The Na Pali Coast is the gem of Kauai. The coast is so pristine and beautiful it has been featured in National Geographic and Backpacker Magazine numerous times. There are a couple ways to see it, by helicopter, boat, kayak or hike the 11 mile trial to the Kalalau Valley. We got our permits and set out for the 11 mile trail on Monday. The way we set up the trip was to hike 6 miles into the Hanakoa Valley and camp. We then would hike the remaining 5 miles to Kalalau beach, stay a day there, then repeat the hike out. The first 6 miles was brutal, although we were greeted by a pod of 40+ spinner dolphins eager to show off their talents. Right away the climb became more pleasant. We made it 2 miles to Hanakapia Beach and had lunch. We then began the hike up the switch backs, still unaccustomed to the heat and humidity, one word comes to mind, exxxppppooosssseeeddd! It was a step by step brutal climb. We made it to the top and kept going uphill the next 4 miles to Hanakoa Valley. On the way to the valley we came across a grove of guava, and then mountain apple trees. Jennifer and Quentin ate some apples, I wasn’t a huge fan, they taste like a pear without all of the flavor, like a kind of sugar water. We continued to push on and made it to the Valley around 4pm and set up camp and we were fast asleep shortly there after. We woke the next morning and headed towards the beach. Right after we started we got to a very sketchy part. The trail gets less than 2 feet wide, has a rock face on one side and a 300 foot drop to the ocean on the other side. I went across with my pack on, dropped my pack, and went back and got Quentin and tied a rope around his waist and led him across. After this part the trail continued to be skinny and have sharp drop offs. Then we enjoyed the reward of viewing the best of the ocean’s color through arches and holes in the cliffs. The mountains looked like something out of a fairytale, Jennifer thinks the green hills look like never- never land, and then you get to the cliffs of insanity once the trees disappear. We made it to the beach around 3pm and we hiked to the very end and got the best camping spot ever. We found a sea cave at the end of the beach that you could walk through. We set camp in the middle of the cave and it was nice and cool and protected from the elements. We made some dinner, watched the sunset , which never disappoints, and hit the sack.
The next day was the relaxing. We hung out on the beach and played in the surf. At the end of the trail is a waterfall where you can get water for drinking or you can take a shower in it. We did both. We decided to move our camp from the end of the beach to midpoint, this way the next morning we would have less to hike out. Again we got to set camp in a small sea cave under a 200 foot cliff.Once moved, we watched the sunset and we fast asleep.
We left the next morning for the 6 mile camp in Hanakoa Valley. We made it up red hill and were well on our way. We made it to the sketchy part and up the switchbacks to camp.
We made it to the trail head the following morning in 5 hours. Along the way we enjoyed a cliffside view of some sea turtles taking advantage of a very sunny day. It was a long trip and our feet were tired along with our legs. Quentin made both Jenn and I very proud. The trip was physically taxing ,and with just a little encouragement he toughed it out. All in all , this trail although difficult, was well worth the scenery .