A collection of travel and adventure stories

Kalalau Trail Hiking 2000

Description and Directions >>

Description:
The Kalalau Trail is an arduous 11-mile trail winding through the Na Pali Coast of Kauai. The trail provides the only land access to this part of the rugged coast. Hikers cross into 5 valleys before ending at Kalalau Beach. Kalalau Beach offers beautiful views of mountain cliffs, blue ocean water and a refreshing waterfall. A trail provides access to Kalalau Valley with tropical fruit trees and cool water streams. The Kalalau trail will take a full day to hike for most hikers. Day-use hiking permits are required when continuing beyond Hanakapi'ai Valley (about 2 miles in). Camping permits are required to stay at Kalalau Beach. Permits can be obtained from the State Parks office in Lihue. See http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dsp/NaPali/na_pali_permits.htm for more information.

Activities:
hiking, camping, picnicking, sightseeing

Directions:
The trail begins in Ha'ena State Park (near Ke'e Beach) at the northwest end of Kuhio Highway (Route 56) about 41 miles from Lihu'e Airport.

Story Date 5/28/2000
Publish Date 4/6/2004

Story Perspectives >>

According to Mikala: Kalalau is a very special place - the beach, the valley, the cliffs, the experience. It is understandable that something so precious is difficult to get to. You have to hike a strenuous 11-mile trail or kayak the ocean along the Na Pali Coast. Neither are easy tasks.

For this trip, I was going to hike the Kalalau Trail with my soon-to-be husband, Phil, and friends. I had heard a lot about this place from Phil, who had hiked the trail a year earlier. He had mentioned how difficult it was...and a few months earlier we started working out more, and taking hikes in our local California area. Even with this, the Kalalau Trail was a butt-kicker.

We started the trail very early, while it was still a little dark. We were hiking with four friends (three of whom had also hiked the trail the year before). When I first saw the beginning of the trail, I knew it was going to be more difficult than anything I had hiked before. The trail starts ascending up the hill, climbing over roots and large rocks. From here on, the trail continues up and down, through valleys and around ocean cliffs. After 2 miles, we reached Hanakapi'ai Beach. Most people who venture on this trail turn back at this spot. You must have a permit to continue any further. After a short rest, we continued on.

From this point, the trail seemed to get even more strenuous. Going up and down the valleys and climbing over things was very tiring. But the view! It was amazing to be hiking at the very edge of the island, looking out at the expansive blue ocean. Very beautiful. After a further 4 miles, we reached Hanakoa. This is about the halfway point, and is where Phil and friends had stayed overnight the previous year. We had decided earlier that we would try to hike the full 11 miles in one day. Phil and I had been going slower than the others, stopping to taking many breaks along the way. We caught up with everyone at Hanakoa, but they were already rested and eager to continue on. Phil wasn't sure about finishing the hike that day, but after a much needed rest, we continued on as well.

From this point, I recall focusing very hard on what my body was doing. I was definitely feeling the stress on my feet and legs. My pack was getting heavier, and all I wanted to do was lay down and rest. The only problem was there was no place to lay down! At some points, the trail was narrow with a wall of dirt and rocks on one side, and a sheer drop to the ocean on the other. My heart was racing as I inched along the trail, hanging onto the side. Along the way, we stopped at various streams to pump more water to drink. We had some chewy Spree candies that we shared at our breaks -- a candy here and there. The taste of each sweet candy took my mind off of the soreness and fatigue that I was feeling by now.

When we finally reached Kalalau Stream (which we had to cross), I was dead tired. It was all I could do to drag myself up after a short rest and continue to the end. Phil and I were both draped over a couple rocks, not even able to talk much. I think I even moaned a little. When we continued on, I felt as if I was dragging myself with my mind. It was here that I learned how powerful my mind could be over my body. I had never done anything as demanding on my body and mind as this trail was. It took every bit of will power to finish the full 11 miles in one day. We finally reached camp in the late afternoon.

Once we had rested, I was finally able to look at my surroundings. This was a very beautiful place. The green cliffs along Kalalau are unlike anything I had seen before in person. I remember seeing something similar in a National Geographic magazine when I was a child -- it was amazing to be in a place like this. We made camp under the trees. We walked to the waterfall to shower, which we did every day we were there. What a refreshing feeling -- the water so cold on our hot bodies.

People passed by our camp, some stopping to talk with us. Everyone was very friendly and down to earth. Some of them seemed like they didn't have a care in the world. I had heard that some people lived in the valley and was curious to explore up there. Phil and I took the 2-mile trail up Kalalau Valley. We discovered lava rock terraces that ancient Hawaiians had used for agriculture. We swam in a clear, cool pool of water along the Kalalau stream. We picked up some fresh guava fruit from the many trees along the way. As we ventured further in, we saw the awesome cliffs of the valley. We also saw a few people who looked as though they lived back there, and a small camp in one area.

Back at our own camp, we continued our stay with our friends. One of them had to eventually be "rescued" by a passing tour boat after injuring his foot. That was quite an experience -- he had to use a borrowed kayak to paddle out to the boat, with the owner of the kayak swimming along next to him! Needless to say, we packed him up with some of our various items that we didn't want to pack out.

The other three people decided to hike out a day earlier than Phil and I. Once they had left, I really noticed the quiet and peacefulness of Kalalau. And in the evening, Phil and I were enjoying the sunset on a grassy area near the beach. It was at this point that Phil asked me to marry him, and provided me with a necklace of kukui nuts. On each, he had carved pictures of various scenes that represented various places and things we had done together. Very romantic! This is why I said earlier I was hiking with my soon-to-be husband.

The next day, we packed up and started out. I now knew how difficult the hike would be and seemed a little more prepared mentally. Also, we had less weight to carry, having given some to our friend who was boated out. We took our time and finally entered back into civilization in the late afternoon. We often think and talk of Kalalau. Pictures of this special place adorn our walls at home. Kalalau is one of the reasons that we started TalkingStory, which you are reading right now. Kalalau is also the name of our company (Kalalau Enterprises). This place lingers on in the mind and spirit of all who visit it.