Mount Ka'ala Hike
Mount Ka’ala via Waianae-Ka’ala trail – August 7, 2011
The Waianae-Ka’ala hike is not really an advanced hike; it is actually a really high end intermediate hike. With that being said, since Ka’ala is the highest peak on Oahu, it should get some credit and so I pushed it into the advanced category.
Mount Ka’ala is the highest peak on the island of Oahu standing at 4,025 feet. While driving on Kam. Hwy heading towards the North Shore look left and you will see Ka’ala. Its summit is flat top and wide. The military has an FAA station up there for aviation purposes. There are many ways to get to Ka'ala, however the two most common routes are through Waianae-Ka'ala and Dupont. Today we took the Waianae-Ka’ala trail.
I met Kahele at the trailhead at the end of the Waianae Valley Road at about 8:30 am. We started going up the concrete road. The concrete road is about 1 mile long, disenchanting, and leads to the trailhead of many Waianae hikes. The Ka’ala trail is marked with purple spray paint throughout. There appears a dirt road and it goes up a little until you get to a ridge. This is where I made my first mistake. Hiking instincts told me to stay on the ridge. Luckily Kahele caught my mistake before I continued on the ridge because the trail veers left and goes down into the valley. If I stopped at the junction, I would have seen the purple marker leading down into the valley, but I was preoccupied with the ridge. We headed down the valley and crossed the dry stream; from there we walked up the slippery mountain. It wasn’t wet, but the mountain was covered with leaves and strawberry guava, which was slick. Just then, the trail starts to greatly ascend. I put my head down and went up that hill. It was grueling. The physical toll on your body is excruciating. After walking uphill for about 30 minutes, you hit three poles. I rested and waited for Kahele. At three poles, you can see Waianae and Lualualei Valleys to the left, Makaha Valley to the right, and Kamaile’unu in the middle.
From three poles, we headed up the Ka’ala trail. In about 10 minutes, we hit the 2 rock faces. The first one is easy; the second one required some strength. It’s kind of exposed, with a steep drop below so keep your cool. Don’t get scared or flustered, cause its not that bad. After the rock faces, is forty five minutes of climbing up roped sections until you hit the Ka’ala sign. This is where I took a break.
After the sign is the nature preserve. Just then we met a group of young teenagers supervise by two adults. What the hell? We asked the guy if he came up through Dupont (though Dupont is closed). He laughed and said, "we drove to the top". Their group was doing a service project by spraying some invasive moss. What the hell? Oh yeah, you can actually drive to the top of Ka’ala via Mount Ka’ala Road, however it is usually off limits to everyone. Only military personnel are able to access the road. But I guess volunteers can as well. Mount Ka’ala has a huge bog that doesn’t drain. It is constantly wet up there so native plants have the opportunity to grow and thrive. In addition, since Ka’ala is so high in altitude, there are little chance of predators. Hikers are permitted to hike through the preserve, but only on a boardwalk which was installed by the military, state workers, and volunteers. The walk through the boardwalk is an unreal experience. You are surrounded by native and rare plants. There is also suppose to be a constant mist, however this day was so hot that no mist existed. After the preserve, you hit the FAA station. Going into the FAA station is a federal offense and you can risk being prosecuted by the Feds. Something that wouldn’t be pleasant. However, military personnel are extremely nice and greet hikers with recognition. There is a trail that loops around the FAA station. We walked clockwise around the FAA station. There are unbelievable views of the North Shore. With really good binoculars, you could probably track a car on Kam Hwy starting from the ending of Wahiawa all the way to Turtle Bay. Again, unreal. As we walked further along, the entire KST (Ko’olau Summit Trail) could be seen from Ka’ala (though there were clouds). Add to that, you can see Wahiawa, Schofield Barracks, Mililani, Waipio Gentry, Kunia (The entire central plain), Pearl Harbor, and even Diamond Head. We stayed at the top for over an hour. I honestly could spend at least 5 hours up there, that is how relaxing and beautiful it is. To provide some perspective on how wide it is up there, you could build a small town at the top.
Heading down was steep. I put my weightlifting gloves on for the rope sections. I needed to hold onto the ropes as it greatly aided my climb down the mountain. It took a while to get down. I was getting kind of tired now, but refocused. After about 2 ½ hours of descending we ended up at a picnic table and down the dirt road. We rehydrated at Waianae Well II and started walking on the concrete road back. Another mile and we were done. I felt a great accomplishment doing the highest peak on the island. The climb was very steep, but manageable. It took us 6 hours of hiking, in addition factor in the extra hour at the top because of all the pictures we took. All in all, one of the best days of hiking in my life.
After the hike, I went home and cooked my famous ribs. They are really a good. I’ve been working on a formula for the past 7 years and finally found something that work. I ate all the meat and fat on the rib. After about 10 minutes, there were just bones on the plate.
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