OUR HONOLULU

By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist

James Sutherland in Wahiawa, fireman and veteran hiker, laid a startling statistic on me last week. He said more than 60 percent of O'ahu is totally unknown to almost everybody who lives in Our Honolulu. There are tropical valleys on the island you've never visited, spectacular vistas you've never seen because they are inaccessible.

"The Poamoho Trail is a world that's closed to me now," he said. "You go past the pineapple stands beyond Wahiawa, drive through three miles of pineapple fields and on three more miles of jeep road to the trail head. It was a family-friendly hike, mostly level and not strenuous."

Sutherland's family took him on the trail was he was 3 years old. On the way back his mother, Audrey, said, "Where's James?" Somebody else said, "I thought he was with you?" A frantic search came up empty. Everybody rushed to the car to call the Fire Department. James was waiting for them.

"The trail comes out on the main ridge overlooking Punalu'u and Kahana Valley," he said. "The view extends all the way across Kane'ohe Bay. On a clear day, you can see Makapu'u Point. Lots of pig hunters went up there. You could pick maile and native plants. There are some beautiful stands of loulu palms."

But the pineapple company has closed access to the trail since the big rockslide at Sacred Falls when hikers were killed and a judge ruled that the state was liable for damages. "I don't blame the landowners," said Sutherland. "They're scared to death that somebody will get hurt and sue."

Another of his favorites is the Pu'u Kaua Trail behind the Del Monte pineapple fields past the Kunia Golf Course. He said Del Monte got tired of having people throw rubbish, leave junked cars and trash the land, not to mention the possibility of suing if they get careless and hurt themselves.

"The trail leads into a mostly native forest; maile and material for leis," said Sutherland. "From the summit of Pu'u Kaua you can see from Diamond Head to Pupukea including all of Honolulu and Pearl Harbor. That was another of my favorite day hikes, three hours up and two hours down."

He said it is still possible to get into this forest by volunteering to work with the Nature Conservancy. They're planting native trees in the forest reserve, and the Sierra Club gets permission to make the hike several times a year. Also, there are trails above Hau'ula and in the Ko'olaus behind Honolulu that are still open to the public.

Sutherland said the Forestry Division is negotiating for liability insurance that will satisfy the landowners. This will mean making advance reservations and signing waivers. He said he's willing to jump through such bureaucratic hoops to hike his favorite trails because he understands why it's necessary.

But the days of spontaneous "It's a beautiful day, let's go hiking" are just about over.

Correction: James Sutherland's name was misspelled in a previous version of this column. Also, Audrey Sutherland's name was misspelled.