Easy hike to Manoa Falls

Overview:

It was my first hike to Manoa Falls that I realized seeing the waterfall itself would be only part of what would make the journey such an unforgettable treasure.

As many others before me, I awoke early and began to prepare for the adventure that lie ahead. I decided it best to review the guide book over my typical Hawaiian breakfast of eggs, rice (minus the Spam), shoyu, coffee and papaya.

The book mentioned that the entire hike should take me about 1.5 hours, plus travel time to the trailhead, giving me plenty of time to fill the rest of the day with more activities.

Upon researching I also learned that the hike would be mostly shaded making mosquito repellent a priority over sunscreen on this outing and due to the fact that there had recently been some heavy rains I checked the web for any flash flood warnings and brought the right shoes anticipating the trail to be muddy and slippery in parts.  With breakfast out of the way and finishing my second cup of coffee I quickly packed my day bag and the directions I had written down earlier, a pretty simple task as the falls are only 5 minutes from the university, and headed out.

Parking the car was easy enough all though I was surprised to learn there was a $5 charge. The book had not mentioned that. I really did not mind though. I had noticed there was also an arboretum I could explore after the hike making it a worth my hard earned money.

As I entered the trailhead and briskly headed toward my destination I found myself in complete awe. I had read that I would be walking through a rainforest and would see some bamboo and wildlife but I was not prepared for the magnitude of the beauty. There came a point where I had to just stop and take it all in. The sweet wet smell of the plant life saturated my thoughts. The sounds of the birds were the perfect soundtrack to this fantasy like place only minutes from the hustle and bustle of the city. I felt so small against the landscape. The soft sleepy bamboo gently swaying in unison with the ferns. It was as if everything was growing in magic soil. I continued toward the apex of my hike. I found out that indeed some parts of the trail were slippery and a bit more steep then I had envisioned. Climbing over some tree roots and focusing on the narrow parts I found myself thinking the trail may not be the best choice for some children. A child with focus would do fine but an unruly one might find some trouble.

Before I knew it I could hear the movement of the falls, not always the case if you are hiking during one of the dry times of the year as the falls can dwindle to a slow trickle, and soon I found myself head tilted back in satisfaction at the site that presented itself before me. The 150 foot cascading blanket of water danced its way to a shallow boulder filled pool. It was obvious it was not a good location to swim but I just had to feel the water. I opted to take off my shoes and soak my feet for a few minutes while sipping on some bottled water and eating a fresh mango snack.

Shoes back on and a few photos later I found myself eager to wander back through the cool forest trail busy with nectar sucking birds, colorful plant life and floating butterflies. Determined to capture and take with me as much of the journey as I could I stopped for any great photo opportunity I could spot.

With the end of my hiking adventure in sight I briefly paused wondering if I should do the hike again. If it were not for the moderate level of difficulty I may have but I decided to reserve my energy and explore the arboretum. Though beautiful and inviting it was the trail that bestowed the real jewels.

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