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Konahuanui in the Mist
Posted: April 5, 2009
I joined the trail maintenance crew of the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club (HTMC) to clear the trail that leads to the twin peaks of Konahuanu, the two highest peaks on the Koolau Mountains, which are often shrouded in clouds.
Our plan was to start on the Kalawahine Trail, veer-off on the Pauoa Flats Trail to the Nuuanu Lookout and then contour up the remnants of the Castle Trail. We would then follow the ridgeline to the second peak of Konahuanui — known as K2 — and then proceed along on the Kooalu Summit Ridge to the first peak — known as K1. This 6-mile round trip hike involves a climb of about 2,000 feet with steep drop-offs along the sheer edge of the summit ridge.
The weather was cold and windy as we started the hike on the Kalawahine Trail. Bundled up in jackets and other warm clothing, Carole Moon, Steve Rohrmayr (Waianae Steve) and Jay Feldman (from nearest to farthest) make their way in and out of a series of gullies along the start of the trail.
The Kalawahine Trail has large native ohia trees (Metrosideros polymorpha) with ieie vines (Freycinetia arborea) that twist their way up the tree. Ieie vines have tough aerial roots which firmly anchor them to the tree. These roots are so strong that they were woven by the Hawaiians into a netting upon which feathers were tied for feathered capes, helmets, and other articles.
Other roots on the Kalawahine Trail include creepy ficus tree roots which grow over, encase, and choke their hosts to death. Appropriately known as the strangler fig, these highly invasive trees invade, constrict, and kill much larger trees and can take over entire forests.
Still more unusual roots awaited us on the Pauoa Flats Trail. The tree roots in this area remind me of the pit of snakes Indiana Jones escaped from in “Raiders of the Lost Arc”. Steve Rohrmayr makes his way over a tangle of intertwined roots from a variety of introduced trees as we make our way over a tree-lined avenue on the trail.
When we reached the end of the Pauoa Flats Trail, strong winds swept over the Pali and howled down the length of Nuuanu Valley. In the photo above, the cloud shrouded twin peaks of Konahuanui — the destination of our climb — loom ominously in the backgound as Steve Rohrmayr sits on the Daniel Levy memorial bench. Daniel died in 2003 in a fatal fall near the top of Konahuanui — HTMC built and installed this bench in his honor later that year.
From the Nuuanu Lookout, we made our way along the remnants of the Castle Trail which contours along the side of Nuuanu Valley through groves of ahihi (Metrosideros tremuloides), the species of ohia lehua endemic to Oahu with pointed leaves and red stems. A branch of ahihi – assuming its classic weeping form — dangles over the trail as Steve Davis, Laurie Loomis, Alex Loomis, Steve Rohrmayr and Jay Feldman hike beneath (from nearest to farthest).
While hiking along the Castle Trail, we glimpsed the top portion of Lulumahu Falls as it cascades several hundred feet into Nuuanu Valley below. Lulumahu Falls derives its waters from springs supplied by ground water year-round. Click here for a photo of Lulumahu Falls from the base of the falls.
After the Castle Trail lead us to the top of the ridge, we began our methodical climb up the ridgeline where we saw lehua mamo (yellow lehua) flowers with liko (young leaves), and other native plants.
After climbing up a deeply eroded section of the trail, Laurie Loomis, Alex Loomis, Steph, and Lars, (from nearest to farthest ) make their way up the increasingly steep ridge into the clouds.
When we climbed into the cool moist clouds, we entered wao akua — the realm of the gods — a kapu or forbidden zone in old Hawaii. As we made our way upwards we came across a number of shrubs covered with a thick growth of moss. This manono shrub (Hedyotis spp.), which overlooks the Nuuanu Reservoir and Lulumahu Valley, is covered with reddish-brown moss.
When we reached the summit of K2 at 3,105 feet, gusts of wind whipped over the peak and blew a series of clouds over the summit ridge in waves. Undaunted by the strong wind, we turned west (left) along the edge of the summit ridge to make our way to the higher of the twin peaks — K1. As we made our way along the edge we could see the bottom of Maunawili Valley over two thousand feet below in between the waves of clouds.
Misty clouds created an otherworldly landscape as we climbed up and down a series of humps on the edge of the Koolau Mountains with hapuu ferns, lehua flowers, and other native plants growing along the cliffs.
When we finally reached the summit of K1 at 3,150 feet elevation, we saw many moss-covered lapalapa trees (Cheirodendron platyphyllum) — one my favorite trees in the cloud forest. Mosses increase the surface area upon which mositure from passing clouds can condense on trees, drip down tree trunks, follow the roots into the earth, and join the ground water. Lulumahu Falls and Manoa Falls, which have water year-round, derive their waters from ground water captured by Konahuanui.
Since it was cold and windy at the summits of K1 and K2, we did not linger for long and descended soon after having lunch. With thoughts of warmer conditions at the trailhead, Karen Liliker, Alex Loomis, and Laurie Loomis (from nearest to farthest are ) slip back down under the clouds to make their way back that way we had come.
The climb to the twin peaks Konahuanui is always a memorable adventure. While clouds often block the panoramic view from the top, the mists create an otherworldly landscape that is just as captivating to see and experience.
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SOURCES
Ahihi on Mount Kaala, HawaiianForest.Com
Native Hawaiian Plants, University of Hawaii, Department of Botany
Strangler Fig, Wikipedia
[...] hawaiianforest.com added an interesting post today on Konahuanui in the MistHere’s a small readingI joined the trail maintenance crew of the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club (HTMC) to clear the trail that leads to the twin peaks of Konahuanu, the two highest peaks on the Koolau Mountains, which are often shrouded in clouds. (more…) [...]
Nate, I finally got to see this blog you spoke about. As ususal, beautiful pictures. The hikers in the clouds is great, and I also really liked the yellow lehua.
Aloha, Bob Wai