Back on the mountains again. The Ko’olau Mountains. The weather seemed to be cooperating this time around; so I met Chris, Jose and Ryan at the Manana trailhead tucked deep in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

On the trail again

We had company at the gate. Hunters with dogs. We passed after exchanging pleasantries and assurances that the dogs were friendly.

Stairs to the Ko’olaus

Slats doubling as steps which help to retard erosion.

Follow the sign

We followed the trail to the left which leads to the Ko’olau Summit. Keeping to the right will descend down into “Cardiac Hill” and Waimano Falls.

Wide open trail

Wide open dirt trail, enjoy it while it lasts.

Bench with a view

Hmmm, it would be a tight fit for four.

Too early for a picnic

Leaving the last signs of civilization behind us.

Sunrise

Sunrise breaking over the Ko’olau mountains.

The rollercoaster ride begins

Manana trail is known for its seemingly endless assorted sizes of hills that goes up and down.

Not too bad

The trail starts off through thickets of invasive Eucalyptus and guava trees.

Hmm, I show 2.9

Ryan’s GPS Garmin and the sign marker had to agree to disagree. We figured the extra .4 miles was because he started tracking from the road and the mileage actually started further into the trail.

Getting steeper

Chris and Ryan climbing up a somewhat steep section. Those uluhe ferns are everywhere!

Where’s the helicopter?

Taking a quick break at one of the few flat clearings on the trail.

Halfway there

Manana trail is roughly six miles long to the summit.

Rollercoasting

Pushing deeper into the native forest as we left most of the invasive flora behind. For the life of me, I still can’t identify most of them. Need to work on that.

Waianae Mountain Range

Looking towards the Waianae Mountain Range, which includes the highest mountain on the island – Mount Ka’ala – normally capped or swathed in clouds. Today was no exception.

Almost there

Enjoying another break on the last flat clearing before the summit. These guys were setting a good pace. Left to my own devices, I would still be down at the picnic shed chugging down my Gatorade.

The final stretch

Time to finish off this trail.

Need water?

Looking down to our left, we spotted Waiawa stream barely trickling down from the mountains.

Manana summit

Beautiful blue skies frosted with clouds greeted us at the summit.

Elevation 2,750′

Group photo at the summit overlooking Kaalaea Valley left to right: Jose, Ryan, myself and Chris. Panoramic views from Kualoa to Makapuu were laid out before us.

Hiking on the KST

After digesting the views and snacks, we turned left on the Ko’olau Summit Trail.

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image.

Passing the meadows

The Ko’olau spine soon veered to the left, passing a grassy meadow with great views of Waiahole Valley, and then resumed a northerly direction with Leeward views of the island.

Rollercoaster ride resumes

The up and down Manana trail was a primer for this section of the Ko’olaus.

Headed towards the Waiawa Gap

We lost hundreds of feet in elevation as we made our way towards the lowest point in this section of the Ko’olaus.

Come down this way

We slid and scooted our way down from a higher ridge to a lower ridge to stay on trail.

Waiawa Gap

Lunchtime at the 2,150′ dip in the Ko’olaus.

One leg at a time

Chris stepping over a tree on the trail. Watch the drop on your right!

Time to go back up

What goes down the Ko’olaus, must come back up the Ko’oalus.

Getting that elevation back

Shaking off the “Hawaiian Paralysis” by climbing up some steep hills. Also gets the heart racing, lungs busting and calories burning.

Clouds rolling in

The sunshine couldn’t last all day, especially on top of the Ko’olaus.

Waiahole Uka sighted

We spotted the flat hill and ridge descending down into Waiahole Valley. The end was in sight!

Not too steep

Typical KST trail – narrow, overgrown and with steep drop offs plunging thousands of feet down. Just another day at the office.

Kipapa summit

The sign that we missed on one of our last hikes that took us on an unexpected detour down the Kipapa trail.

That’s the ridge we need to be on

Clouds blanketed the mountains, making navigation somewhat of a chore. Hiking tip: When traveling north, stay to the right or the windward side. That usually works.

Sugi pine tree grove

Ryan and Chris checking out the Sugi Pine Trees, native to Japan, while standing on the remnants of the old Kipapa Army Cabin.

Waiahole Uka summit

What would a windward ridge be without rain? Exactly.

All downhill

Going down Waiahole ridge is going with gravity. There is no up and down. Just down. Straight down in some places. Ropes and rain made it manageable.

Uluhe country

What’s even better than wading through thick patches of Uluhe ferns? Doing it in the rain!

Waterfalls!

Looking to our right, waterfalls were flowing. Waterfalls are like rainbows after a heavy rain.

Kuolani-Waianu Trail

Leaving behind the tangled mess of uluhe ferns. And then the rain stopped.

Waiahole Ditch Tunnel

Ryan discovered a shaft that ran perpendicular to the tunnel. One word – tubing.

Timber!

We came across a huge landslide that had dumped massive trees and rocks onto the trail. And it started to rain again. Photo by Jose Luis Delaki.

Fresh water

Ryan sampling for lepto.

Stream crossing

The last stream crossing. Photo by Jose Luis Delaki.

Road out

Jose and Chris found their second wind and jogged down this jeep road. Ryan and I just walked it back.

All pau!

We finished the hike with enough daylight to spare. Thanks to Jasmin for picking up four muddy, smelly and soaking wet hikers.

GPS Tracks

The 10.25 mile hike, 13 miles if you go with Ryan’s Garmin, started off sunny and ended up raining on our parade. Still a great grinder with a great crew. We ended the day with dinner at Koolau Drive Inn.