Tale of two trails: pain, pleasure at Waimano

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

It was the longest three-mile hike we've ever done.

The climb down "cardiac hill" fell into the hate portion of the love-hate relationship most hikers have with the trail. The treacherous footing and strenuous workout going up and down the hill are worth the effort, when you get to the pool. Tanya Bricking • The Honolulu Advertiser

Having to survive an incline called "cardiac hill" should have been our first clue.

But that's the lure of the trail to the Waimano pools, that schizophrenic personality that has you strolling along a paved road, suffering up that notorious hill, savoring the cool waters at the trail's end.

Like a roller-coaster, love-hate relationship, the trail tugs at your emotions, taking you from the euphoria of discovering a secluded watering hole to the sheer pain of climbing a seemingly endless incline just to leave, to escape its clutches.

It's like maxing out your credit card only to get the statement a few weeks later. The pain comes after the pleasure.

And by the end, you're left exhausted, drained emotionally but assured at the end that you did the right thing by leaving.

(Of course, you'll be back.)

Maybe this is all too psychological. But the point is the trail has a distinct personality, a shifting one you try desperately to figure out. And just when you get used to one part of the trail, just when you think you've got it, it changes, and you're left to wonder why.

The valley trail begins at the end of Komo Mai Drive in Pacific Palisades, a subdivision near Pearl City. It teases you with a paved road and a camera-ready view of the Wai'anae Range to the left. Talk about instant gratification: Not a minute into the hike and you're already greeted with the kind of scenery it would take you two hours to uncover on a ridge trail; we could have called it a day.

After the hike in, the pool provides a cool and refreshing break before beginning the trip back. Catherine E. Toth • The Honolulu Advertiser

(The left fork takes you to Manana Trail, arguably one of the more difficult hikes on O'ahu. The 12-mile hike sees less than 2,000 hikers a year.)

There's a reason the ridge trail going down to the pools is affectionately called "cardiac hill."

At some point along the hike, you can see the Ko'olaus. Well, that's what we heard. We weren't exactly taking in any views going down the eroded ridge trail, overrun with roots and patches of mud. Our goal was to stay upright, as we clutched onto thin tree trunks and dangling branches to keep us from turning the hike into an adventure in mudsliding.

But going down isn't as difficult as going up, especially on cardiac hill. We knew this, but we wouldn't admit it. Not until it mattered. For now we focused on what we could faintly hear off in the distance: the waterfall collecting into three swimming pools, just waiting for us.

The trail narrows, then widens, then disappears altogether, forcing you to search for the pink ribbons that mark the trail. Sometimes the trail is muddy, sometimes slippery, sometimes drier than Dennis Miller's humor. Strawberry guava trees are replaced by native 'ohi'a trees, an indication the end of near.

And the end is well worth the cardio workout.

Of course, the trail wouldn't let you get to the reward that easily.

Before you reach the pools, you have to repel down a rock face using a rope some philanthropic hiker left there. And should you hurt yourself climbing down you'll be happy to know soaking your leg in the cool waters helps.

We lucked out. On a Saturday afternoon, we had the place to ourselves. We lounged poolside for about half an hour, taking breaks to swing from a rope into the deepest of the three pools. I found the perfect assemblage of rocks that formed a remarkably comfortable recliner, my feet dangling in one of the smaller pools. This is what a weekend should feel like, I thought.

We did the hike at the right time. Most experts recommend going on this trail during the wet months, typically between November and April. The rain keeps the streams flowing and the pools full of water. During the summer months, the waterfall slows to a trickle and the pools turn shallow and stagnant.

Why ruin a perfectly good summer with leptospirosis?

As we dried off and put our hiking shoes back on, we romanticized about the possibilities of e-commuting from the middle of Waimano Valley. Next time, we agreed, we should bring camping gear and turn the afternoon into a weekend. Of course, that idea was short-lived once we headed back, up that temperamental hill.

A quick swig of someone's raspberry-flavored Crystal Light — heavy on the powder — and we were off, panting and complaining up the eroded ridge trail.

What other trail would do this to you: Take you down to the most refreshing, invigorating watering holes, only to force you up a hateful incline that makes your personal trainer seem like a preschool teacher.

But then again, maybe that's the charm.

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