On Friday morning, we hopped into the car bright and early when all the radio shows were playing the catchy end of the week song: “It’s Aloha Friday! No work ’til Monday!” A great way to jump start our hiking adventures on Kauai.
Any Aloha…
Kauai Hike #1: Hanakapiai Falls Trail
We hiked 8 miles round trip to the freezing cold Hanakaipiai waterfall. The trail was steep, slippery, but oh so green and full of staggering beauty. One of best things about hiking in Hawaii is here aren’t any dangerous bugs or venomous snakes in the wild that will kill you. But definitely stay out of the water when there are signs posted everywhere telling hikers not to swim!
Micah: “I should tell my dad about the goats here.”
Ching: “Does he really like goats?”
Micah: “No, he hunts them.”
The destination: We climbed over rocks and weaved through trees and roaring streams to get to Hanakaipiai falls and jump into this freezing cold water. It was totally worth it.
After our hike, we chilled at Hanakapiai Beach. Apparently it’s a sacred place to do hula on Kauai…but instead of doing hula, I fell asleep on the beach. No surprise there.
I interrupt this blog post to tell you about Kauai wild chickens!
One of the most charming things about Kauai is the abundance of wild chickens. As legend has it, in 1982, a big hurricane destroyed a chicken farm on Kauai–and all of the chickens were set free! I counted 12 chickens on the 5 minute ride from the airport to Micah’s Grandma’s house alone.
The wild chickens amused me so much, and I had a lot of fun taking pictures of them whenever I caught them in a rare moment of stillness. (Why yes, I did spent a lot of time chasing after chickens to get a good picture.)
Kauai Hike #2: Honopu Ridge
This hike is actually a hunter’s trail. There are wild boar and goats in these parts. The actual trail was difficult to find, and we only saw 4 other hikers on our journey. This was the most frustrating hike of my life because for 75% percent of the trip, we were hiking through literal thorns bushes. (I regretted hiking in shorts and a sports bra almost immediately.) But hiking through thorns was SO worth it for these views.
We ended our Saturday night by drinking fruity Hawaiian beer and watching the sunset at the most western point in the U.S. Not too shabby!
On Sunday, we wanted to check out the Botanical Gardens, but of course they were too expensive. (Like $40 entrance fee for one and $60 for another.) Harumph. So we made our own fun in the free sections instead!
Kauai Hike #3: Sunrise hike
I take it back. This was the worst hike of my life. We woke up at 4 am on Monday so we could hike a couple miles up hill to see the sunrise. It was hot and humid on our way up, but it didn’t start raining until we reached the summit. Then it was so slippery on our way down and I slipped and fell right on my butt and ended up covered in dirt and mud.
On Thursday, we drove to see Wailua Waterfall–Wailua means 2 waters, 2 falls. A few months back, one doofus from California decided to jump the 200 foot waterfall. He was incredibly lucky to survive…
Kauai Coffee Company!
Kauai Hike #5: Kayaking the Wailua River and a short hike to Secret Falls
Despite doing the sea-kayak marathon on Amami last year, this kayaking adventure left us exhausted.
Secret Falls…which really aren’t so secret at all. There were many a tour group…and chickens!
Friday was our last day. Megan and Ching had an early morning flight back to Japan…
A hui hou kakou–until we meet again, friends!
And on my 13th morning in Hawaii, I was finally able to catch a sunrise.
Wondering why I jumped from hike #3 to hike #5? Because I’m saving the best for last that’s why! Next stop: hiking the entirety of the Kalalau Trail.
Stay tuned!
The Becca Jar 