(Kee Beach)
Next day dawned bright and sunny once more and even though I still felt listless and not all that well, I dosed myself liberally with pharmaceuticals and resolved not to let anything else stop our vacation march to the sea of frolic and fun. We drove to the north shore end of the road a few miles past Hanalei Bay, stopping to scope out a couple beaches and take photos along the way. Roads end is a popular area with limited parking so if you arrive in late morning, as we did, expect to walk a good half mile or so to Kee beach – a great snorkeling spot – and the other major attraction here, the Kalalau trail, our destination.
(Climbing Kalalau trail)
The Kalalau trail is an at times very challenging eleven mile hiking trail which hugs the north shore Napali coast. It’s the only way to see this stunning stretch of Kauai without forking out big bucks for either the helicopter or boat tours which visit there. Those who choose to hike the entire eleven miles in will generally stay at least one night before heading back the same way, as the trail simply dead-ends and does not connect through to the west side of the island. I suppose some hardy and intrepid trekkers might try to hoof it all the way in and out in a day but you’d have to be a) insane, and b) completely nuts.
