Whew.  Just flat out, whew.  One of things that I thought might be fun was to do the short 4 mile hike on the Kalalau Trail.  When doing all the research I do before I go somewhere I ran across some sites saying that this is fun activity and shouldn’t be all that difficult.  So, why not?  At the end of the 2 miles there is a beach that was supposed to be really pretty and is only accessible by foot or boat.  Everyone said to start early and plan on 4 hours or so.  Load up Lucy and Ethel here we go!  Being the intrepid traveler and Eagle Scout that I am, I knew that I would need to bring copious amounts of water and some snacks to refuel once we reached the beach and had to turn around to head out.  Most sites say to wear athletic shoes or hiking boots.  Many locals say that you can do it in flip flops, or slippahs, as they say.  I opted for the slippahs while the rest of the hearty crew went with tennis shoes.

Off we go.  Up.  Then up.  Then up again.  That can’t be, it’s flat!  No, wait.  Yep.  We’re going up again.  I thought, very mistakenly that the first mile would be up and then we’d descend to the beach.  Nope.  It felt like we went up almost the whole way.  You know the old saying that I used to have to go to school uphill, both ways?  That is this trail.  It never felt like we were going down.  I know that we did.  We started at sea level and ended there, but wow.  I’ll be completely honest, it was not an easy hike and the slippahs did work out fine for me, but that might just be me.  They were useful as I stood in streams to help Lucy and Ethel across and I always felt like I had control.  The boss was pleased with her choice in footwear.  The beach that awaited at the end was spectacular.  All of the guides say not to enter the water and with 87 confirmed drownings and 15 unrecovered bodies I wasn’t going to chance it.  Hanakapi’ai Beach is amazing and, to be as brutal as the trail was to us, it was worth it.  Of the 5 of us, 4 either slipped in the mud or fell in the water with Ethel getting the muddiest and Lucy getting the prize for most painful fall when she tried to split a boulder with her head.  Even with all the slips, I still say; go if you have the chance, but go early, take lots of water, a snack, and enjoy the fact that every single second will provide you with views that are unparalleled, or as Lucy said “This can’t be real”.

Once we survived the Kalalau Trail we drove through Hanalei, stopped for shave ice, and then went back to Bali Hai for lunch.  The family seemed to be moving a bit on the slow side so it seemed that resting a bit might be a good call.  Even though my movements on the trail were likened to a mountain goat, I must admit that the rest was nice.  Leftover tuna and brown rice on the lanai was a great way to pass some time.  While waiting for everyone to recharge their batteries I decided to go online and try to reserve our Na Pali boat ride for Friday.  I was told that this was something that could be booked once we got to Kauai.  Don’t wait.  Every company I called was sold out.  This seriously bummed me out because this was the one excursion I was willing to pay through the nose to do and now I won’t.  If seeing the coast is important to you, book early.  If they have to cancel because of the sea conditions, at least you did all you could do.

Everyone was finally rested at some point so we made the trek to Queen’s Bath.  We had been told that it was an easy  20 minute walk to the Bath and then we’d be there.  Right.  This “path” was every bit as challenging as the Kalalau Trail was.  Once we went down from the parking area, I’d guess 150 feet, we arrived at what could best be described as a moonscape.  Here you can fully appreciate Kauai’s history as a volcanic island.  We traversed 200 hundred yards or so on the lava rock.  As we were walking I thought I saw some crazy fool snorkeling in water that was in no way suitable for people.  As I got closer I realized that I had seen my first Honu, or Green Sea Turtle.  They were huge and so graceful.  They made the ocean look positively calm.  Lucy, Ethel, and I kept walking and reached the Bath.  Our arrival there was met not with great fanfare, but with a great big raspberry.  They say that in the winter the waves crash over the rocks and create a great picture.  On this day there were no waves to speak of and we were able to get in the water.  After walking 45 minutes (one way) jumping into water that clocked in at 88 degrees wasn’t all that great.  Am I glad I saw it?  I suppose.  Would I go back?  Nope, not at all.  If you are in the area and want to take a look, go for it.  When you get back you can tell me all about it.

That was the day.  We walked what felt like 100 miles, but was probably closer to 6.  It is important to remember that all of those miles were uphill.  The girls were thrilled to come home to spaghetti and salad on the lanai with Liliko’i Sorbet for dessert.  I would absolutely do the Kalalau Trail again and the next time I’ll go the little bit further to get to the waterfall.  To this point Kauai has more than exceeded my expectations.  Tomorrow, I have a jeep rental for a couple of days.  Maybe I can convince the boss to ride around and check out some properties in the area…