Kamaile'unu Hike in Waianae
Kamaile’unu – November 13, 2011
I’m not going to sugar coat this hike. One word describes it - brutal. Starting at sea level on an exposed ridge takes you 3200 feet in less than 3.5 miles. Get the picture. One provisional thing you need for the hike, plenty of water, which all of us ran out of today.
Kamaile’unu is the ridge that separates Waianae and Makaha valleys. It is also the ridge that you hike to Mount Ka’ala (the highest peak on the island).
I arrived in Waianae at 7:45 am, low and behold I seen Nate and Will. All right, I told myself, I get to hike with two really good hikers. We waited for everyone to arrive, but no one came. So I called Arnold who was the coordinator for the hike. He said he was on the street, so we hopped in our cars and drove down the street to find him. We did. At about 8:15 am we had our HTMC group. Leading us was Arnold, and the HTMC crew consisted of me, Nate, Will, Jennie, and Bob. They are all experienced hikers and we would need a great deal of experience and stamina for Kamaile’unu.
We had to walk through private property on a trail which went behind some houses, and then we ended up on a street. We then took a trail to the base of the ridge. The one thing about Kamaile’unu, it starts at sea level. Oh my. It is one of the few hikes on this island that starts at sea level. Stuart Ball, author of, “Hiking on Oahu” rates Kamaile’ulu as the most rugged hike on the island. There is some truth to that. As you read on, you’ll know why.
There are very few to no trees on the ridge, which makes this hike super exposed to the elements which may be. One major element is the sun. The sun is unrelenting. Just brutal. I started off in the back, immediately it became a difficult hike. The climbing over exposed rock dikes became stuff of great hiking. Rock dike after rock dike, it was brutal. Everyone in the crew was drinking water, tons of water. It took us nearly 2 hours to get to the false peak. From the false peak there were rolling hills. At this point, everyone was extremely tired. Hill after hill, we finally hit some shade going through an iron wood forest. The forest was short lived. After, we encountered a huge rock dike, luckily there was a contour trail going around it. But the contour trail was over loose terrain and set at an awkward angle. Everyone had some difficulties keeping their balance.
We hit another small ironwood forest. We eventually had to descend this steep rock dike. It reminded me of the Lanihuli saddle. Nothing too bad, but descending needed respect from all the hikers. We eventually hit another resting spot; however we were to continue on another 20 minutes to the true summit. At the summit, we ended up at a resting spot. From the resting spot, you can see Ka’ala and Kalena, also No name peak. I scouted the saddle leading down our resting spot, it looked doable, but for now we would rest at the summit at the 3 hour and 45 minute mark.
We took some nice pictures at the summit and went back. The hike back was grueling. Will ran out of water, which is not a good sign. I was really low on water and gave Will whatever I could spare. Rolling hill after rolling hill, the hot sun was beaming down on us. We all walked at a snails pace because of pure physical exhaustion. All of us ended up running out of water and we were so thirsty. Nate and I separated from the group and finished the return trek in 3 hours. On the way down the mountain Jennie left 8 bottles of water near the trailhead. OMG, "the gold coins at the end of the rainbow". Yes, Yes. Nate and I unscrewed the water and inhaled that shit like it was air. It was so good to drink water. Knowing that the hikers were at least 20 minutes behind, Nate and I decided to get a drink from the gas station. I got a Diet Pepsi and sucked it down in minutes. We waited for everyone to arrive at the cars. When everyone arrived, I thank Jennie for the water. Nate and I agreed it was genius.
We rested for a while, purely exhausted. It was a grueling day of hiking on Oahu. No doubt, Kamaile’unu is one of the most brutal hikes on this island.
On the way home to Kapolei, the police closed down Farrington Hwy because of APEC. I was stuck at a standstill of cars for 30 minutes, awaiting the road to re-open. I just chilled in my car, so tired from the hike. When the roads opened, I drove home to Kapolei and drank the rest of my red wine. Michelle made steak and shrimp. Oh yeah. Winna!
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