Ka'iwa Ridge Trail

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 Ka'iwa Ridge Trail - June 10, 2011       

I cannot sleep. I open my eyes a little after 4 am. Hiking blood is circulating throughout my veins. I have to go on a hike. But its 4 am, What hike will suffice this early in the morning? A long hike? A hike far away from my house? A popular hike? Don't know. Change thinking. What would look amazing at this time in the morning? SUNRISE. Okay, where is a good place to see the sunrise. The sun rises in the East. What trail is on that side of the island? Makapuu Ridge? Nah! Maybe Kokohead? Nah, I'm not up for a stairmaster this early. Ka'iwa Ridge trail? Good choice! The Ka'iwa Ridge trail is located in Lanikai and features 2 World War II bunkers also known as pillboxes. The trail is also known as the Lanikai Pillboxes.                    

I pack my bag and drive off to Kailua at 4:45 am. The sunrise was at 5:50 am according to the KGMB 9 website. I arrive in Lanikai at about 5:30 am, but shit, I can't find the trailhead to the Ka'iwa Ridge trail. So I pull over on the side of the road to check my iPhone maps. Na Hele directions said the trail is on Kaelepulu Drive. I iPhone map Kaelepulu Drive and nothing is showing up, not sure if I spelled it right at the time, but it wasn't working. Frustration set in, but I quickly calm myself down and scan my iPhone maps for neighboring streets in the area. A few minutes go by, I find it, off to the spot. It is 5:45 am. FYI its by the Mid Pacific Country Club. Parking is limited, but there is one spot available. Okay only 5 minutes till sunrise. Shit, I ain't going to make it.     


trailhead

It is an all out sprint up the Ka'iwa Ridge Trail. The trail is short and its all uphill. If your not in good shape don't book it up hill, your going to have a heart attack. A few minutes of scrambling and I immediately see the Mokuleia Islands. Freakin' Beautiful! I look left, I miss the damn sunrise. Shit! There is disappointment in the air, but I will finish the hike. Its a lot of scrambling up hill, but its not too steep. The rocks are little crumbly, but there are good foot holds along the way. I get to the first pillbox in 20 minutes. There are people sitting up there, so I decide to do the second pillbox which is a little further up the mountain. Its much better. On top of the second pillbox is a 360 degree view of the area. You can see all of Kailua, Lanikai, and the Ko'olau Mountain Range. You can get a good picture of the Hawaii Kai peaks from the second Pill Box. 



Ka'iwi Coastline

I stay for a little while, but need to leave, so I could get to the KCC Farmer's  market right before it opens. I start going down the hill. Choke people coming up. I see at least 20+ people coming up while I am going down, appears to be residents in the area. I said my good mornings. People from Lanikai are consistently friendly. Why, because its freakin' Lanikai! During the 90s, Lanikai was synonymous with idyllic beaches. Lanikai Beach was consistently one of the top 10 beaches in the world year after year.  Watch your step going down, its not too bad. But give the hill respect. I hold on to the trees to control momentum. Going down takes 20 minutes. The time is around 6:30 am.  


Smoked Kalua Pig

Off to the KCC Farmer's Market near Diamond Head which opens at 7:00 am. I drive for about 20 minutes. It opens only on Saturday at Kapiolani Community College. Its arguably the best Farmer's Market on the island. Since its so popular, you have to get their early before all the tourist arrive and pack the place. I arrive at one of the vendors and order my breakfast, but the vendor said "we aren't selling yet". "Why?", I ask her, she said, "we open at 7:30 am". When did that change? I wait. 7:30 am hits my iPhone, I order a Kalua Pig plate. The Kalua Pig was cooked in an Imu (underground oven) overnight. Succulent, Moist, Falls Apart, Smoky, those are the words to describe Kalua Pig cooked in an Imu. I take one deep breath and the pig is gone!

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