Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Kauai Day 4

Another BEAUTIFUL Day on the island of Kauai. Today we were headed for the North Shore. This side of the island is so lush and green and tropical. Great weather for hiking, a bit overcast and perfect temperature, and good thing, because we were in for some serious hiking. We wanted to see more of the Napali coast. There is a trail that takes you 11 miles in, but you need permits and serious gear for that, so we settled for the 8 mile round trip into Hanakapi'ai falls. Lots of pictures!!

Kevin at the trail head
One of many river crossings and our first glimpse of the falls.
I included this one to (a)show the cool trees and (b)to show me jogging. I often have to jog to keep up with Kevin and his long legs. I was at a particular disadvantage this hike because 2 miles in to the hike the sole of my 10 year old TEVA completely ripped off-Kevin had his I told you so moment here. I was thrilled. I was actually cursing nearly the entire time on my shoe choice. Next time...Thankfully the remaining part held up fine and I completed the hike. We were clipping along at a really fast pace so my parents wouldn't have to wait too long for us.

Looking back down from the falls
We made it!
One of the many beautiful views of the coast
More Napali views
Scenery along the way-this picture was a take 2 because the 1st shot Kevin almost ended up in the river before he made it back, after setting up the tripod.
This is probably one of my favorite pictures of the trip. It is right where the river we were following up to the falls empties into the ocean. This is where most hikers stop. The waves are absolutely incredible here. I think this was called Hanakapi'ai beach.
Kevin soaking in the scenery
More coastal shots. You know what was neat about this hike is that you were way up above the ocean and yet you could hear the amazing crashing of the waves below, and you could even feel the salt and spray in the air. Just reminds you how small you are.
Look who we ran into on our way back down??? We were amazed to see Mom and Dad here with about 1/4 mile left. I was surprised they had hiked in as far as they did. Pretty impressive for a Grandma and Grandpa...the trail could get a little hairy. The timing was perfect.

Kevin in front of the cave by Tunnels beach.
Looking out of the cave
Tunnels beach-this is where we ate our lunch and did some wave watching

Another jaunt...after our early 8 mile adventure I wasn't keen on walking down this trail, but we wanted to check out the beach below the Princeville resort. This beach was fun because it had all these little tiny shells on it and some great views of Hanalei bay.
Love the flowers on the island
We drove out through the country and saw some beautiful farm land. Ironically we ran across a farmers market on our way back to the condo today. We stopped and wandered through it. We bought this yummy fruit called longan-delish!
What a day...jam packed with fun! This is Hanalei bay.

2 comments:

The Witt Family said...

Wish I was there right now!

Rachael said...

The Napali coast was my favorite part of our trip. So glad you took the time to hike back there. Did you step over lots of smashed mangos as well? :)

Also - next time you go to the temple, look real close. You'll see some things you'll recognize now. It's pretty cool.