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Trail: Waianae-Kaala
Hike Date: October 18, 1998
Author:
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On Sunday, October 18, 1998, the good folks of HTMC gathered for
their weekly clearing project. This time, it was the ascent to the mighty
Mt. Kaala (elev. 4,025 feet) through the Waianae Kai Forest Reserve.
Personally, having come with various expectations of the trail, it proved
to be a very surprising hike! The morning started out with the meeting and exchanging of pleasantries at a parking lot off of Farrington Highway (just after Waianae Shopping Center), Curious Sunday-strollers watched as our sickle-and-machete-wielding crew set out to the trailhead deep in Waianae Valley. Reaching the gated entrance to the concrete road leading into the reserve, we all piled into five 4WD trucks and SUVs and drove through. After approximately ten minutes of steep-grade gasoline-burnin', we disembarked and loosely huddled around Mabel Kekina for the plan of the day. Since we had heard the trail was heavily overgrown, preparations were made for an onslaught of the nasty blackberry scurge accompanying the usual uluhe thickets. One of our objectives was to open up the trail for some local school groups which expressed interest in exploring the vegetation of the area. As a result, long-sleeved shirts, pants, gaiters, and gloves were strewn about the individuals of our bush-whacking clan. Luckily, this day's event had brought a considerable number to our little expedition. In attendance were (in no particular order) Mabel Kekina, Dayle Turner, Arnold Fujioka, Carole Moon, Lynn Agena, June Miyasato, Nathan Yuen, Ralph Valentino, Kim Roy, Judy Roy, Grant Oka, Georgina Oka, John Hall, Erin Reagan, Bill Gorst, Joyce Tomlinson, Ken Suzuki, Pat Rorie, "Famous Woman Hiker", Thomas Yoza, Doug "Dusty" Klein, Ellyn Tong and friend, Kris Corliss and friends, Deetsie Chave, and a few other individuals, including a father-and-son team. And so, we set out into the lightly wooded trailhead where the road switched from concrete to dirt. After about 200 yards, the wide, distinguishable dirt road petered into a footpath which led into a thickening forest of tall guava. The narrow path soon filtered through a patch of waist-high guava, affording a view of Kamaileunu Ridge. The trail levelled out just enough for me to catch my breath and realize that I didn't expect any of this plant-life to be flourishing here. Passing a small streambed and following the gently-rising contour to the left, I gazed up at the towering trees above in amazement - I had expected desolate, crumbly, sun-parched wasteland. Yet, a lush canopy resisted the sun's pounding while a cool breeze (from where?) circulated up past the trunks. The trail quickly returned to a steep ascent up the "finger" ridge. Quite simply, this was an "honest" trail - no hidden "downs", just "up, up, up" all the way. I finally emerged from the smaller ridge onto the actual ridge (Kamaileunu) as a light rain began to trickle. Here, a group of 10 or so were standing close to the triple-masted power lines, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Mabel. Some were to head down to the left along the Waianae Kai trail, which double-backs in the valley and junctions into the trail we had just ascended. A little less than half of the entire clearing group continued up the spine toward Mt. Kaala. I could see some of the faster hikers midway up the ridge. The long-awaited view of the Waianae Valley had come to fruition. Standing on the foot-grass clearing, rehydrating myself, I gazed across the huge valley to the coastline, turned to peer into Makaha Valley (behind me), then turned my view to the "summit of Oahu". I packed my water and camera away and continued my trudge. It was wonderful! The overcast skies had littered the 6 - 7-foot high trees (such as the ohia) along the ridge with crystal-clear drops of water. Every brush against their trunks brought down a cool sprinkle onto my face The ridgetop was an average of four feet in width with native vegetation to each side. Perhaps because of the gently rising valley below, it didn't feel like I was very high up. In actuality, the grassy area on the ridge I had just stopped at for water and view was over 2,700 feet in elevation - higher than several peaks on the Koolau ridgeline! I was excited! The ridge broadened out like the calm before the storm. I skipped past a few boulders and reached the infamous "last one": a smooth, 9-foot high rounded boulder. Thankfully, Ken Suzuki caught up behind me as I stood there pondering my footing up this thing. Having done this on ten separate hikes prior, he went first. It saved me a few minutes of trial-and-error straggling as I studied his maneuvers. I soon followed (literally) in his footsteps, placing my feet (and hope) onto the scattered ripples on this rounded boulder. Slowly, carefully, with the help of the cable and well-placed fingers, I hoisted myself up and over the boulder. That was the fun part. Next came the "very steep ascent" of almost a thousand feet (or so). The sweet rain which had been so pleasant earlier turned the blades of weeds slightly moist and muddy. Yet, cables all along the sometimes ladder-like climb remedied this. Huffing and puffing, I neared the summit. My enthusiasm waned when I was told (at one point halfway up this ascent), that it was another 45 minutes to the top. In my mind, two things happened. First, as I always have a map or trail description, I'm usually very clear on where I am (progress-wise and geographically). Hearing I made a serious miscalculation of both, I was suddenly demoralized. Second, 45 minutes might have translated into 60 - 75 minutes at the pace I hike at. I felt I was far off in my calculations and probably wouldn't make it to the summit before running into the returning gang. Considering the time factor, I had thoughts of turning back. However, I shrugged it off, told myself, "get to the top of this summit, then decide", and continued ascending. Hikers, such as Doug Klein, Jason Sunada, and Bill Gorst were already making their way down the trail. Intercepting them, I asked each how far it was to go (expecting the disappointing news that there was another summit after this one). To my surprise, the responses were akin to "it's only 10 minutes away". Boy, did that lift my spirits! With a skip to my steps, I pressed on and voila! Sure enough, the summit I was climbing was, indeed, the final ascent to 3,800 feet From then on, the trail eased out along the ridge toward the bog just shy of 4,000 feet. I'm not ashamed to admit that I felt like one of those kids trotting through the foothills in "The Sound of Music". The area was lightly socked in as I followed the narrow spine through the thickening native vegetation. Although disappointing for those who might've been anticipating the great views, I found the cottony-misted surroundings heavenly! Besides, I had actually been up here once before (via truck) during an extremely clear day. Reaching the Kaala plateau and bog, I brushed-off and checked my shoes for mud build-up (and seeds), then proceeded into the vegetation sanctuary. Halfway through the boardwalk cruise, I caught the gang on a speed-walk return to the trail. I could sense a little disappointment in the group because of the socked-in conditions and assumed this to be a reason for their early departure from the summit. I think the majority got to the summit at noon. I reached the heli-pad, walked along the Air Force installation's perimeter fence, and plopped down for a sandwich and water. The hum of the cooling systems faded in and out of the gentle winds. I felt the hot sun finally break through the overcast and remembering a little physics/meteorology, I decided to stay a few more minutes to see what would happen with the clouds. It was still white-out, so I decided to diddle-dally, taking a closer look at the plants and the Kaala benchmark. At some point, I looked up - and there it was! The misty blanket lifted just enough for Oahu's colors to break through. The scattered gravy n' greens of Waialua through Schofield appeared, while the blue-and-white frosted North Shore through Kahuku performed the backdrop role. Overjoyed, I yanked out my camera and shot off several clicks. Soon enough, the rift in the clouds past and the veil descended once again. By then, I was already on my way back through the bog. Thankfully, I can report that nothing "eventful" happened on the return. I guess in my cheer and concentration during the ascent, I didn't quite fathom how steep the ridge was. Let's just say that I found the cables more useful on the descent. Ken Suzuki, who stayed behind and didn't continue to the summit, was working around that "last boulder". He installed a rock in a wide crack, making a nifty foot-hold for future hikers. Ironically, though the hike was easy (relatively speaking) going up and the boulder difficult, the opposite was true for me on the descent. To save time, Ken and I turned left down the trail at the junction instead of continuing along the ridge on the Waianae Kai Trail. Well-versed in botanical themes, he pointed out various species, including some extremely rare plants endemic to the lower ridgeline we were on. Stomping the heck out of our knees and feet, we made it out of the forest to the cheers of our hiking companions, sprawled about the trailhead with desserts and drink in hand. As for the clearing, it was obvious that earlier reports of overgrowth were exaggerated. The only clearing along the Waianae-Kaala portion involved (this time) was minor maintenance - nothing huge to remove, no swath to blaze. Also, there was evidence of earlier clearings. However, it's not to say that we weren't ready for it! As for my own personal experience, this was an awesome hike with a great group of people. The trail's rated as "intermediate/expert" in Stuart Ball's book. Unlike Du Pont (which is about 5.5 miles in length and starts at sea level), this trail is only 2 - 2.5 miles in length and starts at about 1,440 feet. You've got a pleasant forest during the first third, an interesting climb in the next two, and awesome views (if you have the time and patience) at the top. And, of course, nature's little treasure chest of native Hawaiian plant-life known as the bog at Mt. Kaala. References: Ball, Stuart M., Jr. "The Hikers Guide to Oahu", University of Hawaii Press, 1993 |
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Also published with Oahu Hiking Enthusiasts and NERDNOSH Digest.
