This used to be one of my favorite hikes

I went to high school in Hawaii. With various friends of mine, I would hike Olomana routinely. Olomana is a mountain on Oahu on the Windward side that kind of sticks up in the middle of Kailua, thusly:

As you can see, the mountain has three peaks. The first one is pretty easy, although there is a little climbing involved. Mostly, it is just a steep hike. The second peak also is not that hard, at least once you go down the almost-vertical slope from the summit of the first peak. The first peak is the highest, offers the best views and the easiest. Not surprisingly, most folks only climb the first peak. This pictures is a view of peaks two and three from the first peak:

No matter which peak you are talking about, the hike/climb is along a knife-like ridge. There is always the risk of falling a long way down. Which brings us to what prompted this post:

An Easter morning hike through the mountains of Hawaii went from idyllic to tragic when 24-year-old Nathan Stowell plunged from the trail to his death while trying to help a friend, KHON reported.
. . .
On Easter Sunday, Stowell was hiking the Olomana Trail in Kailua, Hawaii, a steep and challenging trail that winds up three hilly peaks. At some point on the trek, the wind blew off a friend’s hat, and Stowell offered to retrieve it, Stowell’s friend James Keener told KHON.
The trail does have a dangerous reputation. A profile from Honolulu Magazine calls the hike “challenging” and warns that “even experienced trekkers may find it difficult.” At its most strenuous points, ropes hang down to help hikers clamber up steep, muddy rocks.
Four people, including Stowell, have died on the trail in the last four years, reported the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

I have to believe that all of those deaths came trying to climb the third peak. I have climbed the first peak countless times, the second peak two or three times, and the third peak once. That climb was done with a friend named John Rybczyk (yeah, no vowels) at his insistence. I think we almost died. It sure felt that way. Anyway, we had T-shirts made announcing that we had climbed the third peak. Not a lot of people do it. And for good reason:

The first peak, Mount Olomana, is about 1.5 miles up with steep drop-offs on both sides and takes about an hour and a half to get to. Toward the top there are some rock climbing elements. The top of the first peak offers 360 degree views. It is steep on the downhill slope towards the second peak. The next peak isn't as challenging but still has an excellent view. The last peak should only be tried by experienced hikers in good shape and requires ropes all the way up.

 I am not surprised somebody died on Olomana. I am a little surprised so many have in recent years. And having not died climbing the third peak, I am putting a couple extra points in my bad-assery account.