Aloha! Pu'u Manamana Turnover Trail
The beautiful island of Hawaii is just a short 5 hour flight from California. It is a shame we don't go more often. This trip was a birthday present to Corbin, and we booked super last minute. Corbin wanted to surf three times a day, and I was determined to find out what all these mountains were about. We surfed the first few days while I hiked around in the sand trying to get my knee back to full strength. I was researching hikes and runs in the area and found a short hike that promised lots of thrills. This hike was classified as "The most dangers hike on Oahu". I'm a mountain woman. How hard could it really be?
We drove down the coast from North shore where we were staying. You could see the epic ridge lines shooting straight out of the beach. For a few moments I thought non of these mountains look walkable. They are sheer cliff faces! We parked the car and took an unmarked but well traveled trail off the side of the road. The trail had lots of people on it and we continued to gain elevation at quick rate. At the first vista most everyone was turning around but we were determined to keep going. The hike we had planned was only 4 miles long and we had barely trailed .2 miles.
Up and up we went. The traveling became less walking and more scrambling. At times you needed to use your hands to get over things. But at this point I still wasn't convinced this was the "Most Dangerous Hike". We came to another vista and didn't even stop at this point there were no more people which I actually kind of preferred. It is hard to pass people on a knife blade edge. The going got a little more airy. 2,000 foot drops on either side as you traverse a ridge barely big enough for you feet. Corbin made a comment about being puckered. I was still feeling calm.
We kept going up and up and up. We caught more views of the surrounding mountains and the trail became less and less traveled. It wasn't hard to follow though because you are on a tiny ridge the only choice you have are to continue following it or to turn around.
The trail started to become muddy. Next it was over grown. You could barely see where you were stepping and everything turned into a slip and slide. We finally after 2 miles came to a trail junction. One route went left and down and the other continued to follow the ridge up and right. we chose the right ridge. At this junction we could see other small islands off in the distance and the surrounding ridges sheer cliff faces.
We were fully committed at this point. There was no turning back and we were feeling hungry now. We didn't bring any food because we thought it would be a quick short hike. I mean it really is only 4 miles... The ridge was so over grown we couldn't see were we were stepping and the mud so thick our feet would sink and our shoes get stuck. We slipped and slid all over the ridge until we came to the final ridge junction. We headed down this time. Our legs and arms were covered in scrapes and bruises from the bushes and our shoes were heavy from mud. Not to mention the trail wasn't getting any wider... or less steep.
The downhill was the hardest ridge. My legs were tired and my footing slick from the mud. Twice I stepped to close to the edge of the trail and my leg busted through the ferns and dangled freely over the cliff. Slipping and tripping on mud covered roots. It was the closest I've ever come to loosing it on a mountain. The downhill went forever and spit us out in an old grave yard down the hill. It is too date the longest 4 miles of my life taking us 4.5 hours. You can check the strava out here.
In conclusion I do not think this is the "most dangerous hike on Oahu" There is plenty of danger that has never been traveled but it was a full on jungle adventure!
