Manoa Waterfall Hike with Mom and Heidi

Manoa Waterfall
  I finally had a day off after working for the first three days of my mom's visit. So we decided to do a bit of exploring and started off the day with a waterfall hike deep into the rainforest at the back of Manoa Valley.
  The University of Hawaii sits at the mouth of this vast valley and as you venture further into the valley the climate becomes more and more lush. For every mile you travel towards the back of the valley you get 20 more inches of rain per year. So I felt quite lucky when we arrived at our hike to find clear, blue, sunny skies.
Looking up into the bamboo



Checking out an albizia tree
Heidi in jungle prison

   The Manoa waterfall hike is a popular one, being so close to Honolulu and Waikiki. Heidi, my mom, and I set a good pace but made sure to stop for the many picture opportunities along the trail. Massive albizia and banyan trees mark the beginning of the trail, while ferns, ginger, and bamboo line the dense jungle path on the way up. Steps made out of old rail road ties aid during the uphill sections.

Manoa Waterfall Trailhead
    The valley narrows as you get closer to the waterfall. It is a little less than a mile to the end where you are greeted with a beautiful waterfall cascading down into a shallow rock pool. I made sure to point out where parts of the Hunger Games:Catching Fire and the new Jurassic World were filmed while taking a bunch of my own pictures. Except for a few mosquitoes along the way it couldn't have been a nicer hike. Way to persevere and make it up to the waterfall mom!

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