I cannot sleep. I open my eyes a little after 4 am. Hiking blood is circulating throughout my veins. I have to go on a hike. But it's 4 am. What hike will suffice this early in the morning? A long hike? A hike far away from my house? A popular hike? Don't know. Change thinking. What would look amazing at this time in the morning? SUNRISE. Okay, where is a good place to see the sunrise? The sun rises in the East. What trail is on that side of the island? Makapuu Ridge? Nah! Maybe Kokohead? Nah, I'm not up for a stairmaster this early. Ka'iwa Ridge trail? Good choice! The Ka'iwa Ridge trail is located in Lanikai and features 2 World War II bunkers also known as pillboxes. The trail is also known as the Lanikai Pillboxes.
I pack my bag and drive off to Kailua at 4:45 am. The sunrise was at 5:50 am according to the KGMB 9 website. I arrive in Lanikai at about 5:30 am, but shit, I can't find the trailhead to the Ka'iwa Ridge trail. So I pull over on the side of the road to check my iPhone maps. Na Hele directions said the trail is on Kaelepulu Drive. My iPhone maps Kaelepulu Drive and nothing is showing up, not sure if I spelled it right at the time, but it wasn't working. Frustration set in, but I quickly calmed myself down and scanned my iPhone maps for neighboring streets in the area. A few minutes go by, I find it, off to the spot. It is 5:45 am. FYI it's by the Mid Pacific Country Club. Parking is limited, but there is one spot available. Okay only 5 minutes till sunrise. Shit, I ain't going to make it.
It is an all out sprint up the Ka'iwa Ridge Trail. The trail is short and it's all uphill. If you're not in good shape don't book it uphill, you're going to have a heart attack. A few minutes of scrambling and I immediately see the Mokuleia Islands. Freakin' Beautiful! I look left, I miss the damn sunrise. Shit! There is disappointment in the air, but I will finish the hike. It's a lot of scrambling up a hill, but it's not too steep. The rocks are a little crumbly, but there are good foot holds along the way. I get to the first pillbox in 20 minutes. There are people sitting up there, so I decide to do the second pillbox which is a little further up the mountain. It's much better. On top of the second pillbox is a 360 degree view of the area. You can see all of Kailua, Lanikai, and the Ko'olau Mountain Range. You can get a good picture of the Hawaii Kai peaks from the second Pill Box.
I stayed for a little while, but needed to leave, so I could get to the KCC Farmer's market right before it opened. I start going down the hill. Choke people coming up. I see at least 20+ people coming up while I am going down, appears to be residents in the area. I said my good mornings. People from Lanikai are consistently friendly. Why, because it' s freakin' Lanikai! During the 90s, Lanikai was synonymous with idyllic beaches. Lanikai Beach was consistently one of the top 10 beaches in the world year after year. Watch your step going down, it's not too bad. But give the hill respect. I hold on to the trees to control momentum. Going down takes 20 minutes. The time is around 6:30 am.
Off to the KCC Farmer's Market near Diamond Head which opens at 7:00 am. I drove for about 20 minutes. It opens only on Saturday at Kapiolani Community College. It's arguably the best Farmer's Market on the island. Since it's so popular, you have to get there early before all the tourists arrive and pack the place. I arrived at one of the vendors and ordered my breakfast, but the vendor said "we aren't selling yet". "Why?"I asked her, and she said, "we open at 7:30 am". When did that change? I wait. 7:30 am, I hit my iPhone and ordered a Kalua Pig plate. The Kalua Pig was cooked in an Imu (underground oven) overnight. Succulent, Moist, Falls Apart, Smoky, those are the words to describe Kalua Pig cooked in an Imu. I take one deep breath and the pig is gone!