Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 19:51:02 -1000 From: mooncat@hula.net Subject: Piliwale with the Wife
Decided to head up Piliwale today at around 4:15. I brought my other half along hoping she would enjoy this short hike. We got to the trailhead at about 4:30 and started up the ridge. Everytime I do this hike it seems to be more overgrown than before. Jayne decided to stop along the way to pick orchids. She also discovered tons of ginger growing on the ground. It sure smelled like the kind you eat but I'm not sure if you can. Anyone know about this?
Anyway we came to the first rock section. There use to be a rope here. We went around to the right of it. As we got closer to the top the trail became very overgrown. On we pushed to the second rock section where there are two cables attached. We reached the top at around 5:30. I dropped my pack and decided to head up the steep ridge while Jayne waited on the small grass clearing. I descended down to the rock that is in the gap and jumped across. One note here to Mark. Mark, this is the section where you jum from and NOT the top by the grass clearing. I don't know if I made that clear in my original write up or not. Anyone who would attempt to jump from the small grass area is nuts. I wouldn't attempt it nor do I recommend anyone try. You can safley jump from the rock that sticks out into the gap.
On I pushed up the ridge clinging on branches and carefully making my on loose crumbly rock. Jayne kept shouting for me to come back. I finally got to a section where the rock face was near vertical and even looked inverted in one spot. This is where I stopped and turned back. It is my opinion that this section is not do-able. I don't see how ANYONE could ascend this section of the ridge without pounding stakes in the rock and climbing up. Even that would be a feat in itself. I know that there are people claiming to have gone both up and down this ridge. I find this highly doubtful. I would like a full detail to anyone who claims to have done this hike to the top of Konahuanui. Maybe this isn't the same Piliwale ridge. I don't know. Perhaps the ridge was in better shape in the past years. Anyone who has claimed to have completed this hike, pleas enlighten me with the details of how you got past this section.
Thanks,
Diggy