6/11/2013
With the day off I took the opportunity
to tackle the Olomana hike. The Olomana trail treks up to the peak of
a mountain then follows a connecting ridge to two other mountain
peaks. There are three peaks in total. The trail has a reputation of
being one of the most dangerous and challenging trails on the island.
Most people hike to the first mountain peak and then turn back. I've
hiked to the first peak once before but this time I was determined to
make it to all 3 peaks.
This was the first hike of this level
of difficulty that I've done solo. Getting to the top of the first
peak took less than an hour and wasn't too difficult since I was
familiar with the trail up to that point. For the most part it's
standard “walking through the forest” type of hiking but there
are a few climbing sections. There are ropes to help get through
these areas. One thing to remember on this hike: trust the ropes,
they're you're friend.
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| The wall before peak 1 |
Right before the 1st peak
there's a vertical rock wall, about 20 feet high, that you have to
climb up. This is the first test for those who are iffy about
climbing. Some play it safe and go no further (nothing wrong with
that), some need a little extra motivation and help to get up the
wall, while others simply go for it and climb up. When I first
climbed the wall I took it slow and steady, making sure to find good
grips in the rocks before climbing. There's also a rope, which I
always kept a hand on. Having scaled this wall once before, it was no
problem the second time and I just scurried up the thing, still with
a firm grip on the rope though.
Once over the wall the trail narrows
because it now follows the ridge at the top of the mountain. There's
still plenty of room to walk but it's a good idea to keep an eye on
where you're going. If you want to take in the view, stop and then
look. There is some brief rock climbing in order to reach the first
peak. Nothing vertical though. The climbing wasn't tough climb I was
careful to maintain solid contact with the rock. If I slipped there's
a good chance I'd catch myself but there's also a chance I could go
over the mountainside. If that happened the fall would definitely
result in death.
I stopped at the first peak to take a
breather, have sip from my camelbak, and to take some pictures. Since
I was hiking solo I text messaged a friend to say where I was and
posted a picture on Instagram. I let several people know I was hiking
that day and posting pictures was a way to show how I was doing and
to prove I was still alive and hadn't fallen off the mountain.
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| Notice the ropes disappear over the edge |
After a few moments at the top of peak
1, it was off to peak 2. I was venturing into unknown territory so I
kept reminding myself to take my time and keep my eyes on the trail.
The descent from peak 1 wasn't very tricky. I just followed the trail
and the climb to peak 2 wasn't much of a climb but more like walking
uphill. No problem. It felt like less than 20 minutes to go from peak
1 to peak 2.
However, the descent from peak 2 will
certainly test your nerve. Definitely not for the faint at heart.
When I reached the peak and spotted where to go to reach peak 3, I
was greeted by the sight of ropes going over the edge of the
mountain. Trust the rope, I kept telling myself. I grabbed a rope,
faced the mountain, and began making my way down. It wasn't quite
vertical so I could spot where to put my feet. The rope was sturdy
and held my weight just fine. I made it through the first part of the
descent okay but the next part was a different story.
The next rope section got tricky. At
one point things went nearly vertical and I couldn't spot where my
feet were going. I really had to rely on the rope, lean away from the
mountainside, and full on repel down. Trust the rope, trust the rope.
I moved real slow and careful and inched my way down. At one point I
even had to stop to settle my nerves. Not being able to see where I
was going and knowing that a slip could result in death was freaking
me out a bit. But I took a few breaths and kept going. I probably
spent 10-15 minutes on that section alone because I moved so slow but
I made it safely to the next section of the descent.
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| The view of peak 3 from the top of peak 2 |
The next section wasn't vertical, thank
god, but there's still a rope. I kept a hand on the rope but for the
most part I climbed down the rock without using it much. That was it
for the descent, I took a deep breath relieved that I made it okay
and continued along the trail toward peak 3.
When looking at peak 3 from a distance
the trail looks extremely narrow but once on it I found it wasn't all
that bad. I would have to purposely walk off the trail or completely
not pay attention to where I was going to fall off...and yes falling
off would result in death. But I had plenty of room to walk as long I
stayed on the trail. However, I did find myself slipping around on
the dirt in the section immediately following the descent. Mental
note: get actual hiking shoes or trail running shoes...old running
shoes just don't have enough grip sometimes.
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| One of the final rope climbs leading tothe top of peak 3 |
The climb to the third peak isn't a
walk in the park but after descending the 2nd peak it
wasn't all that bad. There were a few rope sections, which helped
with the climbs, and the rocks offer plenty of places to get a good
grip for climbing. There were some very cool rock formations along
the way too. It took about 25 minutes to reach the top of peak 3.
The view from the 3rd peak
is pretty awesome. To be honest it isn't much different from the view
from the other two peaks but because of the work done to get there,
it's just that much more satisfying. I relaxed at the top for a few
minutes, ate an apple, took some pictures, and posted a pic onto
Instagram. Had to prove I made it...and hadn't died. Then it was time
to head back. I was looking forward to heading back because I had
experienced the trail and I was excited to climb back up to the 2nd
peak. I find it's always easier to climb up than it is to go down.
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| Cool looking rocks |
I was still careful along the trail, used the ropes, and took my time to get a good grip on the rocks when needed. When I reached the climb back up to the 2nd peak, it felt like I was looking straight up...couldn't believe I scaled down the thing. But going up, it looked like fun. I grabbed the rope and hauled my way back up. Descending from the 2nd peak took a long time but climbing up only took about 5 minutes. Trust the ropes, their your friends, and they held up just fine. I was back on top of peak 2 and heading back to peak 1 in no time.
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| Celebration Apple! |
When I reached peak 1 I noticed there were more people on the trail. It was around noon. I made it to the first rock wall and scaled down it with no problem. Again, after descending the 2nd peak, a 20 foot wall is no problem. The rest of the way back down was easy going. I passed several people. All were friendly and some asked how the trail was up ahead. Most were going to the first peak and only a few were going to brave the triple peak trek. Kudos to those people.
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| The climb back up to the top of peak 2 descending this kinda freaked me out |
The entire hike took me about 4 hours. My 1.5 liter camelbak was plenty of water for me. I had a few snacks in my pack but I only ate an apple. The hike would have been much smoother if I had some actual trail shoes and some gloves. I definitely thickened up a few callouses from climbing all the ropes and rocks. After the hike I drove into Kailua and got a bacon avocado burger and a vanilla shake from Teddy's. Good eating after conquering Olomana...felt like victory!
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| Panoramic from the top of peak 3 with peaks 1 & 2 in the distance |
