Take A Hike... Hiking Trails on Oahu By:
Kathryn Drury From
the windward to the leeward side, the Hawaiian Trail & Mountain Club
embraces all the hiking that Oahu has to offer. Before
he even took his first steps, Phillip Booth was out hiking. His parents had
met as members of the Hawaiian Trail & Mountain Club here on Oahu,
romance was kindled, and soon enough young Phil was strapped into a baby
carrier, enjoying a fine view of Hawaii from the vantage of Mom’s or
Dad’s back. Most
club members haven’t been involved from such an early stage, but are
nevertheless just as dedicated to hiking. The group was formally founded
back in 1910 by Alexander Hume Ford, an adventurous mainlander who also
helped start the Out-rigger Canoe Club in Waikiki and once taught Jack
London to surf. Today, the Hawaiian Trail & Mountain Club has about 300
members and organizes one or more hikes a week, regularly hitting
about 80 trails on Oahu. The activities they plan—following ancient
footpaths or old military trails, women-only outings, and potluck
treks/dinners in honor of Thanksgiving, for example—are as varied as the
membership, which includes doctors, lawyers, engineers and teachers. The
club also gathers for camping, community service (area trail maintenance),
and will occasionally sponsor trips to enjoy hiking on neighbor islands and
the mainland. “We don’t lead guided hikes,” explained Phil Booth, who served as coordinator on a recent Saturday morning outing. “We are a group of people who enjoy hiking and the safety of hiking in groups.” As
a beginning mountaineer, the idea of safety and groups sounded appealing.
I’d met up with the club at its usual rendezvous point, the back parking
lot of Iolani Palace. We got a quick briefing on the day’s activity, a
coastal hike on Kaena Point, the westernmost tip of Oahu. It was rated for
novices, and I was thankful, as the club is more likely to tackle
intermediate or advanced routes. Some of the trail write-ups can sound a
little intimidating: “It’s a chest heaving, toe jamming, knee cracking,
butt wrenching kind of a climb. But hey, the views are great, and the
company is sublime,” read one. “NOT for acrophobes or the faint of
heart,” said another. “Nearly vertical climbs, razor edges, sheer
drop-offs, runaway downhills... but stupendous views!” Experienced
hiker Patrick Rorie, who knows the club well, having served as its president
until last April, reassured me, saying that hiking is like any other sport.
“You
start slow and build up confidence.” Rorie, who joined the club in 1996,
remembers being challenged by a rope bridge out on the Olomana trail. But he
got over the fear—and the bridge—and says the encounter helped him trust
his capabilities. Tim
Miller, a paralegal by day, recently joined the club, so I asked him about
his early impressions. “First I had to train myself to get up for 8 a.m.
hikes on Saturdays,” he joked. “I like the diversity of the group. There
are all kinds of people in the club, of all ages. Some are in their 50s and
60s, and they can hike my legs off.” Out
on Kaena Point, the surf was high, sending salty mist over the beach and
trail. The area is a protected wildlife sanctuary because of its rare dune
ecosystem, so I kept a lookout for nesting albatrosses, as well as humpback
whales offshore. Gail,
a realtor visiting from Salt Lake City, had found the group on a community
bulletin board. “I hike a lot at home and wanted to try it here.” Guests
like Gail are welcome on club outings, unless the event is members-only, and
are asked to chip in with a $2 donation. A quarterly schedule, posted on the
club’s website and also on brochures, lists hikes and descriptions. Once
you’re there, feel free to go at your own pace. “I’m a slow hiker,”
said Phil, making the novices feel more comfortable. “It’s just nice to
get outside. And I like the clubhouse.” The
members constructed the clubhouse, located near the beach in Waimanalo, in
1926. It’s a “poor man’s country club,” with a kitchen, meeting
area, lounge, library, and game areas. Members can gather for social events,
such as dinners, training seminars, or slide shows, or just hang out and
play a game of volleyball or ping-pong. The club is nonprofit, with a
seven-member board of directors steering the business operations. Monthly
board meetings help keep things on track, and there are plenty of committees
so that members can get more involved if they wish. Joining the club is
simple: you need to be at least 18 and have gone on three club events in the
last year. To apply, fill out a form, get it signed by two regular members,
and send it in. Annual dues run $15-$20 for individuals and families. “Sometimes
we get as many as 60 hikers out at once; other times, for advanced hikes
that are members-only, it’s only 15 people,” offered Judy, an avid
member who whips out her boots every single week for club events. Her
favorite hike is Olomana, which is an incredibly steep trek up to an
elevation of 1,600 feet. But once aloft, hikers are rewarded with 360-degree
views and the fellowship that results in tackling a difficult task together.
Besides
camaraderie and the sheer fun of being able to say, “I’m going to the
clubhouse,” membership has another bonus: access to mountain trails that
are off-limits to the general public. It’s a privilege that is becoming
increasingly difficult to arrange, said current club president Dayle Kalama
Turner. “In recent years, we’ve seen increasing restrictions placed on
hikers and backcountry enthusiasts by landowners who are expressing concerns
about vandalism and liability, among other issues. For instance, we are
having discussions with the Kamehameha Schools to gain access to trails on
KS lands in the mountains above Haleiwa. Obtaining the amount and type of
liability insurance required by KS is a challenge we are dealing with.” Turner
and the club are also concerned about the overuse issues threatening
certain areas. “Some trails we hike are also used extensively by
the public, Hawaii Loa Ridge being a good example,” Turner said. “Its
upper section is badly eroded due to hiker traffic, so to help, we are
looking at modifying our hike schedule to give trails like Hawaii Loa a rest
and hopefully a chance to recover.” And then there’s the challenge of
carrying out the club’s mission based on volunteer-only help, which is
never easy. “We’re doing fine,” said Turner, “thanks to a
hardworking and dedicated membership.” Luckily, whether it’s job stress, juggling a family, or the task of keeping a club going, hiking is a perfect antidote to day-to-day worries. It’s hard to feel too tightly wound up when you’re watching an albatross bob up and down like Little Richard, or the azure sea sweeping across dark lava in timeless patterns. The trails offer a respite from the sometimes-crowded conditions on this island; you can get away from the snarled traffic and throngs of tourists, the crowded beaches and full mall parking lots. Experiencing Hawaii in her natural state gives you a chance to fully appreciate where you live. As Dayle Turner expressed, “Through hiking, I’ve learned so much about Oahu. I’ve picked up stuff about plants and animals, about geology, about Hawaiian folklore, about history, and more. Hiking also is a great way to see parts of the island that few of our one million residents venture to. Nothing can top hiking along in the clouds at the top of the mountain.”
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