A Magical Trip to Kalalau in Kauai

 

Kalalau Beach

Since I started hiking avidly back in 2010, one trail I've always wanted to do was the Kalalau trail on the Na Pali Coast of Kauai. 2015 would be my year. 

The Kalalau trail is highly regarded around the world as being one of the most dangerous trails. Its consistently listed in the top 10 by people who presumably know such things. Backpacker Magazine rates it as one of the most dangerous trails on their website (Backpacker, 2013). At a local level, Kalalau is by far the hiking mecca in Hawaii. It is regarded as the top hike in Hawaii by serious hikers, bar none. 

The danger is there. As I kept on preparing for the hike, it only seemed that the mileage would be the big issue. To mentally push under difficult conditions is not an easy thing to do. Add to the fact that you suffer many aches and pains throughout the 3 days and have to perform at an adequate level faced with the mileage and time constraints of daylight and it becomes a true character builder. Crawler's Ledge which many hiker's who have done Kalalau consider as the most dangerous part of the hike became somewhat of an afterthought as the days winded down for our hike. Videos on youtube showed a wide enough ledge to cross without being sketched out. I was somewhat concern about Alli because she doesn't like the extremely narrow expose stuff with major drops, but crawler's ledge looked wide enough where it wouldn't pose many problems. Our crew for the trip was Ed, Aprille, Erik, Alli, and Anthony. Our group had a wealth of experience hiking in adverse conditions which gave me enough confidence that we could do the job in the time allotted. Another concern was Hanakapiai Stream. Too many times we hear of 100+ people getting rescued at the stream. But Erik is the master at stream level crossings and I value his decision to cross or not. 

Alli got us some cheap plane tickets and downloaded the chapter on Kalalau from Stuart Ball's Backpackers Guide to the Hawaiian Islands. I skimmed over some parts, what interested me was that Stuart Ball broke it up into 4 days. He mentions that Day 1 should be camped at Hanakoa. In hindsight that doesn't make sense as the Hanakoa campsite isn't too spectacular compared to Kalalau. 

The hike to prepare for this adventure was Laie-Schofield which we (Alli, Aprille, Erik, and I) did in late May was a good test for all of us. I think everyone on that hike got a good dose of what to expect on Kalalau especially with the heavy packs and long mileage. 

The day before we were to fly out, Alli went to Kauai to sight see with her boyfriend John. She also had to search for fuel for our camp stove. That in itself was a chore since Sports Authority ran out, but Ace had some in stock. On the day of the flight, Ed emailed the group and said he had to bail because he had back spasms. He said he did a three mile paddle on Wednesday, couldn't recover on Thursday, and was up all night with a sore back. 

Ke'e to Kalalau Beach (Day 1) - July 10, 2015

The plan today was to start at the trailhead of Ke'e Beach and hike the entire 11 miles to Kalalau Beach. After landing in Lihue, we were shuttled over to the rental car place. I had a reservation under Advantage for a compact and a mid size car. When we got there at 6:30am, there were only 2 customers in line. I thought this would be fast. Footage of Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tours was playing on the big screen. Erik and I were in awe of what the other islands had to offer ~ Maui, Kauai, and Molokai are special places with their lush greenery and waterfalls. Erik & I laughed and joked about what Oahu was going to offer ~ condos, Waikiki, etc. When it was Oahu's turn, it wasn't too bad, they had Hanauma Bay, Pearl Harbor, and Sacred Falls. After a long 50 minutes, we finally got our cars. Frickin' ridiculous, never going through them again. We picked up Alli near her hotel and were off.

The drive from Lihue to Ke'e is over an hour. We were going to stop at Princeville Foodland, but ended up at Big Save a.k.a Times Market in Hanalei. There we bought snacks, water, and a bottle of vodka. I was worried what the alcohol would do to the body after a long day of hiking, but fuck em', these trips don't come along very often, plus the stream is nearby to hydrate. Anthony bought some cheap vodka, which is good, if we didn't drink it all we could discard it because he couldn't take it on the plane back to Oahu. 

start

As we were heading towards Ke'e, it started to rain lightly, and then it started to pour cats and dogs. We immediately started thinking about back up plans. I really didn't want to bail, but that seemed like a reality at the time. As we got ready, it rained even harder. I was like holy shit, we ain't hiking today! Since we've been planning this thing for so long, we had to at least give ourselves a chance and hike all the way to Hanakapiai stream. Prospects of getting to Kalalau Beach became slim as it rained harder and harder every minute we were out there. As we hiked to the enclosure and a big ass rock, we seen the brown water. Whenever you see brown water, the rule is turn around, don't drown.  After 1 hour of hiking in the mud, we got to Hanakapiai Stream. It was raging with brown water. We waited there with a few other people, pondering if we should cross or not. A huge group of hikers came from the other side of the stream. Two guys who were near us and apparently part of their group formed a chain, along with Erik who always seems to be in the mix of chain stream crossings even on Oahu raging streams. Together, Erik, Aprille and her trekking pole managed to get about dozen or more hikers across. Erik said, this isn't as bad as Koloa Gulch, my eyes glistened as I knew we are definitely going to cross today. The Koloa Gulch hike is one of OAG's top hikes in its history, over two dozen total stream crossing in brown fast moving water. The rain stopped for a moment and our opportunity presented itself to cross. We formed a chain and got Aprille and Alli across first, and then we went. Even though we were finished crossing, we ended up helping about a half more dozen hikers across. I was like frick, we gotta go, but the people who we helped across was appreciative of our efforts. 

started in rain

brown water

Right before Hanakapiai stream

Hanakapiai stream

big group crossing 

torrent stream (P.C. Aprille)

Pass Hanakapiai stream becomes a gradual ascent up many switchbacks, at least 10. After getting out of Hanakapiai Valley, there are more switchbacks that go uphill. On this part, there was a weeping wall more than 60 feet high spilling into a shallow pool. You can take a shower under the falls. This is what gets me about neighbor island hiking. Stuff we consider amazing on Oahu is actually mundane on the neighbor islands. 

weeping wall

We hiked for what seemed like over an hour in the pouring rain passed Hoolulu Valley at mile 4. We saw walls of waterfalls in the clouds, pure amazement poured over us. Since the shoreline was socked in during miles 4 and 5, we missed a lot of the cliffs and coastline beauty. Near mile 6 is where we turned the bend and I was fuckin' stunned at the beauty of Hanakoa Valley. The high vertical cliffs, amphitheater type shape, lush greenery, cloud cover at the tips of the peak, all enhanced by a 1000+ foot multi-tier waterfall makes it surreal. This valley only present itself in fantasy movies I thought, can't be real?! I asked Aprille and Erik to get a group picture and seize the moment at Hanakoa, for I have never seen a valley that made me stop in my tracks like this one. We arrived at the Hanakoa shelter. A much needed break ensued. It took us 5 hours (9:30am-2:30pm) to get to the Hanakoa shelter. In a day which I thought we would definitely have to bail, which a lot of hiking groups did because of bad weather, getting to Hanakoa was uplifting and also inspirational to what the mind can bring. We were now ready to push the 5 miles towards Kalalau Beach. We reset our bags at Hanakoa and took a 1/2 hour break to eat and rest. After passing the stream, we passed the junction to the Hanakoa falls trail and continued towards probably the most hardest part of the trail. 

Hanakoa Valley (p.c. Erik)

The weather drastically changed at this point. What was rain, now became windless and humid. Sweat started to pour from our faces as we encountered the narrow portion of the hike. Crawler's ledge got its name because of an uneven section slanted at an angle. Footholds are there, but you have to find them and contort your body to get good balance. Our pre-assumptions of Crawler's Ledge was a mile long difficult section, however this part of the trail is not as narrow as you would think and Crawler's Ledge might be 20 feet long, give or take. I was concern about Alli as she doesn't like the narrow uneven terrain with a nasty vertical drop. However she was methodical and didn't need any help. She did an excellent job crossing all the narrow and rocky spots on this section of the trail. 

heading towards crawler's ledge (p.c. Erik)

crawler's ledge (p.c. Erik)

As the heat was taking over it greatly affected Erik who was cramping around mile 6. He would have to endure the pain till we got to Kalalau. I, also started chaffing. That slowed my pace considerably. Erik and I struggled in the back while the rest continued a pace which would get us to Kalalau Beach before dark. We must have went in and out of almost a dozen of gulches, each gulch providing us with running water, small waterfalls, and stunning views of the sea. On Oahu all the gulches are dried, but not here. Some of the water spills into the ocean. The chaffing was taking me out. Since I was in the back I took out some vaseline and put it all over my upper thighs. As I pulled up my pants, this naked girl passed me. I was like WTH, "is she naked?" She indeed was. That was something I haven't seen on the trail before.

Anthony dunking head in stream

one of many

Near mile marker 9, we reached the Kalalau sign. I knew we had 2 more miles to go, but getting to this sign gave me an adrenaline rush like no other. I knew we were going to make it. As we neared closer, I heard Aprille say OMG, this is amazing! I agreed with her as I wanted to get out my wallet and gather all the money I was seeing (pun intended). We hit Kalalau stream past mile 10.5 and took a break. The stream was refreshing. From the stream it was about a 10 minute walk to the campsite. I can't remember who chose the site, but it was a good choice. We called it home. 

start of valley

first glimpse

dominating cliffs of Kalalau

After setting up, we went to what I call the waterfall shower, a waterfall that spills right by the sand. All the hippys and campers use this waterfall as a shower. There, we went to get water. Erik brought his basecamp which is a life saver and is a must have on camping trips. After finishing, we went back to camp and started dinner. Erik brought his MRE's. The first night we ate chili mac, fettuccine alfredo, and something else. I've been craving ramen for weeks, but all I had on this trip was dried saimen. That did the job though. Anthony was impressed with the taste of the food. After dinner, we all took a shot of vodka and I passed out. Since my chaffing was so bad, I slept naked in my single tent to prevent rubbing. It was also hot and can you believe it, no rain. 

waterfall shower

nothing beats alcohol

infamous hippy camp

OAG campsite

I slept for only 2 hours and woke up. I couldn't go back to sleep. I just kept on thinking how great the hike was out here in some not so great conditions. I was also able to listen to one of my favorite songs when I get away, Skylarking from BT. Its too long of a song, but it gets you in a state of trance and that is how I wanted to feel when I'm away. I didn't care if I went back to sleep or not, just wanted to enjoy the moment. I fell asleep at about 2am and woke up about 6am. 

Kalalau Valley & Beach (Day 2) - July 11, 2015

The goal today was to get to Waimakemake Falls and hike back to Hanakoa. After minimal sleep, I got up at first light, made my coffee, and went to the beach. I saw Aprille and Erik taking pictures. The lighting at this time was perfect for pictures. Aprille was staging some camera shots of the mountain backdrop with the beach surrounding us. I sat in the soft sand and drank my coffee. I twisted my cup into the sand to make a cup holder and enjoyed the mile long stretch of pristine white sand. After about 30 minutes, we went back to camp to start breakfast. I remember making saimen again and frying spam. We also used Erik's lasagna MRE. All I knew was that I was scarfing down food like no tomorrow. 

Good morning Kalalau!

cup of coffee in sand

p.c. Erik

p.c. Erik

We got ready and headed towards the Kalalau stream which is the start of the Waimakemake trail. It went uphill for a bit leading us through Ancient Hawaiian terraces. These terraces always amaze me because its a piece of Ancient Hawaiian history. The trail eventually led us to a hippy camp. From the hippy camp, the trail somewhat ended, so we backtracked and followed the stream trail. To our amazement, waterfall after waterfall beckoned with huge mountains as backdrops. Swimming holes and fresh cold water invited us to play. But we had to find Waimakemake falls, but we also couldn't ignore what was in front of us, decisions??? We continued on the trail and were probably over a mile in. Thinking we would hike back to Hanakoa today, we decided to save our legs and go back to the series of waterfalls. I definitely wanted to jump in. Anthony checked the depth of the water and jumped in. Erik and I decided to jump in too. Aprille who always thinks of creative ideas brought a flotation tube with her. Allison couldn't resist as well and jump in the water. Us guys kept on jumping off the rocks in a semi deep pool. Aprille tried to float downstream with her tube, but it didn't work. The water current may have been too strong. We stayed there for about 1 hour, but we could have for days. Unfortunately, we had to head back to camp.  

terraces

steripen water

hippy campsite

series of waterfalls

On the way out, we discussed if we should stay at Kalalau Beach for the rest of the day and do the 11 miles out the next day. The initial plan was to cut the trail in half for the last day. Alli suggested we enjoy Kalalau for the full day. In the end we decided to rest our bodies, enjoy Kalalau, and hike the 11 miles out on the last day. 

Back at camp, we took a long rest to make plans. We agreed to all wake up early so we could get an early start for tomorrow. Earlier we came up with the idea to have Anthony swim to Honopu, since he is a strong swimmer. Honopu is 1 or 2 valleys pass Kalalau. It is said to be an amazing spot with a big ass arch that you can walk through. We headed out towards the end of the beach. After the waterfall shower, there were a series of nice caves, no doubt Hawaiians used these caves to store canoes and probably use it as shelter. Hidden around the corner was a massive fresh water cave. Again, my mouth dropped in awe. WTH is going on here, all these hidden gems I didn't know about. Maybe it was a good thing I didn't read all the blogs online, I might do that from now on. Anthony went in first. The water was crystal clear. The cave went deep. As I walked in, the water was about waist high, most times below waist level. I turned around and snapped one of the best pictures of my life. Erik, Alli, and Aprille were standing at the entrance of the cave. The sky was white and blue. The formation of the cave created a frame. The water added dimension. Anyway, I told everyone to come in as the experience of the cave had to be fulfilled. The cave went deep and veered left. It was dark. We needed a flashlight to get to the back. Throughout the whole time, the water level did not go above waist high. 

hidden freshwater cave

in the cave (p.c. Aprille)

best picture

natural made alien rock sculpture (p.c. Erik)

cool looking sand mound, all natural, made by the wind

mile long beach walk (p.c. Aprille)

After exiting the cave, we tried to see if we could get to the end of the beach and send off Anthony to Honopu. But the waves were rough, the tide was too high, and there was no way on this day he could make it to Honopu. We turned around and went back to the waterfall shower to fill up water. Erik and I eyeballed the climb up the lower falls to the bottom portion of the upper falls. I tried to go up the right side. The first 10 feet was vertical and I got to a safe point. But I was pre-occupied on how to down climb it. Although I did it, it was tricky. I decided to try the left side. There was one part that required some technical climbing, but wasn't too hard. I got up to the top and Erik followed. At the top wasn't too impressive, it looked like the bottom waterfall. There was some taro growing at the waterfall which was cool. I think Erik may have gotten a picture of it. The down climb wasn't too bad. Aprille was on the bottom guiding us down and filming video. 

too rough to get to Honopu

climbing waterfall shower (p.c. Aprille)

We went back to camp to chill. We talked story for a few hours and cut wood. This was also the time when Aprille drank 7 caps from the vodka bottle with her gatorade. We kinda laughed at the situation. Maybe its because Aprille is going to school to become a nurse and needs to accurately measure everything. Whatever the case maybe, she was buzzed and in the end that's all that matters. Alli took a short nap to recover. Anthony started the fire before dark.  As soon as the fire was ready, we all took turns to shower at the waterfall. I went with Erik and saw two naked ladies. Anthony was just below us waiting in line for the two old naked hippy ladies who were apparently high on marijuana. They kept on laughing and laughing showering together. It was weird. Anthony showered and left. It was Erik's turn in line, but there were these people behind us wanting to fill up water, so we let them take our turn in line. After Erik showered, this guy and his girlfriend wanted to cut in front of me to rinse off, they said it will be quick. I told him go ahead. After the guy rinsed off, he pulled his shorts down in front of Erik and was buck naked. I could see Erik's WTF face. I had a grin, trying not to laugh. The naked guy waiting for his girlfriend decided not to put his shorts back on. He left naked. Weird. For dinner we ate more of Erik's MRE's; pad thai and pad si yu. We also ate Anthony's spaghetti MRE. Super tasty and I think we should do this on our next camping trip. Alli let us sample her chicken burrito, that was also good. Anthony and I split 24 ounces of a cliff bar lemon lime powdered mix with a lot of vodka. That did the trick because I felt super sleepy. 

7 caps

Anthony's fire

I remember falling asleep at 8:41pm. My nasty chaffing went away and I slept with clothes on this time. I woke up at 10:30pm and stayed up till 2:30pm, listening to my music and reflecting on how great the trip was. I also got my mind mentally ready for the 11 mile hike back out. When I can't sleep at night, I don't fight it. I usually stay up and either reflect on my day or mentally get ready for what I need to do the next day. Sometimes I drift into imagination and think about bucket list things I want to do. I found that doing this is more productive than tossing and turning all night and getting frustrated. It rained for about 25 seconds while I was up. It was hot in the tent, but I rather be hot than cold. I seem to not regulate my body heat when I'm cold, but seem to be able to stand the heat. I could hear the waves crashing...it was a surreal experience, one that I will never forget. 

Kalalau Beach to Ke'e - July 12, 2015

We were scheduled to have an early start. I woke up at 5am. Erik was already up packing. I started to pack all of my stuff. Aprille of course woke up next. We are all early risers. Anthony and Alli aren't morning people, but they woke up thereafter and packed. I started breakfast making spam and saimen. I didn't want to use Anthony's pan because I knew I was going to fuck it up, but that was the fastest cooking method at the time. The breakfast I made was too salty, mixing the ramen seasoning and spam was fricken' stupid. Alli had freeze dried vegetables which we should have used to neutralize the salt, but I didn't remember at the time. 

Start time was at 7am. The goal today was to hike at a pace we were comfortable with. Anthony led a ferocious pace and we followed suit. Erik and Aprille hiked together and Alli and I hiked in the back. I felt really good on this day. I had problems with my IT band yesterday, but it felt amazing after a short 15 minutes into the hike. We hiked and hiked in the sometimes pouring rain. Anthony was about 1 hour ahead of us. Aprille and Erik were about 25 minutes ahead of us. They waited for us at Crawler's Ledge in the rain. Alli was mentioning that she had some anxiety heading into the hike out, but I told her most hikers have anxieties about dangerous obstacles on hikes. We got to Crawler's Ledge and passed it. It didn't look like it at the time. After passing it, I looked back and said, "oh shit, that was crawler's ledge", and we did it in the rain! Alli didn't have any problems at all. We continued hiking at a constant pace. We took minimal breaks until Hanakoa. We met a couple who said that they closed the trail on Friday and opened it on Saturday morning. We were like no wonder why only a few groups made it out. Here is the news article (Hawaii News Now - Kalalau Trail Closed). It only took us 3 hours to get to Hanakoa, a good sign since it took us 4.5 hours on day 1. After filling up water at Hanakoa, we took a long break at the shelter. We saw a black cat waiting for us. I guess this black cat is a demigod who guards the shack at Hanakoa. There is actually a story pinned on the shelter, but I didn't read it. 

Hanakoa shelter w/ black cat demigod

Hanakoa stream

We continued in the rain towards Hanakapiai. The ups and downs were difficult, but we were making good time. The weather improved and we could see the beauty of the coast and mountains we missed on day 1. It also got super hot and I started sweating like no other. My legs were super strong and I knew it wouldn't give me any issues today. It took us about 4 hours to get to Hanakapiai Stream from Hanakoa. It looked really good today, although it might have been a shade higher than day 1. Aprille and Erik already crossed and were waiting for us. I went first and held my ground to help Alli across. Erik grounded himself as the second anchor to help. Now the home stretch. Only 1 more hour, but this last part was mostly uphill. Alli did great going up the hill even with the lack of wind and blistering heat. Before the one mile marker a female was sitting on the ground obviously from an arm injury. The lifeguard was there to help. Alli and I stopped to assist. Alli offered her hiking pole which she wanted to discard at the end of the hike. I had some short webbing for the girl to use. The lifeguard used the webbing as a sling. Hopefully the girl could get out. 

scenic part we missed on the way in

mountain apple grove

The last mile was mostly downhill. Seeing Ke'e beach was a sight for sore eye. After 8 hours we were done. Erik and Aprille finished about 30 minutes before us and Anthony finished 2 hours before us. We retrieved our cars and cleaned up at the shower at Ke'e. 

As Anthony drove us out of the parking lot, I had an ire feeling that I didn't have my wallet. Anthony thought I just packed it and couldn't find it. But I knew I didn't see my wallet since day 1, and that was a problem. I packed and re-packed all my stuff over the past 3 days and didn't see my wallet. Fuck!!! I texted Michelle to tell her we were okay, but to check our bank account. She checked and texted me back. There were two $400 withdrawal pending, Fuck!!! I thought, ahhhh. Someone stole my wallet and used my debit cards. The hour drive back was a little distracting for me because I needed to think what to do. We ate at John's (Allison boyfriend) friend's restaurant, the Feral Pig near the airport. I was preoccupied getting my shit in order making calls and thinking what to do when I get home. The others talked about a great hike it was and eating some delicious food. We did Kalalau!, one of the most dangerous hikes in the world. Although whoever is voting or writing this shit has to do some KST stuff on Oahu before they talk about Kalalau. In my opinion, the KST stuff is way harder. 

(p.c. Aprille)

As much as I wanted to carry on my stink bag on the plane, most of us checked it in, only Alli didn't check hers in because she got a first class seat, thus her bag would be in the front. Last thing we would want are a bunch of passengers pissed off at us because of our stanky bags. After my adrenaline wore off on the flight over to Honolulu, I was so tired. Thanks to Erik's brother for taking us home, and in traffic no less. When I got home, I went to buy wine at Longs to chill. I bought the $14 bottle this time, usually I buy the $10 bottle. The cashier didn't ask me for ID. I usually have an excuse in mind if I did ever forget my wallet. My most famous excuse is, "of course I'm 21, look at my white hair". That's why I like to joke about my white hair because 1) if a cashier or waiter ask me for ID and I don't have it, I can spit that excuse out without hesitation and forgo the pulling out of the ID crap. I drank 2 glasses of wine at home, trying to unpack and upload my pictures. I fell asleep in a heartbeat and didn't wake up until the morning. 

If I had to rate my multi-day backpacking adventures, this of course is the best out of them all. Its unfortunate that Haleakala has to take a backseat to this hike, but it takes a backseat to Kalalau. No doubt, the #1 hike in the state of Hawaii. The difficult amount of work to get there, 11 miles of crossing raging streams, sea cliffs, elevation gain/loss makes you feel that you earned it. The jagged mountains, rolling hills, white sand beach, and the waves all in close proximity to each other makes it awe inspiring. The old terraces, caves, campgrounds, waterfall shower makes it interesting.  Good company, well experienced hikers, and teamwork makes it special. Kalalau ~ a magical experience.