Since the heavy Koolau rains forced us to abandon our original hike on Kalahaku; Jeremy, Reanne, Jenelyn and I opted for a drier hike on West Oahu. Puu Ohikilolo is located a little more than half-way up Ohikilolo Ridge, which terminates at the area of the Waianae Summit known as “Three corners.” Already on late start coming from the windward side, we chose to ascend the steep cliffs near Makua Cave instead of starting at the foot of Ohikilolo Ridge (to more quickly access the more prominent part of the ridgeline), which by far was not best idea in recent history…

The first two-thirds of the ascent was steep and riddled with piles of loose rock… which kept shifting when weight was put on it.

The last third was probably the worst climb (least safe and stupidest… and I’ve done some pretty stupid things in my opinion) I have ever encountered. In addition to the absence of any solid holds while on the vertical rock face, wasps were flying around us, trying to protect their nests… a CLEAR sign to bail out. With the lack of flat surfaces to take turns climbing, we were also stacked too closely in a compact space. A few minutes after I took this picture, a ~football sized boulder landed on my back, just below my neck… I wasn’t even directly under anyone and was tucking myself out of the way while others climbed, but the bouncing boulder redirected toward me as it fell. Luckily it didn’t hit my head. I can’t emphasize enough how stupid this decision was…

Anyhow, we managed to make it up the crumbly piece of shit safely, albeit some potentially misaligned vertebrae… and we pushed on.

Most of Ohikilolo ridge is pretty insipid (partly because of the monotonous fenceline), but there are some rock features on it that might spark your interest.

The smell of rotting goats is frequent, as there are several snares set along the fenceline. We must have seen at least a dozen of them, ranging from clean bones to “day-old” carcases that weren’t smelly or bloated yet. Many of them were also snagged in the fenceline by their horns. Kind of a sad way to go, but I kept reminding myself how much harm they do to the vegetation in Hawaii… you can almost see the difference between the side of the fence with goats and the side without.

Further up the ridge, near the base of Puu Ohikilolo, we passed a sweet cabin, with a sweet view of Makua Valley. I’m assuming researchers and the fencing crew use it most frequently. Oh, and if you need to drop a deuce, make sure to check out the outdoor toilet there. Hands down the best view you can get while leaving a deposit.

After almost 5.5 hours, we reached Puu Ohikilolo.

The view from it’s summit is an amazing 360 panorama of both Makaha and Makua Valleys, as well as Mount Kaala and Oahu’s North Shore.

After a short break to post photos on our social media apps, it was time to push off to Three Corners.

We descended the back side Puu Ohikilolo, which was crap for footing as well. Microspikes/crampons will surely assist you here. Of course, yours truly didn’t pack them for this hike…

Though the fence is an apparent eyesore, it definitely gives you a sense of security while traversing the narrow portions of the eroded ridgeline.

Reanne points out where we want to be (left).

Jen emphasizing how steep some of the fence sections are.

More harrowing sections as we make our way up to Three Corners.

The sun was starting to approach the horizon quickly, and we were almost to the Waianae Summit.

…and we made it just in time to witness an epic west-side sunset,

…from “Three Corners!”

Already accomplishing one of our goals, we were eager to find a clear vantage point for the next objective…

…to watch the “super full-moonrise” over Mount Kaala.

And it was spectacular.

Only a little bit of cloud brushing the summit of Kaala, but for the most part, the sky was clear…

After being on the trail all day, it was time to head out. Again, we did anticipate coming down in the dark and planned accordingly with headlamps and extra batteries.

Though one of the most grinding hikes I have ever done (~13 hours), witnessing both events from the Waianae Summit made the trek worth the blood, sweat and tears… But seriously, the particular route we took was ridiculous and is not recommended. The initial climb to bypass the foot of Ohikilolo altered our moral for the entire the hike… I myself have never had a bigger “OH SHIT” moment to date.

If attempting the “conventional” route for Ohikilolo, make sure to bring plenty of water (> 1 gallon), and try to go on a cooler day (e.g. in the winter, but also note there is less daylight in winter). Dehydration is a huge factor on this one and can seriously affect your physical/mental ability to complete the trail. I do not recommend hiking to three-corners from Ohikilolo, it’s really much longer than most hikers can accomplish during daylight hours. Unlike us, make smarter decisions and stay safe out there folks.

Questions?? DON’T ask!!

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!