Hiking Trails on Oahu

Razor Ridge-Kumaipo - January 21, 2019 Starting off the new year gets us to Makaha and Baron. We have a slowed down recently and I haven't been documenting too many of my hikes due to my interest in native Hawaiian plants. With that being said, I got a chance to do a hike that I haven't done before.  Razor Ridge is a difficult hike in Makaha. The ridge branches off Kaimaileunu near the Tiki Summit. Joining the group today was all guys: Baron, Darren, Erik, Matt and Ted.  We met at Baron's house at 6am and took 2 cars to Makaha Towers. Gene met us at the front and walked with us on the H4 trail to the junction of Razor Ridge. The time was about 7am or later. It took us over an hour to get to the Razor Junction. It was about midway into the valley. We started going uphill in a cardio lung busting incline which took us to Lama Lookout. Gene and Steve built a bench up there and a dominating view of Ohikilolo beckoned in front of us. I was more interested in the grove of Lama tr...

Healing Stones of Wahiawa Finding this place was somewhat difficult. Its in a little concrete structure near a preschool. Landmarks are a better reference point, however anal people would want the exact address which is 108 California Ave.  Just to be matter of fact, the stones aren't there anymore, but the pictures inside the concrete structure, I guess show that they were once there.  The larger stone is named Pohaku Ho'ola Kino which means healing the body. The smaller stone doesn't have a name. Hawaiian legend is that two sisters from Kauai traveled to Oahu at night and at first light they turned into stone.  In the 19th century an Irish rancher moved the stones from a riverbed probably Koukonahua street to Kukaniloko. The stone was moved to a cemetery a mile away, but the very next day it was back at Kukaniloko, this went on multiple occasions, until one day the vehicle carrying the stones broke where it now lies. Over the years, people gave offerings to the stones. ...

Maui Sites - October 11-14 2018 My goal was to come to Maui and complete the Maui Marathon. This was the first time my family came along with me on an outer island marathon. We decided to do some site seeing on Maui. These aren't really difficult hikes, but some fun places to check out. The highlight of the trip was the Waihe'e Coastal Dunes.  Red Sand Beach in Hana - October 11, 2018 Last time I was in Maui, we finished the Hana Relay which finishes near the trailhead at the Red Sand Beach, however nobody really wanted to go, I guess they were tired from all that running. I vowed to go back once I returned, that I did. We landed in Maui at 9:30am and picked up the rental car. It was a long 2 hour drive on the Hana Highway. At mile 34, yes mile 34 is where the Red Sand Beach trailhead is located. I don't know who found this place, but its quite secluded. The wave current is rough but it is cut off by these huge rocks, so swimming isn't too bad. The hike to the beach is ...

Ka'ala to Hobbs - June 10, 2018 My website is on hiatus for now since I'm all into native plants. However, this hike is worth mentioning. So I'll take the time to do a write up.  I've never done the WST from Ka'ala to Kalena. Today was important in gaining experience on this section of the WST. Baron who was getting ready for his hike to Mount Kilimanjaro needed some cardio burn. He invited me along with a number of other peeps throughout the week. The group swelled into 11 by Sunday. Joining the hike was Baron, Renee, Cat, Bernice, Darren, Katie, Patricio, Matt, Kellie, Marilou, and I.  View on Waianae Kai Trail I drove to Baron's house at 5:50am, he carpooled Cat, Marilou, Darren, and I to Waianae Valley Road. We started hiking around that 7:15 time. Kellie and Renee led a strong pace up Ka'ala. It was a cool day, so we could hike fast. In about 3 hours we topped out at Ka'ala. It got cold at the top, but wasn't socked in for some reason. The group...

Kuaokala to Pahole - June 5, 2018 Being on hiatus from this website since March to pursue my passion for native Hawaiian plants, I decided to revisit and do a write up of this hike because I haven't done this specific hike before.  I got the permit in May and the goal was to look for native Hawaiian plants on Kuaokala. However, on June 3, I took my family to Kuaokala until the mounds and didn't find much native plants. I figured the native plants would be at Pahole. I asked David and Daniel if they wanted to come and join me at Pahole. I also took my daughter Malia.  We met at my house at 8am and drove the hour to the satellite station near Yokohama. We were escorted up to the trailhead and started hiking at around 9am. It wasn't too hot and that helped. Although there are ups and down on the road, the hike to the mounds is quick. From the mounds we continued on the WST towards the Nike Missile Site. It was far way, but we covered ground quickly. Again it wasn't hot mak...

Kauai Hiking 2018 We  had the sole intention of hiking The Kalalau Trail. We scheduled our flights, bought permits, and planned like heck. However, the hiking gods gave a grim forecast and in the end Kauai got the worst flooding in years, so much so that a lost Buffalo ended up in the ocean and someone had to save it.  picture from civil beat Kilauea Lighthouse - March 22, 2018 With the road closure and the Kalalau trail closed, we needed to regroup. Close by was the Kilauea Lighthouse. This place is a refuge for native flora and fauna.  It was freezing cold when we got out of the car. My goal was to identify as many native plants as possible. The mood was not the best as everyone knew Kalalau was a no go and probably a no go for the entire trip as bad weather was forecast. Daniel had to fork over Michelle and I's $5 per person fee as we didn't have any cash. A huge akoko grove was in the parking lot and we took pictures of the healthy plant. akoko There was one plant we ...

Aiea to KST - March 3, 2018 I wanted to do this hike because of the plethora of native plants. But I think everyone had their own agenda. Erik, Daniel, and Bernice wanted to get to Red Hill. Daniel wanted to get in shape. Michelle came because...I'm not sure.  The plan was to start on the Aiea Loop Trail and crossover to Red Hill. I thought the hike would take about 12-15 hours because of the distance.  A cloudy day was in the forecast, but earlier in the week the forecast called for rain so we rolled the dice.  Tomi, Bernice's husband met us at Moanalua Valley Park and drove us to the Aiea Trail Head. Yup the gate was open, we saved 15 minutes walking up the hill.  Most of us had a big pack and a heavy load, it was slowing us down. The hike on Aiea Loop was short, about 45 minutes. Aiea ridge beckoned and the beginning parts of H3 could be seen from the ridge trail. The Hirano tunnel was still far far away.  The good part of Aiea ridge was the native plants. Th...