This may sound way too hackneyed but some sights in life cannot be described. They transcend all other experiences and leave you mentally exhausted. I had the pleasure of one such sight in the first week of July. And what I saw left me dumbfounded. I will try to describe what I saw.
We went to the Hanakapi'ai water falls in the island of Kauai. These falls are some 4 miles from the north-west corner of the island (Kee's beach), where the highway ends. The only way to reach the falls is by following a narrow trail which overlooks the Pacific. The falls are part of the famous NaPali coast, which is gorgeous stretch of cliffs on the west coast of Kauai. This part of the island is among the wettest places in the world, and when it rains the trail gets immensely slippery. We trekked 8 (round-trip) miles on a rugged, slippery and treacherous terrain. I fell into the Hanakapi'ai stream a couple of times and was totally exhausted by the time I finished the trail but what we saw made up for everything. I am not exaggerating a bit but we got to see a most spectacular view that our senses will for ever behold. And like an icing on a cake, there is a pristine beach mid-way which reminds us the power and beauty of nature. Clear water, 12-foot waves smashing onto the rocks beside the summer-only beach and amazing views.
We carried overweight backpacks, which was clearly a mistake. As we were not 'avid' hikers, we wanted to be on the safe side and carried lot of water. But if I have to redo the hike, I will certainly reduce the weight of backpack by half. These backpacks added to the strain a lot, and we felt the pain on our way back. You can leave behind camcorders (take a camera for sure), excessive snacks, excessive water, phones (I actually took the iPhone and it was in my bag when I fell into the stream. I got washed away and so did the phone, but it was wrapped in a towel. So, no prob.), heavy towels to name a few. I am stating the obvious but, lighter your backpack, easier your hike will be. But keep in mind that this trail is very strenuous. The 2-mile hike from Kee's beach to Hanakapiai beach (the deserted beach I mentioned above) is rated as 'moderately strenuous' and the 2-mile hike inland from the Hanakapiai beach to Hanakapiai falls is 'fairly strenuous'. And when it rains, the level of difficulty goes up a couple of notches. So, be prepared to rock and roll :). Check out the sample pic which shows the incline and nature of the hike. At times, the width of the passage becomes very narrow, less than 1/4th of that in the picture above, and right below (~1000ft) you see the Pacific. Waves striking the cliffs with all their vigor. That sound and view simply cannot be put into words.
To the right you have this amazing ocean and to your left are the NaPali coast cliffs. As I mentioned above, it rains a lot in this part of the island and once the rain goes away, you'd see stunning views - a mixture of greenery and dewy like atmosphere. You need to see it to believe it. It took us 1.5 hours to reach Hanakapiai beach as we were busy with the views. Once at the beach, you feel blessed. Only a few get to see this beach and it is an absolute pleasure. Winter tide consumes this beach during the winter months. It felt great to lie down on the sand and stare at the same-colored sky and water. Incredible view. This whole trail is part of the bigger Kalalau Trail, which is a 11 mile 3-4 day trek. Once you reach Hanakapiai beach, the trail splits into two. You can choose to hike to Hanakapiai falls (which is 2 miles) or hike to Kalalau valley (which is a further 9 miles). You need special permission from DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) to continue to Kalalau valley from the Hanakapiai beach. Kalalau trail, by the way, is THE trail of the world. Verdant valleys, waterfalls, sea caves and gorgeous vistas and a deadly trail via Hanakoa valley to the Paradise. It is rated as 'extremely strenuous' and one wrong step - it is a long way down.
So, coming back to the Hanakapiai falls. It is a 2-mile hike from Hanakapiai beach. You trek through a bamboo forest and need to cross the Hanakapiai stream as part of the trail. You can either walk through the stream (watch out for flash floods and/or strong currents) or boulder jump. I tried latter and fell into the stream and got washed away to some distance. While it was slightly painful and scary at that moment, it was fun and interesting afterwards. It is not something the happens every other day, right? Some 0.5 miles away from the waterfall, you get to see the falls. The first picture in this blog, is that view. Stunning. It felt like paradise. Middle of a forest, streams all over, birds chirping, and then this waterfall. This from Hawaii-guide:
It's unfortunate you cannot see the entire falls from within the valley. Estimates, based on topography, say that the Hanakapi'ai Falls may top 1600 foot in height. As noted above, only the bottom 410 feet of the falls are visible from the ground.
Here is an aerial view of the Hanakapiai valley.
Overall, it's been an incredible adventure for us. And I am happy to have made the decision to take up the hike. It was extremely tiring, especially on our way back from Hanakapiai beach to Kee's beach. We were completely exhausted and took 3 hours to hike 2 miles. In hindsight, we may have pushed ourselves a bit too much, but what we got in return far exceeded our effort. We got a glance of Paradise.
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