First stop: Kauai! We stayed in a number of places to try to get a to know the island better. The first two nights were at Mokihana Resort. This is an older place with small, basic, yet functional, rooms. Even with the lowest prices on the island, the view was great! Apparently, it was built as the first timeshare on Kauai; hence the prime location. The reason for choosing this accommodation was more about the simplicity then the price: show up, sleep, eat, walk the beach, sleep some more. No frills, no pressure.
To really get the feel of the island's natural beauty, we went camping. Turns out, the rocks are hard on Kauai too...
After the rope was strung, two young men from each side did brave the fast-moving, chest-deep water, but the rest of us were not willing to risk death. This raging river swiftly empties out into the pounding ocean at a carnivorous beach about 100 feet downstream from the river crossing...
After a few hours of waiting with no signs of the water levels dropping, we had no place to camp, so we hiked back out!
Our permit was good for three nights at Kalalau Beach so we decided we would try again the next day. Less than a mile down the road, there was a beautiful little beachside campground. We pitched our tent, cooked dinner and set about our next task.
It turned out it was probably a good thing that we had to turn back the first night. Our packs were much too heavy, and we would have been seriously hurting by the end of 11 miles! On our first attempt, we had gotten our rental gear and basically just dumped the gear and food into the rental packs and hit the trail. To put it mildly: this gear was the opposite of anything ultra-light. So, we ditched the stove, fuel, one sleeping bag, a massive knife and about ten pounds of other random stuff (and switched our meal plans slightly). MUCH better!!
Early the next morning, we headed for the trail again. Sometime in the night, the rain had stopped and we were getting a much earlier start than the previous day. We were feeling confident! We found a prime parking spot, picked up our much lighter packs, and set off for a great day of hiking.
Sorry... trail CLOSED!! We assumed the river had not decreased to a safe level for crossing.
As soon as we began hiking, the difference in condition was clear; much less mud and hikers on their way out saying that the river was still high, but crossable. The first two miles flew by with anticipation, and we crossed the first river with relative ease; it was just below hip height on Claire.
Just after the river crossing, the trail splits: to the left Hanakapi'ai Falls, straight Kalalau Beach. Hanakapi'ai falls is a very popular day hike. Once we got past this section, the trail narrowed dramatically and the number of other hikers plummeted. In fact, there are so few hikers that you start to feel like you are on a deserted island! Well, except for the consistent whir of helicopters overhead (tour groups).
In places, the trail is no more than a small ledge cut out of the cliff. Above, the crumbling craggy surface shows obvious signs of instability and below is no better. One miss-step and the first thing that will arrest your fall is the pounding surf, two hundred feet below.
To get a better idea, check out our video of the trail below:
https://youtu.be/peYSM3q9PnI
There were three main river crossings during the hike. A word for the wise: keep your feet as dry as possible! Trekking on soggy, blistering feet is no fun. However, stunning views around every corner and incredible, ever-changing scenery make up for whatever challenges the trail dishes out.
After much plodding up and down muddy hills, we reached the Kalalau Valley just before sundown. The man who had rented us the camping gear had also given us a hand drawn map of the Kalalau Valley. His recommendation was to camp on the bluff just before the river rather than the more popular beach. We scoped out the options, and pitched the tent in a spectacular spot.
Over time (primarily in the last forty years) there have been waves of people coming to the Kalalau Valley to live, either seasonally or permanently. Kalalau is part of a state park, so living here is technically illegal; however, it is so remote that this does not seem to be strictly enforced unless the population becomes too large. We meet some of the current residents and they were very welcoming. Prior to our arrival, it had been raining for a week straight in the valley, so the residents were celebrating the better weather with a pizza party! How does one living in the wilderness make a pizza, you might ask? We wondered the same thing, but, unfortunately did not join them to find out the answer after our long day of hiking.
During our stay, we walked up the valley in search of fruit and to see some of the old Hawaiian ruins. As we hiked, we found a number of campsites that were clearly occupied. We also found many abandoned sites, where it appeared that people had just vacated (or were forced to leave) without taking their belongings. For whatever reason they left, it is unfortunate becuase there is now a large volume of trash scattered in the woods.
On a more positive note, we also found many stunning natural features like waterfalls and slides, bamboo forests, and goregous pools in the river surrounded by wild ginger!
After we had enough traipsing around in the woods, we headed for the beach...
Kauai is home to about forty Hawaiian Monk Seals which are endemic to Hawaii and are endangered. We were fortunate enough to see one on Kalalau Beach! To be perfectly honest, we could have nearly stepped on it before seeing it; they blend it quite well, looking just like a rock on the beach. Luckily, another hiker pointed it out and we did not get too close.
We returned to our campsite for a second peaceful night's sleep. Although we would have loved to stay longer, our permit was only valid for those specific nights (and the one when we were turned back at the river). Alas, we were rejuvinated for our return journey.
The hike back was as beautiful as, if not more so, than the trip out. There were even some surprizes in store such as seeing wild goats! We were aware they were out there, but had previously only seen one as left-overs, as hunting them is apparently allowed. We saw a herd of almost two dozen!
We also couldn't pass up a stop at Hanakapi'ai Falls, even though it added another four miles to our hike. We were tired, but it was well worth it!
Happy trails and stay tuned for part two!
Funky room... with a view!
To really get the feel of the island's natural beauty, we went camping. Turns out, the rocks are hard on Kauai too...
Our pick for a campsite was Kalalau Beach. Getting to Kalalau requires an eleven-mile hike along the Na Pali Coast. To put it mildly...the views along this trail are spectacular! The cliffs seem to fall out of the clouds, straight into the ocean; the jungle defies gravity as it clings to the rock; the water falls in cascades - down, down, down. The trail winds its way up and down the slopes in search of passages over or under the sheer rock walls, yet even from a moderate distance, the trails are invisible: the jungle swallows them whole in its single-minded searches for space in this world of cliffs and erosion.
We travel light and don't have much camping gear, but luckily it was inexpensive to rent from a local through FlipKey! When we went to pick up the gear, it was raining. When we packed our bags, it was raining. As we were driving to the trailhead, it was raining. When we set out on the trail, it was raining... poor timing?
Impressive scenery, beautiful day!
We travel light and don't have much camping gear, but luckily it was inexpensive to rent from a local through FlipKey! When we went to pick up the gear, it was raining. When we packed our bags, it was raining. As we were driving to the trailhead, it was raining. When we set out on the trail, it was raining... poor timing?
The dirt on this part of the island is primarily clay and when it gets wet, it gets nasty! The trails turn into streams, the streams into rivers, and the rivers into uncrossable H2O super highways with many on-ramps and only one exit: the sea. Our first encounter with one of these "super highways" was at Hanakapi'ai, two miles into the hike. The trail down to the river is a set of tight switchbacks on a steep slope, all the way to the water's edge. By the time we got the river, the trail had deteriorated so badly that the many steps down the hill were like a mini cascade of mud and tourists. By the time we reached the bottom, we found the water to be impassable. This was not news to us; everyone who had been hiking in the opposite direction was sure to tell us that the crossing was too high, we just thought that we might be able to wait long enough for it to go down.
On our side of the river bank, there were about twenty people standing around the "flash flood warning" sign, many of whom had been there for hours, waiting for the water level to drop...it did not. On the other side of the river, there were about twenty more people; all trying to get back out to the trailhead, but stuck on the wrong side. Some attention-seeking guys on our side managed to rig up a rope across the river in hopes that people would then be able to cross. During their escapade, one had a very close call when he took a ridiculous leap of faith across the widest gap in the river, upstream from a wet boulder. He slammed into the rock and managed to find a grip on it before the unforgiving water swept him straight out to sea, but it was nerve-wracking to watch, and the river did claim his glasses!
A brave soul crossing the high river, with many (more cautious) folks watching.
After the rope was strung, two young men from each side did brave the fast-moving, chest-deep water, but the rest of us were not willing to risk death. This raging river swiftly empties out into the pounding ocean at a carnivorous beach about 100 feet downstream from the river crossing...
A clear warning to visitors
After a few hours of waiting with no signs of the water levels dropping, we had no place to camp, so we hiked back out!
Our permit was good for three nights at Kalalau Beach so we decided we would try again the next day. Less than a mile down the road, there was a beautiful little beachside campground. We pitched our tent, cooked dinner and set about our next task.
It turned out it was probably a good thing that we had to turn back the first night. Our packs were much too heavy, and we would have been seriously hurting by the end of 11 miles! On our first attempt, we had gotten our rental gear and basically just dumped the gear and food into the rental packs and hit the trail. To put it mildly: this gear was the opposite of anything ultra-light. So, we ditched the stove, fuel, one sleeping bag, a massive knife and about ten pounds of other random stuff (and switched our meal plans slightly). MUCH better!!
Early the next morning, we headed for the trail again. Sometime in the night, the rain had stopped and we were getting a much earlier start than the previous day. We were feeling confident! We found a prime parking spot, picked up our much lighter packs, and set off for a great day of hiking.
Sorry... trail CLOSED!! We assumed the river had not decreased to a safe level for crossing.
A fleeting moment of disappointment upon arrival at the trailhead on Day 2.
As soon as we began hiking, the difference in condition was clear; much less mud and hikers on their way out saying that the river was still high, but crossable. The first two miles flew by with anticipation, and we crossed the first river with relative ease; it was just below hip height on Claire.
Just after the river crossing, the trail splits: to the left Hanakapi'ai Falls, straight Kalalau Beach. Hanakapi'ai falls is a very popular day hike. Once we got past this section, the trail narrowed dramatically and the number of other hikers plummeted. In fact, there are so few hikers that you start to feel like you are on a deserted island! Well, except for the consistent whir of helicopters overhead (tour groups).
In places, the trail is no more than a small ledge cut out of the cliff. Above, the crumbling craggy surface shows obvious signs of instability and below is no better. One miss-step and the first thing that will arrest your fall is the pounding surf, two hundred feet below.
To get a better idea, check out our video of the trail below:
https://youtu.be/peYSM3q9PnI
There were three main river crossings during the hike. A word for the wise: keep your feet as dry as possible! Trekking on soggy, blistering feet is no fun. However, stunning views around every corner and incredible, ever-changing scenery make up for whatever challenges the trail dishes out.
We made it!
After much plodding up and down muddy hills, we reached the Kalalau Valley just before sundown. The man who had rented us the camping gear had also given us a hand drawn map of the Kalalau Valley. His recommendation was to camp on the bluff just before the river rather than the more popular beach. We scoped out the options, and pitched the tent in a spectacular spot.
Pretty incredible spot, huh?
The view from our front porch!
Over time (primarily in the last forty years) there have been waves of people coming to the Kalalau Valley to live, either seasonally or permanently. Kalalau is part of a state park, so living here is technically illegal; however, it is so remote that this does not seem to be strictly enforced unless the population becomes too large. We meet some of the current residents and they were very welcoming. Prior to our arrival, it had been raining for a week straight in the valley, so the residents were celebrating the better weather with a pizza party! How does one living in the wilderness make a pizza, you might ask? We wondered the same thing, but, unfortunately did not join them to find out the answer after our long day of hiking.
During our stay, we walked up the valley in search of fruit and to see some of the old Hawaiian ruins. As we hiked, we found a number of campsites that were clearly occupied. We also found many abandoned sites, where it appeared that people had just vacated (or were forced to leave) without taking their belongings. For whatever reason they left, it is unfortunate becuase there is now a large volume of trash scattered in the woods.
One of the nicer things left behind; this camp still had a lived-in feel and appeared to possibly be a communal gathering spot (seating, fire pits, a cleaning station for game, etc.)
Krispin fooling around with junk at an abandoned camp.
On a more positive note, we also found many stunning natural features like waterfalls and slides, bamboo forests, and goregous pools in the river surrounded by wild ginger!
Ginger, ginger, everywhere!
After we had enough traipsing around in the woods, we headed for the beach...
Woohoo!
Kauai is home to about forty Hawaiian Monk Seals which are endemic to Hawaii and are endangered. We were fortunate enough to see one on Kalalau Beach! To be perfectly honest, we could have nearly stepped on it before seeing it; they blend it quite well, looking just like a rock on the beach. Luckily, another hiker pointed it out and we did not get too close.
Sleepy monk seal among the rocks.
We returned to our campsite for a second peaceful night's sleep. Although we would have loved to stay longer, our permit was only valid for those specific nights (and the one when we were turned back at the river). Alas, we were rejuvinated for our return journey.
The hike back was as beautiful as, if not more so, than the trip out. There were even some surprizes in store such as seeing wild goats! We were aware they were out there, but had previously only seen one as left-overs, as hunting them is apparently allowed. We saw a herd of almost two dozen!
Little mountain-sea goat
We also couldn't pass up a stop at Hanakapi'ai Falls, even though it added another four miles to our hike. We were tired, but it was well worth it!
A tender moment at Hanakapi'ai Falls.
Happy trails and stay tuned for part two!
