Bowman to The Haiku Stairs  – July 27, 2012

This hike was on the preferred list all summer, but we didn’t get to it. Finally at the end of my summer vacation, I finally had an opportunity to hike Bowman to Haiku.

Previously, I’ve gotten to the top of the Haiku Stairs via two ways. One way was up the stairs. The second way was doing the Keahi a Kahoe loop. This would be the third and probably best way. There is also the more scary way which is the Moanalua Saddle.

The crew today was made up of Christian from 7D and Ferdinand (Andy). All of us haven’t done Bowman, but we did some research the previous night and all agreed to use our hiking instincts during the hike?!

Christian and I parked near the Haiku Stairs trailhead, staged a car there, and drove over to Naai Street in Kalihi. There we met Andy and started walking towards the basketball court. To the left of the courts, there is an obvious trail going up to the crest of the ridge.

The climb was stiff; we gained a great deal of elevation quickly. Ribbons were all over to assist. We eventually hit radar road (a dirt road) and encountered a fork. Ribbons were telling us to go left, though the trail was going down hill. Going right appeared to terminate at some power lines, so we decided to go left.

We hiked further on passing a concrete structure, and hiking on the sometimes narrow ridge. About 2+ hours in, we hit the Kamanaiki Cone. The climb up the Kamanaiki Cone was spectacular just like it mentions in Stuart Ball’s book. You can see the entire Waianae mountain range from atop the Kamanaiki Cone.

After the cone, I thought we would summit. Little did we know that we would have to hike another 35 minutes to the summit. I couldn’t regulate my body temperature and was sweating like crazy. My shirt was drenched in perspiration, but my spirit was willing.

The summit of Bowman, actually called Kahuauli (2,740 feet) is one of the best on the island, especially today as there were no clouds covering the mountains. You can see the entire island from the North Shore to Makapu’u. No vegetation is blocking the area like most summits. After a short break, we made the left towards Tripler. Tripler seemed so close, but it took us a little over 30 minutes to get there. The trail on the Ko’olau summit was slippery, I fell on my ass a few times, so did the others.

Tripler treated us to some grand views. We took a short break and continued on towards Moanalua Middle also known as Keahi a Kahoe. More outstanding views greeted us at Moanalua Middle. We finally reached the Stairs. The last time I was here, the island was under a wind advisory. The wind must have been blowing at least 50 mph. Today the wind was gentle (still windy) compared to the last time. Getting to the top of the stairs is still a great accomplishment. Although this is my third time, Christian’s 5th, and Andy’s 4th, the wonderful feeling does not fade.

Going down the stairs this time was a piece of cake. Last time it was raining and socked in making the going slippery. Today was clear with a gentle breeze. We took about an hour to get down. At the bottom, the guard had already left for the day which was great because we wouldn’t have any confrontations. As we were going back the rains came and the entire summit crossing we just finished was socked in. Indeed a special day where everything was timed accordingly almost like a script.

Another epic hike done, although the danger level wasn’t too high in my opinion, it was a fabulous crossing.

***Warning – The stairs are still closed. Going on the stairs puts yourself at risk to be cited or injured or even worse. Make good decisions when hiking, understand your hiking abilities and the abilities of others.***