February 7 - Hiking along the Na Pali Coast

      After a windy night camping at Hanalei Beach, we woke to clear skies.

Rough surf, but plenty of people enjoying the water, even early in the morning.

I assume this is a promotional video being filmed at the shore.  Few beach-goers go to this length for selfies.

    Our plan for the day was to hike the first segment of the Kalalau trail along the famous Na Pali coast to Hanakapi'ai Beach.  It's two miles to the beach with a total elevation gain/loss of around 800 feet - each way.  Not that hard, but tough enough that in most places on the mainland, for example Rocky Mountain National Park, it would be attempted by only the intrepid.  

     However, it's also the most popular hike on Kauai, and any illusions we had of having the trail nearly to ourselves was shattered when we tried to find a place to park at the trailhead.   There are two fairly large parking lots, but they were packed full.  We ended up along the side of the road a quarter mile away from the start.  Guess we should have gotten an earlier start.

     The trail is stunning, with views every inch of the way.  However, we shared the path with solo hikers, old couples wincing in improper shoes and teetering along with make-shift walking sticks, teenagers in flip-flops. families carrying babies on their backs, and three or four groups of Navy Seals running the trail (not sure they were actually special forces, but they did have impressive physiques.)  It seems like we spent as much time trying to pass the slow, or stepping to the side of the narrow trail to be passed by the quick, as we did admiring the view.

 Of course, with so many on the trail, it is impossible to just shoot a selfie - someone's always offering to take your photo for you.  Here we obliged.

  Kauai has been going through a dry spell lately, so the trail was mostly dry.  Much of it is red clay that would be slippery when wet.

Undoubtedly fine views along the way.

This creek marks the end of the trail, at least without a permit to continue the nine more miles that lead further along the coast.  We hadn't gotten a camping permit; supposedly it takes 3-6 months to snag one.  Depending on how things go on the rest of the island, (there are hundreds of trails on offer), and the weather, we may check in to see if there are any cancellations.

Here is a short video of the boulder beach:

Could you move a little closer to  the waves, please?  It'll make for a better video.

      Nearly finished with the hike, one quarter mile to the beginning of the trail you can see Ke'e Beach. 

Great view of the Na Pali coastline from the sand.

 Stately ironwood trees fight the erosion from ocean waves ...

... which on this day were rather impressive.

 "Who's impressed?"

 Barnacles "re-purpose" a plastic bottle.  As I mentioned before, there is almost a complete absence of bird life along the shoreline - no gulls, sandpipers, or other shorebirds.  You see a few ocean birds flying above the waves, but that's it.

"Hey, what about me?"

       Sea shells, seaweed, and other beach-combible items are also nearly nonexistant.  However, you do occasionally run across a tourist exhibiting an in-your-face attitude:

Diana is giving me some attitude.

And I'm giving it right back.

      After finishing our hike we drove back to Hanalei, stopping at a cave along the way.

I don't know if this is a lava tube or an abandoned sea cave ...

 but it sure is huge.

After taking "bathing suit" showers at the cold water spigot on the beach as discreetly as possible, we went into town to eat at "Bubba's Burgers."

I had the Hubba Bubba, a grass-fed beef hamburger and beef hotdog on top of rice smothered with chili.  Good thing they allowed us to bring our Longboard Ale to wash it all down, or I might have had heartburn in the tent that night!