Mamama -- Manana, Waimano, Manana

August Smith (front) and Nate Yuen on the Manana trail

Author:  Pete Clines

Hike date: August 2010

...when you summit via Manana, come down Waimano, but finish at Manana.  (The other version would be Wainano, btw.) 

Sunday was SUPPOSED to clear up in the afternoon.  Never did.  At least not where we were during this marathon trek.  August Smith, Laredo Murray, Nate Yuen and I met up at the Manana trailhead and pushed off at 7am.  Overcast skies and socked-in summits kept the ascent cool and comfortable.  Expecting too sweat more, I carried 5 liters of refreshments but only drank 2.5 in the end.  Lively conversation carried us along the otherwise uneventful trail.  We also paused tooo check out several side trails that will require exploration in the future. 

We stayed together, and by 10:45 or so we were all at the Manana summit.  A lunch break occurred, and we sat in the canopied area toooo talk story.  After a while Nate departed back down the Manana trail as he had a committment that would not allow him a late finish.  The rest of us packed up and at 11:30 headed along the Koolau summit ridge destined for the Waimano summit.  Facing howling winds and cold temps, I put on my blue rain jacket and pants.  I looked like a big smurf, but at least I was dry underneath.  August has dreads tooooo keep him warm, and Laredo (on cell phone below) is just a tough SOB so he was the only entrant in the "wet T-shirt" contest. 

Since none of us had done this particular summit crossover before, we were unfamiliar with the route.  No problem when blessed with clear skies, but when faced with near-zero visibility....problem.  We followed a swath and some orange ribbons for a while, and soon entered a very interesting "bowl" area.  The winds were absolutley whipping here, and we got pushed around a bit as a PHOTO shows.  Not long after, the orange ribbons dropped down a gully on our left in an area that quickly disappeared in the clouds.  Confused, we continued along the prominent ridge we were on for another 10-15 minutes before second-guessing our route.  August warned us of a tricky spot up there where people sometimes go astray in bad weather.  Though we were still on a major ridge - and quite a bit higher than what that gully dropped into - we no longer saw ribbons and the swath was practically non-existant.  My map showed that we wanted toooooo go due south, but my compass showed that we were beginning to turn SW.

So we decided we'd backtrack.  Once back to the ribbons, we opted tooooooo go down a ridge instead of the gully.  This eventually joined up with the ribboned route again, and my altimeter reading seemed right, so we figured we were on track.  But after a short while the ribbons ceased altogether, the swath choked up heavily in places, and the ridge seemed narrower than we might have expected.  Still, my altimeter reading said we were not descending to much, and we were still going south.  It was not until a brief (3 seconds?) break in the clouds that we confirmed we were on the KST and not some windward spur that was about toooooooo drop into nothing.  Relief. 

Laredo Murray and August Smith on the summit crossing

A short while later the clouds lifted again, this time for 10-20 minutes so we were able tooooooooo take some pics and enjoy a break.  However, we soon spotted rain coming at us and when the clouds enveloped us again we took off.  That's when it got really wild.  Fierce winds were blasting us with horizontal rain pellets.  They were stinging my face, so I tried toooooooooo hold my jacket hood over my left eye and navigate and clear the trail ahead with only my right eye.  Not easy.  We got blasted like this the remaining way towards Waimano.  Unpleasant, but definitely an adventure.  Despite nasty conditions (and getting lost) we reached that trail summit at 2:10.  We rested for a while in the lee side tooooooooooo dry off, had snacks, and waited for a view.  By 3pm we still had no view so we took off down the Waimano trail.  Lots of puddles, on-and-off rain, but again good company. 

Sometime around 4:30 I felt an unusual feeling on my face: sunlight!  Don't break out the SPF50 just yet, it lasted about 20 seconds.  Not long after the rain came back.  A quick break under the covered picnic table and then we soon diverted from the Waimano trail into the tunnel that would bring us toooooooooooo the connector route that August and I cleared on a rainy day back in April.  Tunnels are always fun, and as before, it was the driest part of our afternoon. 

We followed the FURTHER IMPROVED route (thanks, Rich) down the hillside, through the hau, along the stream, through the other hau, etc, etc...reaching the base of "Waimano Pool."  What a disappointment.  Not only were the falls dry and the pools low (see comparison PHOTOS of Sunday and April)... but there was trash everywhere.  Worse than ever.  I wish we had bags - and time - for cleaning up the crap people were to lazy and uncaring tooooooooooooo pack out. 

 With all of us cold from the hike, the pools uninviting, and the daylight fading....we were soon following the trail that would take us up "Cardiac Hill" and back to the Manana trailhead were the cars were.  We kept a steady pace and reached the road at 7:15.  Just over 12 hours for the day, with 13-14 miles covered.  A very worthwhile loop even with nearly no views of...well...anything. 

Check out my pics.  August also supplied some.  He helped me with the spelling to. -Pete