Stairway to Heaven
The infamous Stairway to Heaven. Loved by many, hated by residents. I actually ended up doing this hike as a result of a tinder date. I was talking with a guy who lived very close to my school, so I agreed to meet him after class. There weren't any major sparks from either party, but we did have quite a bit in command and sort of agreed to be friends, without saying so directly.
After our lunch and some drinks, he began asking about the hike and I told him what I've heard although I never did it. Somehow, we ended up making plans to do the hike that day... well, in the wee hours of the next morning.
As I went home to prepare, I instantly regretted agreeing to this. I was pretty drunk and not in the mood to dodge security and climb up thousands of wobbly steps. But, I wasn't going to be the one to back out of it, and I guess neither was he. We met back up, gathered some extra supplies, and made our way up to the neighborhood where the trail begins.
Right as we were beginning, it started raining! I took at as a bad sign and couldn't imagine what would happen on the stairs which were already said to be shaky and slippery. Luckily, the rain had stopped by the time we actually found the first steps. We did make it to the top and passed a handful of other adventure junkies.
Here are some tips to anyone looking into doing this hike (Please be aware this hike has been declared closed and illegal):
Stairway to heaven is one of the most popular hikes on Oahu. Some would say it's probably the most infamous hike you can do. This hike has been closed to the public because it became too expensive to perform maintenance on and to attain the proper insurance. Due to this, there are 4 closed gates you'll have to get through and a guard you will have to race in order to even begin.
Most people start this hike between 2-3:00 AM. The guard is said to get to his post at about 4AM. They don't bother you when you're on your way back down the mountain however, so you probably won't have to worry about that.
You'll start at the end of a neighborhood. You'll want to dim your lights and be quiet as sometimes the locals may get upset. You'll see a gate that is closed off. If you are facing the gate, there will be a hole that has been cut through on the right. Once you get through there, follow the paved road up a way. You'll pass a school. Stay on the paved road, after a while, you'll notice a fence (it runs parallel the the freeway above). Look out for a trail on the left hand side that sort of goes through the woods. You'll want to look for another hole in the fence. There are different ones cut in several places, but there is one large one that you should have no trouble getting through. Follow the trail some more. You'll pass the guard stand (which is more of a outdoor shade thing and a lawn chair). Take the trail to the right and you'll finally see the stairs up ahead. There will 2 more fences, but you can make your way around them quite easily. After that, the hike is pretty self explanatory... take the stairs all the way up!
If you do this, be sure to bring layers of clothing (it's freezing at the top), a head lamp because you'll want to use both hands, gloves would be helpful (the kind with rubber on the inside because the railing gets slippery), a towel for the top, and plenty of water.
The sites at the top are very beautiful and the whole experience is well worth the hassle it takes just getting to the hiking area.
Good luck!
After our lunch and some drinks, he began asking about the hike and I told him what I've heard although I never did it. Somehow, we ended up making plans to do the hike that day... well, in the wee hours of the next morning.
As I went home to prepare, I instantly regretted agreeing to this. I was pretty drunk and not in the mood to dodge security and climb up thousands of wobbly steps. But, I wasn't going to be the one to back out of it, and I guess neither was he. We met back up, gathered some extra supplies, and made our way up to the neighborhood where the trail begins.
Right as we were beginning, it started raining! I took at as a bad sign and couldn't imagine what would happen on the stairs which were already said to be shaky and slippery. Luckily, the rain had stopped by the time we actually found the first steps. We did make it to the top and passed a handful of other adventure junkies.
Here are some tips to anyone looking into doing this hike (Please be aware this hike has been declared closed and illegal):
Stairway to heaven is one of the most popular hikes on Oahu. Some would say it's probably the most infamous hike you can do. This hike has been closed to the public because it became too expensive to perform maintenance on and to attain the proper insurance. Due to this, there are 4 closed gates you'll have to get through and a guard you will have to race in order to even begin.
Most people start this hike between 2-3:00 AM. The guard is said to get to his post at about 4AM. They don't bother you when you're on your way back down the mountain however, so you probably won't have to worry about that.
You'll start at the end of a neighborhood. You'll want to dim your lights and be quiet as sometimes the locals may get upset. You'll see a gate that is closed off. If you are facing the gate, there will be a hole that has been cut through on the right. Once you get through there, follow the paved road up a way. You'll pass a school. Stay on the paved road, after a while, you'll notice a fence (it runs parallel the the freeway above). Look out for a trail on the left hand side that sort of goes through the woods. You'll want to look for another hole in the fence. There are different ones cut in several places, but there is one large one that you should have no trouble getting through. Follow the trail some more. You'll pass the guard stand (which is more of a outdoor shade thing and a lawn chair). Take the trail to the right and you'll finally see the stairs up ahead. There will 2 more fences, but you can make your way around them quite easily. After that, the hike is pretty self explanatory... take the stairs all the way up!
If you do this, be sure to bring layers of clothing (it's freezing at the top), a head lamp because you'll want to use both hands, gloves would be helpful (the kind with rubber on the inside because the railing gets slippery), a towel for the top, and plenty of water.
The sites at the top are very beautiful and the whole experience is well worth the hassle it takes just getting to the hiking area.
Good luck!
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