Extreme Hiking Hawaii

Not long ago, August and I were on the Koolau Ridge behind Manoa Valley when we spotted a windward ridge originating from Maunawilli that we thought might be climbable. (It was essentially the “best of the worst” options in that area.) So I studied it from different angles during subsequent hikes and stared endlessly at topo maps until convincing myself that we should go for it. Then I managed to convince the others. Regulars August, Duc , and Laredo were in….along with newbie Albie Carcueva who had shown interest in joining us on our adventures. So after stashing my vehicle in Manoa, Duc and August and I rode over to the Maunawilli Falls trailhead to meet the others. We hit the trail at 8:40am, continued up the connector to the Demonstration trail, and took a left to search out the targeted ridge. We were treated to high clouds which kept us cool…but also did not obscure the ridge in question. I was aiming for a spot just to the right of the prominent puu at dead-center in the photo b...

Hike date : September 2003 Here's a new super-loop! Called Ed Gilman about the Kahana Valley adventure that I planned, and he ended up meeting me at the trailhead Friday morning. As I posted this week, I originally planned to go up Pauao, along KST, down Waikane to saddle, and the return via the Waiahole ditch trail. After looking at the topo maps, I got curious about following the Waikane saddle all the way to Puu Koele(sp?)- the peak behind Puu O'Kila on the same ridge. From there we could work our way over to the club ridge that leads up Ohulehule. Ed was up for it, and we set off at 8:50. It took about 2hrs 40 min to summit on Pauao. Trail was in good shape, and weather was agreeable. As we worked along the KST, one of my boot soles detached,and the whole back half was flapping off. Managed to tape it at the arch to prevent further slippage, but this slapping proved to be a hassle for the rest of the day. No other problems along the KST, but plenty of photo ...

June 20, 1998 -- Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club Leaders: Rorie and Turner Club members : ten The Manana and Waimano Trails get a good deal of hiker traffic in a typical year. The summit section between these two trails, however, is not often traversed. Back in 1998, Patrick Rorie and Dayle Turner began leading advanced-level hikes for HTMC. Manana to Waimano was chosen as the first of what would be twenty "super hikes" in a five-year span. For this first outing, four members wanted to begin a little earlier than the rest so they met Turner at the Waimano trailhead at 6:30 a.m. and were transported to the head of the Manana trail where they began hiking at 6:45. It was raining in the mountains when they departed, but skies were blue over Pearl City and further makai so the group had hopes the weather bureau's prediction of brief morning showers followed by mostly sunny conditions would be correct. After seeing them off, Turner headed down Palisades and...

On Memorial Day, I took a long hike on EMI roads to the very back of Honomanu Valley then on to the rim of Keanae Valley. I did a write up on Honomanu Valley a few weeks ago. Above the falls I hiked to then, the Valley continues on to another amphitheater and falls. On this trip, I followed a wide road cut into the steep pali that circled the back of that amphiteater at about 1200 feet elevation. I named this hike Honomanu Uka and its about 14 miles round trip. I posted a hike a few weeks ago called "The Best Hike on Maui". Honomanu Uka is one of the best, but not quite. It goes through similar terrain but is long and boring, however it ends with one hell of a bang. The hike starts at about mile post 10 of the Hana Hwy. Go past the Waikamoi Ridge Trail and then past the serene little Waikamoi Falls. As the Highway turns out of Waikamoi Gulch there is a pull-off on the mauka side by a gated road. I have often seen locals parked here, so after a good recon of the topom...

Posted recently were accounts of climbs of Iao Needle by Pete Clines in Nov. 2010 and later in mid-December 2010 . Earlier, Nathan Yuen and Justin Ohara explored the climb to Iao. Although they did not summit, Nathan posted a great report of their attempt on his blog. Photo by Raptor4007 Also documented is the ascent by an unknown hiker (possibly two) captured by Raptor4007 in 2007.

Photo by http://great-hikes.com/blog/ Bob Burd calls Namolokama (4421 feet) "possibly the most difficult peak on Kauai to summit." Based on research I've done, I could find no one who has climbed to the summit of Namolokama, pictured to the right. Has anyone done this or know of anyone who has?

Kalalea aka King Kong Photo by Ryan Ray Stranded in Paradise is not a high quality Rock route by most standards, but it was a blast and alot of fun to summit this awesome peak. This route if my memory serves me correct (its been 7 or 8 years or so now) follows the East or southeastern ridge which would be the face of king kong . Read more... Kalalea from the highway