Several years ago a popular hiking place on Oahu was closed. It is called the "Haiku ladder", "Haiku stairway", and "Stairway to Heaven". Basically, it consists of a steel stairway structure which snakes its way up a ridge in Haiku Valley and ends at the top of the Koolau mountains. When two segments of the ladder were vandalized, the USCG determined the structure to be unsafe and closed the access. Lately, however, folks have discovered breaks in the fence and have begun climbing it again. The two segments have been hastily repaired by hikers, and the ladder is climbable all the way to the top.

On October 11, 1998, I was invited to climb it with a group of friends. Although I had climbed it about 7 times in the past, it had been several years since the last ascent. So, I joined "Mel's Marauders" and up we went. It was so enjoyable that six days later I climbed it again, this time with other friends.

Here are a few pictures of the climbs. Sorry the resolution is not the best:

The Gang - getting ready to go
The view from halfway up
Looking down into Haiku Valley
In the clouds!
The Survivors
King of the hill
The Koolau range

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