Pat, Ed, Steve, and I logged a good amount of hiking today. We all started in Waianae Valley and made our way up the No-Name Peak side of the Waianae Kai Trail—a no-nonsense climb and a good workout. From there, we descended an ancient Hawaiian trail, now used mostly by hunters, to Makaha Valley.
The trail is well-defined in its upper third but less so the rest of the way as it descends through guava. Pink ribbons helped us navigate our way.
Once down in Makaha, we headed makai on a well-used trail along the gently flowing Makaha Stream. At one point, Pat led us up a short side trail on the right that took us in a couple of minutes to a pu‘u with a panoramic view of the valley.
Pat and I agreed that the surroundings reminded us of what one might see from Smoke Rock in Kalalau. Very nice.
The valley trail led to a Board of Water Supply well and a paved road leading to it. We walked down the road, our next objective being to find a trail on the left that would lead us to a spur ridge up to the terminus of the Kamaileunu Trail.
HTMC vet Fred Dodge has hiked this route before, so I christened it Fred Dodge’s Ridge (the blue arrow points at it in the image below)
We walked past the obscure trail on our first pass, but after backtracking we found it. A large pole—and now pink ribbons—mark the spot. The trail enters a forest of coffee and macadamia trees for about 50–60 meters, then veers right on a contour.
After that, the way became indistinct and we switched into path-of-least-resistance mode, with Pat as the hammer man.
About fifteen minutes later, we began climbing a distinct, rocky ridge. Yes—this was Dodge Ridge, which we hoped would deliver us to the summit of Kamaileunu. We were optimistic yet apprehensive, since none of us had ever hiked this route all the way before.
Happily, the ridge proved quite good. No chopping was necessary, and there was no overly challenging or taxing rock climbing, at least until we neared the summit. Goats clearly rule this ridge, evidenced by the well-used paths they’ve created and the piles of dung they’ve left behind. The acrid aroma of goat urine leaves quite an impression.
As we approached the 2000-foot level, Pat picked up the pace and pressed ahead. Near 2500 feet, we reached a level section where we could see him about 100 meters ahead, stopped at the base of a radical-looking rock section.
It was obvious Pat had stopped for a reason. The section was a dangerous one.
Steve, Ed, and I eventually reached the base and followed Pat left on a narrow goat bypass. A big drop had us moving very cautiously. We decided the left bypass was too risky and backtracked to explore possibilities on the right.
Those didn’t pan out either, leaving only one option: attempt the rock face straight on if the summit were to be acquired.
Testing every handhold and foothold several times, Pat went first. He made it and reported that the ridge ahead looked doable. Ed went next—also successful.
Steve and I were next. I was admittedly very nervous, but after watching Pat and Ed make it, I felt I could manage. Steve, a very cautious sort, opted not to try it—even after my enthusiastic pep talk about what a great climber he is (which is no BS).
Not wanting Steve to have to descend alone, I decided to pass on the summit and head down with him. I yelled our plan to Pat and asked him to drive over to the end of Kili Drive in Makaha to pick us up.
Pat said he would.
Pat and Ed continued up the ridge to reach the Kamaileunu terminus, then hiked makai to Kepauula and down the ridge toward the junkyard in Waianae Valley, where Pat had earlier left his vehicle.
Steve and I headed back down, stopping around the 1400-foot level to examine what we thought was a halapepe tree. Eventually, we reached the BOWS road and followed it makai toward Kaneaki Heiau.
Just mauka of Kaneaki, we veered right onto an overgrown but discernible trail. After crossing the stream several times, we emerged on a fairway of the Makaha Valley Golf Course.
Comments
Post a Comment