My dad at the top of the Koko Head Crater trail... in VFFs!
This post is dedicated to my dad, as this post is just as much about him as it is about the hike. His favorite metabolic conditioning exercise is to sprint up and down the Koko Crater (Koko Head Crater) hike for time (yea, CrossFit!).
The Koko Head Crater trail is an old, abandoned World War II inclined railway of approximately 1000 steps, maybe more, one-way. The railroad was once used by the military to transport supplies to a lookout shelter at the top. Hikers use the old wooden railroad ties as steps. The hike starts off relatively flat with the steps. About 1/3 of the way there is an old railway track bridge hikers have to cross to continue. Many people fear this bridge, especially when going down. After crossing the bridge, the hike quickly gets steep, and remains steep until you reach the top. A few of the many spectacular views off of the trail consist of: Hanauma Bay, Koko Head, Hawaii Kai, Diamond Head, and the Waikiki skyline. Also, Koko Crater is Hawaii's tallest tuff ring (~1200 ft), created from the last active volcano that occurred on Oahu approximately 10,000 years ago.
Now for the locals, if you hiked this trail, you probably saw, met, or heard about my father. My dad is that "crazy-fast, inspirational," "Daisy's Dad/old guy/old man/grandfather/grandpa," with the cute "dogs/Daisy/Goldens/3 dogs/2 dogs", and the "grand son/daughter" lagging behind (referring to my brother and I), people on the trail always talk about. Also in that order, haha. Daisy has also been compared to a "mountain goat" and "lion." My dad and our dogs made some publicity over the years. They were featured in the local news, newspapers, websites, and probably in your photos, too.
The Koko Head Crater trail is an old, abandoned World War II inclined railway of approximately 1000 steps, maybe more, one-way. The railroad was once used by the military to transport supplies to a lookout shelter at the top. Hikers use the old wooden railroad ties as steps. The hike starts off relatively flat with the steps. About 1/3 of the way there is an old railway track bridge hikers have to cross to continue. Many people fear this bridge, especially when going down. After crossing the bridge, the hike quickly gets steep, and remains steep until you reach the top. A few of the many spectacular views off of the trail consist of: Hanauma Bay, Koko Head, Hawaii Kai, Diamond Head, and the Waikiki skyline. Also, Koko Crater is Hawaii's tallest tuff ring (~1200 ft), created from the last active volcano that occurred on Oahu approximately 10,000 years ago.
Now for the locals, if you hiked this trail, you probably saw, met, or heard about my father. My dad is that "crazy-fast, inspirational," "Daisy's Dad/old guy/old man/grandfather/grandpa," with the cute "dogs/Daisy/Goldens/3 dogs/2 dogs", and the "grand son/daughter" lagging behind (referring to my brother and I), people on the trail always talk about. Also in that order, haha. Daisy has also been compared to a "mountain goat" and "lion." My dad and our dogs made some publicity over the years. They were featured in the local news, newspapers, websites, and probably in your photos, too.
