Koko Crater Rim – May 3, 2012 

I knew there was another way to the summit of Koko Crater. A while back, I learned of a ridge going up the makai side of the crater. This ridge is also called the Koko Crater Arch because of a massive volcanic rock formation near the middle of the ridge with such a huge puka, you can fit 20 people in the massive hole.

Today Ikaika and I were going to the arch and go around the entire rim after work. We estimated that the hike would only take 3 hours. I brought my headlamp just in case. Also, joining us were Merv and Ahnate.

We met at Merv’s house and Ikaika carpooled us to the blowhole. From the road, you can see the ridge going straight up the mountain, it doesn’t look too bad. We started hiking at 4:30 pm. The hike up the mountain was steep; distracting the cardio buster is the arch. The natural arch is much larger than the pictures I’ve seen on the internet.  I would recommend anyone who wants to do it, to do it.

We hit the summit in 20 minutes, thanks to Ikaika’s quick pace; we made the left at the summit and continued the steep climb to the highest point of the mountain also known as Pu'u Mai. Going around the rim is a great experience. There are mixed reviews of hikers saying that the rim is sketchy, but it’s not too bad. There are some rock faces, nothing too major. The handholds aren’t tricky. The only advice I can give is to take your time and be careful. Don’t get me wrong, a hiker should have some hiking experience when doing a hike like this. In some parts, the ridge is narrow with deathly drops to both sides.

When we finished the east rim, we dropped down into the botanical garden, where we immediately tried to find Madagascan ridge. We followed a trial, but it appeared to be going nowhere.  After 45 minutes, we couldn’t find it. With the sun setting, our new plan was to bushwhack to the ridge to gain the summit, but Ikaika ended up finding the trail and so we pressed on. The sun eventually set and it got dark mightily quickly.

I took out my headlamp and walked on the summit in the dark. The rains and winds came all of a sudden. I ignored it and stayed true. The drops to the left side were precipitous. In about 30 minutes of traversing the west rim, we found our way onto the arch ridge. The climb down was steep. Footing was good, so that was a big plus. Near the end of the hike, we went astray and found ourselves on the wrong ridge, so we did some fun mini rock climbing to get back onto the correct ridge and to Ikaika’s car.

Four hours of hiking after work. It was fun!