Sunday:Being fully relaxed after shabbas, it was time to get down to business. We got in the car and drove to the northern most part of the island, passing Princeville, the location of the St. Regis, to Ke’e Beach and the start of the famed Kalalau Trail.
On the road to Hanalei by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02592 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
On the way into the Kalalau Trail, we passed by some interesting looking "dry" and "wet" caves:
Dry Caves by
ajkddf, on Flickr
Wet Caves by
ajkddf, on Flickr
While the whole hike is actually 22 miles round trip along the Na’apali Coast, there is an opportunity to do an 8-9 mile round trip to hike to the beautiful Hanakapi’ai Beach, and then a bit farther in to the stunning Hanakapi’ai Falls.
DSC02606 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02605 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
Let me get it out of the way: This hike is a MUST-DO. Definitely one of the prettiest hikes we’ve ever done, and you’d be a fool to go to LIH and not do it. That said, I must admit it was also one of the more difficult hikes we’ve ever done. Warning: Bring lots of water. Leave some gas in the tank for the return portion or you won’t make it. The hike is deceptively hard.
A *lot* of Warnings... by
ajkddf, on Flickr
The first two miles of the hike afford
stunning views of the Na'apali Coast:
DSC02609 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02612 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02617 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02621 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
About two miles in, you get to the Hanakapi’ai Stream, which you must negotiate before arriving at Hanakapi’ai Beach.
The Hanakapi’ai Stream You Must Cross to get to the Beach by
ajkddf, on Flickr
When you arrive at Hanakapi’ai Beach (which is sandy in summer, but bouldery when we went in the winter), do NOT swim. Dozens of people have drowned here due to the unbelievably powerful rip current. We admired the crashing waves from a close but safe distance while eating a snack and then soldiered on.
Hanakapi’ai Beach by
ajkddf, on Flickr
Immediately to the rear of the beach is a sign that directs you. To the right is for the real men and women doing the Kalalau Trail (9 miles from that point to the famous Kalalau beach, which one day we absolutely will do), and straight ahead is the trail we wanted.
DSC02694 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
Another two miles inland from the Na’apali Coast (as opposed to along the coast), is the very pretty Hanakapi’ai Falls, 300 feet of falling water into a very deep pool.
On the way to the falls, though, which is a difficult hike by itself, are some interesting sights, like bamboo forests, and jewel spiders...
DSC02634 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
Gasteracantha cancriformis by
ajkddf, on Flickr
Arriving at the falls after the 4 mile hike in, sweaty through and through, it’s a glorious and inviting sight, compelling you to strip off all your clothes and jump right in.
DSC02645-2 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
But prepare yourself.
For those of you who have dunked in the Arizal’s mikvah in Tzfat, well… this makes that seem like a bathtub. By far the coldest water I’ve ever been in.
But you don’t hike all the way into the falls and NOT swim to the edge of the pool and experience what 300 feet of rushing water feels like on the top of your head. It was freezing but wonderful. If you’re confident in your swimming abilities, I challenge you to do it. Just know the swim will zap you of energy quicker than you can say “boo.”
Here's proof that I did it... though it took 20 mins of convincing myself with the water at my waist
DSC02670-2 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
DSC02668-2 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
After I dried off, we turned around and began the hike back. We timed our return hike so that we arrived at Ke’e beach for a wonderful sunset, after which we drove back to the GHK.
DSC02753 by
ajkddf, on Flickr
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