We’re in central Oahu here looking at the Koolau summit. Our first objective is that peak in the middle. It’s the Waiau summit and it’s 6 miles away.

At the Waiau summit we turn right and hike along the Koolau crest (sometimes called the Koolau summit trail) to the summit of Waimalu Middle Ridge. It’s that peak you see at the top of the photo.

At the top of Waimalu there’s a wide open meadow.

Finally, we descend Waimalu Middle Ridge down into the valley (back towards central Oahu) and hike to civilization via the Waimalu Ditch Trail. We completed this 10 mile hike in just under 12 hours.

This hike happened back in June. Kaleo Lancaster (Island Trails) coordinated a hike with a bunch of other folks and I ended up tagging along. The plan was to have a bunch of people start at different places and then meet up at the top of Waimalu.

Kaleo put in a lot of research and planning into this one. You can’t just show up to the trailhead and do this one. It’s important to read up on all the trails and make sure you know the way. He and Ryan Chang also stashed some water along the trail a few weeks earlier so we could refill our hydration packs. (Other hikers have refilled using treated stream water.)

This hike is long and grueling. When we were done I was exhausted and my legs were in shambles. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

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We hiked through a beautiful forest on the Leeward side of Oahu.

Following the ridge, we summitted Pu’u Keaau.

We hiked across a saddle in the ridgeline and descended Keaau Middle Ridge.

It was a long hike that took most of the day. Keaau is a Hawaii ridge hiker’s dream.

With the heavy rain we had in Hawaii this season, the Waianae Mountains were as green as I’ve ever seen them. It was a perfect time to hike them and my friend Pete had a hike planned.

There are a different ways to hike this area. We did a loop that goes up the front of Pu’u Keaau, turns left (sort of) into a saddle in the ridgeline and then back down Keaau Middle ridge. We were on the trail for something like 8 hours.

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There are a few hikes on Oahu that I had on my “not going to attempt” list. Up until a week ago the Pali Notches was one of them as it has a reputation for being very dangerous. If you’re driving up the Pali Highway from town you can see two notches cut in the narrow ridgeline. The notches are man-made. They were created by warriors of ancient Oahu to house cannons when defending attacks from Nu’uanu Valley. In 1795, King Kamehameha’s warriors disabled these cannons in the Battle of Nu’uanu which helped him conquer Oahu.

So, if the ancient Hawaiian warriors were able to hike the notches then at least it’s possible. But, a Hawaiian warrior I am not. Nevertheless, some friends were hiking this trail last weekend and I decided to give it a shot. The trail is short yet intense. It’s known as one of the most dangerous trails on the island because of the descent down the second notch. It’s a vertical down-climb and there’s no rope to assist you. And, even if you bring your own rope, there’s nothing to attach it to.

It was a difficult hike indeed yet we made it.

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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Last weekend we hiked into the Manoa Valley rainforest and climbed up a 50 foot waterfall. Although I live only 10 minutes away, I haven’t been into Manoa in a couple of years. It’s easy to forget how lush the forest is back there. It feels like a different world.

The trail follows Waiakeakua Stream to the back of the forest. You come across several cascade waterfalls of different sizes with pools of varying depths. At the end of the trail you’ll see the waterfall pictured above and, if the rope looks sturdy, you can climb up the side of it. It’s risky (it’s hard to tell how old the rope is) but since we survived, it was super fun.

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It’s Thursday and I’m still stoked on last weekend’s hike. It was just so fun. The hike had exposed knife-edge ridges, rock climbing, expansive views, a mini-waterfall and … I ripped my shorts half way through the trail. (Tip: One section of the trail is heavily overgrown so wear sturdy pants. And sexy underwear, just in case.)

The hike we did was the Kahekili-Manamana loop on the East coast of Oahu. It’s about 25 minutes north of Kaneohe. You go up Kahekili ridge and come down Pu’u Manamana. For much of the hike you’re on a narrow ridgeline trail with views of the Eastern coastline of Oahu and Kahana Valley. I was joined by Reanne, Sheri, Cory, Vuthy, Sam, Dan and Kris. On a 5 hour hike, it’s nice to have a good size group.

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Here’s what we’re looking at from left to right: Kahana Valley, Pu’u Manamana, Ka’a'awa Valley, then Pu’u Kanehoalani. So how do you see this view? Hike up to Pu’u Ohulehule.

Pu’u Ohulehule is the pyramid shaped mountain that sits in the back of Kahana Valley. (The word “pu’u” can be translated “hill” or “mountain” by the way.) There’s a trail that starts at Ahupua’a ‘O Kahana State Park (formerly Kahana Valley State Park) that takes you through the valley and up to the very top of the mountain. You’ll hike 8 miles round trip and including breaks, it takes about 8 hours to complete.

The trail up Pu’u Ohulehule is known as one of the most difficult on Oahu but don’t let it’s reputation deter you. It’s advanced but doable. You’ll have different types of terrain to explore including stream crossings, rain forests, narrow ridgelines and vertical climbs. The trail will take a lot out of you but the experience is worth it.

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