Welikehike: 2006

Saturday, July 8, 2006

Olomana

by welikehike

As my aching and tired body lay restless on the floor, I tried to put my troubled self to sleep, but fearful thoughts kept reoccuring in my mind. Thoughts were still vivid and I could feel the same uneasiness when I stood at the edge of death earlier that day. My hands were clammy, my heart was pounding, and my entire body jerked to the flashbacks that restrained me from a much needed sleep. I was thinking about Olomana, the triple-peak mountain with razor sharp ridges. It was a hiking experience that I dreamt of for months and it had finally come to pass.

The day began at 6:30 in the morning and there on the table was my new "Hammerhead" hydration pack ready to be put to use for the first time. It didn't take long for me to get ready. I prepared everything the night before. My camera was fully charged, my hiking clothes were sorted, and my Nike sharks were brushed clean the night before only to be heavily soiled again. There was only one thing left to do. I drove to Tesoro to buy the one and only spam musubi which will be a vital source of energy during the trip. I bought two, one for breakfast, and the other was reserved for the end of the trail.

The invitation was exclusive, and I only invited those who I thought were physically and mentally capable of this hike. I invited at least a dozen, but only two were brave and willing enough to accept the challenge. Wil and Kevin met up with me at the Honolulu chapel and arrived half an hour after the designated meeting time, I expected it. We jumped in my Wrangler and headed for the Windward side. We decided to take the scenic route thru Pali to stop by a lookout and gaze at the distant Olomana peaks. We were confident and ready but knew nothing of what was to come in the next few hours. We ran into some trouble in finding the place described in Stuart Ball's Hiking Guide book. Apparently, we missed the turn and we had to turn back, thanks to Kevin's navigating ability. We parked near a park and started walking towards the trailhead. We kept on walking and walking and eventually noticed that we parked ridiculously far. That damn Stuart book was playing it safe! After thirty minutes of walking, we finally arrived at the trailhead. We met two ladies and we chatted for a bit. (To be continued...)