I woke up early, excitedly packed up camp, and began walking. It was about a mile from the Haena Campground to the trailhead for the Kalalau trail. It breezed by, I had a long day ahead. I hiked the trail four years ago and I knew what was to come. One of the scariest moments I ever had hiking happened on this trail. Seven miles in, the trail skirts a cliff high over the ocean waves. On that day, it had rained very hard and the cliff became one giant mudslide. My boots had been caked in mud and every step I took, I felt like I was sliding off the cliff. I had no traction and nothing to hold on to. I have forgotten a lot of my adventures hiking, but I remember the moments clearly when I felt in very real danger, this one was like a snapshot in time, and a moment that was very much in my memory bank as I began the trail.
The Kalalau trail is an 11 mile trail that meanders along the Napali Coast, and begins and ends at sea level. That sounds easy enough but there is a reason the road ends where the trail begins. The trail travels up, down, and around a series of seemingly unending ridges. The workout your legs get during the 11 mile one way hike feels equivalent to doing a 11 mile round trip mountain hike that climbs 4000 to 5000 feet. The difference is, instead of cold mountain air that cools you off, you are walking through almost 100% humidity in 80 degree weather. It is not possible to take a step without sweating. That all still would not be that bad, but then I also had a 35 pound pack to deal with. The pack for me was by far the hardest part of the hike and I was upset with myself for packing in needless things that I knew I wouldn't use. For anybody that is reading this that may do the hike in the future, do not bother packing in a fleece jacket, a sleeping bag (a liner is sufficient), or more than two changes of clothes.
All that being said, I have been blessed to see so much of God's creation through all the Americas, and there might not be a more beautiful place than this. The lush green forests and jagged green ridges, the ocean stretching out as far as the eye can see, the waterfalls cascading down cliffs, the fruit trees. The Na Pali Coast is an absolute paradise.
I attacked the first part of the trail. I was full of energy and was eager to finish the hike quickly so I could take my pack off and relax on the beach. The weather was nice and I was hoping to get past the more dangerous parts of the hike while it was dry. I passed several people along the way but never stopped to talk for too long because I was eager to get that pack off! Around mile 7 or 8 I was ready to be done or throw my pack off a cliff. It is amazing how no matter how exhausted you are, if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other, eventually you go a long ways. I was extremely happy to get to Kalalau beach where other backpackers welcomed me with open arms. I set up camp and just spent the rest of the daylight hours relaxing. The beach is breathtaking. There is a waterfall on the beach that spurts out drinkable water. The combination of the green mountains and ocean surrounding you just engulfs your senses. The beach is not filled with your typical tourists, people have to earn their way here through a strenuous hike with exposure. My kind of people. I read a little bit and watched a killer sunset on the beach before settling in for the night, finishing my fourth day on Kauai.
The fifth day was all about exploring. I got up in the morning without a plan, went to the beach, and did a Bible study. I was sore from the hike in and I figured I would probably be a beach bum for the day. I couldn't help myself though, I had to explore and see what else Kalalau had to offer. It was another beautiful day and I felt extremely blessed. I walked back up the trail and explored a green outcropping that rose over the giant ocean waves. I walked along the cliff and eventually hiked into a hidden beach. After spending much time reading and praying in this area, I walked back and explored the valley.
The valley trail was filled with ancient rock terraces not unlike what I've seen traveling through the land of the Incas. The forest has reclaimed it's territory but at one point there was a civilization living there, understandably, since it's a paradise. I passed some places where people were living illegally. There is a small group of people here that have spent years living in this wilderness. They survive by fishing and eating fruit that grows naturally. As I walked up the trail I was greeting by a man walking naked with two women I had met along the trail. People walking around naked is not something I am used to and it was always shocking for me to see, but it happened frequently! It is part of the culture of the valley. They warned me of the big pool coming up. I was not disappointed. There was a river stream which pooled up into natural pools of water. I got in and swam a little before a couple from Seattle came upon me (I would later see them on the airplane home, with the women sporting a brand new engagement ring!). I walked with them a little past the big pool where we came across a big orange tree. Another guy from Seattle was serving as their guide for the moment and he climbed the tree and shook a bunch off to carry back. There is nothing like eating fresh oranges straight from the tree! I explored further up the trail before heading back to beat the darkness approaching. On the way back I got to talking with a couple from Brazil that was spending
1000 days road tripping across the entirety of America. We swapped some stories as we walked back, my kind of people. That night, I was sitting on the beach as the stars came out and felt God leading me to talk to the guy sitting behind me. So that night, I spent an hour sitting under the stars getting to know a man from Kodiak, Alaska.
On the morning of my sixth day, after relaxing on the beach and spending time in the Word, I decided to pack up and hit the the trail. I got a late start and was planning to spend the night at a campground 6 miles in. On the way out, I stopped at the green outcropping, breathing in the beauty, and waiting on the Lord. It was one of those indescribable moments with God that you can't put into words but it was incredibly refreshing for my soul. After about 20 minutes, I began hiking up and out of the Kalalau valley. Amazingly, it still had not rained and I passed the harrowing parts once again while it was dry. I was happy not to repeat the experience I had 4 years earlier. I felt good and my legs felt strong so I passed the campground at 6 mile and continued my walk to the 2 mile campground at Hanakeipei. I found the perfect campsite, set up camp, and had just started relaxing when Adrienne and Leslie arrived at the campground behind me. I knew they were coming because I passed them along the trail earlier.
I had met them around that same spot on the hike in and ran into them several times over the course of those couple days. One thing I loved about traveling through South America was running into the same people over and over again. Even on a scale that big, people tended to travel in the same tourist path and we would run into the same people again in different cities or even different countries. Eventually we would end up traveling with a group of people for periods of time. One of my best traveling buddies, Fabrice, I traveled with off and on for 6 months from the tip of South America to Lima, Peru.
The Kalalau trail is obviously a much smaller scale, but it is nice to know you are really never traveling through life alone. There are always people walking in the same direction as you. We all ate dinner together and I stayed up and sat under the stars for a while. There was a thunderstorm rolling in and I prayed it wouldn't come near our campground. As I watched it travel over the ocean expanse, it veered north. It would be another night without rain, thank the Lord.
On day 7, I hiked to a waterfall in the morning. I was the first one on the trail and I enjoyed my morning walk immensely. I washed in massive olympic-sized pool of water the waterfall created, hiked back to the campground, packed up, and hiked out. Along the trail I passed somebody I recognized from Kalalau and asked if I could get a ride to Hanalei when we were done. Thankfully, he obliged. I was back in civilization. In Hanalei of course I ran into Adrienne and Leslie again briefly, before settling in to a well earned Iced Coco mocha at the local coffee shop. That tasted so wonderful. I took a bus to Anahola, and walked a mile to my camp spot. It was so windy on the beach that I put a giant log in my tent to keep it from blowing away! My time on Kauai was nearing an end.
