I had a chance to meet Stuart Ball today. Stuart Ball was the guy who wrote the book Hiking on Oahu. This book has influenced many people to become avid hikers. It gave them a reason to get into shape and enjoy Oahu trails. For me the book did not entertain, but opened up my imagination about what the most remote places on Oahu would look and feel like. I would have dreams about hiking to the summits of Oahu mountains and experiencing world class views. As I checked off the hikes one by one, I realized that hiking was for me. I too got a chance to experience the descriptions of the book first hand.
The hike today was Kealia, located in back of Dillingham Airfield in Mokuleia. The HTMC created a 9 mile loop. The goal today was to hike on the Kealia trail and work our way up great switchbacks eventually overlooking a quarry and the entire North Shore. We would then meander through the mountains via dirt roads, also known as a foothill hike before reaching a lookout that overlooks Makua Valley on the Waianae side of the island.
There were so many hikers today. I’d say over 60 turned out for the hike, the parking lot was too small to accommodate all the cars, so people parked on the grass. We had a late start at 9:30 am.
Earlier, I picked up Nate (who lives in Mokuleia) and met Will. I haven’t seen Will since Kamaile’unu. Nate and I started in the middle and quickly got to the front. The hike uphill got tiring for some hikers. But Nate and I appeared on some type of mission. We followed the rabbits. The rabbits are the HTMC hikers that always are in the front and set an unbelievable pace.
After we hit the crest of the ridge, the trail follows a dirt road until you get to the Waianae side. The dirt road is boring, but once you hit the Waianae side, the trail is not all too bad. Will caught up to us and joined us the rest of the way.
The overlook into Makua valley is obscured by trees and is set at an awkward angle. So the views were subpar at best. After the overlook we rejoined the dirt road and ended up doing the loop. My left leg was sore again, but with my knee brace, it became manageable, though my progress slowed us considerably.
The total hike was 4 hours. After the hike, I went to Nate’s house and watched the rest of the Denver/Pittsburgh game. The game was great as Tim Tebow threw an overtime pass to Demaryius Thomas for the game winning score in overtime.