OHE February 3, 2000 (Manana)



Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 22:44:24 -1000
From: Dayle K. Turner (turner@hawaii.edu)
Subject: A Manana Sunday

This past Sunday, I took a day off from trail maintenance and spent time with Jackie and Jaime, who I introduced to the list in the early part of January ( http://www2.hawaii.edu/~turner/ohe/Jan00/1-3.html).

It was a beautiful, clear day and J&J were agreeable to spending part of it hiking, so we made a plan to hike up Manana partway. Before hitting the trail, we stopped at 7-11 in Pearl City to pick up some snacks and drinks and then motored up Waimano Home Road then Komo Mai Drive to commence our hike.

The end of Komo Mai where the trailhead is was packed with vehicles, many belonging to friends on the HTMC maintenance crew who were working on the route over and around Ahern Ditch out toward Waiawa. In fact, I was lugging my walkie-talkie and could hear Jay, Rich, and others jabbering away but when I tried to contact them, I had no response. After awhile, I figured they had switched to a privacy code on channel 7 (our usual channel) and since my WT lacked the code function, I could hear them but they couldn't hear me. I continued to listen in nevertheless, chuckling at the good-natured barbs and one-liner being traded.

Meanwhile, J&J, after some initial whining about the notorious Manana rollercoaster hills, settled in to enjoy the tranquility of tramping along in the forest. Less than half an hour into our outing, the daypack that was on Jackie's back conveniently found its way on top of the pack already on my back.

"I feel so restrained with this pack on," she said. "Something doesn't feel right." Knowing her all too well, I deciphered these statements as veiled imperatives to take her pack and carry it for her (since her pride [very big] would not allow her to ask me directly). Accordingly, the transition from back (hers) to back (mine) was completed with little pomp or circumstance.

Packless thus untethered, Jackie quickened her pace, even jogging at times, making exclamations about freedom ala Dr. M.L. King.

In less than an hour, we had hiked past the turnoff down to Waimano Pool, the eroded moguls, and stopped at the panoramic pu'u just past the 1.5-mile marker and a few minutes makai of the picnic shelter. Jaime, though a bit bothered by the heat, hiked along valiantly all the while.

We ate our snacks and rested at the pu'u (we had started around 11, so it was noon when we arrived), taking in the lush greenery of the hills and ridges surrounding us. I continued to monitor the trail clearers on my radio and on the outside chance that someone might hear me I kept transmitting. By a stroke of coincidence, Rich picked up a transmission when he pressed the monitor button on his radio at the right moment. Switching to the appropriate code (zero), Rich was able to converse with me and he did so for a few minutes.

After lunch, the J&J girls, with a double-pack lugging, red-shirted pushover trailing a few strides behind, headed back down Manana. The rollercoaster didn't seem as bad going out and we hiked at a good pace, chatting most of the time, laughing at others.

At the car, J&J made me promise to bring them back to check out Waimano Pool and also to visit Aiea Loop, a favorite of mine. "Can do," said I.

Stay tuned for further adventures.

Hike on,

--DKT


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