Monday, July 23, 2012

Hiking the Kalalau Trail to the Napali Coast

Taro fields
Today we went to Ke'e beach to hike the Napali Coast. It is located on the North Shore, and this long and steep hike was our last adventure on the island before we left for home.  The drive to the North Shore is beautiful with many green Acacia trees, thick forests, and taro fields.  

We started our hike at Ke'e beach and wanted to go to the Hanakapi'al Falls. The hike was extremely strenuous and we ended our hike at the Hankapi'al Beach.  To get to this remote beach you had to hike 2 miles. The trail was very steep, going up and down.

The first quater of the mile was straight  up, and it was boiling hot but it was very green and beautiful. There were also  many trees with tropical fruits on them.  When we finally arrived, we were at the top of the mountain, with  beautiful view of Ke'e beach and the Napali Coast. The week before, we went on a boat to snorkel on the Napali Coast, but today we were exploring the mountains by hiking to get an up close view. From above, the water off the coast was torques blue and a darker blue as you move away from the coast. Once we passed the Coast Viewpoint, the hike went mostly downhill and we ran most of they way, slipping a few times into the mud. When we finally could see the ocean, we had to cross a big river in our shoes. The water was cold and refreshing from a long hot hike.  





Beautiful turquoise water
Hiking up



View of Ke'e Beach
View of Napali Coast


Most surprising,  when we got to the beach, it started pouring rain and we hid underneath some large trees that were like umbrellas to have lunch and to rest. The rain also made the the trails  muddy and the rocks slippery.    While eating lunch, we saw some wild cats, that my little sister Hannah wanted to take home with her.  They were all very skinny, probably because they don't get a lot of food. They ate some of our turkey that fell on the floor.

Hankapi'al Beach

Crossing the river















After lunch, we went down volcano rocks to the sandy beach. This beach had dark tunnels to hide from the sun or rain. The waves at the beach were huge, but the water was very warm. There were gorgeous mountains around this beach.  Also, there was a stream, that was even warmer than the beach, which came from the waterfall. On one side of the stream, there were tadpoles of black poisonous frogs.



















When we were driving back we saw a  magnificent sunset with the colors red, orange, and  yellow.  It looked like fire burning in the sky and it was the perfect way to finish our day.










4 comments:

  1. Dear Sarah !

    We think you deserve a big award for your posts.
    You showed us the island Kauai,told about it.
    The pictures you made are amazing!
    We don*t think somebody could*ve done it better. Love you and looking forward for your
    new posts. Proud of you!
    Granma Mila and grandpa Isay

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Grandma Mila and grandpa Isay,

      Thank you so much for leaving me such a lovely comment. I'm very glad you like my posts on Kauai.

      Which photo was your favorite. I love you very much.

      Sincerely,
      Sarah

      Delete
  2. Dear Sarah,

    Wow I am lost for words, You are a very high quality blogger!
    From the images I have seen, and the story I have heard it looks like you have had an amazing trip. I have never been to any of the places you have been to before, but I would love to go there one day as it sounds very exciting.
    I love going to the beach but where I live I don’t get the opportunity very often to go swimming as most are closed off because they are too rough.
    The photos that have been taken are fantastic and it shows you have had a lot of fun. I wish to go there one day and experience the things you did.

    From your pal in room 24,
    Brooke

    P.S if you would like to visit our blog the link is below.
    http://room24tis.blogspot.co.nz/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Brooke,

      Thank you so much for leaving me such a lovely comment and for complimenting me on my writing. I just left a comment on your class blog too.

      I am sad that my trip is over, and I will have to wait until next year before we go somewhere again. I hope you visit again.

      Sincerely,
      Sarah

      Delete

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