Night Run

Devon called me Sunday morning to ask me about the Triple Trek and tell me he was going to do a night run. We talked about it and decided to try at least a Manoa-Nature Center-return and maybe more depending on how we felt. I have not done much night running, with the exception of those few evening runs that ran late so it seemed a good chance to get back into it. We agreed to meet at Manoa around 8:00pm.

It had rained on and off most of Sunday in the valley so I was expecting some mushy conditions. It was slippery along the Falss trail but the mud level was not bad and we made the falls fairly quickly. My calf was tight and I had told Devon I would be walking most of it. That seemed to agree with him. The Ahuilama up the back of Manoa Valley was its usual succession of mud pits. And after the initial dancing around the least of them we were forced to get good and muddy at that long deep trench in the midst of the bamboo. It began to rain heavy as we made our way up the trail and before we hit the Switchbacks we were soaked.

Ahuilama is not in great shape. It need to be worked on badly, but all in all it was passable and better than I had expected. The trenches are deeper and there seem to be more rocks littering the trail--all evidence of bad water management--but the biggest fallen trees were cut and we made good progress up to the concrete posts and slide. The last set of switchbacks were good, though the area around elbows is pretty steep and needs to be graded again.

The ginger was in full bloom and the night air was filled with the sweet aroma of white and yellow gingers. Some of the last of the night Jasmine was also in bloom and it added to the heavy fragrence of the evening. We made it to the Pie Stand at the top in about 55, and pushed on. Niether of us were up for a full HURT loop when we hit the cut-off for Nu'uanu and we agreed to head toward the Nature Center via Manoa Cliffs. Near the top of the cut-off we ran into another fragrance that just about put us to sleep. The Kahili ginger was in bloom along that little pocket of wetness near the top. I have never been out at night when it as in bloom. Sweeter than Olena. Amazing. Devon and I hovered around the blossoms like bees after honey. ( I was happy to find my nose is coming back a bit. I could not get a full close up sniff of the flower to register much, but the ambient smell a few feet back came to me pretty strong. I guess all the time on the trails is having a positive effect on my nose.)

We briefly hit rain along Manoa Cliffs, and then things calmed down. The moon couldn't break through much but the trail is good and I have done the reverse direction enought times recently that it was not problem. I was a bit surprised by the climb up into the straberry quava though. How easy it is to forget the ups when all you have been doing is the downs. The drop down Moleka, the cross-over and the Center trail all went well. We hit the Nature Center around 2:20.

We turned around and headed out just abut 2:30. Hogsback was a bitch. I was a bit tight from the rest and found the climb hard. But we pushed on and by the time we got up Roots and Rocks I was feeling better. The downlines often worked on the up and we hit the bench at the top in 24 something. No great shakes but a respectible time none the less. The climb up Mangos and Nahuina was hard but good and we hit the road around 1:05. Again, a decent under 7:00 HURT pace. The backside of Kalawahine was filled with ginger and it was intoxicating. We reached the Mapcase in about 1:40 or so. I'm not sure why we slowed. That area coming up the Cliffs trail switchbacks is pretty overgrown, so it was a bit slow going.

Devon wanted to get a picture of the Kahili, so we took a little time going down the cut-off to find a good bloom. Then it was a good push to the flats and toward the Pie Stand. Devnon and I have both been up on top during bad rains storms and we spent some time comparing our 'how much water' stories. The entire Flats can go under water and it doesn't pay to try and get down the trails on anyside if its been raining hard. I've seen the Cliffs trail flooded and running with waterfalls, I was down the Nu'uanu section with Judy last year and it was hair raising at times. Both of us have seen the Ahuilama in full rush. Given a choice we agreed that though the experiences were great they were not something either of us would knowingly repeat.

The going down the back of Manoa was slippery and slow at times. We slowed a bit and didn't get out until the clock had ticked by 3:00 hours I believe. I was a bit disapointed with the time on the return. I usually look at a 2:30 as the goal. A three is more of a 7:00+ pace. But it was slippery in the back of Manoa, and neither of us were up for a fast pace down the falls trails. All in all it was a good night run.