Koko Crater Railway Trail (Stairs of Doom)

So Joe had been talking about doing the Koko Head hike (read climb of death) since I got to the island.  I had seen these stairs once before on an episode of Hawaii Five-O where the crazy characters were RUNNING up these stairs.  Upon arriving, I knew there was no chance of running these and walking/climbing would be trouble enough (though some people did run these).  The climb started off easy with a low-grade incline.  The incline gradually increased as we went until we came across a really sketchy bridge (we went across the bridge going up, but found a trail around it going down).

At the other end of the bridge, the ascent increased its steepness dramatically.  Let's just say there were many breaks taken (poor Joey stuck waiting on me).  This was not a climb for the faint of heart and we saw many people not making it to the top (and I thought I would be one of them).  The final ascent was awful, but once we made it to the top, the views were incredible.

From the top, you can see Hanauma Bay and the southeast corner of the island to the left and Diamondhead and Downtown Honolulu in the distance to the right.

Koko Crater with Sandy Beach in the background

The history behind the train line is a bit interesting.  I couldn't think for the life of me why there would be a one-way train line up a steep incline like this.  Apparently in World War II, a bunker was built at the top of Koko crater for a look-out.  They decided the most efficient way to get supplies up would be to build a train line.

Old bunkers and machinery

And since it took what seemed like forever to get to the top, we took the opportunity for some selfies until a kind passerby offered to take a picture for us.  Overall, very cool experience, but my legs were sore for DAYS after it.  Going up and down the single flight at our house was a serious challenge.  If you're of a really good fitness level, you would probably enjoy this hike, however it is definitely not for everyone.