Take a Hike

Corey and I are not huge hikers, but we did go on a huge hike with my sister Natalie and her husband Ryan this winter. In February 2008, we hiked 23 miles in two days over the sea cliffs of the amazing Kalalau Trail in northern Kauai. It was the most awe-inspiring and difficult physical feat I have endured thus far in my life. Most of the trail is very narrow and steep, traversing large changes in elevation over jagged cliffs with the angry sea crashing hundreds of feet below. Most of the foliage we saw was a stunning tropical rainforest, replete with melodious birds singing us along our way. We also passed by several lovely waterfalls and streams. However, there were a few miles of winding through dry, dusty lava rock on an 8-12 inch wide path that I like to refer to as Hell. We encountered this stretch after I had taken a nasty spill forehead-first with my 20-plus pound pack pummeling me into the dirt. (Luckily, this happened at one of the rare wide spots in the trail rather than off a cliff!) I was ready to turn back, but luckily, my courageous Eagle Scout husband treated my wound, took my pack off for a few minutes while I rested, and then encouraged me to go on. I honestly don’t know how I managed it, because at this point, I was quite dizzy and scared that I would trip again and go sliding off the cliffs and into the ocean. I fantasized about throwing the heavy trail mix and tent poles I was carrying into the sea below to lighten my load. (I did end up leaving a pair of pants and my airplane pillow behind at the campsite for future hikers or the resident hippies to use, which I’m sure lightened my load by about 6 ounces!) Toward the end of the journey, we were entertained by numerous mountain goats that distracted me from the difficulty. At last, a few miles in the distance, we could see the pristine beach that was to be our final destination. We arrived just as the sun was setting and cooked our delicious Camp Chef meals on the beach, just as a giant cruise ship passed by. I stared at the passengers enviously, but realized that while they travelled there in luxury and were likely dining on steak and lobster as they viewed the beach from afar, the pasta that we cooked over our portable stove tasted even sweeter because of the travails we had gone through in arriving at our destination. Besides, they could only admire this beauty from the distance of the boat while we were privileged to feel the soft sand and bubbly waves beneath our weary feet. The biggest regret I have is not planning to make the expedition over three days instead of two, because knowing we had eleven miles to traverse beginning at dawn without having even a few hours of sunlight in which to enjoy this paradise was very disheartening. Hiking the Kalalau Trail was an amazing experience, and left a memorable impression on me that often the most pristine beauty can only truly be enjoyed after conquering great difficulties firsthand.