Tiki Ridge to Unnamed Peak to Puʻu Kawiwi

Except for one or two times where my parents took me as a baby (which I don't remember anyway), I've never been to Waiʻanae. After the many years I've lived on Oahu, I never had a reason or desire to head out to that side, until this past weekend when Nick and I decided to check out a trail marked as "extreme" on David Chatsuthiphan's site, Unreal Hawaii.

We saw the pictures from David's post, Pu’u Kawiwi, No Name, Tiki Ridge, and were eager to try the hike ourselves. You might notice the title of my post is in the reverse order from David's, and that's because we accidentally did the trail backwards from what was planned. We felt like this backwards route changed the difficulty of the trail significantly, and we found ourselves descending some steep and hair-raising sections that would have been easier the other way around. Either way, this hike should only be attempted by experienced hikers who aren't afraid of heights and climbing. There is a significant amount of climbing on this hike in addition to some steep parts on the way up to the ridge, so make sure you're in shape and bring lots of water.

True Manamana - The complete trail

This write up is long overdue. Aaron and I headed over to the Kualoa area to check out the True Manamana trail about a month ago, but I hadn't gotten around to writing about the adventure. Reaching the True Manamana trail involves first reaching the turnaround on the regular Manamana trail, which is a long and strenuous trek to begin with. Not wanting to go through the same experience as the last time we went on the trail, we made sure to pack extra water. As a warning, the True Manamana hike is said to be one of the hardest and most dangerous on the island. You'll need to be able to handle thin, crumbly sections with steep drops on both sides. Wind gusts may come and go abruptly, throwing you off balance, which can be dangerous on this trail. Despite those threats, the hike is very fun and provides some nice views on clear days.