Puu Kawiwi to Kamaileunu (Kawiwiunu) to Knife Ridge- October 9, 2011

One of our first advanced hikes as the “Lost Trailblazers,” Puu Kawiwi to No Name to Tiki Ridge was a very memorable adventure for all of us. Last weekend we were fortunate enough to receive in an invite from the 808 Caveman himself (Marcus Griego) to revisit Puu Kawiwi, but this time traverse the Kamaileunu Ridgeline in the opposite direction and descend “Knife Ridge.”

The hike starts at the end of Waianae Valley Road and ends in Makaha Valley, where we staged our cars earlier that morning. Today’s crew consisted of several Lost Trailblazers (Troy Takara, Reanne Solomon, Jenelyn Castillo and I), The Caveman, Josh Serrano (808 Goonies), Michelle Kim, Randy Glidden and Paul Rodriguez.

We hiked up the paved road for about 10 minutes before jumping off onto the firebreak road (a clearing between the trees / dry brush).

This was a much quicker route to the base of the ridge to Puu Kawiwi than what we had done in the past, but hey, they don’t call us the “Lost Trailblazers” for nothing, lol. The vegetation in Waianae Valley was much more dry than what I had remembered, when it had been raining far less frequently than the last time we visited.

From there, the trail steepens quickly and becomes one, big series of scrambles and “optional” free-climbs.

Though I’ve been on many hikes with such climbs, I never have had so many of them within one hike.

…which of course made the experience much more fun, particularly if you own a wide angle camera lens, hehe.

The LTs always keeping the mood light and humorous while Wendy and Marcus top out on a short boulder problem. Reanne, you are awesome. 😉

Marcus spots Wendy as she climbs over a loose-rock face (left). Marcus following soon after Wendy tops out (right).

One of the more challenging geographic obstacles on Puu Kawiwi would be the rock crag near it’s summit, above (approaching left, arriving right).

You can easily contour around this rock face, but the faster/less-safe alternative is to go straight up the middle. I strongly suggest you DO NOT do this, and if going up the middle, lay rope/webbing for the next person(s).

The holds appear solid, but if this were false, you would fall over a steep grade of sharp uneven rocks (see prior photos). Troy free-climbing the crag above.

Once at the summit, I’m sure we all had a “nostalgic moment” of the last time we were here. At the time, I thought this would have been the most extreme ridge hike I’d ever do, lol. LIES. For many people, Puu Kawiwi might be the highlight of their hike, but for us the apex of our adventure was still ahead.

Descending into the first notch on the way to Kamaileunu Summit, was a nice elevation change (left). Some people decided to take a nap on the middle of it, while others planned to climb down… *cough, Jenelyn* (right).

Other people, thought rock hopping off the rock face would be a great idea as well… *cough, Josh* (left). Descending further into the notch, we came to a shady spot to take a break… though Jenelyn chose to decapitate all of the air plants growing around her with a stick, lol (right).

We soon started to ascend out of the first notch, where we were treated to some awesome views of Makaha Valley… Troy striking a “beast-mode” pose, while Reanne cheeses for the camera.

Just before reaching the 2nd notch, we encountered an amazing set of boulders… It is easiest to traverse/contour to the right, rather than climb over the large boulder in the center of both photos… It is still a little spooky, as the footholds are somewhat blind. It’s best to have a more advanced climber go first and spot your footing for you.

Of course, these amazing set of rocks were an excellent opportunity for Jenelyn to scare the SH!T out of us by hopping around the rocks and sitting on ledges so dangerous yo mama would slap you silly. lol. But anyway…

THE HIGHLIGHT of the journey was a huge crag, which must have been > 80 feet high (left). Though not all of the rock faces are vertical, it still is pretty good climb since there is no real flat area to break your fall. There is a climbing rope present with a decently secured anchor, but use it at your risk! A few of us; Randy, Marcus, Paul and I decided to not take that risk and free-climbed down. Jenelyn starting to boulder up and ascend out of the second notch (right).

As I climbed up higher on the opposite rock face, the views kept getting better (left). Reanne and Troy all smiles coming up (right).

Twenty minutes and a few climbs/scrambles later, we were at the top… and of course, celebrating with a Boddingtons toast. Please exercise caution while drinking alcohol on trails, particularly on advanced hikes such as this one. We do so fully understanding the consequences of our actions.

Not a bad place to have a beer and enjoy the company of a great crew.

After a ~15 minute break, we headed to the “Knife Ridge” junction…

…which lead us down a somewhat narrow trail into Makaha Valley.

…but not nearly as narrow or dangerous as those found on Puu Ohulehule Southeast or Pali Puka to Lanihuli.

The crew coming down the ridgeline (left). Paul, Marcus, Troy, Jen and Reanne squeezing onto the top of a huge boulder along the trail, while Josh and Wendy pose below (right).

Further down the ridge, we jumped onto the “Pear Gulch Ramble.” I wasn’t sure what a ramble was until I looked up the definition just now, but the most befitting was: “to wander leisurely or aimlessly; follow a winding or irregular course; meander.” So yeah, we “rambled” our way through the forest via a dry-gulch and found a horse trail…

…which lead us to a paved access road and Kane aki Heiau. We did not follow this road out and actually jumped onto another trail opposite the heiau.

Along the way, there was a prolific fruiting mango tree, where many of us had our fill of fructose and mango pulp.

The trail ended up leading us to another access road which intersected Makaha Valley Towers, which is near where we parked our cars. I’m glad we were with the 808 Caveman on this one… as “Lost Trailblazers,” it is likely that our crew would have taken exponentially longer to get out of Makaha Valley. lol. Good times with a GREAT crew!

The Puu Kawiwi to Kamaileunu (Kawiwiunu) to Knife Ridge is an advanced hike, and therefore do not attempt it unless you confident with narrow ridges, steep drop-offs, loose foot and handholds, and A LOT of climbing/scrambling. The trail can be very dangerous in some areas, but getting over the mental dilemma foremost will help you through this hike. I would not recommend anyone do this trail, who have not completed similar trails in difficulty (e.g. Pali Puka to Lanihuli, Pali Notches to Konahuanui, or Southeast Puu Ohulehule). Be extremely careful and make sure to go with someone who has been on the trail prior, and/or others who are capable of hiking this type of trail. Among other necessities, you should bring a minimum of 3L of water, first aid, and a significant length of rope/webbing. Wearing long-pants is suggested as the approach to the bottom of Puu Kawiwi is highly overgrown with California Grass. Bring a lot of compact, high-energy foods as well, as you will be burning a lot of calories over an approximate completion time of 8 hours. DO NOT attempt in high-wind or rainy/wet conditions. There will be many areas along this trail that may test your physical and mental abilities, so please use your best judgement to stay safe and to keep the rest of your crew safe.

To view this location on a Google Map also known as my “Adventure Map“, Click Here. For more adventures of the Lost Trailblazers, either look at my other blogposts and “Adventures with the Lost Trailblazers” photo gallery. For more photos of this adventure, check out the the Puu Kawiwi to Kamaileunu to Knife Ridge Photo Gallery. Also make sure to check out Josh’s 808 Goonies when he posts his write-up of this adventure!