Greetings, all,
I realize that I am several days behind (not surprising for me) so rather than backtrack right now I will catch up today's activities, and fill in around the edges with the other days.
Today (Friday) has been a busy one. We didn't have lecture sessions until 3 this afternoon, so I decided to have a longer adventure up by the Waimea Canyon (aka, "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific," as Mark Twain never called it). It is about 35 miles away from where I'm staying in Poipu, and (per my GPS) the trip takes over an hour to drive. My GPS has been pretty reliable - I'd give it a 4.7/5, because twice it landed me in nothing like my chosen destination and pronounced, "You have arrived." While that may be true in other respects (ha ha), it failed to be true in these two instances. However, I did manage to find my destinations despite that, and overall it has been a godsend as I navigate strange territory in my beat-up car. Side note: I normally use the GPS with the voice muted, but I almost always turn it on in Hawaii, for the sheer pleasure of listening to the voice say, turn right on to Ala Kalanikaumaka Road."
I was up by 5 (slept in, by recent standards), and got all my gear ready for this big hike I wanted to take, called the Nu'alolo Trail Grand Loop, which would have involved 10 miles of hiking. I was a bit unsure especially since my calves were still a bit stiff from Tuesday's adventure, but I figured I'd give it a shot. My plan was to leave the B&B by 6, and I got out the door at 6:05, but then realized 5 minutes into the drive that I'd forgotten my hat, so I went back to get it, and (happily) also picked up my moleskin and scissors.
The sun was not yet up, but the sky was getting light (another reason to leave at 6 - I didn't want to drive up the mountain in the dark). I arrived up at the first lookout over the canyon in about an hour, so the GPS was right. The sun had cleared the sides of the canyon, and actually it was rather difficult to take photos because of the angle of the light. There were between 4 and 8 other people there (depending on the timing). Some of them had coats on; it was cooler because of the elevation, but it was still in the upper 70s at the least. Sheesh. I had a bad moment when I misplaced my car key - shades of the Grand Canyon, when I lost my phone, only worse, because my car was locked ad the phone service was unreliable. I retraced my steps (there were not a lot of places to go at the overlook) and found it in the bathroom, where I had put down my camera as well and not noticed the key when I retrieved the camera. Whew. Onward.
I drove by both of the trails I intended to hike, and the first one had a sign saying, "Nu'alolo Cliff Trail CLOSED." I drove up farther and noted where the trailhead was for the more northerly trail, and decided to go to the end of the road to the Pu'u o Kila lookout and work back from there. The only people up there when I arrived were 8 Japanese people, 7 of whom were lined up at the railing, and the 8th was trying to take a photo of them with his selfie stick. I am notorious for volunteering to take photos of others while on trips, so of course I did so. It was funny - they wanted two views, one with all of them facing the railing, and one with all of them facing the camera. I thought that was clever. And the man with the selfie stick offered to take my picture, so I accepted. The two things I can't do very well while traveling alone: take my own photo, and put sunscreen on the middle of my back.
I worked my way down the lookouts until I got to the Awa'awapuhi Trail. There were 3 other vehicles parked there, and another one pulled up as I gathered my things. I decided to do this trail because the views are supposed to be spectacular (short of taking the Nu'alolo Cliff Trail) and it is downhill most of the way there (and correspondingly uphill on the way back) with a 1500-foot elevation change. Good thing I wanted a workout.
I was about 5 minutes down the trail when I realized that I had left m trekking poles in the car, and remembered the long walk uphill on the way back, so I turned back to retrieve them. Let me say again what a fan I am of trekking poles. They help you balance, check the depth of streams or rivers, clear away cobwebs and push away branches - so many things. It was worth the mildly muddy return journey to get them.
The trail itself was a dream compared to the Kalalau Trail, and especially the hike to the waterfall. There were not a lot of times I needed to plan where to step, except for several muddy places, and the ground was uninterrupted by the constant rocks underfoot that were in Na Pali. It was a treat even to walk up at the end, so easy on the feet it was. I was passed by a young man, and after I emerged (at mile 3.25 - end of the trail), another one passed me. It appeared they were together. The second one had a camera with one heckuva telephoto lens, and also had a white four-footed frame of some kind strapped onto his backpack. I didn't know if it was some kind of fancy tripod or something - until I heard a little buzzing sound, and saw something lift past the edge of the bluff. It was a little drone, probably with a camera attached. The two men flew it around for a while. I didn't go as far out on the promontory as they did - the place I ended up was plenty scary and full of great views for me.
I ate a snack and had a drink of water, then turned around and plunged back into the tall grasses (about 6 feet high) that led to the wooded part of the trail. LOTS of uphill, with a little reprieve now and then of flat or even downhill. I encountered more tourists - trail etiquette is not what it used to be. I was brushed aside or made to wait (the other party not offering to stand aside) more times than not when the trail was too narrow to negotiate two-way traffic. But as you can tell I'm still alive to talk about it, so it all turned out well. Speaking of trail etiquette - there is a lot of variation in greeting a fellow traveler going in the opposite direction. How close do you have to be before you acknowledge the other's presence? Is it necessary to say something to everyone, especially if there are more than two in the party, or does a blanket "hi" cover a multitude of greetings? There are some people who hardly acknowledge one, some who return greetings reluctantly, some who initiate greetings, and some who say hello as if one is the best-looking thing on two legs s/he has seen all day. I like those last type the best. :)
Yawn, talking of blankets, I think I'm going to crawl under mine very soon. I'll finish up quickly: on my way back, there were many people heading the opposite direction, but nobody passed me from behind, not even the drone boys. I made a pretty good pace back to the car despite all the uphill (though of course not as good as the downhill) and was happy to get back in the car and drive down the mountain, stopping here and there for a scenic vista or two. I even got a good look at Ni'ihau, "the forbidden island," from one of the lookouts. There was a tiny museum in Koke'e State Park that also had a pressed penny machine - my kids collect them, and this is the first time I've had a chance to get them some, so I was excited about that. Driving down the mountain was fun - a lot like a roller coaster, except with me in control (so much better than a coaster) and with the added challenge of oncoming traffic. Once back at sea level, I stopped at a little shop or two on the way back, and then landed, gathered my things, and drove over (I know - wimpy) to the conference center instead of walking.
After the lecture, I dropped things off at the B&B and then went to the shopping center across the street in search of packing tape. I didn't get any (it was pricey) but after some looking I realied there wasn't anywhere else, unless I wanted to make a 20-minute drive to another town. I picked up some take-out at a...colorful burger joint called "Bubbas," and took it back to the B&B, then went back to the Longs Drugs to buy the packing tape anyway (I'm mailing a package home tomorrow).
Whew. And now I'm all clean - the Kauai mud washed off my ankles at last - and ready for bed. This is not proofread yet, so be kind; I'll fix it later.
Aloha
Wendy
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