nature's stairclimber.

the koko crater stairs follow the track of an incline tram system that used to transport supplies to a lookout station in the world war II-era. there are approximately 1,100 steps to the top. it attracts unsuspecting tourists who have no idea what lies ahead (or above, i should say), and has become a popular workout for many locals....hawaii's natural stairclimber.

i did this a couple of times in 2010, and when my workout group said that they wanted to include this as a regular activity, i knew i had to get prepared. so i took mini-she early saturday morning. this was her first time.

driving in, you can see the trail.

it's quite a hike just to get to the trail.

all smiles at the start.

it begins.

400...this is when you ask yourself WHY you're doing this.

mini on the verge of throwing up.

after resting for a while, she pushed on.

the bridge.

after the bridge begins the super steep incline to the top.

the section i call...death.

1,000...the light at the end of the tunnel.

the natural air conditioning and views make it all worth it.

view of hanauma bay.

view of hawaii kai.

looking down.

can be tricky coming down when your legs feel like jello.

look at this cute guy blazing down!

 woohoo! feeling good.

next stop? lunch!

poke salad.

as luck would have it, the gang chose the

stairs for our tuesday workout.

twice in one week.

no, twice in four days.