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Reaching the Top of the Tramline Trail
Apr. 14th, 2022 10:51 amHawaii April Travelog #14
Hawaii Kai, Oahu - Mon, 11 Apr, 2022, 11:30am
Climbing the tramline trail up Koko Head has been tough. After crossing the bridge the trail, which already was steep, got steeper. But we're almost there now.
At the start of the whole trek Hawk warned that she might not be able to make it the whole way. She took the car key in case she needed to turn around. Yet by the time we reached the steepest part she was "all in" on reaching the top while I'd turned skeptical. I was concerned about overtaxing my leg muscles on the way up then having to make the brutal descent on wobbly legs. We'd already seen a few people fall on the way down. (Thankfully nobody was hurt.) I chose to press on, and by the time we climbed part of the worst I was "all in", too.
Part of the way we kept ourselves focused on completing the climb was to count our steps— and take regular breaks. I tried my usual approach of counting paces but then realized that counting the crossties was better. Hawk did the same. We set a pace of pausing every 10 crossties in the steepest part. I pushed it to 12 or 14 several times but that just resulted in feeling wobblier when I paused. BTW, pausing wasn't so bad because we could look back down the tramline and see the widening view of Oahu laid out below us... and also marvel at how high we'd come.
By this point we were nearly at the top. Focuing more on how far we'd come— and how more amazing the island below us looked every time we stopped— made it a pleasant surprise when we looked up and saw how little was left. Only a few more steps!
At the top of the tram line we paused for a few more pictures. Oh, the top of the tram wasn't the top of the hill. There was still a bit more climbing to do! But we paused once more to enjoy the beauty around us.
On the left in this panoramic picture you can see Hanauma Bay below Kaihuokapua'A. Across the middle is Hawaii Kai, a residential area that I've seen called "East Honolulu" on one or two signs. Toward the right, in the distance, you can see Diamond Head. Just beyond that, over the crater's right shoulder, the high rise towers of Waikiki can be seen peeking up.
Update: Keep reading; there are More Views from the Top!
Hawaii Kai, Oahu - Mon, 11 Apr, 2022, 11:30am
Climbing the tramline trail up Koko Head has been tough. After crossing the bridge the trail, which already was steep, got steeper. But we're almost there now.
At the start of the whole trek Hawk warned that she might not be able to make it the whole way. She took the car key in case she needed to turn around. Yet by the time we reached the steepest part she was "all in" on reaching the top while I'd turned skeptical. I was concerned about overtaxing my leg muscles on the way up then having to make the brutal descent on wobbly legs. We'd already seen a few people fall on the way down. (Thankfully nobody was hurt.) I chose to press on, and by the time we climbed part of the worst I was "all in", too.
Part of the way we kept ourselves focused on completing the climb was to count our steps— and take regular breaks. I tried my usual approach of counting paces but then realized that counting the crossties was better. Hawk did the same. We set a pace of pausing every 10 crossties in the steepest part. I pushed it to 12 or 14 several times but that just resulted in feeling wobblier when I paused. BTW, pausing wasn't so bad because we could look back down the tramline and see the widening view of Oahu laid out below us... and also marvel at how high we'd come.
By this point we were nearly at the top. Focuing more on how far we'd come— and how more amazing the island below us looked every time we stopped— made it a pleasant surprise when we looked up and saw how little was left. Only a few more steps!
At the top of the tram line we paused for a few more pictures. Oh, the top of the tram wasn't the top of the hill. There was still a bit more climbing to do! But we paused once more to enjoy the beauty around us.
On the left in this panoramic picture you can see Hanauma Bay below Kaihuokapua'A. Across the middle is Hawaii Kai, a residential area that I've seen called "East Honolulu" on one or two signs. Toward the right, in the distance, you can see Diamond Head. Just beyond that, over the crater's right shoulder, the high rise towers of Waikiki can be seen peeking up.
Update: Keep reading; there are More Views from the Top!
