Pu'u Manamana - May 25, 2008

I've been waiting a long time to do this hike. My intention was to do it at the end of summer, but I was itching to do it sooner. Considered to be one of the most dangerous hikes on the island, Pu'u Manamana rises above the left side of Kahana Valley at 2,100 feet, and its reputation for being one of the most dangerous trails on the island is an honest claim. The trail Matt and I hiked was narrow with cliff drops on both sides. There were several parts during the hike that we had to climb rock faces with the aid of ropes; some rock faces didn't even have any ropes! The trail starts off right by the road near the fish pond in Kahana Bay. The trail ascends gradually for about 80 yards when you hit a rock face with a rope. After climbing the rock face, the ridge is obivous. Looking up toward the sky it seems as though the ridge is impossible to climb, but the more ground you gain, the more possible the trail looks. After we passed the sheer cliff sections, the trail was thick and overgrown with uluhe ferns. The next time I do this hike I'll be sure to wear pants. Matt and I were itchy, and we had bloody legs at the end of the hike. After making it through the brush we reached the turnover and had lunch. There was a right junction to take to make the hike a loop but we couldn't find it. Instead we took a left junction that ended up looping the hike, but it looped it back to the sheer cliffs. From what I've read, the correct right junction to make it the correct loop ends at a graveyard and is extremely narrow, and that's what Matt and I came for: the crazy parts. We wanted to head back to find the correct junction to the graveyard, but we had been hiking for almost six hours, so we decided to just go back the way we came in. I'm pretty disappointed that we didn't complete the four mile loop, but it's okay: it gives me good reason to do it again, hopefully with more people next time. My friend Rio also did the hike with his grandpa that day. They found a junction that led to Ka'a'awa Ridge to the south of Manamana. The junction that leads to Ka'a'awa Ridge crosses a stream. From the stream you can follow it out to its 1,000 foot waterfall, though it's usually dry. In summary, this hike is probably my favorite so far. The views are immediate from the start, and walking the trail on the sketchy parts are adrenaline inducing. This trail is no joke. Do not attempt when it's raining or if the wind is howling. Also, if you're afraid of heights, this is not the trail for you.

Crouching Lion.

Initial stretch.

We were only 20 minutes into the hike and this is how high we were already.

Steep.

Rock climbing with no rope.

This wasn't even the scariest part. You can see the trail we just walked, with a sheer drop on the side striaght to the bottom.

The view looking back at the first part of the ridge. Click on the picture to see a bigger picture of the trail.

Matt's dumb. Don't ever rely on ropes like this. Cool picture though.

You fall, you die.

Narrow.

Descending a rock face with a rope.

Still steep cliffs on the side.

Turnover marker at the top.

Peace to Ka'a'awa town.

Going back.

Super narrow.

I love my fish eye lens.

Plants:

This is the closest I've been to an ohi'a blossom. Usually it's too high or too far off the trail to photograph.

Views:

The peak in the middle of the picture is Pu'u Piei. Kulani and I did that two weeks ago. Click the following link to view that hike. http://kaleolancaster.blogspot.com/2008/05/puu-piei-may-10-2008.html

It's hard to see, but that's Mokapu Point in the distance.

Ka'a'awa.

I like this shot. Looks like the picture is being taken from an airplane.

Kaneohe.

Kahana Bay.

Kahana Valley.