Puu Piei Makai – February 12, 2012

With a questionable forecast in the Koolaus of Central Oahu, Jenelyn and I opted to bail out of doing the Kalihi Saddle (one of the more extreme hikes on Oahu) with some other hiking buddies… instead, we joined up with Baron Yamamoto, Joshua Serrano (808 Goonies) and Marvin Chandra (Exploration Hawaii) to do an advanced ridge hike between Kahana and Punaluu called, “Piei Makai.”

We started the loop trail at ~8am from the parking area across the street of Kahana Beach Park, and heading up on Kahana Valley Road. Taking the Kapaeleele Trail junction,

…we headed up towards the Puu Piei and the Pauao Ridgeline on one of the many branching, perpendicular ridges.

Though the path was fairly distinct, we encountered pink and orange flags placed sporadically along the trail.

After passing through a hala grove, we were welcomed by a steep elevation change which we reciprocated with some minor scrambling.

Once on the Piei ridgeline, we continued mauka (mountainous direction) towards Piei summit (or Puu Piei)… which was ridiculously overgrown to say the least.

Though it seemed like the actual summit of Puu Piei has no impressive view, continuing further along through the tangled branches lead to an opening to the entire valley… all the way to Pauao Summit (which is where the ridgeline terminates along the Koolaus). Here we met up with Jeremy Kreis, who was coming up another, more overgrown ridge perpendicular to Puu Piei.

After a few pics and appreciating the view, we headed makai (seaward direction) back to the junction (where we came up) to consolidate our crew.

Continuing further, the ridge became much more narrow…

…really narrow.

Several geographic obstacles were also present, for example, the contour around this boulder feature… however, it was interpreted as a jungle gym by Jenelyn. lol.

Other obstacles also included several scrambles,

…and vertical climbs up and down “teeth” on rock which was less than optimal in stability. We contoured on the left side of the large rock crag using rope left by a fellow hiker (on right side in the right photo).

Jeremy taking photos of the panoramic view from one of rest spots along the ridgeline.

Jeremy, Jenelyn and Josh figure out what to do on one of the more tricky sections…

…required us to climb down and descend a ~50 foot high rockface using webbing. I wasn’t as comfortable with this idea as everyone else, so I free-climbed down the right side, near the lowest point in the saddle (on left side of photo). Since both are somewhat dangerous, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend either route to someone… just know that there are different ways to tackle this section.

Another smaller drop-off on another tooth shortly after, also required some climbing. Here we came down on the right side of the rock face (on left side in the above photo) and scrambled up the middle on the next (where I’m standing to take the photo).

This was pretty much the last of the obstacles, before topping out on an amazing lookout with a panoramic view…

…probably the best spot to pop our boddingtons, which were still ice-cold. 😉

The swath going down the from the lookout was much more noticeable than on the rest of the trail, as I assume many other hikers have gotten up to this lookout point from the reverse route prior.

Sticking the the ridge, we finally arrived at the most “makai” ridge… which also had a pretty impressive view of the coastline from Kaaawa and up towards Laie Point.

This was also near the “fishing lookout,” which I’ve heard is called Kapaeleele Point. I’m guessing fishermen would climb up the makai ridge to look for fish but I had a hard time believing one could see much fish from here… unless they were either using a telescope, or watching for the summer “Halalu run”.

After a short break and several photos, we descending the makai ridge of Piei…

… all the way down to the highway. And with good timing too, since it looked like the rain clouds were tailing us from the Koolaus. Definitely considering coming back to the “Fishing lookout” for the full-moonrise. Who’s in?! haha…

Mahalo nui loa to the veteran hikers to helped pioneer this route, i.e. Pete Clines and Kaleo Lancaster, and their respective crews. Had a great time on this super fun hike!

NOTE: While Puu Piei itself is a medium/intermediate route, Puu Piei Makai is an advanced hike… and not for hikers who are not comfortable with their climbing and scrambling abilities, or at least considerable experience on similar trail topography. There are enumerate places along the hike where a one can strand themselves or take a fatal fall. Climbing experience is also useful, particularly being able to technically navigate through instances where “a lack of holds” may seem apparent. Simple techniques, like being able to “match” handholds, “hop-switch” on footholds, “mantling” and “flagging” etc., can make a world of difference on some of the descents along this trail (as well as on many others). Being able to identify “what is” and “what is not” an appropriate hold (whether is be a rock or a plant, etc) and how to safely use it, in addition to using rope/webbing appropriately, can also help you get out of a trail safely. However, it is also important to note that much of the rock in Hawaii and along trails are NOT meant for climbing per se, as holds may be loose or “chossy.” Even in such situations, it is best to know how to distribute you body weight appropriately so that you don’t dislodge your holds and hurt yourself (or others). Sometimes no matter how much your prepare or how skilled a hiker is, bad things can happen… though the lack of appropriate preparation and equipment can put you at risk of injury or a liability to your hikemates. Do your best to stay safe out there folks, while having fun at the same time.

More questions? Just ask. 😉

To view the photo gallery of this adventure, click here. To view this location on a Google Map also known as my “Adventure Map“, Click Here. For more adventures of the Lost Trailblazers, either look at my other blogposts and “Adventures with the Lost Trailblazers” photo gallery. Thanks for visiting and come back again soon!