Manoa Falls to Summit

Blustery conditions pushed Chris, Kailon and myself off the mountains and into Manoa Valley for Plan B. More waterfalls. I just can’t get away from them lately.

Early birds get free parking.

Kailon going up the stone steps.

A good place to stash water and a sweater.

Time to climb some trees. Tree roots to be exact.

Kailon climbing up nature’s ropes.

We left the crowds and a pair of shoes behind us as we started hiking up the seemingly never ending stream of waterfalls.

Rooting up the mountain.

Chris making his way up the tricky rock face.

Chris making his way down …

… to another waterfall. Time to start counting and contouring.

We contoured and climbed too far up …

… and overshot at least two waterfalls.

Looking for tilapia. Nothing but guppies. Who brought the fishing poles?

Looking for mynah birds. Nothing but mosquitoes. Who brought the bug spray?

Chris and Kailon scrambling up on the vegetated side of the waterfalls.

Tickle of a trickle coming down the wall.

The flow was better from the top. So was the view.

The water coursing and carving its way through the boulder laced stream.

A waterfall spilling down into the seemingly sluggish stream.

Top down point of view. Photo by Kailon Tyndzik.

Looking back at the slowly rippling stream flowing down the mountain.

Chris on the left …

… Chris on the right.

Does this count as a waterfall?

A rare sight in the mountains. The bare footed hiker.

The rest of us not sure footed hikers relied on our micro-spikes to purchase traction on the moss and wet slicked rocks.

Chris hugging the side of the rocks in his bid to stay dry.

Sprinkle of raindrops.

Chris rock hopping up the stream.

Splatter of raindrops.

The stream being split into twins.

Native flora.

Kailon took a slip into the water and rebounded back faster than one can say iPhone.

Shallows to the deep end. Photo by Chris Bautista.

Solitude in the stream. Soon to be interrupted.

Public water fountain.

Chris meandering his way upstream.

The stream falling down the mountain seems to be the only reason stopping the jungle from completely covering all traces of her rugged character.

Colony of bamboo orchids.

We can see the the summit. False.

Scattered tree branches amidst the oftentimes dense jungle added to the colorful clutter.

Chris climbing up the waterfall.

Is this the final waterfall? Let’s take a group photo.

Kailon bare footing it up the waterfall.

Chris coming up one slippery rock at a time.

Kailon passing the weather beaten and water logged rope around the rock.

Maybe this is the last waterfall. Let’s take another group photo.

As our hike penetrated further into the mountain, the overgrowth seemed to close in as we approached the top.

This has got to be the last waterfall. One more group photo.

The approach contouring up the waterfall was somewhat steep and further complicated by mud, moss slicked boulders and suffocating ferns.

Deep in the jungle.

Wrong. Chris climbing up the last waterfall.

The clouds hung suspended near the mountain top, diffused and stayed by the thick canopy.

The source of the stream?

Our departure from the falls was greatly hastened by a relatively fresh cut trail. Most likely the work of the amazing HTMC trail clearing crew.

Chris pointing out another seemingly freshly cut trail on the other side of the mountain.

Looking into the misty ridges and valleys.

Where will this trail take us?

Civilization sighted.

We soon intersected with the trail that comes down from K2.

The valley was populated with scattered hikers, here and there.

Chris and Kailon stepping over trees dislodged by a landslide.

Still in season.

Kailon hopping over a tree on our way down.

Group photo overlooking Nu’uanu Reservoir, Saddle and Valley.

Taking the high and low road back down.

Under and over the trees scattered on the trail.

Visually impressive roots cascading down the hill.

Kailon recovered his sweater, we washed our mud off and took our final group photo.

Two way traffic going down the now bustling trail.

Looking back at another waterfall deep in the valley.

Time to put the shoes back on. Awesome adventure that covered over six miles up and down the mountain with an amazing crew. Post hike meal at Serg’s Mexican Kitchen. The soda costs the same next door.

Note: I have been made aware the some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. It is not advisable to hike to waterfalls during heavy rain as one will be at risk to flash flood conditions and falling rocks. 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.

Tagged as: aihualama trail, k2, koolau summit ridge trail, ksrt, manoa falls, manoa falls trail, nuuanu reservoir overlook, pauoa flats trail, upper lulumahu falls, upper mano falls, waterfalls