Poamoho to Manana Ridge Trail

We spent Veteran’s Day weekend with veterans and non-veterans to help a friend finish the KST.

Mahalo to Jimell and Mona for driving us up the road that was filled with cows and a solitary hiker.

Stepping foot on what used to be known as the marsh trail until it was improved by the Civilian Conservations Corp in 1934 and renamed it to what it’s called today.

The solitary hiker that we thought we had left in the dust on the jeep road soon caught up with us on the trail and passed us. Who is this guy?

Crossing the small stagnant stream as we approached the windy grassy summit.

We passed multiple Koolau Range lobelia whose tubular flowers were blooming.

No views at the summit so we started heading towards the cabin.

Traversing the boardwalk that was installed to limit the spread of invasive seeds to the mostly endemic area.

Pit stop at the oldest cabin on the KST for water and where we met up again with the hiker on the trail who turned out to be a cool guy named Eric. He was planning on hiking all the way to Manana but the inclement weather changed his mind.

Using the trail that was blasted, chipped and dug out of the mountainside during the years of 1933-1936.

Chico stepping through one of many gates on the trail that serves to allow passage to humans but not feral animals. Is there a difference?

Traversing over one of many landslides on the trail that have long been weathered by footsteps and plant growth.

Eric soon had his fill of the cloud soaked trail and turned back.

The clouds were fighting with the views. The suspended water droplets were winning.

Following the fence line that was installed to prevent feral ungulates from decimating the endemic fauna and flora.

The Ko’olau Goose was receiving some unwanted or wanted attention.

Looking ahead to the Waikane-Waiahole Junction.

Life imitating art.

The girls hugging the cliff as they made their way on the trail.

We took lunch at the 2,360′ socked in clearing where we were denied views of the four undeveloped valleys. Rain, rain, go away. The nursery rhyme didn’t seem to work in the mountains.

Chris pointing out the many false holes that pocketed the trail.

Taking the high road as we split from the junction as the other trail drops down to Waikane Valley.

Crossing over the well trodden landslide area.

A snail on its last slimy trail? This particular unshelled gastropod was looking for a calcium fortress in all the wrong places.

Contouring on the Leeward side of the mountain.

Pushing through the corridor of congested uluhe ferns on the trail.

Following the fence line down in the dark.

Lack of daylight forced us to make camp in the wind blasted meadow that had everybody struggling to pitch their tents as the strong winds coupled with darkness pierced by our headlamps made a usual task extraordinary. On top of that, somehow my stake bag got lost and lucky I was camping with CB that had his knife and carved wooden stakes out of his hiking stick. To make matters more interesting, it started to rain on our parade as well which made us setting up our tents more urgent if we wanted to stay more dry than wet.

Chico turned on his burner to stay warm and also added extra ventilation to his tent.

Day 2 – Saturday November 11, 2023
Waking up the next morning to the illuminated lights from the central plain.

Pictures with the vertical and horizontal Japanese Sugi Pine Trees. Yes that is a tree and not a bush behind us. We broke down camp as the winds persisted in keeping us company.

It was a chore just to get out of the wind tunnel and back onto the trail. Any lighter and some of us would have been Mary Poppins.

Walking on the trail that seemingly interrupted the flow of uluhe ferns that cascaded down the mountainside.

Finally getting a break in the views.

Approaching the small cut in the mountains.

Passing the notch which I assume to be man-made much like the earlier notch after Poamoho.

Dropping into the patch of Japanese Sugi Pine Trees under the shadow of Waiahole Summit.

Walking amongst the moss covered red-cedar trees which are considered the national tree of Japan.

We left Camp Rusty and climbed our way back to the ridge line.

Where tomato becomes tomatoe. KST to KSRT.

The trail soon followed the ridge line instead of meandering throughout the mountains.

Enjoying expansive views of the Windward coastline and valleys.

Picking our way through the ankle biters, shin hitters and false holes on the trail.

Crossing over with verdant views of the meadows, valleys and peaks.

Taking a breather at the gated fence line.

Descending into the gap.

Climbing out of the gap.

To bee or not to bee. The idea of whether is it better to live or to die. In this case for the honeybee, quite relevant.

Mountain views for days.

Back to our regularly scheduled program of hiking.

I don’t know if I was giving the signal to land or to cook lunch. This was roughly the same spot where Doug Ross was plucked from the mountains and flown back to sea level.

The hills had hills.

Chris going through the tree tunnel and dropping off the ridge to the meadow below us.

Much like salmon spawning, we went upstream to collect water from the creek.

It was another deja vu moment as we all struggled to climb out of the wind swept meadow.

Rounding the landmark ‘ohi’a tree. No plucking of the flowers, we don’t need any more rain on our parade.

Descending down the ridge with the expansive overlook of the ancient ahupua’a, divisions of land which ranged from the mountain to the ocean, which was meant to sustain the local population and excess was for tribute.

Passing the Windward views as we made our way to the final terminus on the trail.

#20 – My customary champagne celebratory dousing of Aileen who had just finished her last section to put all the pieces together to complete all 52 miles of the Ko’olau Summit Trail (KST). Congratulations!

Group photo at the 2,660′ knob. Chris made another pot of saimin which he shared with us at the top.

Leaving the summit for what Stuart Ball calls “the best of the ungraded Ko’olau ridge trails.” I would have to respectfully disagree.

Golden hour.

Our last group photo as the sun slowly sank below the horizon, plunging the trail into darkness.

Chico testing out the Uluhe bedding on the trail for potential camp spots.

We interrupted a couple in their pitched tent on one of many false summits. I hope that’s all we interrupted.

We got out from the trail a little past midnight. Sorry that my banged up knee kept everybody up past their bedtime. Post hike meal was served on site from Teddy’s Burgers courtesy of Aida, Ferlino and Jasmin and a colony of feral cats. Congrats again to Aileen for finishing the KST and the group for another memorable hike that covered over 17 miles through the mountains.

Photos taken by Aileen Agustin, Chico Cantu, Chris Bautista, Val Wang, and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.

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