Yesterday I hiked the Kalalau Trail again. This time I went 6 miles in and then did a ½ mile side trip to Hanakoa Falls. All in all, I went at least 13 miles and did about 3000 ft of elevation. The trail for the side trip to the falls wasn't marked so I probably spent over half an hour hiking around trying to find it. Here is a list of things I learned from doing the 13 mile hike (some if which I knew, but for some reason decided to ignore):
• I can do a 13 mile hike! :)
• It is probably better to pace yourself (I did the first 2 miles in less than 40 minutes, averaging just over 3 mph but it made the next mile which had 800 ft of elevation not very much fun)
• Wear socks regardless of how comfortable you think your shoes are
• 3 liters of water is not enough (for me anyways)
• Taking a hand towel to wipe the sweat off your face to keep it and sunscreen from running into your eyes is a good idea
• If you don't normally jog for exercise, jogging 3 miles a day and half before a 13 mile hike is probably not a very good idea
• Soaking in warm ocean water after a long hike is very rejuvenating
It was a fairly tough hike. Like I said above I did the first 2 miles in less than 40 minutes. It was the part of the trail I had already been on and the part of the trail the is very highly traveled. For most of the first 2 miles the trail is pretty wide which makes it easier to go fast. The next mile, however, is very narrow and there is a lot of elevation. Next time I hike the trail I am going to do a bit better job of pacing myself.
I wore my amphibian shoes without socks which I have done for most of the hikes here on Kauai. I have had a few blisters after the other hikes, but all and all they have been pretty comfortable shoes. On this hike my feet didn't fair so well in them. About half way though the hike I felt like I was slowing down more than I should be. I did an assessment: my legs felt fine, my heart rate was low and I wasn't breathing heavy. Then I realized my feet weren't feeling that great and it was slowing me down. When I got home and got my shoes off, it became apparent why my feet were hurting. I had a lot of blisters, the two worst ones were my pinkie toes... not on my pinkie toes, but my entire pinkie toes were blisters. Next time I go on a long hike, I am wearing socks. It seems pretty stupid of me to not have worn them or at the very least taking some with, oh well, live and learn.
I am feeling pretty good today. My back and legs are a little sore and my feet are recovering well, my pinkie toes look mostly normal again. Hiking this far on the trail makes me feel pretty confident that I could hike the entire Kalalau Trail (22 miles and 5000 ft of elevation) in one day next week. It will depend on how my recovery goes and how I am feeling. If I hike the entire trail I will be sure to blog about it.
Enough about all that, on with the scenery. I have said it in other posts, but I will say it again, the Na Pali Coastline is truly a place of beauty. Besides the coastline and vegetation I also saw a feral goat and some birds that looked like large quails. When I finally got to Hanakoa Falls, I was the only one there. It was very peaceful and great place to eat lunch. These photos don't do justice to what I saw, but they do give you some idea.
A view of Kee Beach at low tide.
The Na Pali coastline (looking west).
Part of the trail (with lots of hala trees).
The Na Pali coastline (looking east).
Another shot of the Na Pali coastline (looking west).
Hanakoa Valley.
Hanakoa Stream close to the coast.
Hanakoa Falls.
Me at the falls.
My poor pinkie toe :(
Comments (2)
I hope they don't have to amputate your pinkie toe! congrats on finishing the hike and getting back in one piece! How long did the hike take?
Posted by B | August 31, 2007 4:57 AM
Posted on August 31, 2007 04:57
No amputation and they are both doing pretty well. It took me 6 hours, with 30 minutes at the falls for lunch and probably another 30 minutes or so looking for the trail. If I do the entire Kalalau Trail I will probably give myself 10 hours to do it.
Posted by Matt | August 31, 2007 6:56 AM
Posted on August 31, 2007 06:56