A Sean-Filled Weekend: Stairway to Heaven (Haiku Stairs)

So of course the first item of business on Sean's visit here was college game day. That doesn't get any pictures. I'll sum it up by saying it consisted largely of a lot of screaming, high five-ing and fist bumping.

After they milked that for what it was worth, they spent the evening visiting Sean's old haunts- Pounders Beach, La'ie Point, Pizza Bob's in Hale'iwa. They brought me home some mouth-watering white chicken artichoke pizza as well.

Bright and early next morning at 5:30am, before the guard got there, we set out for Stairway to Heaven. We quietly snuck into where we thought the trail head would be and walked up a drive.


Enjoyed the sunrise from the drive... while it wasn't the same as it might have been had we been on the stairway, just look at that golden sunlight...

On our way up, a group of rather disgruntled looking hikers were heading out. Thinking that it was strange that they were leaving and even stranger that they didn't say anything to us (you know, like "The guard's there, he won't let you pass."), we went on our way. Noticing lights on a running car up ahead, we did the only thing that made sense-- we dove into the ditch and hid in the bushes.

After waiting a moment, the truck slowly drove our way, and as we held our collective breath, passed us by. Relieved, we quietly climbed out of our hiding place and continued up the drive.

The road forked up where the truck had been parked and the fenced off fork had a path leading off right before the fence. We decided it looked unlikely and took the other fork. Unfortunately, it led us further away from the stairway till it dead-ended at some strange-looking compound. Discouraged, we turned back the way we had come. We noticed a few trails branching off, but decided they probably wouldn't lead us to the stairway.

We went back to the fork and decided to try the "unlikely" trail.

Success!

Well, of a sort. Yes, it led to the trailhead. Yes, there was a huge fence with barbed-wire running across the top. And yes, the guard was there and heard our not-so-silent approach.

So when he came to investigate our noisiness, Derek tried the "hey, we're lost can we hop the fence and you can show us how to get out?" routine. Yeah, that didn't work. He told us to turn around and go back the way we came.

Now, we could have done that. But since Derek was annoyed at being thwarted, what did he decide was the next best thing? Of course, why not go ahead and irritate the guard further? Provoke him until he threatens to call the cops if you try to get in again?

Naturally, Sean found that irritating (as did I, but I go with the flow a little more) and they bickered like an old married couple as we turned back.

We tried another trail, and another, each leading us to a bamboo hell, full of dead, cracking bamboo. When Derek would lose interest and be ready to quit, Sean was there spear-heading the next try. And when Sean got discouraged, Derek was ready to push again. On our third or fourth try, after crossing paths with some other eager hikers, we opted to try one last trail. Oddly enough, it actually worked. We found the fence. It was near the guard, but not so near as to be noticed. And it had been bent up so one could Down Dog into Up Dog under it. It couldn't have been more perfect.

Well, maybe if it had a little less sh** rubbed all over it.

Yes, someone or something had decided to climb up and take a dump on a clamp on the fence. Maybe they weren't that ambitious. Maybe they just picked up the feces and rubbed it all over. In any case, we all squeezed under the sh** fence as delicately as possible. We were committed.

For the next 45 minutes or so, we hiked, climbed, and clung to young trees as we scrambled over the next ridge or two in search of this so-called "stairway". At long last and after a few close calls, the stairway finally came into view.

We climbed over to it and amazingly enough, there was a little ladder up to it. We didn't actually use it, just the "trail" that led up to it. Someone insisted it was a trail we'd been following that whole time. I still think it was rain run off.

Finally, though, after many, many set backs and adventures, we were on the actual stairway. We actually could look down and see the guard pacing angrily at the trail head. Fortunately there were plenty of hikers on their way down the stairway to slow down the guard should he want to think about pursuing us. I quickly put out of my head the nervous thoughts of what would happen when we got back down after the hike and tried to remind myself that Derek was the only one the guard had seen and all us haoles probably look the same anyway.


So onward and upward.

Time for a water break. Sean and Sheen looking oh-so-casually out at the view.

This is the view from the first landing. I don't think I mentioned there are 3,922 stairs on this hike. Yeah.

So casual. This one goes out to Devin.

After the next landing, we came to this bunker. In it was a giant winch used years ago to haul a cable car up and down the mountain. Of course the graffiti made it a fantastic photo opp, so we snapped a few.

Contemplating the hike.

Derek breakin it down on the winch.

Any guesses on what this room was for?

And finally... shortly after the bunker, we made it to the top of the harrowing ridge hike. I kid you not, people, I am so grateful for those rails because I believe my death (or mere maiming) would have been long and painful otherwise.

H-3 from the back of the building

The View From the Top

Amazing. Gorgeous hike, though slightly terrifying at times. The trip down naturally went a lot faster. And the bottom?

Sean went down a little bit ahead of the rest of us. Feigning great fatigue and thirst, he begged some water of the guard. Naturally concerned, the guard quickly and eagerly obliged. Derek had switched shirts (Jason had an extra) and was a little less recognizable in a subtle white marathoner shirt instead of a bright orange Donkey Kong tee. We all trailed back in and picked up on Sean's story of getting the wrong GPS coordinates and getting lost and miraculously finding the stairway anyway. And yeah, there were still a few people behind us. And great, thanks for showing us the way back out!

Beautifully played Sean.

I would have been fine turning around and heading home or going to the beach or trying another hike. But I'm so glad those two nerds are so persistent that they found the trail and we did the stairway. Good times.