Monday, April 19, 2010

The end of the trail…

P1010764So yeah you’re probably sick of Hawaii by now, well if you are sorry, this is the last one, I promise, and it was prompted by looking at the quality (lack thereof) of the iPhone photos and I really wanted to share this one trip with you.

During the week my wife and I left our boys with their Grandparents, yes we all went together, and headed to the west side of the Island to Waimea State Park. Part of the park is taken up with the Waimea Canyon. Also known as the Hawaiian Grand Canyon is runs for about 10 miles as is 3000’ deep.

We headed passed that after a photo stop and parked at the Koke'e Ranger Station which gave us our start point for the Nualolo Trail.

The hike is just under 8 miles for an out and back, although it can be extended into a longer loop We had grand plans to do the 11 miles but time got the better of us. Like most of the Kuaui the area is littered with chickens, they’re pretty much everywhere, there are several theories why which I won’t go into but here’s some evidence:

P1010761 And so on with the hike. After a short sharp uphill for a quarter mile you’re treated to some broad technical downhill. There are lots of fallen trees and plenty of roots to navigate: P1010767This then opens up into a tropical lushness. The hike has an elevation change of 4400’ unusually you go down first and then up on the return; you are basically hiking towards the coast.

P1010776Around the 2.5 mile mark the trail gets decidedly tricky and you’re hiking down a mini canyon using the roots as handholds.

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After 3 miles you find your self back out in the open and the views start to open themselves up. At this point we were also hit by the wind which was blowing a gale. The trail gets narrower and narrower and at some points you’re on a knife edge ridgeline.

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This comes with a 2000’+ drop off on one side.

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Finally you hit the end point you know it’s the end point ‘cos there’s a sign! Handy that!

P1010815 You get a grand view along the coastline, we didn’t linger as (a) it was cold and (b) rain clouds were heading our way.

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Another two and half hours later we’re back at the start point and like the chickens we were pooped. 7.75 miles in 4:15 hours.

P1010826 There are more photos of chickens and cliffs here, enjoy!

Now I am woefully behind in my reading so hang in there, I’ll get to you this week, promise.

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6 comments:

  1. Ms. V.Apr 19, 2010, 10:07:00 AM

    I LOVE those chickens! I'm totally jealous of your trip, but so glad you took it. Kauai is GORGEOUS!!

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  2. ultrarunnergirlApr 19, 2010, 11:10:00 AM

    Thanks for sharing all those awesome photos. Hopefully I can put them to use convincing my hubz to make our next trip Hawaii!!

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  3. WesApr 19, 2010, 12:48:00 PM

    The reason the natives say there are some many chickens is because the little buggers are inedible. The best way to each a Kuai-i chicken? Boil it in water, then throw out the chicken and eat the soup :-)

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  4. amycApr 19, 2010, 3:23:00 PM

    oh no! another hike for the "to-do-before-we-go" list. :) looks like it was a beautiful day and hike for you and your wife.

    thanks for the write-up.

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  5. RainmakerApr 20, 2010, 5:50:00 AM

    If there's one area that's fully awesome, it's Kauai - I just love the cliffs and rugged beauty. I would think it would be a trail runners paradise.

    ReplyDelete
  6. BillyApr 20, 2010, 9:36:00 AM

    I've been following Stuart and only with a slight twinge of envy ;)

    No, you guys deserve it and I'm glad you made the most of it! Beautiful pics as always...Kauai is def on my must visit list.

    ReplyDelete

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