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Man Friday rendition of Olympus-Makapuu trample On Saturday June 23rd Man Friday had the honor and privilege to participate in the HTMC Super hike XIII. Although Man Friday had previously notified the HTMC of his plans to take the summer off to spend QT with his soon to be 7 year old son, the lure of this adventure was just too much to pass up. What sewed it up was a chance encounter with HTMC super super hiker Richard Fernandez. Man Friday had coached his son (the maya prince) up the Tom-tom trail and while resting at the summit Richard came trampling by and invited Man Friday to participate in XIII. Man Friday has difficulty in turning down almost any request initiated from HTMC or the members so an email was dispatched to Dayle Turner, (hike coordinator) requesting his name be added to the roster. The Hike: A most gracious offer was extended to Man Friday for transport to the hike rendezvous by Dayle alias (Koolau bear). Man Friday was touched by the HTMC VP's offer but de...

Five of us did the club hike today. Hike start time: 7:40 a.m. at Waahila trailhead. Hike end time: 4:40 p.m. at Makapuu Lookout--9 hours on the trail. It was an ideal day for this hike, with a cloudless summit all the way, high clouds to block the sun, and brisk trades to keep us cool. God was smiling upon us. The hike up Waahila was uneventful and we summited at 9:00. We were then eastbound on the crest, passing a parade of summits--Kaau Crater, Lanipo, Waialae Nui, Wiliwilinui, Wailupe, Hawaii Loa, Kulepeamoa, and then Kuliouou West. The trail along the summit was generally good, especially the segments the club hikes and maintains. The most brushy sections were between Olympus and Kaau and between Kulepeamoa and K-West. We reached the latter at noon and ate lunch there. I made walkie-talkie contact with Ken Suzuki, who was leading a hike for the Nature Center in Maunawili. I had suggested that folks leave water caches at either Kuliouou or Mariner's Ridge, and three of...

A bunch of us did a big loop today. The whole thing had to be at least 12 miles; some think it could have been as much as 15. Whatever it was, we all had a sweaty, muddy workout. Ken Suzuki even said the plants along the Kahuku Trail are better compared to sister ridges, Laie and Malaekahana. So go now, plant lovers! The hike started at the Laie ballpark on Poohaili Street. The first phase was a romp along a dirt road that passed the Laie trailhead and crossed a (dry) stream. There are several side roads on the left and right leading to farms. One concern along this stretch is harassment by dogs. A couple barked and growled as we went by in the a.m. but no dog hassles took place in the p.m., at least when I went by. Not long after the stream crossing, we headed mauka on another dirt road. This road eventually becomes eroded and rutted and then transitions into the Malaekahana Trail, which we headed up. About an hour from the cars, we passed the junction with the trail heading ...