Tag: Koolau Mountains

Kolowalu to Mount Olympus

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I’ve been slowly documenting all of my hiking/ photo shoots. I am developing short videos that not only showcase my photography, but show off the awesome locations that I hike to! Here’s the second in the series of the hike from Manoa Valley up the Kolowalu trail to connect with the Wa’ahila Ridge trail and on to Mount Olympus. Leaving the videos at one minute intervals allows me to post to Instagram where I have developed the most followers and interests in my photographic journey. Hope you all enjoy, and comments are always welcome

  • High Kite
  • Wa’ahila
  • Lehua
  • Konanuihua
  • Ko’olaus
  • Ka’au Crater
  • Diamond Head View
  • Ohia Love
  • Bumpy
  • Lapalapa
  • mossy bear
  • that light tho
  • my screen saver
  • Kolowalu & Me

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” 

― Henry David Thoreau, 

Walden: Or, Life in the Woods

Olomana aka 3 Peaks

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Olomana had been on my hiking bucket list for 3 or 4 years.  Every time I drive through Kailua my eyes automatically are drawn to its majestic beauty.  Mentally it terrified me, because I wanted so bad to climb it, however the history of deaths at this location intimidated me and I let my fear & absence of fearless hiking partners keep me from the challenge.  Finally the day had come!  My fit and fearless friends invited me to join in an Olomana adventure after I had mentioned my desire to complete this hike.  On the plus side, although early January when it’s typically rainy, it was dry and clear.  We met at Maranda’s house and were treated to delicious pancakes with fruit!  We loaded up our gear and headed over the Pali to Olomana Golf Club.  After a short paved walk we turned onto the trail.  It was muddy at the beginning, but was not terribly slick.  After a short distance we started the climb up to the first peak (Olomana).  This ropes section was relatively easy for the first peak, with only about 15 – 20 feet to scramble.  Those of you with a fear of heights or limited ropes ability may opt to stop at this first peak for the next two are increasingly more challenging.

While on this hike it struck me that even though I had been intimidated I found the actual hike to be much less scary than anticipated.  Isn’t this how life is in a way?  My biggest challenge is in overcoming the fear of the what if’s!!  My two friends are more fit, and younger, than me so I had little time for messing around taking photographs because I needed to keep up!  I found my favorite view on the second peak (Paku’i) and captured the third peak backdropped by the glorious Ko’olaus and I framed it with trees in the foreground.  I did find it funny when I saw this capture reproduced by a couple of other local photographers on instagram in the next few weeks, so maybe they found this to be a cool vantage point as well.

When we arrived at the trail for the third peak (Ahiki), I now understood why I’d received many warnings regarding this hike.  I could see how “one slip and down the hole you’d fall. Sorry, my brain is constantly pulling up those song lyrics, Pink Floyd, btw.   A fair amount of upper body strength is needed for the third peak for in this entire section one relies on  the ropes.  Using my hands for anything besides holding on was necessary so I have few photos of this part.  Once you descend, it is on to narrow ledges around a rock finger with wildflowers hanging off the edge and the birds below you.  Overcoming this challenge at the moment was surreal in a transcendent way.  After the sketchy rock finger the ascent begins to the peak of the third peak.  More upper body and a few scary edges, no ankle turning here and for goodness sake hold on and take your time!  The view is glorious, the feeling is euphoric, the company was perfect; quiet and contemplative.

On the return, I was a bit of a slow poke and tried to capture more of Olomana Trail and the views.  We had a fun time and what a sense of accomplishment I felt!  We finished off with a bit of foraging and gathering and a bit of silliness.   Honestly, I recommend that you only do this hike if you are a confident hiker and have already completed some of Oahu’s more challenging trails.  Mud, crumbling and eroding trails, slippery rocks and the sheer drop off’s of Oahu’s trails are no joke and not to be attempted by the foolish.  Olomana is amazing and what a beautiful Oahu treasure to be respected and revered.

  • well kept sign
  • First peak ropes section
  • so far so good
  • peak 2
  • Ko’olau Views
  • the view
  • Leafy frame
  • epic views at every turn
  • in awe
  • down we go
  • scary rock finger
  • around the scary rock finger
  • the 3rd peak views
  • do not trip in this section
  • Olomano
  • not a bad Iphone 7 shot
  • valley view
  • 2nd peak
  • foraging & silliness
  • Aiden, Me, Maranda
Olomana aka 3 Peaks – Kailua, HI

Wiliwilinui Hiking Trail

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Last week I picked a glorious day to hike the Wiliwilinui Trail.  Oftentimes the Ko’olau range is covered in a fog ensuring visibility will be limited, but this day was amazing.  With few clouds in site I headed out around 9:30am.  This being a holiday week, I knew there’d be other hikers, but was somewhat shocked to see so many out of town hikers; I heard both Portuguese and Danish languages as well as meeting two separate families from California.

To access this trail, you first will need to show your ID at the entrance to the private community so as to obtain a hiking permit.  The drive up is steep and winding.  At the end is a small parking lot with limited stalls, so an earlier arrival would’ve been better, for I took the last available stall.  Once leaving the vehicle you head up a gravel road that is definitely very muddy.  Unless your an expert hiker, plan to have #muddyfeet right away!  You pass the water board facility and then will see the sign for Wiliwilinui Trail.

In a short distance up the trail you reap the benefits from the elevation gains with distant views of Honolulu and the South shores of Oahu.  The trail is in length (one way) 3 mi / 4.83 km and has an elevation change of 1,600 ft / 487.68 m.  You ascend through Koa trees and Cook pines to a utility pole area.  As you continue to ascend the trail becomes steeper and you start climbing up muddy stairs and deep rutted sections; some have ropes for easier access.  Please never rely solely upon ropes for hiking on any of the trails in Hawaii!  You never know how old the ropes are and if they were installed correctly in the first place.

Although the trail was crowded initially, it seems that the bulk of the hikers became discouraged along the steepest part and turned back.  Too bad for them, they were so close to the top and also completion of the trail.  Closer to the summit the flora changes and Ohia trees and Uluhe fern’s dominate the landscape. As I neared the summit, passing the second utility power section, I noticed clouds and fog moving in, so quickened my step in hopes of reaching the summit for some Windward side views.  Reaching the summit you see a radio tower at the first knob and a bench at the end with a glorious view of the Windward side from Rabbit Island to Kaneohe.  You see the crests and ravines of the beautiful Ko’olau range.  You see the clouds make dotted shadows on the landscape and experience the changing light show atop the mountains.  If you are lucky you’ll be able to experience the quiet with only the wind and birds to serenade your senses.

On this particular day a family from California was practicing with their drone and the young man shared his video footage with me.

 I enjoy this hike for it is relatively short with great payoff.  It’s a descent workout and has great views!  Also it is not too crowded, usually.  A great way to spend 1/2 a day on Oahu!

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Please enjoy the slide show and feel free to make comments or sign up to follow my posts!  Mahalo and malama honua.

 

Shannon Ballentine

 

Tripler Ridge Hike

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The Tripler Ridge hike is both rewarding and challenging.  I set out last Thursday with my favorite hiking buddy, my son Brenden, with the intention of hiking the Moanalua Valley trail to find the Moanalua Falls.  Apparently we were supposed to head off onto the Kulana’ahane trail to locate the falls, however we didn’t find the trailhead.  We were happy enough spending time together in the woods and working on our photography skills.

Although I had done a little research before our trek, I was unable to get a signal on the trail, and did not realize that we were on the Tripler Ridge Trail until we were high up the mountain and almost to the summit.  This trail is incredibly beautiful with several creek crossings and variations in flora and fauna.  Tall Grass I especially loved the section with the tall grasses, but the mucky and muddy sections weren’t my favorite.  Mud seems to be a reality for almost any Ko’olau hike, however, so it’s always good to bring microspikes to get through the challenging areas!  Today we hiked a total of 10.7 miles on an in and out route and climbed to 2,700 ft. elevation.  Further research shows there are several ways of doing Tripler Ridge, however our route started and ended in Moanalua Park.  I’ve decided to invest in a topographical map of this area and will bring my compass on the next hike so as to be more prepared to find the correct trails and to explore this area more safely.

One of the highlights of the day was our interaction with what I’ve learned to be a Black Witch Moth.  It’s as big as a small bird and is the largest Nuptial moth in the world.  Apparently there are many legends regarding this creature, most of them involve death.  The Hawaiian legend states that when seeing one you are being visited by the spirit of a loved one who has recently deceased.  Interesting!  Thanks for visiting my post.  The gallery photos were taken by Shannon Jammin’ Photos and by Brenden McNally.  Mahalo and Malama Honua.

Mau’umae Trail aka Lanipo Trail

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Mau’uamae trail is also known as the Lanipo trail and can be found atop Wilhelmina Rise.  Look for the Maunalani Loop at the top, find the fenced, No Tresspassing, water board area and look along the right side of the fence for the trail head.  This trail is 3.3 miles to the peak for a total of 6.6 round trip.  It does connect with the Ko’olau Summit Trail, so you may add to the hike by following the KST to another location.  This hike is quite pleasant for the first mile with gorgeous and close up views of Palolo Valley and the Mu Ryang Sa Korean Buddhist Temple.  There are also distant views of Honolulu, the airport, Diamond Head, and Kahala.  After the bench, which is about .7 miles in, the path quickly becomes trickier.  The day I went the path was so overgrown that pants were definitely a necessity.  I thought I could cheat with long socks, but pants would’ve been much better.  Technically, this path is rated “hard”.  I didn’t find the elevation gain difficult, there are several bouldering spots and some rope sections, but the hardest challenge is in the over grown trail.  The ferns are so tall and thick that it is impossible to see where you are planting your feet, so tromping through the mud is inevitable.  I recently tracked 500 miles in Spain and thought my hiking shoes were still good because there are no holes in them, however I noticed rather quickly that I have very little tread left.  Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my micro spikes either, so I was slipping and sliding everywhere!  I did appreciate the gorgeous day and further up the trail you get great views of Ka’au Crater and the third waterfall on the Ka’au trail.  This is a nice ridge hike close to town with three peaks to climb over, scented pine groves, and grand vista’s. However, the challenges from the bushwhacking and mud, in my honest opinion, made for a not so comfortable trek!  I will be traveling here again, for it is very close to my house, but most likely will be turning around once I reach the second grassy knoll, at about 1.5 miles.  If your up for a challenge, go for it, but wear pants, bring plenty of water, have good tread on your shoes, and maybe bring a small machete!  Hike on my friends!

 

Hawaii Loa Ridge Hike

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I went on a hike yesterday.  Hawaii Loa Ridge is probably my favorite hike on Hawaii.  Mostly because the trail is challenging but rewarding and it is lightly trafficked!  There is plenty of up and down, instead of just straight up, up, up! There’s cool forested groves with beautiful light shows on the forest floor.  There’re many steps, all different heights, narrow muddy culverts, wildflowers in bloom, and songbirds galore.  There is very little noise other than the occasional plane, the wind, and the birds!  The weather changes rapidly and can go from windy and cloudy to brutally sunny and hot to raining in an instant.  Best part is, you’re in and out in four hours!

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