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Are you willing to risk your life as
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well as a huge fine to see one of the
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most epic views in the world? There are
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many thrillsekers and daredevils who
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travel to the beautiful Hawaiian island
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of Aahu for an illegal adventure that
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some say is priceless.
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During World War II, the government
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to build a ladder to reach the service
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towers sitting high on top of the
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mountain peaks. This ladder staircase is
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just about 4,000 stairs total and
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reaches a vertical gain of over 2800 ft.
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This offers some of the most amazing
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views in the world, but at a price. This
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hike has been forbidden by the Hawaiian
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government due to liability issues and
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land access problems. Even though they
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face a serious fine, there are dozens of
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people who sneak in to hike the
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staircase every day. Most people tend to
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start the hike around 2:00 a.m. so they
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can catch the sunrise from the peak.
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This also helps them start the hike
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under the cover of darkness as not to
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get caught by the local police.
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The stairway to heaven.
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This hike is also known as the haiku
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Parts of this hike are literally
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straight up asense on some rickety metal
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Some parts are straight drops that
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you'll have to be very careful to go
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down, but the views are phenomenal.
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The stairs used to be wood. The
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government spent $875,000
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on repairing the stairs and replacing
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them with metal ones. They planned on
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opening it to the public, but land
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disputes and liability issues prevented
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One man named Samuel Norwak and his
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friends decided to tackle the
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treacherous hike at 2:30 in the morning
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in order to catch the sunrise.
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Around 4:00 a.m. they were engulfed with
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Parts of the hike are incredibly
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dangerous, like this insanely steep
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They're literally climbing a ladder down
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but the views are absolutely worth it.
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The risk of a fine or even death wasn't
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enough to stop them from experiencing
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the sunrise over 2,800 ft above sea
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At the base of the hike, where travelers
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start, is a small gate in a shack. There
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used to be a guard ticketing hikers, but
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he hasn't been there since the beginning
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of the year. When police are called,
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they can wait at the bottom and will
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possibly write you a ticket or give you
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a warning. Would you risk your life and
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possibly a ticket to see the heavenly
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views from a top a lush mountain range
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overlooking the ocean? I have to say I
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would. As long as you're careful and
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really watch your step, the hike and
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risk seem worth it. Plus, you're in
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Hawaii. I mean, how bad could things
