Koko Head Crater

Sunday, April 17th, 2011

By Alison and Kacie

Today, we hiked all of the 1,100 steps to the top of Koko Head Crater. As soon as we stepped out of the car, we were taken aback by the piercing sound of gun-shots coming from the rifle range next door. Near the middle of the hike, there's a bridge (more like a train track laid on a few strips of wood) where one wrong step can lead you falling into a forest of trees. We carefully made our way over the bridge, making sure we didn't fall through the foot-wide gaps between each wooden plank. 

SKETCH Bridge

There were plenty of children, men with babies on their backs, and dogs climbing along side their owners. We even met a man who had nothing but encouraging words to say to us. It took us about 40 minutes to get to the top. At the top there was a sea of people sitting and relaxing on the various graffitied walls. The peak of the mountain, which is 1208 feet above sea level, showed us beautiful views of the ocean, Hawaii Kai, and Koko Head. The hike down took about 20 minutes (half the time it took to climb up). We tried to be careful so we wouldn't slip on the dirt and go tumbling down the mountain of steps. This was a short, but strenuous hike. The trail wasn't long, but it was very steep. We were fooled at the start when we looked up and realized how wrong we were when we started the trek. 

Just 1,099 more steps to go! (Alison)

The view from halfway up

Cliffside of the Crater (Alison)

Koko Head Crater (Kacie)

More about Koko Head Crater:

- The long pathway up Koko Head Crater was originally a tram track that was used to transport goods to the military bunkers at the top during World War II

- Great view of major tourist attraction Hanauma Bay

- Within crater are horse stables and Koko Head Crater Botanical Garden featuring cacti and succulents

- Crater = 1208 ft. tall

Bibliography:

"Koko Head Crater Hike, Honolulu, Hawaii." Cultural Travel and Street Food Around the World | Migrationology. Web. 14 May 2011. <http://migrationology.com/index.php/2009/03/koko-head-crater-hike-hawaii/>

"Koko Head." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 14 May 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koko_Head>