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Part 3 – Backpacking the Kalalau Trail – Hanakoa to Kalalau
Posted: September 24, 2008
After a considerable rest at Hanakoa Stream to rejuvenate ourselves, we resumed our backpacking trek to Kalalau along the Na Pali Coast of Kauai.
The 5-mile section from Hanakoa (mile 6) to Kalalau (mile 11) is the most difficult part of the Kalalau Trail. Hanakoa marks the boundary from the windward to the leeward side of Kauai and the land is much drier and hotter beyond this point. Trees that once provided shade from the sun on earlier sections of the trail are non-existant after Hanakoa. The trail is exposed to the afternoon sun which is brutally hot as you climb up and down and in and out a series of hanging valleys along the coast.
Complicating matters even more, the trail beyond Hanakoa is only a foot wide at places with crumbly slopes that drop-off steeply into the ocean. Balance and coordination is paramount as backpackers carrying heavy packs must climb up and down a series of scary sections.
When I reached the unofficial 8-mile camp site, I was hot, tired and weary of carrying my heavy backpack. Bill Summers, the guardian angel of the Kalalau Trail, welcomed me to the campsite and offered me gatorade. Not only is Bill exceedingly nice, friendly and looks after backpackers in trouble along the trail, but he has been repairing the worst sections of the trail (miles 6-8) by chipping away at large boulders, removing obstables, and grading the trail. Many thanks to Bill for his hard work to improve and repair the most dangerous sections of the trail. If you would like to support Bill, donations can be made to Bill Summers at c/o Wainiha General Store, PO Box 164, Hanalei, HI, 96714.
The extreme heat tempted me to remain at the 8-mile campsite for the night. In the photo above I deliberate for quite some time before deciding to bite the bullet and continue on to Kalalau. I subsequently learned that Bill Summers made dinner and breakfast for those in our group who chose to remain at the 8-mile camp site for the night, and I regretted my hasty decision not to remain.
While making our way towards Kalalau, we saw an amazing sea cave with two entrances on the coast far below. The sea cave was of great interest to kayakers who like paddled in a circuit in and out of the sea cave.
Goats are common along the stretch of the trail from the 8-mile camp site to Kalalau. The red erosional scars throughout the landscape are caused by goats.
Goats damage the land because they don’t stop eating a plant when they reach the ground — they devour its roots as well. Goat denude the land of vegetation making it extremely vulnerable to erosion.
There is an unusual rock formation with three holes along the trail as you approach Kalalau. Other rocks cast an unusual shadow reminiscent of the moai (statues) of Easter Island in the foreground.
When we reached the top of red hill that overlooks Kalalau Valley I was overjoyed to reach our destination! I was also pleased to see that the sandy beach at Kalalau was particularly big this year and extended almost to Honopu which meant that the swim to Honopu would be considerably shorter this year.
Stay tuned to the next segment of the backpacking trip as we camped at Kalalau in the next blog entry.
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This is the 3rd blog entry in a series of posts about my Kalalau backpacking adventure with 14 HTMC friends over the Labor Day weekend. The previous (2nd) entry is here and the next (4th) entry is here.
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SOURCES
Bill Summers, Kalalau Trail Repair Volunteer
Hanakapi’ai Fire, Kauai Garden Isle News
Northwestern Kaua’i, Recreation Map, Earthwalk Press
I am curious about the trail repair — is it still in progress? Thanks!
Yep… supposed to be close from 9/1/2010 – 10/31/2010. Check out this link — http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/announcements/index.cfm