Aloha!

Kalalau Trail

Vero and I just got back from a week in Hawaii, and more specifically Kauai. We had flight vouchers from giving up our seats on a flight last year so we decided to go get a little sun now that winter was coming on. The weather was perfect and there weren't that many people because it was low season. The winter months, however, make the water a little too dangerous to swim and snorkel on the north shore, where we spent most of our time. We camped the whole time and ended our trip with with a trek along the Na Pali coast.

The two highlights were probably the snorkeling and the trek along the Kalalau trail. We only snorkeled one day since we had to go the south shore to do it. I would like to have done a little more and I really wanted to see a turtle or two but it was still good. We mostly saw a lot of fish and the best part was the fish food. We bought a couple packs of fish food that, according to the book, you're supposed to open just a little and let the pellets trail out slowly. The first one I opened just like it said and started to let out a couple pieces at a time but the fish went crazy and before I knew it the they had ripped it the packet right out of my hand. Aggressive little suckers. For the second pack I planned to keep a tighter grip but the fish just attached my hand and although I doubt they could do much damage, it was a little disconcerting having them nibble my hand. These were big fish and a little nibble was quite noticeable and a couple dozen nibbles...well, that was the disconcerting part. So my solution was to keep my hand out of the water and then bring it down to let a few pieces out. This worked pretty well and I soon had a cloud of multi-colored fish swimming around me, under me, and even between my legs as I sat floating in the water.

We did the Kalalau Trail during the last three days of our trip. We originally wanted to do it at the beginning so that we could relax for the rest of the trip but we didn't get the permits in time so had to get them in person once we were there, which we couldn't do until after the three-day weekend. They say you have to get those permits months in advance but we were able to get ours the day before. Maybe because it was low season. The trail itself was spectacular and a little more difficult than I expected. It was eleven miles one way and we decided to do the whole length in one day, stay two nights, and then return in a day. The hike went along fluted cliffs on a narrow trail that sometimes had quite perilous drops down to the ocean below and ended at a beautiful secluded beach. We found a spot to camp at the very end of the trail near a waterfall used for bathing, happy to have arrived.

We were invited to a birthday party at one of the permanent encampments the first night and it was quite the event. They made pizzas, wild goat, and cake. It was an impressive feast considering the remoteness. I'm not sure how many people permanently live out there illegally but there seemed to be quite a few, and some had been there for a while...two years in one guy's case.

The one downside to the place was the constant stream of helicopters. One expects a nice peaceful beach setting considering how long you have to hike but from eight in the morning until six in the evening the incessant buzz of helicopters disturbs the tranquility. That aside it was an amazing place to be and well worth the journey. After a day of rest we woke up early on the third day and hiked back, spoiled ourselves with a nice dinner out, and flew out the following morning.

There's so much more tell but I wanted to at least share the highlights. Check out the photos by clicking in the photo above. I'll be adding captions to them soon.