OHE February 15, 1998

Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 23:36:53 -1000
From: "Dayle K. Turner" (turner@hawaii.edu>
Subject: Lanipo with the HTMC

Pat Rorie and I were co-hike leaders for today's HTMC Lanipo outing. Thirty-six folks attended the hike which got underway at 8:45 from the trailhead on Maunalani Circle at the top of Wilhelmina Rise/Sierra Drive. It was surprisingly hot and muggy early on with partly cloudy skies overhead. Thanks to the rainless stretch we've had on Oahu for the past couple weeks, the trail was dry with nary a muddy spot on the route.

On the ascent, Pat positioned himself near the front runners of the pack while I lingered with folks further back. By my count, all but a half dozen of the group made it to the Koolau summit, most cresting out by 11. Of those who topped out, most opted to continue right along the crest for 20 minutes to the true benchmarked peak of Lanipo. While a few rested briefly then headed back down, most ate lunch before commencing the return leg. A handful continued past Lanipo to the summit of Waialae Nui and headed down that trail.

All summiters enjoyed delightful views of the windward side, with triple-peaked Olomana dead ahead, Kaneohe off in the distance to our left and Waimanalo to our right. Wing Ng also pointed out the arching ridge of mighty Kamaileunu beyond the summit crest of the Waianae Range--an interesting sight.

At around 11:30, a paraglider swooped in front of us bound for Konahuanui and points beyond. A pleasant breeze propelled this craft and also made the summit stay even more pleasant. Many hikers, including a goodly number of summit virgins, commented favorably about the great viewing conditions and the rush of hiking along the crest. Methinks some folks may now be hooked. :-)

Pat and I were the last to leave the summit, shoving off at 12:25. On the descent, we passed probably a dozen folks heading for the top.

We arrived back at Maunalani Circle at 2:15, checked vehicles to make sure none belonged to hikers from our group, and then departed for Waimanalo to join our friends on the HTMC trail clearing crew for a Sunday afternoon refreshment gathering (they had hiked/cleared the Makapuu-TomTom trail).

In all, a nice hike with some nice folks.

--Dayle


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