OHE December 9, 1998

Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 12:18:44 -1000
From: "STONE, J. BRANDON" (802005%cchpd@co.honolulu.hi.us>
Subject: laulaupoe ridge

This Monday a friend and I wanted to do a short simple hike somewhere out of the fierce winds. We decided to walk back into Wailupe Gulch, behind Aina Haina, which we did. As we walked mauka along the stream, we began to notice trail markers cut out of red T-shirt material. When we got to the broad Norfolk Island pine grove, which we had though would be our terminus, we saw that 'Red T-shirt' had proceeded up the spur behind the grove, starting with two switchbacks and then heading straight up the crest of the spur. The spur in question is the one just Ewa of the spur which the 'Wailupe Gulch' hike ascends. On the topo, it's just Ewa of Laulaupoe Gulch, so I think it would be acceptable to refer to it as Laulaupoe Ridge.

'Red T-shirt' has been doing some major clearing to open the trail. We noted freshly cut guava branches and stumps as well as newly-traversed uluhe. The progress up the ridgeback was somewhat steep at first, but then levelled out to a more gradual, steady rise. We stopped well before the summit (because of a time limit), so I don't know whether this pleasant new (?) trail goes all the way, but I would suspect that it does. According to the topo, it should intersect with the usual Wailupe Gulch trail just a few hundred yards before the summit. I remember looking down Laulaupoe Ridge from the top a few months ago when Chris Walker and I went up the usual Wailupe Gulch trail, thinking that there might be a trail, and I'd swear that none was evident, lending strength to the notion that 'Red T-shirt' is clearing a new route.

I wonder who 'Red T-shirt' is.

Brandon



Reply From: Wing C Ng (wing@lava.net>

There are actually THREE middle ridges inside Aina Haina; the "Wailupe" one is actually the middle one of the three. You found the Ewa-most one, and so we'll name it after you and the Red T-shirt. Yet another one is longer and more towards Koko Head side, and can be accessed by the T-word through a watertank at the end of a residential street. Stuart Ball suggested going into Kului Gulch and then climbing up the hillside. No doubt that the other two can also get to the summit: we just some fearless uluhe warrior like Dayle the Professor to pioneer the routes!

Wing


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