Beyond the Sandbox: Pu'u Piei

If you love scrambling, here you go

DATE: 16 June, 2010
TOTAL TIME: 3.5 hrs
DIFFICULTY: Medium-Hard
PARTICIPANTS: "Sunburn" Samantha and Me
REHIKE VALUE: 0

According to Stuart Ball's "Hikers Guide to Oahu," this hike was rated medium. I call total bullshit. Either that or I went the wrong way. I ended up freaking rock climbing up to the top of the ridge. To be fair, the trail tape did run out at the rock face. I guess I should have looked around more but I swear that there was nothing remotely resembling a trail, or even enough ground for me to blaze a trail. Sections of rock were crumbling and some ledges were giving way. Oh and by the way, the cables Stuart Ball said were there weren't. So, I made it to the top, but I wasn't too happy.

"Sunburn" Samantha and me

Where do I go from here???

This hike actually would be more inviting but the steep climb just to get to the rock face is so exhausting that you lose all motivation to return here again. I was also interested in seeing some fishing shrine that was supposed to be there, but wasn’t. In fact, the tour brochure said it was there along with the hikers guide. Yeah, right. During my search for this mythical monument, I trudged through some BS while walking up a dry streambed. I felt a little strange as it was actually kind of spooky. I decided to call it quits after about 30 minutes because my imagination was churning with weird scenarios of running into little goblins and mean trolls.

Taking a breather on my climb up

Trail tape leading me to absolutely nowhere

Unless I missed the trail, I wouldn't recommend this hike unless you’re extremely motivated, with climbing equipment. Or unless you’re a frequent customer at Helga’s House of Pain. To be fair, the view of Kahana bay is phenomenal, especially on a clear sunny day. It's okay to do once, but Manamana across the bay awaits...