Today we channeled our inner outdoor enthusiasts and went on a hike along the beautiful Na Pali coastline. The Kalalau Trail runs along the Na Pali coast on the north shore of Kauai and is broken down into 4, 8, and 22-mile roundtrip hikes. Given that our hiking experience is limited to hiking up the stairs in NYC’s subway stations, we chose the 4-mile option. After a big breakfast at the hotel, we hit up a local grocery store for sandwiches and drinks, and set out on our journey, liberally coated in sunscreen and mosquito repellent. (We ended up not seeing any mosquitoes, but better safe than sorry!) We took a lovely drive around Hanalei Bay to Ke’e Beach, where the trail began. The plan was to hike two miles in to Hanakapiai Beach, enjoy a picnic lunch, and then make the two mile return trip.
Since we selected the shortest portion of the trail, we anticipated a nice leisurely trek along the coast, but it was definitely more strenuous that we had imagined. The views were stunning and the weather was gorgeous, but we definitely had to work for it. Hauling ourselves up steep, rocky terrain, fording streams, trying not to plummet over the edge of the cliff…these are all things we did today. We were really proud of ourselves until we saw first graders scampering up and down like it was nothing, BAREFOOT. It was totally worth it, though. The views we got of the wide Pacific Ocean and the truly majestic Na Pali cliffs are worth making that trek every day. Despite the sore muscles and sweaty faces, there was something so peaceful and invigorating about the surroundings.
We were ready for our sandwiches and Gatorade by the time we reached the Hanakapiai Beach, and then we took a quick stroll down to the water itself before starting our return trip. Originally, I had planned for us to continue hiking from that point up to the Hanakapiai Falls — an amazing waterfall that we’ve heard is so beautiful — to complete the 8-mile roundtrip hike, but we didn’t start out early enough in the day to guarantee that we’d be done by nightfall. And let’s be honest — four miles was really plenty for us city folk. I have some dear friends who completed the 22-mile hike and camped on the beach during their trip to Kauai, but they are much more in tune with nature than Dan and I are!
After safely making our way back to our hotel and cleaning up, we went to dinner at the highly recommended Hanalei Dolphin. Everything there lived up to favorable reviews. I had some delicious ahi, and Dan’s uku was yummy as well. It’s so nice to be eating amazing fish that’s caught fresh every day. Of course, being the Southerner that I am, we also had to order the fried shrimp appetizer, which we certainly enjoyed. On the way home for dinner, we stopped at Lappert’s Ice Cream for some Kona coffee ice cream and raspberry sorbet. We’re visiting a coffee plantation later this week. Since Hawaii is the only US state to grow coffee, we’re trying to take advantage of that in various forms while we’re here. It was probably the best coffee ice cream I’ve ever had.
To cap off our day, we relaxed on the couch with a movie. After hiking up and down a mountain for 3+ hours today, the couch was looking awfully inviting. And what better to watch in Hawaii than a movie about hockey? Miracle, about the 1980 US Olympic hockey team, was a great inspiration for tomorrow’s attempt at surfing. Do you believe in miracles? Because it will probably take one for me to be able to get up on a surf board by the time our lesson is over. We’ll be sure to give a full report tomorrow!