OHE October 7, 1998 (b)

Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1998 12:33:35 -1000
From: "STONE, J. BRANDON" (802005%cchpd@co.honolulu.hi.us>
Subject: manana/ohe-l

A couple of weeks ago one of my esteemed hiking vict--uh, partners and I decided to check out the branch of Waimano Stream that lies next to the Manana Trail. We hiked up the Manana Ridge just as a helicopter was bringing out the remains of that green shelter that appeared at the two mile mark about a year ago. From a DLNR truck driver, we understood that the shelter had been rebuilt (!?) the night before by some group or other (Boy Scouts?). We couldn't get a straight story about the need for rebuilding. Why? We don't know. The new one looks just like the old one, but brown instead of green. Seems like a lot of chopper time to use on a questionable project. Does anyone go up there just to have lunch at a picnic table under a little shelter? (BTW, there's now an identical shelter on the Waimano Trail, right on the saddle between the first sidestream crossing and the main valley, about two and a half miles in.) I think I'd vote for spending chopper time building cabins and/or small water catchment systems along the KST.

But I digress.

We continued along the Manana Trail to the helipad beyond the first ropes. At the next knoll mauka we turned to the right and made our way down a spur to the branch of Waimano Stream that lay about 400' below. The spur forked about halfway down (you can clearly see this branching on the topo) and we followed the left fork in order to come out farther upstream. It was not too difficult, as these things go, to get down there. The streambed at that point was fairly narrow and there wasn't too much water, either. The area was quite attractive, though. We made our way upstream for about 20-30 minutes, finding small pools and large boulders. The day was sunny and beautiful and our food tasted quite good after our exertions. The flora in the streambed included loulu palms and a grove of Metrosideros macropus (at the farthest point we reached upstream), which is a somewhat unusual form of 'ohia lehua. Damselflies and native dragonflies (pinao--the huge ones with the blue spot) darted up and down the streambed. We saw no hunter trash. We came back out the same way.

Our objective was accomplished: we found access to a reliable water source in that area. More explorations will follow.

Brandon


Return to OHE top | Return to Oahu Hike Tales | Email Dayle