Manoa Falls

We love to take visitors to some of our favorite spots around the island. A nice easy hike through a rainforest up to a 150-foot waterfall is always a hit, so of course we took GG and Sherry to Manoa Falls.

It's a fairly short hike (a mile and a half) to the top. The trail can have some rocky spots and muddy areas which adds to the fun and keeps it from being just an ordinary hike.

This is us near the beginning of the trail. It's true rainforest here and you feel as if you are in an episode of "Lost" (which is actually filmed here on the island by the way).

See how happy Sherry and GG are?

They didn't know we were about to endanger their lives.

This picture was taken not too long after we started up the trail. It looks a little darker than the first photos, don't you think?

Keep that in mind. It may play into the story later.

We started the hike a little later in the day than we had intended. I don't remember what we did that morning, but it was something. Must have been fun.

Anyway we didn't start the hike until 5:00. We asked the gate guard at the entrance if we had enough time to make it to the top before it started getting dark. He assured us that we did.

About halfway up the trail, when it seemed to be getting pretty dim, we asked some hikers who were on their way down if we could make it up and down before it got dark. They assured us we could.

Now here is a picture we took of the waterfall on our last visit to Manoa Falls:

Here is a picture of GG in front of the waterfall on this trip:

Keep in mind that the flash is on and it's lighting GG up nicely. But notice how dark the waterfall looks.

That's because it was stinking dark.

And we still had to hike back down.

In the dark.

Over the rocks and through the slippery mud.

When we got to the top and saw the waterfall Kerry said, "You all have five minutes to look at the waterfall and rest. We need to head back down. Seriously. I'm not kidding."

The sun had not actually set, but the trees were so thick and tall, they blocked out most of the sun. There were two parts of the trail that had washed almost completely away. There was only a little narrow, muddy, slick path left with a straight drop down on the side.

I was worried senseless that my mother was going to slip and hurt herself. Kerry went first and GG followed him. I went behind her with my arms stretched out on either side of her like she was a toddler learning to walk. Sherry brought up the rear and it was so dark she said she kept looking behind her afraid something was going come up from behind us and get her.

I kept assuring them all that there are no snakes in Hawaii.

I never mentioned that there are plenty of wild pigs.

Long story short, we finally made it to the bottom. Kerry and I had pulled out our cell phones to use for light on the last half of the hike. When we got to the parking lot, even the attendant had left for the day. Our car was the only one in the lot.

You'd think that they would have been concerned that there were still people up there in the dark, but apparently dinner was getting cold.