Our Hike on the Kalalau Trail

Sunday morning, August 3, we went to Sacrament Meeting in Kauai. It was a precious testimony meeting where many heartfelt testimonies were shared. We all felt the Spirit very strongly and realized the Church is the same no matter where you go. It was a bit of a challenge to sing the opening hymn in Hawaiian! After Sacrament Meeting, my stepfather, Jay, and I went on a hike on the Kalalau Trail. We started at the north side of the island and hiked along the Na Pali coast. It was truly a spectacular experience. This honestly must be one of the most beautiful places on earth! I was quite surprised how steep and treacherous the hike was. It was a lot like the Half Dome hike. We hiked for about two miles before we got to Hanakapi'ai Beach. Here's a few pictures of the first part of the hike. The views were gorgeous!

The Na Pali Coast

Jay, my hiking partner Isn't the color of the water just breathtaking?

Me in my element. I think hiking may be a new passion for me! This is what most of the hike looked like. It was pretty steep, not always clearly defined, and surrounded by lots of vegetation. Once we had hiked the two miles to the beach, it started raining. I convinced Jay that we should go two more miles inland to reach the waterfall. From that point on it rained the entire time! It was refreshing at first, but we eventually were soaked from head to toe. The trail was very slippery. Each of us slipped and fell a couple times. I was glad for the traction on my water shoes. With all the rain and greenery, it was like hiking through a rain forest. I felt like I was in the rain scene in Jurassic Park (which was filmed on Kauai). It was raining so much that the trail looked like a chocolate river! It was crazy hiking in the rain for about four hours, but I really loved it! We hiked next to and across this stream to reach the waterfall. The Hanakapi'ai Beach is in the background.

With all the rain and it being a pretty difficult hike, it seemed like we'd never reach the waterfall, but we were in awe when we finally saw it! I've never been directly under a waterfall that high. I loved it!

I swam near the waterfall. You can see me at the left. The water was a little cool, but I couldn't miss this chance of a lifetime!

The hike back seemed pretty long, but we survived it. It took us around five hours to hike just over 8 miles. We were hiking pretty fast too and passing up a lot of other hikers. I have learned that running a mile and hiking a mile are completely different things! You also use completely different muscles. I was pretty sore for days after our hike. It was a small price to pay for the amazing experience. I'm so grateful Jay and I got to go on this hike!

We stopped at this view of the taro fields on our drive home!