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| The start of the 11-mile Kalalau trail, Haena, Kauai, voted one of the top 10 hikes by one of those glossy outdoor magazines. A slightly too heavy Go-Lite pack, inappropriate cleated MTB shoes and novice hiking experience completes my outfit. Hope I'll |
The vistas start off gentle. |
My friend Molly is a 6-time veteran of this hike. She believes in taking it slow, over 2 days, and taking frequent rests. |
You have been warned! |
Mile 2, where the faint of heart can camp and head back or the stalwarts can continue. |
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| All together now: I----m always chasing rain-bows ... |
The 4 mile marker. Easy to overshoot - we did, and made some progress down a bouldered stream bed before realizing that the trail should not be that hard ... |
Lots of rainbows on the coast. Including some really weird ones like this bicycle tire shape ... "God rides a bicycle" commented Molly. |
It suddenly got dark and rainy and we didn't make it to the Mile 6 campsite. We pitched in a former Hawaiian settlement at mile 5, which was characterized by terraced areas. The Hennessey Hammock kept me dry. |
The optional 'water catcher' that screws onto a regular bottle or in my case, a Platypus bag. Despite the rain, I only got an inch of water - you have to rig it up right. |
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| The fluted mountains of the Napali coast - each one different from the last. |
A sign at Mile 4 announces the Hanakoa Valley. Nice to have road signs - then again, this is America! Two sticks really help on this walk. |
A tranquil moment between cacophanous helicopters over the Kalalau Valley, |
Still life with mossy rocks. |
One foot wrong and you're 'brown bread.' |
