The Kalalau Trail

12/9/2015

Pictures of the dramatic and lush Hawaiian Na Pali Coast stir hikers’ wanderlust, but the Kalalau Trail hugging this dramatic coastline also triggers something far less romantic: terror. Some hikers had a hard time with some of the drop-offs. The trail bed is narrow and crumbly, the footing is twice as treacherous after the island’s abundant rainfall turned the track into a greasy slip ‘n slide.. not amusing when you’re edging along a 300-foot cliff that spills straight into a rocky surf. But despite such dangers and a rated '9' out of '10' in degrees of difficulty by the Sierra Club, many hikers, including myself continue to make the 11-mile (one way) pilgrimage to Kalalau, one of the world’s most beautiful and secluded beaches. Despite the muddy conditions, out of all the trails I’ve hiked so far, this one is my favorite. I couldn’t wait to turn the next corner or climb to the next vista. The scenery was ever changing and got better and better.

The first two miles of the Kauai Island’s Kalalau Trail is marked at Hanakapiai Beach just after the trail’s 1st river crossing. Not a beach I would recommend swimming at after seeing this sign and the prediction on 20’ waves that day.

4 miles in you enter what I call.. Jurassic Park. Thankfully I did not encounter and T-Rexs.. although if there were any I’m sure they could have smelled me. That was a tough 4 miles so far and it only got tougher. For me, that’s part of the fun.

Until.. I slipped on a boulder during a river crossing. Luckily there were two other boulders nearby that I landed on with my shin bone taking the brunt of the hit. (that’s a joke)

As the Kalalau Trail weaves in and out of Na Pali’s fins, the gets very narrow at times. The steep ledges scream danger as they dive into the ocean below. Lose your balance, trip or slip and it’s game over. Seeing how Kauai had seen a good amount of rain in the last few days it made the muddiest sections of the trail quite dangerous. Leaning my body and pack weight to my left into the cliff and grabbing at any exposed roots I could find, I walked very slowly on this 3 foot wide trail. With every step my foot slowly slid towards the edge of the trail as I put weight on it. (no pics of that folks, sorry) There are parts of the Kalalau Trail that made me feel alive.. this is the part that reminded me I wanted to stay that way.

Upon completing the 11 mile hike in to Kalalau Beach, the most remote beach in Hawaii BTW, I expected peace and quiet with a handful of other weary hikers camping there for the night. I soon found out that there appeared to be people temporarily living in the valley, that included nudists, hippies and Vietnam War veterans, who seek out the solitude and relief from civilization that the serene nature that the Kalalau Valley offers. Some have decorated make shift huts and go foraging bananas, coconuts, guavas and other fruits from the forest. Guessing none of them laid down the $22 for a one night camping permit like I did. Ugh..

This trail is pretty amazing. It’s got breath-taking coastal views, waterfalls, caves, wild looking vegetation, rivers, swimming pools and maybe even dinosaurs. It’s a strenuous muddy sometimes dangerous hike. But hey, I didn’t go all the way to Kauai for a walk in the park. Loved it!