Pu’u Hapapa – June 2, 2013 

This summer I wanted to knock off 4 hikes, a) Wahiawa Hills b) Hapapa-Kanehoa c) Kipapa Leeward d) Waialae Nui. Today was Hapapa-Kanehoa.

The plan was for us to go up Hapapa, go to Kanehoa, and drop down Kanehoa ridge through some farmland finishing up at Kunia Road.

With my back being sore as hell, and E and Proo coming down with a cold, it was apparent we wouldn’t be able to do the entire hike. We decided to just do Pu’u Hapapa.

Getting to the trailhead of Pu’u Hapapa is a bitch. After meeting at E’s house, we drove to Schofield Barracks to check in. Getting on base is always a pain, but the guys who checked us in were really cool. Then I drove slowly on base towards Kolekole Pass. The MP’s are strict when it comes to the speed limit and would tag anyone going even a few miles over. We were worried about live fire, but today live fire exercises were not going on, so we were in the clear.

I parked in an open lot. If you remember, to the right leads to the Kalena trailhead and the big lot is where Hapapa starts. It was windy today, very windy. We encountered the sacrificial rock which as legend has it, was used by Hupeloa to practice killing foreigners. We passed a radio tower and reached a small meadow with a money shot view of Lualualei Valley. We took many pictures at the meadow.

From there, we headed up the mountain. According to Stuart Ball’s book Hiking on Oahu, we would go on the Honouliuli Contour trail for a bit, and then make a right that headed up a ridge. The ridge was steep.

Eventually, we encountered two notches. The first notch is scary, but you can contour it, which we did. Of course, you can climb up the notch. The reasoning behind the contour decision is if I ever did fall and people asked how I died, I want everyone to know that I had exercised good judgment. If I didn’t take the contour and went the dangerous way and fell, there is reason for criticism. But if you’re dead, I guess it doesn’t matter.

The second notch was more difficult. Although you can contour down to it, climbing up it takes confidence. Maybe you don’t have to be a great technical climber, but you need to take your time and make sure your holds are on point. A fall would be a disaster.

After the notches, we continued going uphill. After the Honouliuli Preserve sign, there is a fence line to Pu’u Hapapa. The top is not marked, but there is a wide clearing. The top of Pu’u Hapapa is measured at 2,883 feet, but my gps showed 2,843 feet.

After a super long break, we went back down. Negotiating the notches this time was easy, don’t know why. The hike took us about 4 hours. It isn’t too bad, but you can’t be scared of heights as the hike is on a narrow ridge. There are rock faces and dikes along the way, but they can be contoured. The notches are the most difficult part of the hike, I didn’t think it was too bad, but you need to have hiking experience and not be scared of heights. Pu’u Hapapa is a must if you’re an avid hiker on Oahu, the views throughout are great.