Capturing the Moment

  Want a serious, thigh burning, leg shaking hike here on Oahu, then look no further than the infamous climb to the summit of Koko Crater. The summit is just over 1200ft, and the climb follows an old tramway straight up the southern slope.   The beginning of the hike is located behind the baseball field at Koko Crater Park. Shoes dangling from the power lines tell tales of previous hikers' stories of success lending inspiration to those who follow. A warning sign of steep trail ahead and dangerous conditions rattles your nerves as you take your first step...with the knowledge of over 1000 more to come!    The steps themselves were spaced for the old tramway the powered lookouts to the top of the crater in the old days. So not only are there a lot of stairs, but they are steep and far apart. About halfway up the stairs become airborn over a ravine. It's pretty safe...as long as you don't fall through. Going up is pretty tough here, but coming down over the ravine...

Looking back at the Pali Lookout   When researching secret hikes here in Oahu I stumbled upon a few stories about the Pali puka. "Puka" is the Hawaiian word for 'hole'. The Pali puka is a natural hole in the ridge near the Nuuanu Pali lookout. This lookout is the dividing point between the windward and the leeward side of Oahu. There is a low pass here in the Koolau range making it the traditional path for hikers crossing the cliffs. It also makes for a great starting point for a trail leading up to the ridge line, but it is not for the faint of heart.   The ridge trail can lead all the way to Makapu'u on Oahu's eastern point or west to the fabled 'stairway to heaven', thousands of stairs leading up to an old abandoned coast guard station on the ridge. The puka lies along the ridge path to the west. If the trail is muddy my suggestion is to turn around. It gets very steep, and some parts of the trail bring you within inches of a thousand foot vert...