Waiʻanae Mountain Range Section Hike

Well, I have to say that I am a little sad that this entry will be the last one in regards to documenting the Waianae Summit Trail.  But as with everything in life, all good things must come to an end.  I have many mahalos to all sorts of wonderful people whom I met over the years on hiking, from my very first hike up Diamond Head, to hiking and documenting the Koʻolau Mountain Range, the Waiʻanae Mountain Range, and all the hikes in between.  Some have moved on with their lives.  Others I continue to hike with to this present day.  And there are those who arrived late in my journey, but were with me down to the finish line, whether it be on the journey itself, or support from the sidelines.  Regardless, I just want to say "Thanks for helping me along the way.  Thanks for helping guide a Captain and his ship safely."  This wouldn't be possible without my very diverse crew with many different and unique qualities, not just on the trails, but in life as well.  In the end, we all have one thing in common...

Never stop exploring.

Finally, I want to thank all the people who made their journey across the mountain range prior to me, laying down the path for others to follow.  Your many years of hard work and dedication to blazing new trails will forever be carried down generation after generation.

From day 1 that I've took my very first steps on a hiking trail to today, a unique experience allowed me to open up the spiritual side of myself, to reflect deep on my thoughts, to enter a higher dimensional like state to see the world very differently.  My goal now is to take all of this and return it to the ʻāina (land) and to bring my principles with me wherever I go in this world (and one day beyond).

Waiʻanae Summit Trail Section Hike

Kaʻena Point to Makakilo (sorted by date)

11-1-2013: Kaʻena Point to KPSTS (write up) (video)
11-8-2013: Kealia to Mt. Kaʻala Rd. (write up) (video)
11-12-2013: Kealia to KPSTS (write up) (video)
11-22/23-2013: Kaʻala to Three Corners (write up) (video)
12-14-2013: Kaʻala-Kolekole Pass [Kalena] (write up)(video)
1-17-2014: Kaua - Pohakea Pass - Palehua (write up) (video)
1-25-2014: Kaua - Kolekole Pass [Hapapa] (write up) (video)

Aloha Huakaʻi Pilialoha.

For those who can't view the embedded video above can access it by following the link below: 

Video: The Waiʻanaes (Section Hike Compilation)

1-25-2014: Waiʻanae Summit Trail - Kaua to Kolekole Pass (Hapapa)

CAUTION: The Waiʻanae Mountain Range is located on properties owned by the U.S. government, the U.S. military of all branches, the state of Hawaiʻi via departments, and private owners. The mountain ridges and valleys are also home to a delicate and vast array of native plants, animals, and insects. Please take care not to disturb them or their native habitats and always seek permission to access these lands. Always do your research prior to setting out. And finally, once you are out there, always minimize your impact to the environment and of course, be safe.

This is it, the last leg of the journey.  I didn't think I would get to this point so quickly.  But I still needed to complete this segment and anything that goes wrong on this hike could deny me the finish line.  Zack was the guy to accompany me.  As with all his hikes, he opted to hike in "slippahs", something I seriously recommend not doing unless you know absolutely what you are doing.

We pushed off on the same spot where we took to gain the WST a week ago when we headed to Makakilo.  This time around, we were to head in the opposite direction towards Kolekole Pass.  We hiked in the blackness of night, right before dawn to avoid attracting attention to ourselves on the way up.  About halfway up, we caught the sunrise over the Koʻolaus.  We were on top of Puʻu Kaua by 8:45am.  Unlike last week, we had a commanding view all the way around.  The view from here is by far my favorite on the entire Waiʻanae Range.  The winds today were howling, but not as tradewinds.  They were howling from the southwest!  A strong Kona wind pattern was with us on this day, making for a unique summit experience.

After enjoying the views for around 10 minutes, we headed north on the summit trail.  The trail was relatively overgrown but a steel fence greets you  upon leaving the summit of Kaua.  The summit ridge began a steep descent towards a pair of crumbly pinnacles known as the Gorilla Heads or Kriangles.  Almost immediately, one can get a view of the ridge line downward and the aforementioned pinnacles.  But before getting to the actual Gorilla Heads, we had to climb down a couple of rock faces.  One of the rock faces was a little tricky.  It required us to either go on the leeward or windward side to drop down and contour.  People have done the windward side but we opted for the lee side.  At the base of the rock face, on the contour is a tiny portion of fence line that somehow was placed on this area.

Once past the rock faces, it was the Gorilla Heads themselves.  Getting up to the top of the first pinnacle involved scrambling up loose rock, but it wasn't anything like the "Knucklehead Wall" on the Pohakea Pass.  The only tricky part was a large boulder just before the apex, which involved bear hugging it and heaving yourself up.  Going down on the other side of the first pinnacle was more crumbly than the other side.  But with careful okole scooting, it didn't give us that much trouble.  While heading down, we spotted a black goat just on the other side of the second pinnacle.  Going over the second pinnacle proved easier as it was smaller than the first and we made it through the Gorilla Heads rather quickly.  I looked at the remainder of the summit ridge to Kolekole Pass.  Doesn't look bad at all.  I would later regret saying that.

Past the Gorilla Heads, we hiked our way on a gentle roller coasting ridge.  The fence was not present during this stretch.  While I could say the ridge itself was gentle, the foliage growing on it was a complete different story.  I've heard the section between Kaua and Kanehoa was completely overgrown.  I was expecting to bushwhack through brushes, something that was pretty routine on the kinds of hikes I do.  Nope, not this one.  As I quote Ahnate, it was straight up "BS" for the next few hours.  Instead of brushes and uluhe, we had to contort our bodies around thickets of tree branches that seem to poke you from every direction possible.  The winds did not help one bit.  The winds blew dust in our faces, making visual difficult.  About halfway to Puʻu Kanehoa, we spotted what appeared to be a contour trail on the leeward side.  Perhaps this was a trail that bypassed a large chunk of the woody thicket.  Turns out it was a goat trail as the trail got extremely narrow with a massive drop to leeward.  The trail eventually terminated and we noticed how far below the summit crest we were.  I didn't like what I saw and turned around back to the junction.  From there I simply blasted my way through the thick low lying trees to rendezvous with Zack, who climbed directly up from the goat trail to the summit crest.  After passing a few small puʻu, we came across a larger puʻu.  We don't recall spotting any trail tape to mark this spot but we assumed we were on Kanehoa, as I could see the remainder of the summit ridge to Puʻu Hapapa.

Past Kanehoa, trail conditions improved drastically.  Gone were the thickets of tree branches and came the views.  From Kanehoa to Hapapa, this was an enjoyable segment.  We could easily make out the North Shore with Pūpūkea and the HECO wind farm.  To the leeward was vast Lualualei Valley and the towering radio towers.  Wheeler Airfield and Schofield was clearly visible.  Directly ahead of us in the distance loomed Kaʻala, completely clear of clouds.

At some point about halfway between Kanehoa and Hapapa, the fence returned and it was smooth sailing from there.  Before we knew it, we were standing on a dirt area held together by black plastic barriers.  I couldn't help but busting out my iPhone and jamming it out to Europe's "Final Countdown".  The journey was over, but we still had to get off the mountain.

Heading down the Hapapa Trail, we could easily make out the Kolekole Pass and the Kalena Trail on the other side.  We opted not to go down the traditional trail and instead went down the notches that I referred to as the "Death Ridge" back in 2009.  After descending from the notches via a ridge filled with roots, we rejoined the Hapapa Trail just prior to the large grassy meadow that shows a nice view of the notch ridge line heading up to Hapapa.  The grass here was very thick and long.  In 2009, this meadow was well manicured but since the closure of the Kolekole Pass to the public, this trail does not see much people at all.  After passing the "sacrificial boulder", we made it back to Kolekole Road at around 3pm.  The Waiʻanaes was finished at last and it was a victory walk down Kolekole Rd. to meet up with Carl who would shuttle us back to our starting point to retrieve our car.

Unfortunately, about a quarter mile out from our meeting location, we've encountered an MP and were detained.  Our information was taken and were questioned why and how we got to Kolekole Pass.  At first they were in a defensive posture but eventually warmed up to us.  They were stoked after learning where we came from and talked stories as they escorted us out via the MP patrol car and dropped us off at the gate where we proceeded to wait for Carl to come get us.  Mahalo nui, Carl and your friend for giving us a ride back to our car!

The journey is pau.

Finally....

Video coming soon!

12-2-2011: Bolohead Ridge

The surf season is in full swing, the days are shorter, the Christmas decorations are going up, and the temperatures are falling.  Tis the season.  With 2011 almost over, I wanted to finish this year off with a bang.  When Chenay brought up the idea of attempting Bolohead Ridge, I did not hesitate one bit to say yes.  Bolohead is the ridge that is adjacent to the east of the main Wai`anae Ka`ala Trail that is popular to gain the summit of Mt. Ka`ala, the roof of O`ahu, standing at 4,025ft.  I have acquired this summit numerous times over the years from the aforementioned trail, and from the Dupont Trail (now permanently closed).  I've noticed the ridge to the east of the W-K Trail but paid very little attention to it...  that is until Kaleo Lancaster and his crew pioneered the route.  They have described it as a goat trail, with no signs of humans ever setting foot on it.  "It shouldn't even be a route" was what was written on his write up.

The name "Bolohead" was coined by L Steve Rohrmayr to a particular section of the ridge line that features an ominous looking hump that looks like a face with no hair, hence the word "bolohead" meaning "bald head".  This hump could probably give Kalihi Saddle's "Witch's Hat" a run for her money.

On December 2, 2011, Jeremy, Francis, Chenay, and myself set off on what would be one of the toughest and most mental climbs I've personally done.  Also this was the debut of my GoPro Hero 2 camera.  I ended up selling my original one and got this one so what a test this would be for it!  We set off under a cool damp morning sun, making it ideal conditions, especially for that long walk up the paved road that heads up into the upper reaches of Wai`anae Valley.  At some point in the road, we veered off it into the forest.  Apparently there's a better way to reach this ridge but we beelined it regardless.  After dropping into a small ravine, we headed up steeply to gain the crest of Bolohead Ridge, but not before intersecting a well trodden trail that happened to be one of the popular hikes in Wai`anae Valley.  From here, the climb is steep through a forest.

Once the ridge opened up to reveal the expanse of Wai`anae Valley, we could see the upcoming obstacles to be traversed.  The first was an extremely narrow dike, followed by a 20ft rock face with a black strap attached.  Apparently the valley received some morning rain prior to us starting and the rocks were dangerously wet.  I was the last to make the climb and just prior to topping out, there's an odd looking smooth boulder with evidence of another boulder on top of it that was dislodged loose.  I felt my foot sliding downward on this slanted smooth boulder that terminates to a humongous drop off to my left.  I quickly dropped to a near prone position, my free hand grabbing hold to another boulder in front of me, stopping me from sliding the rest of the way down.  Whew....

First rock face completed.  On to the next, which was the Bolohead feature itself!

We followed an eye sore fence line to the base of the Bolohead feature.  Francis and I took a small break on a dirt mound while Jeremy and Chenay continued onward towards the climb.  As they headed upward, I snapped photos and took video when they appeared to get stuck about halfway up.  Things got worse when they haven't made any progress for about 5 minutes.  Chenay veered left of a giant boulder while Jeremy went to the right.  Eventually Jeremy found a way and was on his way to secure rope to help Chenay finish her climb.  Francis and I followed to the base and discovered it extremely difficult.  Just about the entire climb is on nothing but loose dirt and dry grass.  Beyond another black strap, fastened to a tree, a section between a rocky outcrop and this tree was the most difficult.  With none of us making any progress, I called out to Jeremy to bring the rope, followed by another rope, down to our location and after several tries, Francis made contact with the rope and was able to climb the remaining distance to the top.  I was up next and found it nearly impossible to climb so I ditched my pack, tied it to the end of the rope.  But with the double rope so springy, I could not trust neither of them so Francis put up a third rope and made it up to the top without incident.  All three ropes were reeled up, along with my pack.  This climb alone took all of us a very long time, about 2 hours!  It's that mental!

We were standing on the top of the Bolohead feature with a giant tree and it's low lying THICK branches covering the entire top, making for a painful forward progress.  In essence, we were "trapped".  Descending the makai or the mauka side is exceptionally dangerous, as we were about to find out upon reaching the notch on the mauka side.  The ridge line disappeared downward completely.  This looked worse than the other side!

After the rope was affixed, Jeremy went down first, followed by Chenay.  The cliff face is very vertical here and very narrow, with nothing but loose boulders....  ALL of them.  This cliff face alone is probably on par with the Kalihi Saddle "Triangle #2" cliff face!  Francis made it down safely and I was up next.  I took no chances and proceeded to climb down this thing with my bare feet as it proved useful on the "Chimney" on Pali Notches to K1!  After a lot of guidance from Francis where to place my feet as climbing down backwards is a must, I made it safely.  Another bullet, or should I say fall, dodged!

The climb up the other side of the notch is very steep, but not as dangerous as that last one, but the eroded dirt and dry grass remains plentiful.  At the top of this climb is a nice grassy lookout that allows a commanding view of the Wai`anae Valley and all of the dangerous features of Bolohead Ridge.  However, with time against us, we continued the steep but pleasant climb up a broad ridge with peculiar plants shaped like spiny balloons.  If anyone can tell me what these are, that would be awesome!  The clouds rolled in and blanketed us for much of the remainder of the climb.

Soon that pleasant climb turned into a a taxing and annoying climb through thick uluhe ferns and thorny black berry brushes that lasted nearly an eternity!  Ugh!  We eventually came across an overhanging gully with a stream flowing through it.  We could soon make out the flat plateau of the bog.  The next portion of the hike sucked.  It sucked really bad.  We hated it and I'll keep the description short on the blog.  It was muddy, confusing, green, thorny, thorny, and thorny.  Sounds about right?  I think so because we made not one but TWO complete circles in this mess!  Eventually we found the "boardwalk to heaven" and made it to the light, the light of the setting sun as we proceeded down the W-K Trail back to the valley floor and ultimately back to our cars just after nightfall.

What a rush!  Another hike added to my long list of "Never to do ever again" hikes.  I probably received more thorns on this hike alone than all my other hikes combined since the dawn of hiking!

What's the reward?  McDonald's in a place called human civilization!

I hate thorns...

Video:

Bolohead Ridge (GoPro 2 POV)