Puu Manamana (revisited)

by welikehike

This hiked kicked my ass even more the second time around. I must be getting old, or maybe it's time for me to get back in shape. My legs are still sore as I type. This is the kind of hike that you would do once every five years. You think that going up is painful, well, going down is just as bad. And it's only 5 miles! I did 10 miles last week and I never complained. This hike, however, lives up to its reputation. It's undeniably difficult for the average person who may find himself feeling dizzy climbing up and struggling to keep his balance. Though it's hard to make a mistake on this hike, if it were to happen, it would prove to be less forgiving.

One of the best moments experienced in all the years of hiking was during my first visit to Puu Manamana when a flock of wild parrots were witnessed flying by above the ridge. The second visit, however, gave me the most funniest moment ever! It involves a big fat wild boar. As we were descending down the loop, a wild boar came into view by surprise. It was slow to react, perhaps due to old age, but it eventually ran away. A few seconds later, the boar came dashing towards us, and survival instincts kicked in with only a split second to react. I quickly turned around and started running for my life thinking that I might be able to outrun this beast. (Stupid! haha) I dove off the narrow trail just in time as the boar came charging through. As I turned around, I saw my friend Johnny and a few others mounted tightly to the tree. When danger has finally passed us by, we started laughing with great relief at what just happened. The spot was just a few feet before the narrow section of the descent. We, then, realized why the boar was forced to turn around.