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Kulepeamoa Trail

Posted: December 4, 2008

I joined the trail maintenance crew of the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club (HTMC) to clear the Kulepeamoa Trail which starts at the end of Anolani Road in Niu Valley on Oahu.

Kulepeamoa (lit. “flapping chicken”) takes its name from a heiau at the foot of the middle ridge in Niu Valley which divides the valley in two.  The valley is also littered with the archaeological remains of rock walls which could possibly have been used as animal enclosures or agricultural terraces.

Our plan was to hike about a 6-mile loop by starting at the entrance of Pia Valley on the western side of Niu Valley, gaining the top of the middle ridge that splits Niu Valley down the middle, following the ridge to the Koolau summit, crossing over along the spine of the Koolau Summit Ridge to the summit of Hawaii Loa, descending Hawaii Loa ridge, and then dropping back down into Pia Valley to exit the way we entered.

We started our hike up a dry stream bed in Pia Valley and then veered off to the right when we reached an eroded exposed section of the trail to climb up through a forest of strawberry guava. After a sweaty climb to reach the top of the middle ridge, I saw an unusual sight — 2 different species of sandalwood growing within 10 feet of each other. The photo to the top left is Santalum ellipticum, which is more often seen along the coast at lower elevations, and the top photo to the right is Santalum freycinetianum, which is the usual form of sandalwood seen in the mountains.

When we gained the top of the middle ridge that divides Niu Valley, we found ourselves in a grove of iron woods trees.

When we reached the sections where uluhe ferns choked the trail we removed our machetes and sickles to clear the swath.

One of the more unusual sights along the way were the aerial roots of an ohia lehua tree.  In the photo above Larry passes right under a particularly large outcrop of aerial roots.

While clearing the trail of uluhe, strawberry guava and other plants that choked the trail, we saw many ohelo berries (Vaccinium reticulatum) which provided a welcomed snack.

Towards the upper portion of the trail, we reached a part of the ridge that has become increasingly eroded over the years.  A cable has been installed to assist hikers to climb up the eroded edge.

Larry climbs up the cable over the crumbly eroded section with Ellyn and Fish following closely behind.

Shortly after the cable climb is the final climb to the Koolau Summit.  Jay Feldman passes on ohia lehua shrub with attractive red liko (yound leaves) as the trail clearers make their way to the Koolau Summit Ridge at Kulepeamoa.

When we reached the Koolau Summit at Kulepeamoa, we saw a profuse growth of ’ie’ie (Freycinetia arborea) growing on the leeward-side of the summit.  The long thin aerial roots of ‘ie’ie were used by the Hawaiian to make capes, helmets and other feathered articles.  The strong fiberous aerial roots were woven into a base upon which feathers were tied.

The orange-pink flowers of ‘ie’ie bloom in the foreground in this shot of Mauna Leahi (Diamond Head) on the coast.

Much of the windward coast was obscured by clouds.  As we ate our lunches the clouds parted from time to time revealing Mount Olomana and the Mokulua Islands.

After lunch we proceeded west along the spine of the Koolau towards Hawaii Loa.  As I admired the many native loulu palms (Pritchardia martii) growing along the edge of the steep cliffs, I noticed that the Waimanalo reservoir over a thousand feet below was quite empty — 2008 has been a relatively dry year.  We continued onward, crossed-over to the summit of Hawaii Loa and descended Hawaii Loa ridge.

The descent of Hawaii Loa took us through a charming forest of ohia, ahakea, pilo, and other native trees.  In the photo above, I turn around to photograph the summit of Hawaii Loa shrouded in clouds.  As we continued down Hawaii Loa ridge we descended through a forest of strawberry guava trees.

Soon we reached the point on Hawaii Loa ridge where we had to drop back down into Pia Valley.  Strawberry guava trees provided great hand-holds as we “ski-ed” our way down the steep side of the ridge into Pia Valley.  When we reached the bottom we made our way out the dry streambed and came across rock walls constructed out of large boulders. We proceeded to exit Pia Valley the way we started with the thought of snacks, refreshments and fun-loving conversation awaiting us at the end.

 

–

SOURCES

Archaeology of Oahu By J. Gilbert McAllister

Native Hawaiian Plants, University of Hawaii, Department of Botany

Sites of Oahu, by Elspeth Sterling and Catherine Summers – Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1978, p. 273-274