I’ve posted about one of my favorite hikes, Haiku Stairs aka Stairway to Heaven, before, but it has been coming up in the news lately so I thought I’d call attention to it (and share a few more pictures). The reason it has been the topic of conversation is that City and County officials are supposedly threatening to tear down the stairs. Even though the hike is technically off-limits, many hikers (including yours truly) risk trespassing charges to experience one of the most amazing wonders of Oahu (maybe the world). The problem is, each year several people are injured (and sometimes die) on the hike. The weird thing is, I think it is actually one of the safer hikes on Oahu. The hike is literally just a staircase (and at some points ladder) up the mountain. People climb the same type of mountains in Hawaii without any railings for support all the time. There are hikes on Oahu where you’re literally walking on a ridge less than a couple of feet wide- often with slippery gravel and insane drop-offs. Which is why an organization, Friends of Haiku Stairs, has been rallying to not only save Stairway to Heaven, but to legalize it. 

Stairway to Heaven is too amazing to lose.

It is something that all hikers should experience at some point. It should be treasured.

–Like Friends of Haiku Stairs on Facebook

-Sign the petition to save Haiku Stairs

–Submit testimony to the City Council

 

Here are a few of the most recent pictures I’ve taken from the hike: