Met up with Glenn, Jose and Thessa in the Maunawili neighborhood for our hike today.
Maunawili Valley
We started off the beaten path. Away from the crowds. What crowds?
Red ginger
All we needed were anthuriums, lotus pods, papyrus and ruscus.
Stream crossing
Thessa trying not to get her feet wet.
Tree fungi
Colorful tree fungi populated the decaying tree trunks that littered the valley floor.
Going uphill
We followed the meandering stream through the valley until the trail took us to higher ground.
Ko’olau Mountains
Scenic spot. Clear day on the mountains.
Falls junction
A bench marked the junction down to the waterfalls.
Going down
Thessa and Jose making their way down.
No traffic
We met up with the stream again. No other soul was in sight. Early hikers gets the trail all to themselves.
Maunawili stream
The cold, clear waters gurgled down the rock strewn stream.
Maunawili Falls
Group photo left to right: Glenn, myself, Thessa and Jose.
Going up
No cliff diving today, served with a side of leptospirosis, so we climbed the trail to the left of the falls.
Looking down
We heard voices coming up from the waterfalls. Tom?
Pipe crossing
Local style. Taking our shoes off before we cross the pipe.
Rickety bridge
Crossing the metal and wooden bridge was something out of an Indiana Jones movie. Or just a typical bridge crossing in Central America according to Jose.
Looking back
Glenn waiting to come down.
What happened to the planks?
We had to straddle the creaking and swaying bridge as most of the rotten wooden planks were missing.
One at a time
Another group soon joined us at the bridge crossing. They turned out to be Brian, Marc and Scott. Small island.
Follow the ditch
We continued by following the open irrigation ditch, which lead us to…
Moss slides
…Nature’s playground.
Testing the waters
Scott and Marc tried the left bumpier slide, while Glenn went down the right smoother slide.
Slip ‘n Slide
My turn. Half a dozen times. Photo by Thessa Bugay.
Who’s next?
Group photo left to right: Scott, Brian, myself, Marc, Jose, Thessa and Glenn.
Going back
Thessa crossing the pipe back to the bridge.
Follow the blue ribbons
We decided to follow the irrigation pipe up the hill, instead of going back down to the waterfalls.
Watch the stump
50 Shades of Hiking.
Hill slide
Dried palm fronds underneath our footing made for a slippery slope down to the stream.
Muddy waters
We passed streams of hikers making their way to the waterfalls.
GPS Tracks
The 3.25 mile hike to the falls and moss slides was a fun day and met up with some old and new hiking buddies. Now it was off to explore another waterfall in Manoa.
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