Diamonds are forever - Kamaile'unu, Feb. 22

 Diamonds are forever - Kamaile'unu, Feb. 22

Posted to OHE in 14 March 2001 by Kirby Young

Is it time to learn what mining claims are all about? Weeelll, maybe not, but you don't have to tell your friends that.

Parking opposite Kamaile School along Ala Akau St at 7:40 am, I set off for the base of Kamaile'unu Ridge amidst an onrush of arriving students and parents. This would be my first hike on the "rugged," "mighty" mountain separating Makaha and Wai'anae Valleys. The drive from Honolulu was notable, with sunrise backlighting a completely cloudless Ko'olau summit.

From Ala Akau I ambled onto Kaulawaha Street toward the base of the ridge. I continued on a paved access road to the Board of Water Supply's Kamaile Well facility. Staying left of the pumping station, I followed a short trail to the entrance of Kuka'au'au Cave. After a look-see into this 40-ft deep, dirt-floored oddity, I contoured right past old flume workings (Mikiula Flume), then straight up to the ridge crest below Kamaile Heiau.

Scrambling upward through dark basalt lava flows, I arrived a half hour later at a topping out point at 1000'+ elevation. There was quite a temperature contrast between the cool, shady Makaha side and the sunny Wai'anae side. In the lava flows, I saw small drill holes likely made by geologists for paleomagnetic polarity measurements.

Serious elevation gain and rock scrambling followed for the next hour as I ascended to Pu'u Kepau'ula (2678'). I had to take special care not to be prickled by the thousands of cacti "paddles" thick on the slopes. Beyond Kepau'ula, the ridge dipped to an ironwood grove where a goat carcass hung "cheerily" from a bough at a hunter's camp.

I arrived at peak 3210' about 3 hours after beginning my ascent. I continued to a point 15 minutes further that seemed even higher, where the ridge dips dramatically toward Pu'u Kawiwi. From here, I could see the grand sweep of Kamaile'unu Ridge and the dark shadows cast over Makaha Valley. Mt. Ka'ala dominated the skyline, some 800' higher than my perch.

At noon I began my return. At an undisclosed spot, I paused at an outcropping capped by a lava flow full of large crystals of plagioclase feldspar. Weathering has left a surface of unusually clear, tabular crystals up to 3/8" long. "Geology of Hawaii" refers to these as "Hawaiian topaz." Pick up one or two and see if you can convince your friends they are rough diamonds!

It took only 15 minutes less time to go down than to go up due to the rock scrambling. Instead of the paved road, I followed a sandy road parallel to the base of the ridge and emerged near Kamaile School. It was a quiet and woodsy ending to the hike. If you find the Hawaiian "topazes," be careful—you wouldn't want your kneecaps whacked by De Beers heavies!

Kirby

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*Names thanks to OHE posts by Nathan Yuen and Greg Kingsley.
**G. McDonald and A. Abbott, Volcanoes in the Sea: The Geology of Hawaii.