The Haiku Stairs Hike (The Stairway to Heaven)

Derek & I both agree that this morning's adventure of hiking up the side of a mountain on the Haiku Stairs was the most adventurous thing we've ever done together! The morning started very early at 4:15am. We had to arrive early because officially, the stairs are off limits. They spent major cash to replace the stairs to make them safe just a few years ago, but there are complications in land rights to the entry of it, so they post a guard at the entrance to the hike every day. Since he arrives at 6:30am, this meant that it was going to be an early day. (We attempted this hike the day before, but got lost on the entry to the hike and didn't make it in time). The guard suggested we start earlier next time! :) So, today we did. With flashlights in hand, we battled through the mud to the foot of the stairs and started up. We knew already that it was a 3,922-step stairway to the summit of the Koolau mountain range. The stairs climb 2,800 feet up a nearly vertical cliff from the base of the valley to the summit. We thought that some of those "steps" would be easier uphill type hike steps, but nope, they were steps right on a stairway! The beauty of this hike is that there are handrails on either side. I'm not huge on heights, but I wasn't struggling too much since there was something nice and sturdy on either side to hold on to. There were tons of people on the hike though and since the handrails pretty much hit you on either side of your hips, you have to climb over the rails and hold on or straddle them to let people by. Thankfully, there were portions of it that were flatter with a few feet beside the stairway before the major drop off. We used those spots to rest and let people pass. We got up to the first viewing platform just before sunrise and all I can say is that it was gorgeous. You could see the whole coast here and look way down under the interstate below to see where we started! Derek, being abundantly more energetic and brave than I, took the remainder of the steps to the top while I sat and clicked away with my camera and waited for him to come back. When we started the decent, it was easier than I expected, but there were a few areas that were so vertical when we climbed up that it was like climbing a ladder. These areas were fairly terrifying to me since and there was no way down but flipping around and backing down. Of course, now that it was daylight I could see that I was in fact, clinging to the side of a rock wall at the top of a very long drop. Down we went though, and I was quite proud of myself for making it down without freaking out! What an adventure to do with my best friend! There was nothing quite like it. On the way home, we took the I-3 interstate that went right past it and slowed down enough to be amazed at how steep it looked and that we just hiked it!