Hawaii Loa Ridge hike in Hawaii Kai

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Hawaii Loa Ridge – March 2, 2011

The Hawaii Loa Ridge community is known for its multi-million dollar homes. It also means  a perfect intermediate trail. Hikers categorize hikes using 3 major categories 1) Novice/Beginner 2) Intermediate 3) Expert/Advanced. If you don’t know the difference between the 3, then hike Hawaii Loa Ridge! It’s the perfect in every sense of the word, an intermediate hike, especially towards the end. You need to be in good cardio condition to do this hike or you'll be making frequent rest stops and it will take forever to get to the summit. Once you experience it, you’ll know what an Intermediate hike feels and looks like. In addition, Intermediate hikes are generally safe. Experts hikes are the ones you have to really focus and watch out for your safety.

On this day I dropped the kids off at school, then ventured to Hawaii Kai. I was stuck in traffic for over an hour. The residents of Hawaii Loa graciously grants visitors access to the trailhead and  the trail is part of the Na Hele Trail System. I checked in with security at the guard shack, gave my ID, and signed the liability waiver. It took along time, the guard did a thorough check of my ID and jotted down all my car information. After about 5 minutes of waiting, I drove up the mountain. The trip up Hawaii Loa Community was hell on my old car. My car struggled to get to the top. After admiring all the nice homes, I drove to the end of the road and parked near the trail. It was chili up at altitude. The wind was rustling. 

The trail starts right on the ridge, and the ridge was pretty wide, so I wasn’t fearful for my safety. About 20 minutes into the hike, you see root hills and enter a forest. The trail starts to slowly ascend. After 45 minutes you see steps. What a relief! Not really! Another 45 minutes of straight incline up the dirt trail and stairs, not to mention slippery as hell. I had to take a few breaks, my heart was beating so fast and I was slipping. When I consistently slip, it means I’m losing focus. I felt really tired, but refocused myself and made the trek to the Ko’olau Summit via Hawaii Loa Ridge.  It took about 1 hour and 25 minutes to reached the summit. You could see all of Waimanalo and Kailua. I think that is Enchanted Lake in the picture below. 

After the hike, I went down the road to Kahala Mall and ate at The Counter. They have really good burgers and garlic fries. Winna!










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