:: KALALAU TRAIL

Some past memories of Hawaii feel like a distant dream: fuzzy and fading with obscured details, colors and images (like the 35mm film I shot with my Pentax camera). When I hiked the Kalalau trail back in 2003 there are simply some things I don’t remember well or at all: if I actually brought enough water or food, had any idea of the difficulty of the trail (22 steep miles) or was even afraid of the sheer cliff dropoffs (watch any video on the Crawler’s Ledge and you’re palms will likely get sweaty). But some details of the hike remain razor sharp: the bright red foot long centipede that almost crawled over my shoes, my wonderful traveling companions who i met hitchhiking on the island, the ‘pizza guy’ who lived in the valley and did in fact make us pizza, and of course the amazing views of the lush valley and jagged peaks.

I was itching to get back to the islands and by chance I looked at permits in Kauai for the Kalalau trail and was lucky to snag one for three nights. I asked my brother Justin to join and he was game; the trail’s been on his bucket list for some time now. This time I would be way more prepared for the trail with the proper amount of food, water and gear…and bringing my big (and rather bulky) Nikon digital camera to capture all the magical moments.

I landed in Lihue before Justin and waited in the airport (lots of chickens to keep me company at the open-air luggage area). After meeting up our first mission was to find a gas canister for the stove (it’s a hazard to fly with them on a plane). I was able to snag one at a local Ace hardware store just a mile away (a nice but sweaty walk since we didn’t have a rental car which is quite expensive on the island). After returning to the airport we hopped on the island bus (2 bucks!) and made our way up to our Airbnb in Princeville, a simple one bed stay at a private home, and conveniently close to the bus stop and Foodland where we bought some yummy poke and IPAs for dinner. After sorting and planning out all the gear we crashed for the night. The sky offered up a beautiful sunset, silhouetting the cook pine and palm trees in the neighborhood.

Our awesome Airbnb host Glenn offered us a ride to the trailhead about 30 minutes away, and thankfully the weather turned favorable (was looking like rain up to the day of). Thankfully we got an early start in the morning with not many people around, and also managed to beat the the shuttle carrying a number of other backpackers. After a few ubiquitous pics with the trail sign we started the first vertical section.

After a steep climb followed by an equally steep descent (lots of ups and downs on this trail) we arrived at the popular Hanakapi’ai beach area. Instead of fording the river we decided to walk down to the beach which allowed us to skip the river crossing. We landed back on the trail and passed by giant yucca plants flanking the path, lanky Hala trees with exposed roots and colorful Calliandra plants, also known as the Red Powder Puff plant. In the distance we were rewarded with the vista of a steep waterfall high in the mountains.

As we ventured deeper into the valley the trail became more steep and exposed, with greenish moss covering part of the landscape and lower sections more bare with red dirt and roots. At this point we were just a mile or so away from the infamous Crawler’s Ledge area, and I was definitely feeling a bit nervous (especially from viewing way too many Youtube videos). After watching a solo hiker make their way through the ledge I gained a bit more courage and even offered to go first, Gopro all ready to record. As we slowly made our way through the ledge I realized it wasn’t that terrifying. What was a bit nerve-racking was the incredibly strong wind which actually was pushing us a bit and the one spot that maybe was all of 16 inches wide. And thankfully we didn’t have to cross paths with other hikers coming back on the section.

After leaving the Ledge we started approaching the last stretch of coastline with dramatic views of the spiny ridges, and our first glimpse of the Kalalau Beach. We pushed forward over dusty red colored hills and through a shaded forest with an entrance flanked by enormous yuccas. We were greeted by a number of curious goats as we approached the first camping area (completely empty). At the end of the forest we found a beautiful camp spot just above the beach, and the timing was perfect with the sun almost setting in the sky. Next to our spot was a magnificent waterfall cascading down from the picturesque peaks above (and some gravity defying goats climbing the cliffs), and provided a perfect spot for bathing and purifying water for drinking and cooking. We did a quick stroll on the sandy beach, came back to camp to cook and crashed for the night. This was also my first time using a pricey Dyneema tent (the Tarptent double Rainbow li) and loved it: so nice and roomy and well ventilated, and a mere two pounds in my back!

The following morning we explored the beach and entered the cave, wading through waist high water to reach the back section (slightly creepy with the weird, wet red colored rocks). Outside the cave we followed the cliff back to the campsite and saw some beautiful birds in black and white tones perched on the jagged cliff.

In the afternoon we decided to leave camp to explore a trail leading away from the beach and into the Kalalau valley (this is where I had met the Pizza guy so many years ago among a whole group of homesteaders…nobody lived here now). Along the path were terraced garden rockwalls created years ago by the area’s first Polynesian settlers for taro farming. As the path climbed the the forest became more dense and a bit swampy – lots of ducking and maneuvering needed as well around a web of intertwined branches as we crossed the river a few times. After more ascent the scenery became more open and lush as we caught some amazing views of yucca perched above the cascading river, and also found a perfect swimming hole for lunch and a dip.

We headed back to camp later in the afternoon for a sun basked beach walk as the waves starting rolling in. The colors in the sky changed dramatically as the sun set and dusk took over the landscape. At night there was also full moon with numerous bright stars dotting the sky. I did very much wish I had a proper tripod to capture that wonderful scene.

The next morning we packed up camp and made out way out of the valley with the rising sun facing us. Before we came back to Crawler’s Ledge there was another steep ridge that didn’t seem too sketchy when we came through, but after crossing it I realized this could have a been a doozy; a bit of rain would have made this slippery, treacherous (given the fact it was just a dirt path and nothing to stop a fall down the slope) and most likely an impasse. Thankfully the weather was fully cooperating for almost the entire trip…a blessing given how Kauai is one of the rainiest places on the planet.

At mile 6 we decided to camp in the Hanakoa area which also gave us time to visit the insanely huge Hanakoa Falls, just a mile and a bit off the main trail. Just before the falls we crossed over a small section of trail that was completely covered in bright pink Calliandra petals (um, magical!). Back at camp we set up a hammock someone had left back at the Kalalau Beach (score!) and settled in for a chill evening. The first rain of the trip finally came early in the morning and lingered as we packed up camp.

The rain stuck around for a increasingly muddy trek back to the trailhead, but much better to have the rain at the end of the journey than the beginning. We reached the trailhead around mid afternoon, soggy and tired but glowing from the amazing trek. A few fellow hikers we befriended on the way back also offered a ride back to Princeville where we grabbed our bags from the Airbnb and headed down the coast to spend a night at a hotel by the airport (we used the room to air out all our gear). That night we hit the town for a well deserved meal at a fancy joint and also hit up a local pub for some beverages and pool (had a hoot running the table on a local player).