The Winds of Change Are Blowing

Arnold Yago
Aug 25, 2017 · 5 min read

Life after completing the Ko’olaus

Hiker versus protector.

It has been over a year since completing a 6 ½-day trek along the Ko’olau Summit Range. Yes, I had assistance, but it was a path I traversed myself. There have been people that did it faster than myself, but that’s their own adventure.

As I looked back to older posts and adventures, I can see how I’ve worried a lot of people with what I’ve done and where I’ve been. In terms of fully disclosing locations, I can say I’ve been a bit reckless myself. But as the years passed and seeing first-hand how the human population can destroy/ruin a pristine spot of nature, I’ve started to make little mention of where I am in photos. If it’s a legal or public place, hey, I’ll happily say the location to help promote traffic. There are some amazing places up on the Ko’olaus that I revisited, but I certainly stayed away from the Saddles. Excluding one-time where I was invited to accompany/lead a group to do half a saddle, I have not traversed any of the saddles since completing the Ko’olaus last year. They are terribly eroded and I certainly won’t take anyone unless they have the fullest of intentions of completing the Ko’olaus, either in sections or a one-shot deal.

Most “extreme” hike I’ve done since completing the KST. And only because I was invited.

After completing the Ko’olaus, my mindset changed greatly. As someone that primarily hiked alone, I slowly scaled back the amount of times I spend hiking alone. While there is still uncharted territory on Oahu, I’ve seen enough to be satisfied. I still do the occasional hike alone just to keep my speed up to par. There were a few occasions where I volunteered with the Department of Land and Natural Resources for trail inspections, invasive removal, and native outplanting. They were amazing experiences and thought it would be awesome to do that kind of work on a more permanent basis.

During the summer of 2017, I was granted an opportunity through KUPU, a non-profit organization to promote culture, sustainability, can care of the land. This opportunity allowed me to intern with Na Ala Hele, Hawaii’s trail access and maintenance program of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. For a hiker and someone that loves the outdoors, this was essentially a dream job. A paid internship to hike almost every day? Perfect for me.

An overnight adventure in the Ko’olaus, linking the two longest state trails. Yep, that was fun.

For someone that has seen the public/social media side of things, I had a wonderful opportunity to learn the legal/government side of the state of hiking trails. Most people just see what’s presented to them on social media. I got a chance to see some of the things that go on in the background. I got to see the kind of work that goes into building and maintaining trails. Opinions on the DLNR side on a few hiking trails and issues. Most people just see one side of the story, being able to see the other side gave me a broader understanding of the land. To solve overcrowding of trails and easing up on the more sensitive areas in the mountains, people would easily say “open up more trails!” I wish it was that easy. A state trail must meet certain guidelines. A lot of the trails on undeveloped land are just too rough to maintain and be safe for the public. Not to mention, manpower and funding. During the summer, at most, there were Five, FIVE people (mostly four) on a given day to handle the tasks of maintaining the state trails. There was only one non-intern that was out in the field with the rest of the interns. Sometimes we’d spend an entire day just getting a giant fallen tree out of the way. There is so much a small group of individuals can do with so many trails out there. Furthermore, sometimes there are other issues, like having to deal with residents if the state were to open more trails. I don’t know about you, but there are some unruly and disrespectful hikers out there. Just look at the neighborhood around Kuliouou. The DLNR doesn’t want to close any trails (fun fact: Did you know that Maunawili Falls and Kaiwa Ridge (Lanikai Pillboxes) were once part of the Na Ala Hele system?) but the residents are really putting the pressure. Trying to maintain a trail like Manoa Falls with all the traffic it receives is quite the daunting task. Though while there are 30+ trails in the Na Ala Hele system, the DLNR does keep tabs on a lot of unsanctioned trails both on land owned by the state and by private landowners. If people don’t think the DLNR isn’t paying attention, trust me, they have eyes out there.

Occasionally we’d get assistance from youth groups. Some interesting characters, there, but it brought a smile to my face to see them exposed to the trails out there.

Overall, I got to work with great people, and was a great asset to the program considering the knowledge I had of many trails out there. The main perk was amazing as well: Legal access to amazing places. I could hike there myself, but being able to afford the luxury of being able to drive up dirt roads ruined me from ever walking along access roads again (I’m looking at you, Poamoho Access Road). Oh, and the work trucks. Man, they were sexy.

Oh yeah, this had Poamoho mud written all over it.

People have asked me if I’d ever traverse the Ko’olaus again. Yes, I do plan on doing it again. When will happen, who knows. I’ll probably have to redo all sections first. As of right now, my primary focus would be a continued internship with the DLNR and become an agent of change in the hiking community. I’d still be glad to take people that aren’t afraid of my speed on hikes and guiding those that wish to know more about the mountains as opposed to just getting their next photo for IG.

There are still the other islands to explore. A return to Maui and a visit to Kauai are on the horizon, and those that follow my adventures will be in for a treat.

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