Kalalau Trail - Overnighter
This was to be our big hike of the trip, 11 miles each way to a remote beach campsite down the rugged Na Pali Coastline. The locals may not like it, but the trail could easily be re-named the Jurassic Park Trail. This trail is really, jaw droopingly beautiful.
We wanted to be as quick as possible so we brought only our most essential and lightest gear, including a one man tent, instant starbucks, and other more emergency-type supplies and booted it down the trail....with trillions of tourists. After 2 miles, the tourists fell off (not the cliffs, just returned back in their flip flops) and then it was just the hardier backpackers making their way in or out of the out and back route. Oh, and the helicopters. You know a trail is going to be really nice when there is a steady stream of helicopters flying its length.
I used poles for the trip. and was glad for them since there were lots of loose boulders and piles of rocks to step up/step down - killer on my knees. It was good expedition training to become re-aquainted with pole efficiency! One very narrow and dodgy section is called The Ledge - see Storm working it (unfortunately the cliff like drop off to the ocean doesn't show through too well):
The trail gets more amazing the further down you get and it is true there is sort of a hippy community living in the hills behind and at the beach, which was disappointing because there was lots of trashy campsites and not enough bathrooms for the numbers. Fortunately for the boys, there was one totally naked young lady warming herself by the fire when we arrived and another doing downward dog at the edge of a cliff (clothed, however).
Here is me just arriving at the remote beach campsite...
The waves at the beach campsite were so loud it was like they were exploding as they crashed up on shore.