More Articles

• May 2012
• April 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011
• August 2011
• July 2011
• June 2011
• May 2011
• April 2011
• March 2011
• February 2011
• January 2011
• December 2010
• November 2010
• October 2010
• September 2010
• August 2010
• July 2010
• June 2010
• May 2010
• April 2010
• March 2010
• February 2010
• January 2010
• December 2009
• November 2009
• October 2009
• September 2009
• August 2009
• July 2009
• June 2009
• May 2009
• April 2009
• March 2009
• February 2009
• January 2009
• December 2008
• November 2008
• October 2008
• September 2008
• August 2008
• July 2008
• June 2008
• May 2008
• April 2008
• March 2008
• February 2008
• January 2008
• December 2007
• November 2007
• October 2007
• September 2007
• June 2007
• April 2007

Malaekahana Loop and Mabel’s Birthday

Posted: April 18, 2011

I joined the trail maintenance crew of the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club (HTMC) to clear the Malaekahana Loop above Laʻie and to celebrate Mabel Kekina’s 84th birthday on the shores of Kawelo Bay.

Although HTMC has always been trail building and clearing ever since its founding in 1910, the trail maintenance crew did not exist until 1983.  It was Mabel Kekina who foresaw the need for a crew dedicated to trail clearing and organized a subset of the club to do just that for past 28 years.

Starting from the baseball field in Laʻie, we headed up the dirt roads leading to the ridge trails to Laʻie and Malaekahana Falls.  But rather than to go up the ridges to either falls, we ventured into a small valley between the two ridges where a charming stream flows. The Malaekahana Loop is short — no more than 4 miles long — and follows the stream before gaining the ridge to connect with the Laʻie Trail.

Due to rain on the days prior to our outing there was lots of water.  The water was clear but milky indicating that much of the water was days old run-off from the mountains.  Hau trees formed a thicket along some sections of the meandering stream, but the loop trail skirted the hau and the trail was in great shape — not a whole lot of work was required.

While I waited for others to cross the quaint little stream multiple times, I admired the sword ferns along the edge and recalled my conversations with Mabel about her trail clearing role in the club.  Prior to the creation of the trail maintenance crew in 1983, hike leaders were responsible for clearing the trails they would lead.

Some leaders enlisted their friends to clear the trail prior to the scheduled event — some times taking multiple outings if the group was small and/or if the trail was really overgrown.  For trails that were less overgrown, an advance team of hikers with machetes pushed-off before the main group on the day of the hike.  But inevitably the forward progress of hikers would come to a crawl when they caught up with the trail clearers at the head of the group.

Finally in 1983, Mabel Kekina foresaw the need to organize a crew dedicated to clearing the trails on the HTMC hike schedule.  Over the years, Mabel has been able to consistently cultivate a dedicated group of clearers — about 30 strong — who labor each Sunday to keep the trails open.

About 4 trail clearers bring weed-whackers (and some times hedge-trimmers and chain saws) who make by far the biggest contribution to opening-up the trail.  But the equipment is heavy and consumes so much time to use that they are often restricted to the early portions of the trail.  Ultimately, it is trail clearers wielding hand tools — machetes, sickles, hand-saws, and loppers — who complete the work to the end of the trail.

After crossing the stream over a dozen times, we headed up a spur to gain the top of a ridge where I saw John Hall.  John is Professor Emeritus of Micobiology from the University of Hawaii and is the author of “A Hiker’s Guide to Trailside Plants in Hawaii” — a great resource for identifying plants.  John is also known for noteworthy hiking/climbing achievements in his hey-day completing Kaupo Cliffs, Bear Claw, Lanihuli Windward, and the Kohala Traverse.

One of the more charming plants I saw was naupaka kuahiwi or mountain naupaka (Scaevola guadichaudiana) which has distinctive half-flowers and leaves with serrated edges. The sweet fragrance of naupaka flowers filled the air as we made our way up the ridge.

Karen Liliker was all smiles as we ventured up the ridge through stands of ferns, introduced grasses, and invasive strawberry guava trees.

We saw many strawberry guava fruits as we proceeded on Laʻie Ridge.  Several of us could not resist picking them and eating them fresh off the tree. What a delicious treat!

After descending Laʻie Ridge through groves of iron wood trees, we looped back to the dirt road where we started our hike, and drove to the North Shore for the next item on our agenda — MABEL’S BIRTHDAY PARTY!

We were thrilled when Chris and Debra Godwin invited us to their home on the shores of Kawelo Bay in Kahuku for Mabel’s 84th birthday. Several in the group kayaked and paddle surfed in the bay while the food was being grilled and the other preparations were being made.

Chris is building a beautiful home which is completed on the outside, but is still under construction inside.   Chris is quite the handy man and is finishing the interior work himself.  His meticulously maintained lawn descends a slope planted in coconut trees that leads to sandy beaches on the shores of the bay.

Because of her strong people and organizational skills, Mabel Kekina also coordinates the club’s search and rescue activities with the police and fire departments.  In 1999, she oversaw trail clearers Ken Suzuki, Thomas Yoza, and Jim Pushaw in a successful rescue of 2 Danish girls who were stuck on the summit of Ohulehule for 8 days.  She also led numerous other missions where the end result was unfortunately far less happy when the remains of missing hikers were found.

With beer in hand host Chris watches over Ralph Valentino as he checks out the gifts in Mabel’s birthday booty.

Mabel is fond of piggies and received a number of pig related birthday gifts.  One of the funniest gifts was a plush piggy that shook and laughed hysterically when its motion sensor was triggered.

The guest of honor was first in the line to fill her plate with streak, shrimp, teriyaki chicken, poke, and a selection of vegetables and salads.  We spent much of the afternoon feasting on the fabulous spread, catching up with the latest happenings, and enjoying each other’s company.

When the time came to sing “Happy Birthday”, Mabel blew out the candles without difficulty despite the removal of a lung 4 years ago due to lung cancer. Reduced lung capacity has lessened her cardiovascular capability on the trail but Mabel continues to be a driving force behind the trail maintenance crew. Each Sunday Mabel still shows up for trail clearing and always brings delicious baked goods, soup, and other delectables.  

The next phase of the party commenced with Chris selecting names for the grab bag.  We all had a great time teasing Ellyn and Wayne who got vaseline and becoming best buddies with Carole who got a fifth of Jim Beam.

With the party drawing to an end, I thanked Chris and Debra Godwin for opening their beautiful home up to us for the party. As I drove back home, I wondered just how many people have benefited from Mabel’s efforts over the past 28 years. Were it not for Mabel Kekina and her crew, many of Oʻahu’s trails would be overwhelmed by fast growing vegetation and fallen trees in a matter of a few years. With over 50 trails being kept open a year for almost three decades I fathom to guess the number is in the tens of thousands. Happy Birthday Mabel! May you keep the trails open for many more years!

–

SOURCES:

Native Hawaiian Plants, Department of Botany, University of Hawaii

“A Hiker’s Guide to Trailside Plants in Hawaii”, by John Hall, Mutual Publishing