Hiking

I don't know what's up with all the voggy weather lately, but for some reason we end up doing hikes on the west side of Oahu when the volcanic pollution from the south is heavy. Unlike the tradewinds from the northeast which are cool and moist, the Kona winds are often hot, humid and pretty much just unpleasant. Since we were rained out on our first TWO attempts, we decide to make the third time the charm and play the safety card with the weather to summit "Razor Ridge" in the Waianae Mountain Range. STAY TUNED for full description and more photos!!! ...

While my last experience hiking from Ohikilolo ridge to three corners made me despise West Oahu ridges for quite some time, I did not want to pass up an opportunity to do a one-way route from Keaau Ridge up to Keaau Middle Ridge with Baron and many other hiking buddies (Katie, Kaiser, Laora, Darren and Jenelyn). Starting at dawn on a voggy day, we began our ascent on one of the many steep, perpendicular ridges that intersect Keaau Ridge. We spent most of our time scrambling up on the makai side (side nearest ocean) of the ridge to avoid the heat that came with the sun rising over the Waianae...

Not only does Hilo have the highest density of people on the Big Island (Hawaii Island), it probably has some of the highest concentrations of waterfalls in the State of Hawaii. As a supplement to our "cave" and "fire" theme on this trip, we were lucky to squeeze in several accessible waterfall hikes into our itinerary, which included: Kauwehu Falls (Upper Wailuku River), Rainbow Falls (Lower Wailuku River) and 16s (Umauma Stream). The longest waterfall hike we went on was to Kauwehu Falls in the upper reaches of Wailuku River, ...which not only had a series of waterfalls, but also...

Another cave / lava tube that we were excited to see, was the "Cave of Refuge" in the Hakuma Horst of Kalapana. The cave is probably ~200 meters long and is partially modified narrow at its entrance. Doing so allowed Hawaiians to defend the cave against intruders. On the other end, the cave opens to a cliff, 40 feet above the ocean. Though the cave is commonly marked on maps of Hawaii, its entrance is often difficult to find since the area is heavily covered by bushes. Fortunate to have contacts on the island who have been there before, ...we were quick to find its entrance on the Kalapana...

On our (Baron, Cecelia, Janice and I) recent trip to Hawaii Island (the Big Island), the theme was supposed to reflect "caves" and "fire..." Meaning, we were going to explore lava tubes and see live lava!!! As the first adventure on our trip, Emesine Cave was an excellent choice since it was only a 40 minute hike off of Saddle Road. Meeting up with friends (Dan and Paige) who lived in Hilo, finding our way to the trailhead was easy. We parked our cars up an unpaved road, near mile-marker 22 of Saddle Road and the Powerline trail. We'd walk in from here on, at a locked gate. After a short...

The last time we were here, we only got to see the left stream fork of Koloa Gulch, which lead Kalo Falls... Therefore, it was only fitting that we (Josh, Katie and I) further explore the gulch and see the waterfall at the end of the right fork (not sure of actual name). Since there was a flash-flood alert later in the evening, we quickly made it in and out of the gulch in 6.5 hours. It had been awhile since I had been here, but it looked like other hikers had recently put up new flagging ribbons at the entry / exit points for the dozens of stream crossings. Since they appeared to be placed...

Although not very popular valleys to hike in Hawaii Kai, Kamilo Nui and Hahaione Valleys have several potential routes which may connect via the Koolau Summit Trail. Despite being poured on the entire hike, we (Pete, August, Katie and I) connected a short one-way route from the west side of Kamilo Nui Valley to a spur ridge (just below the summit Kaluanui Ridge) into Hahaione Valley. Eyeing up the socked-in target ridge for a moment, we start our hike near the end of Kaiwi Rd. Though we found some faded trail ribbons, they were far and few between long stretches of chest-high California...

One of the closest trails to where I grew up, Waiau Ridge trail, is a 6 mile grinder of elevation changes... as opposed to the nearby Waimano Trail (~7 miles), which steadily contours it's way up to the Koolau Summit Trail (KST). A few months in advance, Josh asked me if I'd help clear the trail with the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club (HTMC), knowing that it was in my hometown. "Of course" I said, thinking that would also be another chance to see Waihee Valley from the KST, as well as help maintain a nearby Oahu Trail. Unfortunately, this view was not to granted to us, as we were forecasted...

After hiking up to Lanihuli from the Pali Puka, I had no desire to get to the peak again anytime soon. This is mostly because of the distance one has to travel up (or down) from Alewa heights, if hiking the conventional route that is. However, a shorter route (and far less dangerous than other shorter routes like Lanihuli Windward or from the Pali Lookout) does exist, and ascends from Moole Gulch. Thank goodness, because the views from the summit are pretty epic, haha. We (Josh, Baron, Katie, Jen C., Jen L., Gary, Ryan's and I) parked and began the hike at the same place as one would for the upper...

I haven't hiked much on any of the west-side ridges lately, maybe because I was mentally scarred for how long and hot "Ohikilolo to Three Corners" was last year, haha. However, Pete was looking for someone to hike with and scout out a new route he hadn't done before... and for those who don't know, when Pete has a new hike on his mind, it is not one to miss. In about 6.5 hours, we completed a loop trail around Kaulakauila Gulch and were treated to superb views of Yokohama Beach, Kaena Point, and Makua Valley. Following an old, overgrown trail route on the 1:24000 topographic quadrangle map,...