Hiking Pu’u Lanipo in the Ko’olau Range of Oahu outside Honolulu

When you make plans to hike the Ko'olau range on Oahu you've got to be available for spontaneity. Sometimes the hike you had planned to do is rained out, but if you take a different ridge to the east or to the west you'll have better conditions for a safer hike. This is how we ended up at Pu'u Lanipo, one of the less popular and less known trails in this range. When we started the hike I booted up Alltrails to get an idea of the lay of the land and discovered I might be in for some trouble. The overwhelming majority of reviews all stated the importance of wearing pants. "So glad I read the reviews and wore pants!" "Didn't wear pants so we had to turn back!" Now if you know anything about me you know I don't like to wear pants or shoes. #luckywelivehi

The trail actually starts off at elevation which means the views are epic the whole time and there's downclimbing early in the trail. It's a pretty tame hike until at some point the trail narrows and ferns crowd the path. This is the "need pants" section. It goes for miles each way. I love a good sufferfest and once again wouldn't have the memory other way, but I would recommend pants for all but the most extreme hardos. Even for me it became painful on the return and I was relieved when the path finally cleared. A part if me was sad it was over. This is the epitome of type 2 fun and part of my adventure philosophy. Doing something uncomfortable, difficult, or risky can be it's own reward. We're in this for memories and experiences. That means breaking out of the mundane. So forget what I said earlier. Next time you hike Pu'u Lanipo, do it naked.