“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills

Kalalau, a remote beach and valley on the island of Kauai. To get there you must hike 11 miles, cross three streams, traverse up and down 3500 plus feet of elevation gain, and brave “Crawler’s Ledge”. It is considered one of the 10 most dangerous hikes in the world, for when it rains (and it does rain quite often on Kauai….there is a reason it is called the “Garden Isle”) the trail becomes as slick as ice, and the usually lazy streams you must cross can become swollen and angry and have swept more than one person to their death. Add tropical heat to the mix and sometimes powerful winds, and goats knocking rocks onto you and you have the recipe for a serious hike.

This trail was always on my bucket list, so in 2009, with the blessings of my wife, I secured a camping permit for five days and flew to Kauai with my loaded backpack, trekking poles, and an excited heart. I was lucky and had clear weather there and back, a little rain during my stay, but mostly glorious weather. I returned with tales of gorgeous sunsets, finding wild guava, lillikoi, oranges and tamarind nuts, soaking in streams, gazing at a night sky full of stars, and meeting wild and crazy people.

Unbeknownst to me, my tales of this enchanted valley reached my daughter’s ears and tickled her imagination. And she came to me and asked if I would hike to Kalalau with her. I’m 68 and not nearly in the shape I was back in 2009, but how could I say no? But first came COVID and then a massive storm caused mud slides that closed the road to the trailhead for months, but finally the trail opened up, so one morning at 3:00 am, I accessed the Hawaii State Parks website and luckily secured two permits for three nights in Kalalau. (unlike back in 2009 when you could secure a reservation a year in advance, you must now get online 90 days in advance, be sure to connect at 12:00 am Hawaii Time and quickly click on the date ninety days in advance…if luck is with you a permit will be yours)

Now my daughter is 28 and fit as a fiddle, unlike her creaky-legged father. I had three months to get in shape for this hike….so off I went each day hiking around home. I purchased two round trip tickets to Kauai, rented an Airbnb for both ends of the trip and hired a local to drive us to the trailhead. We were ready

Bright and early, just as the sun was coming up, we hit the trail. You don’t get much time to warm up, for the trail begins climbing immediately….up hill for the first mile, not a gentle incline, but up and over basalt boulders and slippery rocks, but you are fresh, you are excited to be on the trail, and even your backpack isn’t very heavy at this stage. And when you stop and turn around, you are greeted with the sun rising over the ocean and back down to your starting point, Kee Beach. And before you know it, you start descending back down to sea level and at the 2 mile mark you cross Hanakāpīʻai Stream and are at Hanakāpi’ai Beach. We stopped for pictures and then hit the trail again. But now the trail narrows and climbs up for what seems forever, till you reach the highest point of the trail at Space Rock. (800 meters)

From Space Rock you descend into the next valley, Hoolulu Valley, then up again and down to Waiahuakua Valley. The Pali cliffs soar heavenward, the air quite still, the heat sweltering in this area. The backpack you thought was quite light at the beginning of the hike is now tugging at your shoulders and you keep drinking water to stay hydrated.

At about 6 and a quarter miles in you come to the second major stream crossing at Hanakoa. This is considered the halfway mark and many people stop here for the night, breaking the hike into two days…but not us, no, we refilled our water bottles and trudged on…excited to soon reach the infamous Crawler’s Ledge. Now Crawler’s ledge is a very exposed section of the trail, carved right into the cliff. There have been legions of hikers who come to this point and turn around, not willing or able to negotiate this section. Others actually crawl portions. I have never found it to be too difficult, you just watch where you are walking, one foot in front of the next, and before you know it you have made it.

Once you traverse Crawler’s Ledge you breathe a sigh of relief and know there are only 2 more miles to the beach. And while most of the tough climbs are finished, you still need to cross one more stream and descend Red Hill, known for its loose gravel and tricky footing, and exposure to the sun.

Soon you come upon the a most welcome sight, the welcome sign to Kalalau.

Jamie was so excited to reach the beach, she hiked ahead and staked out a camping spot. That left me to plod along, my legs more than a bit tired, in all honesty, downright exhausted. But I made it into camp, set up our tent, enjoyed the beach a bit and then got down to making dinner…nothing special tonight…ramen and chicken, but boy did it taste good.

The next day we lounged about the beach, explored the caves, and hiked up into the valley. Lots of guava, some oranges, but no mangoes this time of year and I could not remember where the Tamarind Tree was located. The valley is dry, result of a lack of rain this year. The sunrises and sunsets are stunning. And at night the stars truly put on a show.

The last full day at the beach came with the threat of rain. We could see big, black clouds coming towards us and the threat of heavy precipitation. So around mid-day, we made the decision to pack up and hike to Hanakoa. This way we would be across two of the major streams and halfway home the next day should the trail be muddy and slick. We arrived into Hanakoa just as the rain started to fall. Shared a permanent shelter with a two couples who also decided Hanakoa was far enough. It was a wet night, but up early and on the trail. I think I bit the dust (mud) three times on the way back. The trail was wet and slippery. But around 1:00 or so, we marched into the parking lot at Kee Beach. We bummed a ride with a trail maintenance volunteer and he took us all the way to the rental car area at the airport. Fun guy to talk with, both his sons are world champion boogie boarders. (The Hubbards….they make Hubboard Boards) The next day Jamie and I vegged out at a beach and ate as much as we possibly could eat….good to have something other than trail food.

I have to say, the trip was a challenge for me physically. I just didn’t train the right way, didn’t do enough hills, didn’t hit the stairmaster enough. But I spent a week with my daughter, in one of the most beautiful spots in this world. It doesn’t get much better than that!!!!!

Will I do it again? Perhaps!!!!!