Stairway to Heaven - Oahu, Hawaii
An Endless Stairway to Heaven
December 2016
I called up a newly assigned client of mine at my previous job to introduce myself...Me: "Hi, my name is Colleen, I am the Solutions Architect that is going to help you improve your reporting process!"
Customer: "Colleen it is nice to meet you! We would like you to come onsite to assist us for a few days"
Me: "Of course, that is what I am here for, where are you located?"
Customer: "I know the holidays are coming up but we would like you to come as soon as possible, we are located in Honolulu"
Me: "...Hawaii?"
Customer: "Yes, Honolulu Hawaii. When are you available?"
My first thought ..
"I'm doing Stairway to Heaven"
The Ha'ikü stairs, aka Stairway to Heaven had been a major bucket list item of mine. I just had never dreamed I'd be in Hawaii anytime soon. So when a work trip brought me there I was PUMPED.
(rough life I know)
What are the Ha'ikü Stairs??3,922 steps straight up the ridge of a mountain. The stairs were built during World War II so military could access a radio station antenna 2,000 feet up in the mountains. The stairs were closed to the public in the 1980's due to the dangerous nature of the hike and as of today are notoriously illegal.
How to Climb the Stairs
A security guard shows up around 3:30am to deter any trespassers from hiking to the trailhead to start the climb. There is said to be a $600 or so fine if caught and cited.
Almost everything I read discouraged anyone from attempting the hike... but I 100% had to conquer this thing, I HAD too. I was in Hawaii, super unexpectedly, and I had always wanted to do this, I couldn't not do it.
I was going to hike the stairs super early so I could catch the sunrise from the top and hopefully avoid the security guard. On my last day there I woke up at 2:45am and set off to cross yet another item off my bucket list.
My research included how to 1. find the stairs 2. sneak around the security guard. Although some said to just run right past him...
The stairs are set far off any main road and surrounded by what I can only describe as the freaking jungle under an elevated highway. I made a trail of 'starred' coordinates in my google maps app as a little 'bread crumb trail' to the stairs.
In order to avoid the security guard you have to go in a back way.
This involved..
Parking on a neighborhood street @ 3am, hopping someone's fence, being barked at by a HUGE dog, jumping down into a 5 foot deep water drain tunnel thingy that led to hopping another fence, running down a dirt path, squeezing myself through a VERY thick bamboo forest and climbing up a steep hill filled with trees, rocks, and branches. It had just rained and was so muddy. I slipped dozens of times, scrapping up both of my hands from catching myself or from gripping onto branches for dear life to pull me up this hill. I got completely turned around in this forest, I literally had to use a compass for the first time in my life (thank you iPhone compass app).
I'll admit I had a mini freak out. I was lost for over 30 minutes, both hands were bleeding front and back, my clothes were ripped, it was pitch black, and I could not find my way to the stairs, or even retrace my steps back to where I came from.
I was that lost. "No way am I ever finding my way out of this jungle. This was such a stupid idea. Why would I do this alone. I am so screwed"DEEP BREATH.OK. It's fine. I let myself get over my mini freak out, gave myself a pep talk and kept going. Suddenly I saw head lights through the trees to my right. It was the security guards car. I looked left, sprinted up the hill a bit further and BOOM..
THE STAIRS
I could have cried. tears of freaking joy.
There was a huge fence blocking the stairs with no trespassing signs all over it. You had to scale across this fence, which was elevated, to a hole in the middle that you could climb through.
I bulldozed through that fence and reached the first stair. I grabbed onto the wet cold railings.. OUCHH, the open wounds on my hands burned against the metal railing, I had forgotten about them as I was so happy to see the stairs. Oh well, keep going.
I was off The first part of the stairs were the hardest. They were no joke straight up. You cannot even call them stairs. It was a ladder. The cuts all over my palms and knuckles were burning as I death gripped the railings. The highway below got further and further away. The first 30 minutes I just kept thinking 'this is insane' but it was so exhilarating. It sent chills up my spine and sheer nerves through my stomach every time I turned to look down. This climb was no joke and super strenuous. DON'T LET GO!
Whoever wrote 'KRAZY' in the picture above was spot on. It makes me really angry that you cannot tell from this photograph that this is a straight up vertical ladder, it looks like a normal stair case here.
The Top I did not see a single soul until I finally reached the top! It took me a couple hours to climb and I was literally in the clouds. Below is a shot of the radio antenna from the top, along with some new friends I made.
I sat up there chatting with a younger girl who had just moved to Hawaii to attend college. A local boy she had met at college who was experienced with this climb. As well as her father who was in town visiting. They were intrigued and a little shocked that I made the climb alone.. story of my life.. and said I should climb back down with them. I decided that was a good idea.
In the mean time, I ate my peanut butter sandwich I had made and waited for the sun to rise. Here are some shots I was able to take on the way back down, once the sun had risen.
In the last photo you can sort of see how the stairs just drop off and disappear, this is how steep it was. One the way down I was able to soak in more of the scenery with the day light. With the tiny cars, tiny houses, and endless ocean view it felt like I was on top of the world.
Getting Down
The way down was just as scary as the way up. Death gripping the railing terrified of falling off the side off mountain.
I made it down with my new friends, it was time to sneak around the security guard again. Myself, the local boy who knew the way, the girl and her dad, plus a few others we had picked up along the way. We took a different way back than I had taken there, even though I got lost on the way in I swear my way was easier. It took 25 minutes alone to duck under and squeeze our bodies through a different broken bamboo forest. Sprinting across roads, weaving in and out of jungle, sliding down dirt hills littered with weeds and branches, climbing under fences.
This girls poor father!! He tossed over our back packs as we each climbed under the fence through a dirt hole. Finally made it back to the water drain and neighborhood. Of course the owner of one of the houses was in his backyard when we appeared out of the forest.
"You know this is trespassing right?"
"Yes sir, we are sorry" - as we speed walk the heck out of his yard.
I made it back to my car, COVERED in mud, bruises, blood, and exhaustion with a HUGE smile on my face.
3 weeks prior I never would have imagined myself standing here in Hawaii, in ripped clothes, one more bucket list item down. Life is funny like that. You just never know. Then entire thing just felt awesome.
The right kind of madness TIPS:
If I did it again, I would 100% just run pass the security guard instead of trying to go around him though the jungle. He cannot stop you, he can only call the police to have them fine you on the way back down. Which after the fact I heard is very unlikely. While it was an awesome adventure to sneak around, save yourself the misery, blow right past him!
Do not go alone if you decide to sneak around the security guard, it was tough!!
Bring a headlamp if you climb in the dark, I had to use my phone and it was difficult.
DO IT! This was definitely the scariest hike I have ever done, however not the hardest. That title goes to my experience hiking Volcano Acatenagno in Guatemala which was amazing but HARD!
Feel free to send me a message in the below contact box! What was your favorite part of this post? I would love to hear from you!
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