Deadman's Catwalk (Kamehame Ridge)

I was able to squeeze in three hikes last week- Wiliwilinui, Koko Crater Arch, and this one. Deadman's Catwalk. It's a super easy hike as it's paved the whole way and only takes 20-30 minutes to reach the top. Only thing is that it's illegal to hike now as it's on private property, but I really wanted to do another quick hike after completing Koko Crater Arch. I had just enough time to get there before sunset and the guard had left for the day, so it was perfect. It made for a good hike as I didn't get caught, however, I found out from a friend afterwards that part of it is federally owned and run by the military. If I had known this before, I would NOT have done this hike. You can go to jail if you get caught!

The trail starts at the end of Kamehame Drive past some super nice houses. 

The road curves and you get a sight of Diamond Head. It's so beautiful back here, especially with the sun going down.

Koko Head is looking gorgeous right now. 

Everything back here is just beautiful. 

It's sunset now. 

But I can see Makapu'u Lighthouse when I look to the right. It's that little white dot on the side of the mountain in the middle of the picture. 

When you reach the top, you have to walk along the left of fence until you reach an opening cut into the fence.

But once you go past the enclosed buildings, you reach the catwalk. You can see the Mokes and Chinaman's Hat to the left. 

It's a nice look down. I'm sure it would be even prettier during the day when the water is clear and colorful.

Rabbit Island and Kaohikaipu Island. I love the windward side of O'ahu.

It's a shame that this hike is closed. 

I turned back. 

Back through the hole in the fence.

But I waited for nightfall before heading back down. 

The same trees from earlier. Just a different setting now. 

Goodbye Deadman's Catwalk.

Koko Crater Arch

On my day off last week I really wanted to go hiking but didn't have a buddy available. So I headed out for an easy/safe day of solo hiking and found myself at the Halona Blowhole parking lot to check out the arch of Koko Crater. 

I jumped on the other side of the railing along the road and walked above Cockroach Cove, also called "Here to Eternity Beach."

It's where a scene of "50 First Dates" with Adam Sandler was filmed, and also where Nicki Minaj's explicit video "Starships" was filmed.

You cross the road and rock climb up the side then head towards the crater rim. If you look back, you can see Sandy's Beach and the Ka'Iwi shoreline. 

Or you can look towards Hawaii Kai.

Ten minutes later and you'll see the arch. It blends in but then suddenly you are amazed at how fast it came upon you. 

I climbed to the top and just soaked in the view before checking it out below.

Underneath the arch.

It's really huge.

I only take selfies if I have a scenic background.

I decided to head over to the next slope to get a better picture.

So interesting but so easy to hike to. 

I headed back to the blowhole, jumped in my car, and decided to see if the security guard had left the trailhead to Deadman's Catwalk for another short hike before the sun went down.

Makapu'u Puka

Yesterday Ronald and I headed past Hawaii Kai after getting done with work for the day. We had just hiked Tantalus last week, so we decided to do a hike with an ocean view. We only had a couple hours before the sun went down so a hike to the Makapu'u Puka sounded just about right for the time we had.

After parking at the Makapu'u scenic lookout, we ran across the road and climbed up next to the fence line. 

It's sort of a steep climb at first but right away you're treated with this view of the Makapu'u Lighthouse. 

That's Sea Life Park down there. We could see the dolphins and sea turtles from up above. 

A closer-up view of Sea Life Park. 

If you look to the left, you get this view of Koko Head Crater. The ridge line to the right is the trail to Deadman's Catwalk (an illegal hike that I did last week solo). 

Continue along the ridge line towards Waimanalo.

As we were along this ridge I started to hear some noise. 

And it wasn't long until I spotted these little guys moving along the mountainside... Wild goats! I bet all of my hunting friends back from Wisconsin can pick at least one out right away.

This was my first time seeing wild goats in Hawai'i. I was really excited. Ronald was pretty pleased to see them too.

And it just so happened that the puka was just around the corner, so we could enjoy this view and watch the goats at the same time.

I love puka pictures. That's Rabbit Island and Makapu'u beach and shoreline down there. 

It was a decent sized puka, and only took us under an hour to hike to.

I had to sneak in a quick snap of Ronald.

We said goodbye to the goats and headed back.

You can see Pele's Chair off in the distance.

We saw these flowers along the trail on the way back but I'm not sure what they are called.

We spotted this random lei hanging off a cactus on our way back down. 

One last shot before our final descent to the parking lot.

Lava Tube & Wiliwilinui Trail Hike

It's been awhile since Vickey and I went on a hike together. She was the first one to take me on a hike last year, and ever since then I've been hooked. Last Saturday we met up and spent the morning exploring Hawaii Kai. First I showed her the lava tube I found that leads out to the ocean, then we headed up the hills to get our hiking pass for Wiliwilinui. This hike offers a 360 view. You can see from Koko Head Crater to Diamond Head, all the way around to the Pali Highway, Mount Olomana, the Mokolua Islands, and overlook the cities of Honolulu, Kaneohe, and Kailua.

 

Vickey is ecstatic to have discovered the lava tube near Sandy's.

Walk through the lava tube and you will be greeted with this ocean view. 

Make your way up to the top of the cliffs.

And see this. Vickey is pretty amazed.

I think she's in awe.

My turn.

Take a look around.

Our shadows were just right on the cliffs next to us. It made for a neat picture. [photo credit Vickey]

We climbed back up to the bridge and watched the bikers go by. [photo credit Vickey]

Then made our way to the Wiliwilinui trail. You will have to go through a security check-in through a ritzy neighborhood and receive a parking pass.

The trail is wide and starts off moderately, but soon enough we were able to get some valley views. [photo credit Vickey]

The sun was shining so we tried to get some silhouette shots. Vickey's practicing her Muay Thai moves along the ridge.

She's loving life!

You'll come across this swing on the path. It's low to the ground so you can't get a high jump off it. 

The trail turns into these steps. And the real ascent begins!

There will be some ropes to help you but we didn't need them today.

You can see Hanauma Bay Rim Trail off to the left.

Keep going past this tower.

We're at the end of the Wiliwilinui trail. Only a few steps away and you'll see...

The three peaks of Olomana! The mokes! Kailua and Kaneohe! The golf courses too.

It was a beautiful sight. 

We met a pair of hikers at the top and they took our picture. Olomana in the background.

After soaking in the view for a little while, we worked our way back down with our muddy shoes and called it a morning. (I went to work afterwards).

But first we stopped by Kahala mall to grind. We were pretty hungry after a good workout up Wiliwilinui.