I was given a new 8 week old puppy a few days ago and decided to
name him GEO!
I decided to name a series of caches in “upper” Wai`anae Valley
after him. The second is called :
I GeoDog Dare You #2 – 3 Poles
To get there take Wai`anae Valley Road to its very end and park
out side the Forestry Gate. Do not leave anything of value in your
car, and the older your car the better chance it will be in one
piece when you return. Sorry, but that’s just a fact of life in
back country O`ahu.
Follow the paved road from the forestry gate (elevation about
600’) to its very end and then follow your GPS. Today February 26,
2006 the trail to the summit of Mount Ka`ala was cleared and marked
w/ribbons. To this cache follow the White/Purple ribbons. There
should be one of each color tied together. How long the ribbons
remain is a question no one can answer.
The trail is pretty obvious as it is used by pig hunters just
about everyday. You should not get lost. Carry a cell phone at all
times and DO NOT HIKE ALONE!!!!
Once you past the Guava Patch Cache continue on the trail to
your left. You will descend into a shallow valley and meander for a
while around objects nature put in your way. Keep following the
White/Purple ribbons. After maybe 5 minutes at what looks like a
junction w/a trail going off to the right and left, take the LEFT
path again marked by the White/Purple ribbons. Today there were
even an Orange and a Yellow ribbon on the tree w/the W/P ribbons.
From here on it’s UP HILL all the way to “3 Poles” and the cache.
When you top out on the ridge follow your GPS and the Purple
ribbons. No more white as you turn right on the ridge top.
When you get to the ridge crest you’ll know why it is called “3
Poles”. The cache is a small peanut butter jar, it is painted
GREEN, and is inside a zip lock bag to keep out moisture. It
contains a log sheet, a set of Allen wrenches and a toy car. The
cache elevation is about 2800’ which means you have gained 2200
feet, It should take about 2 hours or so to get to the cache
depending on your physical condition and the trail condition. It
can be very muddy above the paved road.
Stuart Ball in his book “the Hikers Guide to O`ahu” revised
edition give a very detailed account on this trail beginning on
page 292. You can also look at my web pages for pictures I’ve taken
and written comments. If you “Google” Mount Kaala you might find
additional information.
Hike in 2000
Hike in
2003
Have a good time and think about the next cache along the
trail.