Kaua'i Part 1 - The Hikes

We got back home to Hawaii just in time to unpack, wash clothes, then head out again to the island of Kaua'i. Our friends, the Brians joined us on this 5 day trip. We stayed in a cute little cottage, right on the beach. It was pretty ideal.

We had a pretty good idea of things to do there, and a lot of it consisted of driving and hiking. Our first hike was to Wailua Falls. We strapped Eleanor in the Ergo and headed down the trail. We were stopped by a lady who asked if we were taking the baby with us, and she advised us not to since there was some climbing involved. She told us she even wears gloves for this hike. We decided that we would go as far as we felt comfortable, and if there were ever a time we felt it was too dangerous, we would turn around and go back. We made it to a spot where it was really muddy and pretty steep. I was first, so I went for it, and ended up sliding down a hill on my rear end. I told Spencer he better turn around, and as he turned, he saw another place with rope, and started climbing down. We made it all the way - and it was pretty easy once we found the right trail. The waterfall was beautiful. I had every intention of getting in and swimming closer to the falls to get some good pictures with my underwater case, but once I stepped in I about froze. I changed my mind very quickly on that idea.

Our next hike the Kalalau Trail along the Na Pali Coast. We hiked approximately 2 miles in to Hanakapi'ai Beach. It was literally one of the most beautiful things my eyes have ever seen. The trail was so lush and green, and the views of the coastline were unreal. The beach had a cool cave, and hundreds of stacking stones(I tried to see if there was a more technical term for them, but couldn't find it). The whole experience was just so beautiful. Eleanor was happy to get out of the carrier and run around for a while, playing in the mud and water. We couldn't stay long since we started the hike pretty late in the day and wanted to make sure we got back before it got dark. We did make it back just in time to watch the sunset on Ke'e Beach. This was by far my favorite hike I've done. Ever. I would love to one day go back and take a boat or helicopter ride around the entire Na Pali Coast to see the rest of it.