Hiking up Waiahole Uka
Waiahole Uka – June 9, 2012 I’ve been waiting for a chance to summit Kipapa, today was my opportunity. The Kipapa trail was built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was last hiked in 2003 by the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club (HTMC). Now days the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (FWS) oversees part of the land the Kipapa trail is on and only grants access for conservation efforts. The lower and upper parts are passable, but the middle section of the trail maybe overgrown. To summit Kipapa, hikers have to find alternate routes. One route is up a windward ridge in Waiahole, referenced as Waiahole Uka. There are many ridges coming down in the Waiahole area, at least 6, maybe more. However, only 3 appear doable. The route on the north end looks the most doable, but there is a notch near the top and HTMC trailblazer Dayle Turner couldn’t figure the problem out and deemed it undoable. There is another ridge on the south end that looks doable, but no information on the ...