Kauai is known for some awesome hiking, so Matt did a little investigating and picked a hike that was both family friendly and gave us some great scenery.Waimea Canyon takes up a rather large area on the Western portion of the island. It offered a range of trails for any level hiker. From a scenic flat 2 mile loop to a multi-day backpacking trip along the base of the canyon. The hike Matt chose was somewhere in the middle: 5 miles round trip into the depths of the canyon, and then of course back up.
My sister being the rugged, sporty woman that she is, warmly accepted this 2,000 foot elevation gain challenge. The rest of us followed suite...and we were off! About a 10th of a mile into the hike, the nice compact trail turned into a wet, slippery, rocky, rooty mess. This wasn't enough to turn us around, but it certainly slowed us down...a lot! Down, down, down we went into the canyon...all of us thinking silently to ourselves that in a few hours, we are going to have to hike back up this steep, slick trail. Yikes. 
The scene was gorgeous...wide canon walls covered with tropical trees, long waterfalls and even a few goats. 
About 1.5 miles in, the trail was closed in by a canape of trees. Any hiker knows that where there is shade, there are mosquitoes. All it took was one bite as mom was outta there. The bugs and mud was enough to send her and dad back up toward the car. Looking back on the trip, Matt, Ami, Nick and I gave props to mom and dad for their wisdom and fine discernment at that pivotal moment. But the kids did not follow suite, so we charged on ahead for the end goal: a pool of water flowing from a warm river at the base of the canyon.
About 1.5 miles in, the trail was closed in by a canape of trees. Any hiker knows that where there is shade, there are mosquitoes. All it took was one bite as mom was outta there. The bugs and mud was enough to send her and dad back up toward the car. Looking back on the trip, Matt, Ami, Nick and I gave props to mom and dad for their wisdom and fine discernment at that pivotal moment. But the kids did not follow suite, so we charged on ahead for the end goal: a pool of water flowing from a warm river at the base of the canyon. With each step, the trail got muckier and muckier. Gone were the attempts to keep our shoes clean and dry. In fact, I lost sight of my shoes more often than not, due to the sloshy mud. 
The foliage had overgrown the trail maintenance guys, so we were soon bush whacking our way through the forest. I felt more like a native explorer than a day hiker. Keep in mind that by now, my back was so full of bites that it officially lost it's shape and was just one big welt. After many, many exasperated "Are we on the right trail? Should we go back? Do you want to keep on going" from all of us, we arrive at our destination. No, no this wasn't it exactly, but the end result was a bit depressing: A dirty river, no natural pool to swim in, 8 other backpackers crowding the river ledge and even more mosquitoes than on the trail. We stayed long enough to was our legs in the river and get an apple out of the back pack. Then we headed back...retracing our steps and wondering why we didn't turn around when mom and dad did.
The foliage had overgrown the trail maintenance guys, so we were soon bush whacking our way through the forest. I felt more like a native explorer than a day hiker. Keep in mind that by now, my back was so full of bites that it officially lost it's shape and was just one big welt. After many, many exasperated "Are we on the right trail? Should we go back? Do you want to keep on going" from all of us, we arrive at our destination. No, no this wasn't it exactly, but the end result was a bit depressing: A dirty river, no natural pool to swim in, 8 other backpackers crowding the river ledge and even more mosquitoes than on the trail. We stayed long enough to was our legs in the river and get an apple out of the back pack. Then we headed back...retracing our steps and wondering why we didn't turn around when mom and dad did. Nick came up with a great idea for a guide book on that hike. He would call it "As good as it gets; when to stop on a trail because it just doesn't get any better than where you are right now." We agreed that it would be a great sacrifice on our parts, but at least it would inform the general population when to stop exerting their energy and not waste their time on the whole hike. I certainly don't want to be a downer. The hike was actually really fun, because I like to walk, be in nature and spend time with my family. And it was great watching my sister push herself and her bump up those steep hills...such a trooper...but isn't it true that hikes can be slightly less climatic that anticipated?
Either way, we all made it back to the car with a dirty lower torso, tired legs and a good story. After diving into the cooler for lunch, we headed to Salt Lake Ponds Beach to wash away the trail encrusted on our bodies and enjoy some nice laying time.
All in all, if you go to Kauai, I definate recommend seeing Waimea Canyon...just skip that hike and do the nature loop.
1 comment:
Make sure you put a part in the book that a bad day hiking as better than the best day at work!! Looks like you all had some great times!!
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