Olomana Trail: First Peak
If you spend anytime on the Windward side of O'ahu then you have heard the term "three peaks". For some, three peaks refers to a local Craft Beer brewed in Kailua. For others...it is a symbol of accomplishment, a badge of honor for hikers and rock climbers. This past Thursday, my Thursday Trail led me to Olomana, the hikers famed "three peaks". This post details my adventure to the top of the first peak...saving the second and third peaks for an adventure in the future.
Olomana, which means "divided hill", is 1,643 feet. These feet of mine walked that divided hill all the way to the top. I definitely got my steps and cardio in on this trail. Parking for this trail is bad. I'm told that in the past there was parking closer to the entrance, but when we went, we ended up parking at a neighborhood park up the road and across the street from Castle Hospital. We had sort of a mini hike before the hike. I also walked my youngest to school that morning. By the end of my day, my legs had powered through about six miles of walking, four of which were on intense uphill terrain.
The trail: Before you reach the official trailhead your trail will be a paved, relatively flat road on private property with minimal cars. You can say a quick "howzit" to the guard on duty at the entrance to the golf course and if you go early in the morning like us, you might say "howzit" to a couple of pigs scurrying in the brush as well.
After making it to the official trailhead, the trail begins pretty easily. It is a wide, rooted and forested path shrouded in shade and trees and some light morning drizzle for us. Almost immediately you will see a huge banyan tree with a creepy shack structure behind it. The perfect hideout for Pennywise from IT. We quickly hiked past that and continued on through relatively uneventful terrain. We mostly had the trail to ourselves which was nice---I could huff and puff my way to the top without judgment or fear of holding anyone else up.
As the climb up took us higher and higher, the promised view started peaking through the trees. I could glimpse parts of Kailua, the Pacific Ocean, and the Ko'olaus between a haze of clouds. These glimpses of beauty were my motivation. They kept me on the task at hand---successfully making it to the top of the first peak.
With a few rest and water breaks here and there, we maneuvered through most of the trail fairly well. No incidents is a good thing on this trail. Just after trudging up some bigger rocks and eroded spots on the mountain where there were ropes tied to trees to help our footing, is when we encountered "the wall". A big wall of rocks directly in our path with no way around but to climb them. I was tired at this point---my thigh muscles were yelling at me, my clothes were drenched with sweat, my water was getting low, and now I needed to rock climb.
I let Mary do the honors first. She made it to a spot where I could no longer see her, but I could hear her. She verbally guided me up over the beast of rocks. Time stood still. I have no idea how long this part of the trail took to accomplish, but I knew we were close to achieving our goal. As I was one footing it in front of the other, mustering all my upper body strength and mental stamina I had to get myself to the top of this huge rock, bees started buzzing all around me. It was at this point that my hiking tic/tourettes reared its ugly head. A series of four letter words came flying out of my mouth and didn't stop until I safely reached the top and luckily didn't get stung by bees that had decided to hangout right outside my ears.
In that moment, battling bees, heights, altitude adjustment, exhaustion, thirst, and adrenaline...I knew I was a true hiker. I was loving every minute of it---the good, the bad, the bees, and the ugly. And then I was rewarded with a view of the famed second (Paku'i) and third peak (Ahiki) of Olomana. I was captivated. Hiking up to the first peak was all I had the supplies, time, and energy for this past week, but I now have unfinished business with Olomana---the second and third peaks respectively---future adventures and blog posts.
The view from the top of the first peak at Olomana encompasses the windward side of O'ahu. I could see Rabbit Island, The Mokuluas, and Chinamans Hat sprawled out in the ocean below. Behind me were the mysterious Ko'olaus encased in gray and white clouds that hadn't burned off yet. It was windy and exhilarating at the top. And quick. We didn't stay too long. We had to make it back down the mountain and hike back to our car and then drive across the island back home to Mililani to pick up the kiddos from school. We proved that you can literally climb mountains while the the kids are at school.
Olomana was a great adventure. I would recommend this trail to those not worried about heights, pigs, using ropes, or rock climbing. Olomana is a serious hike for adults and experienced hiking kids---I would recommend no kids younger than ten or twelve. I can imagine that this hike could be upped in difficulty with added wind, rain, or bees. This hike should not be attempted alone or without the proper supplies---water, water, water. You will drink more than you would expect. This hike is definitely for those who love a good workout, a challenge, a thrill, some excitement in their life! And it's not a bad spot for some picture taking, a snack on top of the world, and realizing your strengths.
Me. After. Olomana. Check.
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