This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting four individuals who love Oahu hiking as much as I do: Laarni, Frank, Justin and James.  Funny part is this was James first hike on Oahu and it’s the Bowman Trail, arguably one of the toughest and most dangerous trails on Oahu.  Nothing like a nice 12 mile long expert rated trail to break in the new guy!

Me, James (in blue), Frank, Laarni and Justin

Bowman Trail is an 12 mile long (round trip) Oahu hiking trail which leads up to the Ko’olau summit.  This is an all day hike and it really will take all day.  It is a 2,400 foot climb to the summit but with all the ups and down most people agree it’s really about 4,000 feet of climbing.

James negotiating a slip and die portion of the trail.

It is a wicked roller coaster of a ride not for those who have a fear of dangling from ledges,  hanging onto a wire while ascending/descending ridge lines or slinking across a razor thin section of ridge.  However the rewards are well worth the struggle…

We started this trail at roughly 8 a.m., we meant to start it at 630 but you know how that goes.  The trail starts off with a heart pounding climb up what seemed to be a few hundred feet just to get onto the trail.  From there the trail was relatively mild…for a short way.

Early along the way you’ll get beautiful views of Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, etc.

You will get dirty on this trail fast.  It rained on us more than a few times on our ascent which makes the trail very slick in spots and creates mud pits in others.  There is no such thing as Oahu hiking without rain and mud!

There are numerous places on the trail where you will have to use rope or wires to ascend or descend the ridge.  BE CAREFUL! Near the summit of this trail the wire broke in James hand as he was descending a particularly steep segment of the trail.  Check all cables thoroughly first and turn around if you don’t feel 100% confident.

When you eventually make it to the summit you will be rewarded with amazing views of both Kaneohe and Honolulu  from the Ko’oalu Range.  Snap some photos, make some videos, breath in the fresh air and eat some grub.

Justin came through with MREs for everyone.

Don’t linger too long though since you still have a six mile descent awaiting and probably want to make it down the mountain before nightfall.

Bowman Trail Recommendations:

1. Start this trail early.
2. Bring a more than healthy supply of water.
3. Bring lots of carbohydrates, jerky, bananas, etc.
4. Just in case you’ll probably want to bring a headlamp.
5. Bring your basic first aid, tourniquet, dressings, etc…you never know.

Directions to Bowman Trailhead:

The Bowman Trail Head lies on the other side of the basketball court of the Kalihi Elementary School (2471 Kula Kolea Dr, Honolulu, HI 96819 -mapquest it) off the Likelike Highway.  You will need to park in the residential area on Naai Street.  Please be curteous to the residents.  Once you’re parked just walk up to the school basketball courts and you should see the trailhead.

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The Pu’u Manamana trail, located within the Ahupua’a ‘O Kahana State Park, is undoubtedly the most beautiful and dangerous hike on Oahu.

With absolutely fantastic views of the Kahana Valley, Makai, Ka’a'awa Valley and Punalu’u Valley I highly recommend it to any experienced hiker…who doesn’t suffer from fits of vertigo. I don’t so here we go!

Allen and I got a late start on Pu’u Manamana and didn’t make it to the trail head until about 1215. He overslept….much like he does for work because he’s late all the time (obligatory dime drop).

Generally speaking you definitely want to start this trail in the morning. It’s only a 4-mile loop but I can guarantee you it will take you longer to traverse than you’d expect.

As soon as I stepped foot on the trail I tightened up my backpack straps and pulled my visor down a little bit….this one was gonna be rough. The trail starts steep and doesn’t let up until you hit the summit more than 2100 feet straight up.

This trail is NO JOKE TOUGH. Besides the incredibly narrow passage along this legendary ridge, with imminent death (or maiming) on either side of you; you also have to be wary of bare roots, loose rocks/dirt, wind gusts and frequent rain showers.

After about 1500 feet up we got dumped on by more than just a little rain and remained soaked for the rest of the hike. Climbing this fantastic ridge in the rain was not that difficult but going down the slippery 2000 ft drop for about a mile back to civilization proved to be incredibly exhausting and dangerous.

Despite the difficulty of this razor thin trail it is one of the best marked trails I’ve hiked around Oahu. With all the pink markers that adorn this trail getting lost is a non issue because I can guarantee you they’ll find you at the bottom of the mountain if you step off of the path =)

Best of luck to you if you decide to take up this challenging Oahu hike. Don’t do it alone, tread lightly, turn around if you don’t feel safe and above all God bless you.

Technorati Tags: Pu’u Manamana, Ahupua’a ‘O Kahana State Park, Oahu hike, Kahana Valley, Makai, Ka’a’awa Valley, Punalu’u Valley

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Well, Allen, Kaden and I decided to tackle the Hahaione Trail in Hawaii Kai today. Finding the trail head was a breeze but we lost the trail before we really even got started. Evidently, as we were later told, we were supposed to cross a dried out stream bed and then work our way up the switchbacks on the side of the mountain. Whoops missed that one!

However, being the trailblazers we are we decided to blaze our own path straight up to the summit. Yeah, that didn’t fly. At about 400 feet up, hanging from saplings and trying not to start a fatal rock slide we bowed out to the mountain. I know God has a sense of humor and he must have been rolling looking down on us.

Still looking to break a good sweat we headed out to the Mauumae Ridge (Lanipo) Trail. We made pretty good time by practically running the trail and hit the Lanipo summit (3.7 miles) in about 1.5 hours. Along the way we got caught in more than a few downpours which was a pleasant relief from the heat but made the trail just a little slick in spots. Leaving the top down on the JEEP (once again) made the ride home even more enjoyable.

Anyhow, if you’re looking for a great workout and wicked good views of the coast, Kaau Crater, Bellows AFB, Lanikai, and Kailua it’s for you. Check out the Mauumae Ridge (Lanipo) Trail yourself or hit me up on MySpace and we’ll roll out there en masse. =)

For directions to the trail head visit http://www.backyardoahu.com, it’s one of the better Oahu hiking sites you’ll come across.

God bless!

Technorati Tags: Hahaione Trail, Hawaii Kai, Mauumae Ridge, Lanipo Summit, Kaau Crater, Bellows AFB, Lanikai, Kailua, Oahu hiking

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