Waimano Summit Trail

Waimano Summit Trail

Posted to OHE on 11 Feb 2002 by Waianae Steve

aLOHA fROM THE wEST sIDE,

It's 6 am on a Sunday and I fight to turn off the alarm before it wakes up my better half who is to smart to get up on a Sunday morning to hike 15 miles. By 7 am I'm dressed and slipping into my cleats when Linda G pulls up and parks out front. She throws her back in the back of my truck and we take off for 7-11 for lunch.    

Driving down H-1 at 60 miles per hour eyes peeled for "vans" parked on the shoulder, we arrive at the top of Waimano Home Road just before 8 am and see lots of cars and people getting ready to "march" on to the summit.    

Mabel Kekina calls us together to give out assignments and to inform us that two Na Ala Hele (sp) workers are also here and are requesting help in chipping steps in to rock at the cable sections, and to put in some "plastic" green beams to prevent erosion, and to drive some weed whackers. Not wanting to any of that I hid and wound up in the "summit" crew.    

I'm sure Grant Oka and Tom Yoza will have something to say about the Na Ala Hele requests! One advantage to the group was that the state workers had the key to the back gate of the Home and we were able to drive thru the home and to the end of the dirt road behind the home (elevation approx 1020'). This cut maybe one mile each way off the 15 miles, and also 1 hour each way when compared to my August 2000 trip to the summit.

I'm still new to the TC gang and I do not have everyone's names and faces put together yet (it's hard to learn new stuffs at 58+). We began walking at 9 am down a beautiful wide trail from the end of the jeep road. I leads to the second stream crossing if you were walking the ditch trail. We crossed the stream, past the water tunnel, and up the trail to the low back where the Boy Scout Shelter is, passing the 2 mile marker on the way up to the low back. Then it was down the other side heading for the "Main" dam of the old ditch system.    

The trail "use to " cross over the dam, but most of the dam is gone now and the trail hugs the right bank of the stream and crosses where the main stream and "house gulch" stream come together. Once over the stream the trail climbs the left side of the ridge that separates "main" gulch from "house" gulch. Dayle Turner, Jay Feldman, Jason Sunada, and Ed Gilman were way ahead as usual. I was walking with Linda and right behind me was Laura Owens. Well hills are not my best, and soon Linda pulled ahead. Laura and I walked for a long while talking and whacking uluhe and other plants invading the trail. Larry was behind us and behind him ???? I can't see backwards to good/well.     

While climbing the switchbacks Dayle comes on the radio and says "the orange tree is full of oranges", and I think to myself, "mmmmmmmmm, that would be great to eat. Well let me tell you I arrived at the Orange tree at 10 am, and yes there were lots of oranges, but the tree is slightly below the trail, and it has NO LOW BRANCHES!. Laura and I could not reach a single one. Incase you need some frustration, next time you do the trail watch your altimeter if you have one. The tree is at approx 980'. Sometime after passing the orange tree I pulled ahead of Laura, and walked by myself which is kind of nice at times.    

At 1047 I reached the 5 mile marker, elevation 1240', thirteen minutes later and there was the 5 1/2 mile marker, elevation 1300 feet, and brrrrrrrrrrrrr it was only 60 degrees and chilly with wind blowing much below 60 wind/chill. Somewhere around the 5 mile marker I caught up with Linda and Jason who slowed down as they were clearing trail. Not far ahead of them were Jay, Dayle, Nathan Yuen, and Ed. Dayle suggested that Linda and I move on ahead as Linda had never summited here before and they were busy clearing. That we did.    

At 1138 Linda and I reached the switch back where the trail crosses from the left side of the ridge to the right side. A few minutes later we were on the right side, the sun was out and it was nice and warm for a change. We stopped for a 10 minute break and a snack. We reached the summit at 1215 and let me tell you the view was fantastic. With in a few minutes the trail clearing guys arrived, they quit clearing at the 6 mile marker. Summit elevation is approx 2080 feet.    

A nice sunny spot for lunch and talking story about past and future hikes. About 1250 Dayle, Jay, Ed and Nathan left the lunch spot and walked along the summit to the Waiau Trail. This only took them about 15 minutes. They would then proceed down Waiau to the Halapepenui Trail following it right back to the end of the jeep road and the trucks.     

Linda and I left at 1 pm going back the way we came. Somewhere around the 6 mile marker I slipped and fell landing parallel to the trail, head pointing makai, feet mauka, flat on my back, about 3 feet off the trail. As I was falling I was thinking very hard about the machete tied to my right wrist. Luckily I was unhurt, and also lucky Linda had no camera to record the event. I managed to right myself and crawl back to the trail. Linda and I arrive back at the "parking lot" at 3:55 and caught a ride with Kenji Suzuki back to the main road and Ma Mabel and real warm food.    

All in all it was a great time. Even my tumble. Good times, good friends, and a somewhat sore body the next morning. I can't wait until next wee and the Malaekahana KST Loop which I have never done. My wife thinks I'm nuts as next week I'll have to get up at 5:30 and leave by 6:30 to arrive at the trail head by 8 am.