A quick Google search for “Olomana Hike” surfaces words like strenuous, challenging, difficult. You’ll also find news articles (like this Hawaii News Now feature) that describe rescue missions for hikers who are dehydrated and unable to make it back down to the base.
So why would an amateur hiker attempt a hike like this?
Great. Question.
Similar to attempts at the Stairway to Heaven hike and Half Dome, I was invited to do this hike by someone who was already familiar with it.
However, unlike those other two adventures, this time, I was not warned about the challenges that I would face while hiking the trail.
Agreeing to hike the Olomana Ridge Trail
The year was 2008. I was graduating from high school along with all of my closest friends. Most of us had been born and raised on Oahu, and the thought of leaving it behind to live on the mainland was intimidating.
A few months before we left for college, we attended a dance at a neighboring high school. There, we were introduced to a young man who would be attending the same college as one of my closest friends.
Thinking it would be nice to know someone when she arrived at the university, she agreed to go on a hike with him the next weekend. This way, they could chat and get acquainted before arriving at school.
I was invited along as well. Partially because they thought it’d be fun for us to all get to know each other and partially as a buffer in case things didn’t go smoothly.
Spoiler alert: things did not go smoothly.
Despite living near the trailhead, neither my friend nor I had ever hiked Olomana. As I described in my other amateur hiker post, my hiking experience up to this point consisted of family-friendly trails on which my only real concern was contracting leptospirosis.
These were the days of dial-up internet, so we didn’t take the time to do any research before heading to the trail. Besides, the young man had suggested this hike as a “fun way to get to know each other a bit better.” If the idea was to converse and get acquainted, how hard could the trail be?
Our attitude toward the hike was validated when we arrived and saw that our new friend had arrived in slippers. If you’re not from Hawaii, you may be picturing fuzzy house shoes, but I’m referring to what mainlanders call “flip flops.”
This hike must be super easy, we thought to ourselves.
How wrong we were.
About Oahu’s Olomana Hike:
The entrance to the Olomana Ridge hiking trail is just past the Royal Hawaiian Golf Course. It’s street parking, so we had to locate a spot on the road as we arrived.
The trail itself consists of three peaks. Though the hike to the first peak is not as difficult (or treacherous) as it is to the second or third—which requires you to cross a narrow ledge—the hike to the first peak is still steep and involves navigating around roots, rocks, mud, and more.
The total mileage for this hike (for all three peaks and back) is only 4.4 miles. However, the terrain and elevation make up for that distance—at a certain point, it feels like you’re on a muddy Stairmaster.
We did not make it to the second or third peak.
How to NOT Get to Know Someone On a Hike
I would like to once again bring up the fact that the purpose of this hike was so that my friend and this guy could get to know each other before heading off to the same college.
This helps to explain our shock when he took off up the mountain, charging up the rocky terrain as though he had a personal time to beat—all while wearing those slippers… He shouted back to us every now and again, but for the most part, he was racing up ahead.
Had we known that this would be a sprint up a steep incline (and later a rock scrambling challenge), we would come a bit more prepared—or perhaps not come at all.
Instead, we were clambering up with our sneakers, desperate for a break, and suddenly aware that we’d brought too little water.
Our new acquaintance offered little to no interaction other than the occasional drill sergeant command of “COME ON!”
We were already exhausted when we came to the rock wall that stands between hikers and Olomana’s first peak. We watched the young man clamber up the stones, using his hands and feet deftly, making what we knew would not be easy, look easy.
Staring up at the boulders above us, we observed the rope that swung down from above. For hikers who were unfamiliar with rock scrambling, the rope was there to help them haul their bodies up onto the next level of the hike.
Surprise, surprise, I was not used to rock scrambling.
The grunt that came out of my mouth as I desperately clung to the rope and tried to push my body up with my feet is what I assume a bear in labor sounds like.
Somehow, I made it up the rocks and stood breathlessly at the top of the first peak.
I will admit that it was beautiful and I felt accomplished. However, the view did not make up for the fact that my friend and I had been woefully unprepared for the hike itself.
Is Olomana the Best Hike to Get to Know Someone On?
If you’re looking to build a new relationship, may I recommend a nice walk or coffee date rather than attempting a steep, sweaty, painful, and breathless hike? I find that conversation usually allows you to get to know someone better than listening to their labored breathing behind you.
Needless to say, my friend and the young man did not become fast friends. However, I will say that the hike brought the two of us closer together. It remains to this day a traumatizing, yet almost fond memory of our days before we left for college.
I would also like to attempt the Olomana Hike again, but this time, knowing what to expect and avoiding any drill sergeant hiking partners.
What About You:
Have you hiked Olomana? What did you think about it? Leave comments below!
