Extreme Hiking Hawaii

Hike date : January 2000 "Winter is for the Wai'anaes" is a saying I have a firm belief in, and I enjoy hiking the Wai'anae Range (Leeward Coast) because of its stark contrast to the Ko'olaus - dry, rocky, open terrain vs. muddy, heavily vegetated territory. Having sat around watching football games on Saturday and Sunday afternoons resting my left knee, I decided to venture out of my humble Waikele abode Monday (Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday) to visit one of my favorite locales on O'ahu, the Ohikilolo triangular peak. I've reached the triangular peak in the past via Ohikilolo Ridge (twice), Kea'au Ridge commencing from the region mauka of the former First Hawaiian Bank (FHB) rec center (three times), the entire Kea'au Ridge commencing from the Makaha surfing beach, but never via Kea'au Middle Ridge. Dayle Turner recently posted a very good route description of Kea'au Middle , so I'll skip the specifics unless deemed n

Awaawapuhi is a trail up in the Koke'e environs on Kauai. David Concepcion contributes this video about a trek out on a wild ridge that is an extension of the main trail. Not for the acrophobic! See David's video here .

This trail/climb/ascent is one of the legendary ones in the annals of Oahu hiking. Named "Bear Claw" because it has a similar appearance to the extended appendage of a huge grizzly, the ridge was climbed by HTMC daredevils of yesteryear and then conquered once again by Stan Yamada and son in the late 1990s. Following the Yamada-ascent, a flurry of activity on Bear Claw ensued by host of intrepid HTMC types of more recent vintage. After that, activity on The Claw dropped to nil. That is until recently. In 2009-2010, assaults on Bear Claw have been numerous, including ones by Andrew Bayang and friends , and Dave Concepcion and company , and Nathan Yuen and friends .

Well, I'm not quite sure just how to tell this story. The trip was the most phenomenal and exciting undertaking that any of us had attempted (at least for hiking/canyoneering). We put a great deal of time, planning and preparation into this activity to ensure it would be done as fail-safe as possible but, sometimes things happen that you're just not quite ready for. Seldomly, it's the unthinkable. Read more...

Photo by Waianae Steve The Star Trek trail starts in Waianae Valley and climbs to crest of the Waianae Range between Kolekole Pass and Pu'u Kalena. The following account is provided by Waianae Steve. "The story of this trail began while Dan and I were hiking on Hobb's ridge . I spotted what looked like a narrow valley cutting the Wai`anae Pali and thought 'Hey we might be able to do that!'" Read more...

Photo by Oahuhiker Hike date : 6 June 2010, Sunday Since I had to work on Saturday (National Trails Day) I figured I would make up for it on Sunday by adding a fourth option to the Aiea trail network: a windward continuation.After months of putting it off, yesterday became the day for a summit attempt of this obscure windward ridge. I had been looking for a new route on that side and spotted a ridge that begins behind Ahuimanu and climbs to a peak north/west of the Aiea Ridge terminus. This ridge is fairly prominent, and is between "Ulupaina Uka" to the south and "Kalahaku Teeth" to the north. A little history : My initial scouting trip began from a poor access point, but subsequent clearing trips began from an access point at the end of Heno Place - ~300 ft elevation where I parked, just down the road. I believe this might be the access for the Ahuimanu trail that the Club uses to get to the waterfall. I have never joined them for this one, but the tr

There are moments in extreme hiking when participants say to themselves,"Is this more than I can handle? Am I pushing the envelope too far?" On the other hand healthy growth can only take place when an individual's limit is stretched. Such was the case for three men on Sunday, February 22, 1998. After picking up Laredo Murray at his home in Haiku Valley I drove the two of us to a well-known windward Oahu ranch. Dayle Turner and FWH had already arrived and were waiting for us just inside the main entrance. FWH went to confirm that we had permission to do the hike. She returned a few minutes later and we drove our cars to an area not far from the trailhead. It was a high overcast day with nice breezes. At 8:16 a.m. the four of us began bushwacking thru a small forest of mostly haole koa and tall grass working our way toward the foot of the fourth ridge (the first ridge being the one that goes directly to the prominent peak Kanehoalani (elev. 1,900 ft)). We essent