H.U.R.T. Hawaii

12/15/07 Manoa Cliff Trail Work Day Report

Thanks again to all the people who took time out of their busy lives to get out and help with this trail work. All the runners in January will appreciate your efforts as will all the hiker's who use these trails! Aloha, Bob

We had a group of ten that met at the Pumping Station at 6 am- Jeff Fong brought two of his good friends, Johnny Landeza, and Heather McCafferty (who turns out to be my long lost cousin- we are both from the Sutherland family in Scotland!). The rest of the team: Greg Cuadra, Earnest Tay, Fish, Ed Radetich, Gordon Lau, Larry Inouye, and yours truly, PJ.

It was another windy rainy day, and we had to dodge downed branches on the way up Tantalus drive- near the top, a big tree had fallen, and was being guarded by a police car with flashing lights- we were lucky to get around the obstacle and get to our destination.

We parked at the Moleka trailhead, and started up the Cliff trail in the dark. We hiked almost up to the top, lugging our backpacks and tools, to survey the areas we wanted to attack. We left Gordon, Larry, Earnest and Fish for the biggest job- a forty foot section of badly eroded trail, that they leveled this blustery morning.

My cousin Heather, Ed and I took the first slide area down from there, and Greg, Jeff and Johnny started down the hill for another slide area. All in all, we must have widened about 6 or 7 slide areas, and tried to dig in some drainage troughs- some areas were so wet with the rain and the water seeping out from natural springs, that it was hard to keep ahead of the slop.

Nonetheless, we made quick progress, and were able to head out a little early, finding Bozo (after having done her 50 mile training run the night before) trimming overhanging branches of bamboo.

It was a chilly ride back down the hill! Thank you Jeff for driving us and the tools. Thanks to everyone for all the hard backbreaking work, and rearranging your training schedules for this work day. Between Wednesday and Saturday’s work, we had 17 workers- pretty awesome family!

 

12/15 Trail Work Details

We have another nice group going up on the trails this Saturday (12/15) to work on some slide areas near the top of Manoa Cliff trail. We'll met at the Pumping Station at 6 am, and consolidate into one vehicle (it will be     tight). The plan is to drive with our tools to the Roundtop road crossing, at the top of Moleka Trail, and beginning of the Cliff Trail. From there we'll hike in and divide up to attack the hill.

I'm exploring the possibility of driving to the top of "Concrete" if someone will let us through the gate.

Please bring your own water bottle (I used two Wednesday), a snack, garden gloves, bug repellant, rain gear, a favorite tool, ( lopper,or folding hand saw) if you want (although I will bring Na Ala Hele's picks, shovels, rakes, polaskis, hoes, ) for all of us to share.

Saturday's plan is to work until about 11 or 11:30- I have to go a family member's ballet, and need to be in Kaneohe by 1 pm. Anyway, if we all leave the hill by no later than 11:30, we'll be plenty pooped by then.

Thank you for the good numbers signing up- I know there are those of you that have worked your major training day around this work day, and everyone appreciates that a lot.

Any questions, call PJ at 351-1453. Let me know if you have a last minute "can't get there" so we won't be waiting for you in the early morning  at our start. We will go rain or shine, unless there is lightening.

Thanks for the Trail Work-Aihualama Work Day

I got word from PJ that they accomplished a lot of work in the time out on the trail yesterday. I personally want to thank these people for taking time out of their busy life to work on the trails. I am including some photos PJ sent. The work crew included: Leon Draxler, Fred Bannan, Duma Bannan, Brenda Yim, Ryan Seto, Ed Bugarin, PJ, and last but NOT least, Bozo Vierra. I heard there were some awesome cookies made by Fred's girlfriend, Sonya.

Stayed tuned for details for the Saturday, 12/15 workday on the Manoa Cliff Trail. Check with PJ if you can help out.

Click each photo to enlarge it.

 

WednesdayTrail work is still on schedule for tomorrow.

Rain or shine please be there unless there is lightening!

meet by 6am....back of Manoa.

Contact PJ if you have any questions.

Watch for another announcement for Saturday trail work.

Trail Work Rescheduled for Next Wednesday

Dear trail work day volunteers:

 

After sitting in my vehicle at the top of Manoa Rd this morning (Wednesday), and watching bolts of lightening strike the ridges around me, it seemed prudent to postpone the day's planned activities. (thanks Bozo and Van for coming to keep me company for a bit)

 

Luckily, our Na ALa Hele tech showed up so I didn't have to drive over to NC to return all the tools. He is available next Wednesday morning, so we have rescheduled the Aihualama workday for 6am December 12.

 

Please e-mail me at hurtpals@aol.com once again, so I'll know how many tools to pick up - I'll have to get them early Monday morning, so please RSVP by Sunday.

 

Rain or shine (excluding lightening) we will go up on the trails for a half day's work. Bring your water, food, raingear, and gloves!

 

Hope you can join us for some good fun.

pj

Wed. Trail Work

We have a great turnout for the Wednesday morning trail work day- thanks everybody!!!

The weather might be iffy (at least), so bring raingear. Also, bring your water and food needs for the morning, and a pair of garden gloves will really help.

See you Wednesday.

 

PJ

Trail Maintenance Notice

Anyone who can join us this Wednesday morning for the trail maintenance, please call or email PJ at 235-0577/351-1453) hurtpals@aol.com.

 

We need a headcount today, since PJ is picking up tools for the work day,

first thing tomorrow morning.

 

We will meet at 6am, at the top of Manoa Road, just below Paradise Park. We should finish around 11 to 12.

 

Thanks.

Attention Trail Workers

Dear trail workers:

THANK YOU so much for the great response to my last blog message! We are going to have a good Aihualama , and Manoa Cliff day in the upcoming weeks. We will have a trail tech from Na Ala Hele with us on the Wednesday Aihualama day, to share his expertise!

 

The schedule is as follows (hope it meets your schedules- for the Saturday workday, I figured the last LONG training run will be 4 weeks before the race, so any race entrants could probably give up the Saturday before (Dec 15), to rest their legs for the BIG training run) :

 

Wednesday  December 5,  6am, meet at the top of Manoa Road, just below the Paradise Park entrance. When you park, and select your tools from my car (a white MDX SUV, license plate HURT 2), please keep your voices down so we don't wake up the neighborhood. (Cheryl, honest, I am not targeting YOU). We will hike up the trail to our work stations (TBA) and work until about 11- 11:30.

 

Saturday  December 15, 5:40 am, meet at the green grassy triangular park above the intersection of Makiki St. and Makiki Hgts St., and right around the Board of Water Supply structure where we started the Mango Madness Trail Series run. Park where you can and look for us. Again, please stay quiet for the sake of the neighbors. We will consolidate and drive to Roundtop, to the Moleka/ Manoa Cliff  road crossing to start our trek.

 

In both cases, bring plenty of water for yourselves, and a snack. A pair of gloves, and some bug spray is good. Usually we all wear shorts and our running shoes. Bring a windbreaker in case of rain and breezy conditions.

 

Please call, or e-mail me to confirm your attendance, so I will know how many tools I need to pick up from Nature Center. Please be sure to leave me your email and daytime number. I will be getting tools on Monday

Dec 3, at 7am, and again on Dec 14, 7am).

(235-0577 / hurtpals@aol.com)

 

Feel free to call me if you have any questions.

PJ

Help Wanted: H.U.R.T. Work Days

I will be scheduling a couple of trail maintenance days during the first 3 weeks of December. It's hard to get in work days around training and the holidays, but it is the best time to clean up the trail so the training runners can enjoy it a little, and so the trails will settle down from the disruption by January.

Some of you might be available on a Wednesday morning like last year. Others on weekend days. To try and accommodate schedules, I am asking that you let me know which days will be best for you. Then I will set the work days by the middle of next week, and let everyone know.

I'll get a head count for each work day so I can pick up our tools the day before. Work hours will be about dawn to lunchtime. I'm hoping to steal away one of Aaron's people for their expertise. Basically, our goals are to widen and rake parts of Aihualama, above Paradise Park, and the same to the upper Manoa Cliff Trail.

Last year we worked on Aihualama, and we also had a great work day on upper Nuuanu- the result was fabulous, and we felt very satisfied. Trail work with the HURT gang is actually pretty fun, and very rewarding.

Please email me at hurtpals@aol.com by this weekend so I can make the arrangements.

Thanks everybody.

PJ

Mahalo Maunawili

There was quite a crowd gathered at the Pali Lookout early this morning for the run to Waimanalo (and back for some) on the Maunawili trail. We probably had 12 to 15 runners, a good mix of veteran and newer trail runners. Cheryl kept everyone reigned in early on until the stairs just about the hairpin turn. At that point, the rabbits took off while some of us choose to go at a more relaxed pace.

It was very evident that Aaron and/or his crew from Na Ala Hele have been out on the trails. At least that is who I am giving credit to. There were downed trees that had been down for years, cleared--gone, chain-sawed out. They also cleared some of the more recent trees too. Thanks guys!

I sometimes refer to obstacles such as trees on the trail as speed bumps. Well, based on what I saw today, all the speed bumps have been removed.

Don't forget, you can go train on Sunday up at Peacock too!