Spring 2009 - Issue 5

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Christian’s Hike of the Month

Christian Vetter, Photography Editor

 

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I had great aspirations for my last Hike of the Month. I had plans to break the law and ascend the Stairway to Heaven, even while I’m on criminal probation. Badass right? Unfortunately, incessant windward rain dashed my blaze of glory, rock n roll finale. Or so I thought.

Of course I had a backup in case I pulled the rain or laziness cards. I decided on Kuli‘ou‘ou Ridge. I heard this was a really beautiful trail down in Hawaii Kai. It meanders up into the mountains and eventually gives a breathtaking view of the windward side of O‘ahu. At a mere 2.5 miles, I thought my backup was going to be an easy replacement of the Stairway. As always, I thought wrong.

This hike climbs to an elevation of 2000 feet, with an almost constant uphill ascent. I’ve done my fair share of hikes in my life and thought nothing of the challenge. Big mistake.

Kuli‘ou‘ou was a sobering realization to get my ass in shape and do many, many more hikes of the month. I was beat to the summit by a married couple in their late fifties. Yeah, it was not a flattering display.

Upon reaching the summit I was convinced I had conquered the world. I believe I was filled with the same amount of pride as those that reach the summit of Everest. It is a truly beautiful conclusion.

At the beginning of the climb, I was worried that the same rain that canceled my attempt at the Stairway might also be my end on Kuli‘ou‘ou Ridge. Luckily, the dense forest I was soon to enter saved me from a watery fate. Already well above Hawaii Kai, the view was glorious.

One of the coolest aspects of Kuli‘ou‘ou Ridge is the vegetation. At the bottom, almost everything is foreign. The further you go; the plants become more and more indigenous. This trail is greatly protected from erosion and invasive foreign plants. I have no idea what this plant is, but it’s really cool, right?

I wanted to showcase some of the plants of this trail. I was absolutely captivated by them. I layed under this tree for quite some time.

Hawaii tends to throw off its stereotypes once you wander deeper into its wilderness. No longer a subtropical island, I discovered an entire forest of pines.

A clash of the vegetation: subtropical plants and pines, living together as one. Humanity could totally learn from our photosynthetic brothers, man.

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