Extreme Hiking Hawaii

Bob Burd -- photo by climber.org When one thinks of high-priced mountain adventures, one typically has images of the $7,000 Denali expedition or the $50,000 Everest attempt. Kawaikini, barely making it over 5,000ft in elevation, would be my most expensive climb yet, coming in at over $10,000. Of course that included a two week vacation for the whole family with an oceanfront condo in Poipu Beach - the price I had to pay to entice them to let me climb once more in Kauai - and worth every cent, I might add. The climb itself cost little more than $5 for food and maybe $50 for gas plus the wear on my clothes - I'd spent more on day trips in the Sierra Nevada. Read more...

Waimanu Valley -- Photo from www.hawaii-guide.com This is part 2 of of John Hall's recounting of a backpacking trip from Pololu to Waimanu Valley on the Big Island. If you missed it, read part 1 here. The rain continued as we proceeded for another day to head for Waimanu. Set a course, strike a gulch, climb the mountain, cross the gully, head for Waimanu, and on and on. Once or twice we startled small pigs that seemed astounded to find us there, and quickly disappeared in the brush. That night, I again found suitably spaced, if unnervingly spindly trees for my hammock, but we were out of tree ferns, and Fred and his family had to pitch their tent directly on a muddy bank. Fred recalls that it was the "most miserable, totally wet, sleepless night we've probably ever had." I was amazed that neither of the youngsters ever complained, though I thought I noticed a certain reluctance to join their Dad and me on trips afterwards. I don't know how they cooked th...

John Hall. Photo by Nathan Yuen It was August of 1977 when Fred Dodge and his two teen-age children, Charlie, 17, and Alyce (Tootsie) , 16, and I hiked across the north slope of the Kohala mountain from the end of the road above Pololu Valley to Waipio Valley. I had hiked the Kohala Ditch trail with the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club some years before on a trip organized by Dick Booth, I believe. On that trip we had taken the inland trail, and wound behind a waterfall and in and out of many deep gulches before reaching the end of the trail. This time we stayed on the coastal route, crossing the mouth of Pololu Valley and climbing the wall on the farside. Here the trail forks, with the right branch running up the ridge and eventually connecting with the inland trail in Honokane Nui Valley. We intended to take the left fork, but it crossed a patch of bare dirt at the junction and was less obvious, so we missed it and hiked some distance up the ridge before realizing our mista...

Photo via http://2.bp.blogspot.com/ The Koko Crater tramway climb is a tough aerobic ascent but not really an extreme hike. However, Brandon Fuller took this to an extreme by running from Waikiki (about 9 miles) then ascending the tramway trail in under 14 minutes, then running back to Waikiki. He did all this in three hours and change. Read more...

The Aiea Ridge Trail is regularly hiked by many, including the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club, which also helps to maintain the trail. Few have ever hiked to the summit of the Koolau Range via the middle ridge of Waimalu Valley. In 1997, Patrick Rorie ascended Aiea Ridge, crossed along the Koolau summit ridge to Waimalu Middle Ridge and then exited via Waimalu Middle. Nowadays, it will probably be easier and faster to exit via Waimano Ridge trail since Waimalu Middle Ridge has been swallowed up by uluhe and other vegetation. Date: Fri, 28 Nov 1997 From: Patrick Rorie Subject: Aiea Ridge-Ko'olau Summit Ridge-Waimalu Middle Ridge Trek Thanksgiving day is normally a day when family and friends get together to enjoy ono food stuffs and each others company all the while being thankful for the many blessings in their lives. With no family living in the islands I had no committments to attend to on turkey day therefore I decided to do a solo hike. Got up at 6:45 a.m., ate s...

Kaupo Gap from South Maui coast --Photo by mauiguidebook.com  Many people have hiked/backpacked down the Kaupo Gap from Haleakala Crater. Few, I would wager, have hiked/backpacked into Haleakala Crater via Kaupo Gap. What follows is an account of the latter by members of the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club circa 1999. Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 From: Patrick Rorie Subject: Haleakala Crater Via Kaupo Gap A friend once told me "The weather is everything!". While I don't entirely agree with this statement, I do believe that excellent weather is the foundation for a wonderful day hike/backpack trip. It sets the table for a memorable visit to a special place. Such was the case on Independence Day weekend 1999 for seven members of the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club who ventured up Kaupo Gap into Haleakala Crater on the island of Maui.   Our group, consisting of Arnold Fujioka, Chris Atkinson, "Big" John Darrah (making his seventh ascent of Kaupo Gap), Herman and M...