HIKING THE KALALAU TRAIL

The ultimate hike in Hawaii is said to be the Kalalau Trail--11 miles of switchbacks, hills and beautiful scenery.  And Raymond came to Kauai determined to hike at least the first part of it.  According to one book, "the first leg is a strenuous, two-mile stretch from Ke'e Beach to Hanakapi'ai Valley and Beach that sees an estimated 500,000 people every year."

                                                                    

Beginning up the trail....

The trail is quite rocky and steep in spots and the dirt is a red clay that gets slicker than snot when wet.  Afternoon showers are frequent in this part of the island so finding a dry day to hike isn't easy.  Bob stayed back to keep the home fires burning and Deon, Raymond and I set off for our adventure this morning, hoping to make it to Hanakapi'ai Beach but deciding to just go as far as we could go.

Our first view of Ke'e Beach at .25 mile marker.

The views were spectacular and each one seemed to get even more so.
There is a spot for a helicopter to land to rescue people at this lookout.

                  

                Looking towards Ke'e Beach to the right....

And towards the Na Pali coast to the left.  I'm glad I brought along a lot of film!!

 

 Approaching Hanakapi'ai Beach we came to the above signs.  In case you can't count the hash marks on the sign on the right--82 visitors have been killed in currents at the beach.

Crossing the stream to get to the beach

Hana tree - called "tourist pineapple" because the fruit is mistaken for a pineapple.

We did not go near the water.  We did sit and have lunch while watching the wild waves.

And we all made it to the beach AND back!   And YES!  Once again the Florida weather fairies were with us and the weather was perfect.  (I almost feel guilty writing about perfect weather when I hear what is going on around all of you, especially in Kansas and Indiana.)
The path was rocky, steep, and wet in spots (and Deon has a sore knee and some muddy pants as proof of how slick it was).  I was really glad I had brought along Bob's trekking pole as well as my long legs.  ( It wasn't as bad as hiking up Sentinal at RMMC in Colorado--at least we didn't have the high altitude to deal with.)  It was a challenging hike but a GREAT one!