Hiking Trails on Oahu

Pali Puka - January 7, 2016 Michelle wanted to exercise and we decided to do Pali Puka. I thought it would be a little dangerous, but felt that she could do it. The trail wasn't too busy when we got there. It took us about 30 minutes to get to the puka. Michelle handled well. I feared a little bit for her safety, but she did good.  We got some good pictures on a good weather day. The trail is wide open. Last time I did this hike was 5 years ago, it is well trodden. On the way back, we saw at least 2 dozen people coming up.  I still don't think my kids can do this hike. If they do, they would need some help and guidance.  Michelle at puka ' steep climb almost to the top

  Pali Notches - December 5, 2011 After Pali Puka, it would be a good idea to do Pali Notches. Pali Notches is way more difficult than Pali Puka. And by that I mean there was no doubt what category I would put it in. It is definitely an expert hike. The Pali Puka trailhead is located to the left by the buses parking lot. The Pali Notches trailhead is located right near the lookout. Right before the lookout, look up to the right and you’ll see the trail. This trail is longer and steeper than the puka trail. The gain in elevation is substantial. If you are a novice or intermediate hiker and gain this much elevation with this much exposure, you will begin to have doubts in your head and panic may enter your body. Nate led the way. The initial section is steep which was fine for me. The problem was the foot and hand holds. Don’t get me wrong, there were roots and tree trunks. But that was all. It was upward scrambling. I had some difficulty as I always do with either slippery mud ...

Lanihuli – September 11, 2011 Today was the 10 th  anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Many hiking groups honored the fallen by hiking. Most notable was the Koko Crater Memorial hike where people went in teams to hike up Koko Crater. With all that being said, I decided to do a hike that only a few years ago was highly coveted. The Lanihuli trail once lay in a watershed area. Even today, you have to go on private property to gain access. Access to the trailhead is on land owned by Kamehameha Schools. Of course, some hard work by the HTMC in recent years made this hike a yearly thing. Coordinating the hike was Grant. For those of you who don’t know, he is a long time member of the HTMC and is stuff of legends. He emailed me that there will be two groups: early bird at 7:30 am and regular start time group which started at 8:00 am. He also provided some directions. Lanihuli is the massive peak between the Pali and Likelilke Highways. Although vegetation blocks the view most of t...