The Ewa Forest Reserve covers a large tract of landmass on Oahu; from the ewa central plains, across the northeast portion of the Koolau range, and down towards the wet northeast valleys of Oahu. It harbors many native plants and birds, and it is also a critical watershed where much of the water consumed on this island comes from. Getting around and into the heart of the forest reserve requires a little planning and knowledge, as the surrounding area is covered in heavy vegetation coupled by an unforgiving undulating terrain that often makes it impassable, even for the foolhardy.
One of the easier approach (easier, not necessarily easy) is from Wahiawa, a small town in the central plains just on the boundary of the forest reserve. The town primarily serves the needs of the small local population, and is surrounded by many military barracks and bases. At the end of California Avenue, in between two large water tanks, is where the path to the official trailhead of Schofield-Waikane begins. This is one of the few ways to get to the heart of the forest reserve where it tops out at the Koolau Summit.
A special permit is required by both the Schofield Barracks Garrison and the Department Of Land and Natural Resources in order to hike in this area. The Schofield barracks garrison conducts live fire exercises in the area and one can only hike past when there is no such activity scheduled on that day.
As we made our way past the water tanks, the forest closes in quickly. There is no clear distinctive trail to follow. We walked past a grove of paper bark trees and came to a junction where we could veer left and down towards a gulch, or stay right and follow a feint trail among rows of strawberry guava trees.
Travelling in this area carries with it some danger; especially for those who are not used to orienteering and/or those who got injured along the way. The forest here is dense and the terrain homogeneous. On March 2000, a hiker named Robert Lefevre hiked into the Wahiawa woods alone and never returned. A large group of local hikers and firefighters searched for him for days but with no success. Till today he is still listed as missing. Another hiker, Justin Clark, went missing for 4 days in 2015 before being found with an injured ankle along the Schofield-Waikane Trail. These are just some of the lost and missing cases that took place in this area.
As we broke out of the strawberry guava patch, we hit a dirt road. This dirt road was built along the perimeter of Schofield Barracks to transport troops from camp to camp while training in jungle warfare. Along the path we could see the many military structures used to facilitate their planned exercises. We imagined what it would be like with a full brigade practice... straight lines of military personnel marching along the road with humvees and strykers.
This long dirt road walk that precedes the official trailhead was nothing but mundane. As we made haste past various warning signs for the next 2.5 miles on the dirt road, it started to rain. Soaking wet, we did ponder on turning back and to complete this on a better day. But we were here and we kept moving forward.
The rain lighten up a bit as we drew nearer to the official trailhead. We were soaked from head to toe, while squishing through thick Koolau mud. When we finally hit the official trailhead in about an hour since we started the hike, we paused for a short break to squeeze dry our socks and sip on some water. What lies ahead would be one of our longest and most memorable hikes to date.
According to the state Na Ala Hele site, the official Schofield-Waikane trail is 4 miles one way to the summit from the trailhead. By the end of the day, we would have hiked 13 miles or so through mud, rain, water, roller coaster hills and scratchy bushes that seem to go on forever!
For the most part, this official trail is about a foot wide and that would be quite a generous description. It is covered in an almost impassable swath of uluhe, a type of fern predominantly found all over the hills and mountains of Hawaii. The first 2 miles wasn't as bad as the last 2, since a local hiking club recently hiked it and they took the liberty to hack away as much as possible given the limited man power that they had.
The Ewa Forest is one of the wettest spots on Oahu and seeing that it had rained earlier, one section of the trail was akin to hiking up a small waterfall. Water was pouring out from everywhere.
As we progressively made our way up from the lower dense to the upper sparse section of the hill, we got our first glimpse of the surrounding hills of the Ewa Plains. In between the intermittent rain we took the opportunity to capture some wide angle shots. Due to the amount of moisture in the air and from the condensation of warm and cooler air, our camera started to behave erratically; definitely not liking the moisture!
At about the half way point or 2 miles in from the official trailhead, we heard some music emanating from the forest. It was an almost surreal experience being in the wild yet hearing reggae music coming from who knows where. At the same time, this was also the starting point where a fence line was installed along the ridgeline to keep pests like pigs and goats at bay, and preventing them from destroying the fragile ecosystem of the area. As we continued along the trail the music got louder, and finally we found the source of it. It was the music coming from the campsite of the fence installers. They told us how they got dropped off by a helicopter, and they worked for two weeks at a time, installing the fence before being airlifted back out to civilization. I can't imagine hiking in with all the materials and tools without the aid of a helicopter!
After a brief conversation with the state workers, we continued on knowing that the terminus of the hike is about to be had. We could see the top of the range that loomed not too far off, covered in clouds. At this juncture, I lost count on the number of hills we had already ascended and descended, mentally striking each one off the list knowing that soon we will reach the terminus; and once we got to the top, we will have to do it all over again on the return trip.
This final mile to the top was by far the gnarliest and muddiest. Some parts required all fours, as we clawed our way up past thickets of ferns and thorny bushes that act like a natural barrier. Soaking in half mud and half sweat, swimming in a cloud of moist cool air, lifting each heavy leg upward and forward, we inched closer towards the summit.
A side note - there is a small patch of grass atop a small hill just before the end of the Schofield-Waikane trail that is used as a helipad to transport workers in and out. This provides a nice resting spot with views towards where we came from. The mountain range is a sea of green with endless undulating peaks spread out to as far as the eyes can see.
In about 4 hours and 30 minutes since the start of our hike, we finally made it to the end of the trail. As we let out a sigh of relief, we spent the next hour admiring the views from the top of the Koolau, pointing out the places we had hiked to and those we hadn't. The weather cleared for a brief moment and for some reason our camera came back to life just long enough to allow us to snap a few more shots before starting our journey back to the car.
We finally reached the car at 6:30 pm, after having spent 9 hours and 45 minutes on the trail. This will definitely go down as one of the more grueling yet satisfying hikes we had ever accomplished.