiking in Hawaii at least. When you see the Koolaus I’m sure many of you have wondered if anyone has ever hiked the entire thing and if it’s even possible. I know I’ve wondered that and I never knew the answer. But now we know. It’s finally been done and the name Chase Norton is now in the Hawaii hiking record books. (Yes, there are Hawaii hiking record books. And no, that is not at all totally nerdy.)

But even if you’re not interested in hiking, the story of how Chase was able to complete this goal is pretty fascinating. To hike the summit ridge in one shot takes serious mental and physical endurance. And because no one has ever done it before, it took a lot of planning. Four years of planning to be exact. And, one failed attempt from which he learned some major lessons. This was a big project that consumed all of Chase’s free time. Every hike he did for the last four years was done with the purpose of learning the Koolau mountains, finding natural water sources and testing out backpacking gear.

It sounds like a lot of work and it is. But what surprised the heck out of me more was when I asked Chase what activities he was into before he started hiking. I assumed he was a soccer player in college or a runner of some sort. But no, Chase did nothing. Like, he was sedentary. Before he started hiking in Hawaii, he smoked two packs of cigarettes a day, drank beers every night and did nothing active. Then, literally overnight, he switched gears. And over the course of the last four years, Chase has hiked every weekend and transformed himself into a lean healthy endurance athlete who has found his passion in life.

So the lesson we can all learn is that if you move to Hawaii you will become active and healthy and find your passion. Nah nah just kidding. (But seriously, you might.)

In the rest of this post you’ll learn some details about the preparation for this hike, see some photos Chase took during the hike and learn a bit more about the history of this hike. Chase has also written up a day-by-day report on the hike with a full gear list. You can download the PDF here.

DISCLAIMER: Do not attempt what you see in this post. It is extremely dangerous and can lead to death or serious injury. The purpose of this blog post is to tell the story of Chase’s accomplishment and does not serve as a guide of any kind. I am not recommending that you attempt this hike. The website UnrealHawaii.com is for entertainment purposes only.

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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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Start by trekking into Moanalua Valley (on the West side of the Koolaus).

Obtain the summit.

Traverse the Koolau summit ridgeline and ascend the back set of stairs.

Descend the East side of the Koolaus via the Haiku Stairs (a.k.a. Stairway to Heaven).

What a hike.

We had the good fortune last weekend to be invited to hike the Moanalua Saddle to Haiku Stairs. The hike was lead by Marcus, an avid Oahu extreme hiker. He does this trail frequently and offered to lead us on it. Had he not been available to show us the way, I’m certain that I would not have attempted this trail. It’s very risky. One slip up and you would be tumbling down the mountain.

Now, I’ve said that about many hikes before but on this trail the possibility of slipping is greater than on any trail I’ve been on. Certain sections require you to push yourself up a steep incline with only dirt, grass or moss to hold on to. The more experienced hikers in our group placed metal spikes over their shoes to allow them to dig into the mountainside. With the wind whipping against you and only wet turf beneath each of your extremities to keep you from falling a couple thousand feet, it would be very easy to let panic set in. Panic makes you second guess your movements and freeze up. But linger too long on these precarious foot and hand holds and they may no longer support you. So what I’m saying is, confidence for this hike is key.

But, in the company of seasoned hikers (I was one of the most inexperienced in the group) and with Marcus as our guide, I felt confident and capable throughout the extreme sections and all was well. This hike was intense but very beautiful.

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Last weekend I finally got a chance to hike a trail on the Waianae Range on the west side of Oahu. We followed a loop that takes you through Waianae Kai Forest Reserve, up to Pu’u Kawiwi, over to No Name peak and down Tiki Ridge back into the forest. The trail took almost 8 and a half hours and was the most intense hiking experience I’ve had so far.

The hike starts by making your way through the forest on an unmarked trail. You just have to find your way to the base of Pu’u Kawiwi. From there the climbs are steep and strenuous. Once you get towards the top of the first peak, you have to scramble and climb rocks that crumble upon being touched (at an elevation close to 3,000 ft). The ridge to the second peak, No Name, is the craziest and most knife-edged ridge I’ve hiked so far. There were several moments that I feared for my safety or the safety of my companions. Once you make it to the second peak, you’re not yet out of the woods. Literally. You still have to make your way out of the woods. And if you start in the late-morning like we did, you’ll have to do this in the pitch-dark. On a trail that’s not marked.

If this sounds fun to you then you’re probably an experienced hiker so read on. If this sounds horrible, you might not like this one. For us, it was exhilarating and completely rewarding.

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