On the eve of this past Halloween, a massive deluge turned the gently sloping trail into a semblance of a white-water river in a matter of minutes.

"When you think that Manoa Falls bridge couldn't sustain the amount of water that came through, you can imagine what the upper valley was like," trails specialist Aaron Lowe said. "As the water collected momentum and size, it displaced rock and literally scoured the trail.

"There was a huge erosion impact. There were gullies 2 to 3 feet deep that weren't there before. It turned the trails into a streambed."

Na Ala Hele and community volunteers have managed to clear and repair the trail, using gravel to fill deep ruts and firm the ground. Trees, rocks and other debris remain, but should disperse naturally over the course of the year.

Na Ala Hele recently replaced ropes restricting access to the waterfall pool (a potential leptospirosis hazard) and fencing that prevents hikers from scaling the falls. The pool area is marked with large warning signs.

Manoa Valley resident Coral Prince, 60, said the restored trail looks much the same as before, with foot traffic as heavy as ever since its reopening.

"There are some people who don't believe that the rocks fell," Prince said, gesturing to a group of San Diego tourists drying off in the sun after an ill-advised dip.

"It's nice," said Franz Krachtus, 41. "Really nice."

Krachtus came to the falls with friends Kevin and Christine Grold.

"We were here last year," said Kevin Grold, 40. "It looks the same. It's a great trail."

No fear of falling rocks?