The Summit of Kea’au

Posted: March 16, 2009

I joined Patrick Rorie and a small group of hikers to clear and mark the trail in Ohikilolo Valley that leads to the summit of Keaau.

Ohikilolo is the tiny valley wedged between the large valleys of Makaha and Makua on the Waianae Coast which is formed by the intesection of two ridges – Kea’au and Ohikilolo. “Ohikilolo” means crazy crab in Hawaiian after the crabs that once lived on the beach fronting the valley for the peculiar, dance-like way they walked.

Ohikilolo Valley is dry and arid receives less than 40 inches of rain per year. As a result, only a small crew was needed to clear the trail. Most of the lower parts of the valley are covered by kiawe, haole koa and grassy brush. In the photo above Patrick Rorie, Dusty Klein, Richard Nettle and I prepare to cross a dry stream bed as we hike along a dirt road that leads into the valley.

Ohikilolo was a cattle ranch after World War II and some of the original structures are still standing. A compound of cabins — built later by First Hawaiian Bank and recently acquired by the Fransicans — is available for camping for a fee. The compound is now the site of Our Lady of Kea’au which performs a much needed service to the community — feeding and ministering to the needs of the homeless on the Waianae Coast.

Ohikilolo Valley has recently become part of the State of Hawaii’s public hunting area. As Patrick and Richard signed-in at the check-in station, we could hear the laughing call of francolin game birds off in the distance.

Our plan was to hike up the road to back of the valley and make our way to the summit of Keaau Ridge at 2,900 feet elevation by way of a middle ridge in Ohikilolo Valley. In the photo above, Dusty Klein hikes up the dirt road as Kaena Point receeds off into the distance.

When we reached the end of the road, we crossed a dry stream-bed and then began the climb up the middle ridge. Much of the lower portions of the ridge were covered with formosan koa and other invasive plants.

Ohikilolo Valley is being over-run with a new invasive plant — Triumfetta rhomboidea. This plant speads by way of burrs that cling to your shoes, socks, and clothing. If you hike in Ohikilolo Valley please stop periodically to remove the burrs to minimize the spread of this invasive plant. Be especially careful not to spread this to the top of Kea’au were rare native plants can still be found.

The higher we climbed up the middle ridge, the more native the vegetation became. About a third of the way up the ridge we came upon a grove of lama trees growing among christmas berry and other non-native trees.

One of the more interesting features about the middle ridge is that it closely follows the massive ridge on the north side of Ohikilolo Valley. We could clearly see the fluted cliffs and hanging valleys carved into the side of the ridge. It would be interesting to climb into these hanging valleys to see what rare native plants might be sheltered in them.

Ohikilolo Valley has many varietries of aalii (Dodonea viscosa) with seed capsules ranging from red to pink to green. Aalii is indigneous to Hawaii — its attractive seed capsules were a favorite lei-making material.

The higher we climbed up the middle ridge, the steeper it became. The triangular peak at the very top is the summit Ohikilolo — the peak one ridge over.

The middle ridge is home to gulf frittillary butterflies which flit from flower to flower. These underside of their wings are especially attractive and eye-catching. Gulf frittillary butterflies are not native to Hawaii — they are from Mexico and the southern United States.

Patrick climbs up a rope after clearing a blown down tree that blocked the trail in the christmas-berry forest.

The forest of christmas-berry trees provided shade for mosses and native ferns such as these iwaiwa ferns (doryopteris decipens) to thrive. The higher we climbed up the mountain-side the steeper it became.

When we finally reached the summit of Kea’au at 2,900 feet elevation we had a commanding view of Makaha Valley below and flat-topped Mount Kaala off in the distance. The summit of Ohikilolo at 3,052 feet elevation (triangular peak to the left of the above photo) is about half-a-mile away.

Patrick and Richard pose at the summit of Keaau Ridge with the Wai’anae Coast receeding off into the distance.

Many of the trees ontop the Keaau ridge — like this ohia lehua shrub — were covered with a profuse growth of orange and white lichen.

The summit of Keaau was cold and windy with gusts up to 25 miles per hour whipping over the ridge. Undaunted by the wind, Patrick hikes along dike formations on Keau Ridge with the summit of Ohikilolo looming in the background.

After enjoying the view for quite some time, we retraced our steps to drop back down the way we had come. As we made our way back down the middle ridge, I reflected on my great fortune being able to climb to the top of Keaau for the very first time. I enjoyed seeing the fluted cliffs and hanging valleys in Ohikilolo Valley, the panoramic views of Makaha Valley and the Waianae Coast, and the beautiful native plants along the middle ridge. What a great hike!

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SOURCES

Hawaiian Native Plant Genera – Sapindaceae – Dodonea, University of Hawaii, Department of Botany

Hawaiian Native Plant Genera – Pteridaceae – Doryopteris, University of Hawaii, Department of Botany

Ohikilolo Valley, Waianae High School

Ohikilolo Public Hunting Area, Department of Land and Natural Resources

Our Lady of Keaau, St Francis Healthcare System

Triumfetta rhomboidea, Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk

One Response to “The Summit of Kea’au”

kaleo says:

September 13, 2010 at 8:24 pm

so awesome!

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The Summit of Kea’au

Posted: March 16, 2009

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