Touring Oahu, Hawaii on Foot

This past Monday, Veteran's Day 2007, was also my wife Jacqueline's birthday. Of all things that she could have asked for on her birthday, what she wanted was to go on a long walk. In our case, the long walk ended up being twenty miles and taking 8.5 hours.

The plan was thought out and put into effect. Come Monday morning at 6:00am or so, we arose, read from our daily reader together, said our morning prayer together, and readied ourselves for our long sojourn. The plan was to use the island's bus system to get us to our starting point, and, once there, we commence to walk home.

So we hopped onto a bus at a little past 7 at a stop near our home in Kaneohe. The bus ride (we had to transfer once) took almost exactly an hour and cost us $4.00. Our starting point was along Kamehameha Highway in Pearl City by Blaisdell Park.

We started walking at 8:09 a.m., heading east along Kamehameha Highway. The day was a magnificent one, with clear skies and that bright, ever-present sun following us. Actually, the sun was in our faces during the morning segment. That being the case, we made a stop at K-Mart by Aloha Stadium so that my wife (the birthday girl) could purchase a pair of shades and some batteries for her walkman radio.

Because walking along the most direct route (the H-1 freeway) wasn't allowed (pedestrians aren't allowed on freeways in Hawaii-are pedestrians allowed on freeways elsewhere?), we had to fashion a route to avoid the freeway. That bypass route was Salt Lake Blvd. which begins/ends by Aloha Stadium.

If you've never walked Salt Lake Blvd, know that it is quite long and monotonous. But in an hour or so, we had finished that leg and reached Puuloa Road and the industrial district called Mapunapuna.

It was in Mapunapuna that my wife and I took our first sit-down break, plopping ourselves down at a bridge overlooking Moanalua Stream adjacent to the parking lot of the Affordable Casket company at 1150 Kikowaena St. I was wearing a backpack stocked with juice and snacks, so we supped on brownies, tortilla chips, and homemade guacamole. I can't tell you how wonderful I felt to be sitting there on that bridge with my best girl on her birthday.

Invigorated by our refreshments, we set off again after about a 15-minute break. Kikowaena Street took us on an overpass over the freeway. At that point, Kikowaena transitioned to Kaua Street, which paralleled H-1 for a half mile or so as it skirted past the front gate of Fort Shafter, one of several Army bases on the island.

From Kaua Street, we turned mauka (toward the mountains) on Middle Street (wonderful smell of fresh bread baking at the nearby Love's Bakery). Middle Street took us past a conglomeration of homes, small business, and small apartment buildings.

Middle Street, after reaching Likelike Highway, transitioned to School Street. I got to wondering why Middle Street is named as it is. What is it the middle of? And why is School Street named as it is? More schools along it than any other street on the island? I dunno. If anybody does, please let me know.

In any case, a memorable stop for my wife and I was Kamehameha Bakery on School Street. The bakery is located at 339 N. School St. and is open from 2 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, 2 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, 3 a.m. to noon Sundays. Call 845-5831. That morning, I ate absolutely the best apple fritter I have ever tasted (and I've tasted my share of them). Best yet, only 75 cents. Okay, maybe it tasted so awesome because I was extra hungry from the long walk. However, if you want to try some of the bakery's pastries for yourself, you know where to go.

After our pastry stop, we continued east along School Street, passing Lanakila Avenue and then St. Theresa's, a catholic church.

Our next stop was McDonald's at School Street and Liliha Street. We picked up a couple of double cheeseburgers (a buck a piece) and a bottomless cup of Diet Coke. Yes, we drank our share.

Feeling energized despite the long distance we had traveled (about ten miles by my estimate), we headed mauka up Liliha, bound for the top of Nuuanu Valley and the Pali Lookout.

For those who are unfamiliar with Oahu, you have to know that Pearl City and Kaneohe are on opposite sides of the island. What divides these two sides is a range called the Ko'olau Mountains. While there are highway routes around the mountains, faster access from the Leeward side (where Pearl City is) to the windward side (where Kaneohe is) is available by three highways that bore through the Koolau Mountains via tunnels. Route 1 is H-3 freewary (pedestrian traffic is banned). Route 2 is the Likelike Highway (pedestrian traffic is not allowed in the tunnel through the mountain).

So our way home was the third route: the Pali Highway. Yes, there is a tunnel to go through on the Pali. But there is actually a way over the tunnel. And we did not need ropes or climbing gear to scale the mountain.

Instead, at the top of Nuuanu Valley is a scenic spot called the Pali Lookout. It was there long ago where ancient Hawaiians fought a fierce battle for control of the island of the Oahu. The defenders of Oahu were defeated in that fight by the invading forces of Kamehameha (remember that highway where we started our hike in the morning? It was named after the conquering warrior).

So my wife and I walked up Pali Highway, passing a string of old, rustic residences that serve as the consulates for foreign countries. Why these consulates are on Pali Highway is a mystery to me. We also passed the Queen Emma Summer Palace, a historic place of note and worth visiting by visitors to the island. The walk the highway involves a steady ascent toward the top of the valley until we reached the Lookout. Once there, we joined a battalion of tourists who drove to the top to check out the wonderful scenic view of the windward side of the island. And "windward" isn't a misnomer, particularly at the Pali Lookout, for on a typical day there, the wind whips with considerable force.

From the Pali Lookout, it is possible to follow an old road that is cut into the side of the steep cliffs of the windward-facing side of the Koolau Range. This old road transitions to a trail that cuts under the existing highway. During this cut-under segment, my wife and I enjoyed yet another break, with cars whipping by over us, their drivers unaware of our picnic below!

We followed this trail which connected with a continuation of the ancient road. Eventually, we emerged on Kionaole Road by the entrance of the Ko'olau Golf Course.

Kionaole led us to Kamehameha Highway. Once at the highway, we headed for the final leg home.

We arrived at the junction of Luluku Road and Kamehameha Highway at a little past 4:30 p.m. Parked there was our Honda CRV by the bus stop where we had jumped on a townbound bus in the morning. We had been on the road for eight and a half hours. My feet were sore (I ended up with huge blisters on the balls of both my feet) and I was hungry and tired. My wife, on the other hand, had some energy in reserve. What a warrior she is.

Twenty miles and 8.5 hours later, so ended our day on the road and a celebration of the birthday of the woman I love. My wife is already talking about hiking around the island in segments, kind of like section hiking the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Trail. We'll probably section-hike Oahu, just not today.