Na Pali Coast

The Most Beautiful Places on Earth

Na Pali, which means "the cliffs" in Hawaiian, are located on the northwest side of Kaua'i.  It has been touted as the most beautiful coastline in the world and I agree whole-heartedly.  It was another place in the world that I had to leave kicking and screaming even though I looked like the Creature from the Black Lagoon when I came off the trail. 

My traveling buddy and I had no intention of hiking the Kalalau Trail along this coastline.  We were snorkeling at Ke'e Beach when a young couple from Alaska plopped down on the beach after hiking for three days.  Their speech was full of enthusiasm.  "It's awesome.  Fantastic.  Gorgeous.  You gotta see it."   I put on my espadrilles, threw a sun dress over my swimsuit and off we went.  The trail tilted upwards immediately, but the promise of the view kept us going.  We passed underneath a canopy of  trees and tropical flowers, our first taste of a jungle wilderness, and kept on.  The trail became so muddy that I started to slide downwards.   My buddy held out his hand and pulled me back up.  He had on sturdy tennis shoes.  I looked down at my new taupe espadrilles with the cute little ankle straps..  One of the hemp soles was unraveling.  "Come on," he urged.  "It can't be too much further."  My legs burned from the rapid ascent.  Fortunately, the mud ended but then I had to maneuver over several unstable rocks.  My other sole unraveled.  And then it started to rain. 

We came to a waterfalls and finally to one of many spectacular vistas of the cliffs and the raging Pacific Ocean below.  After a couple of hours, we were forced to turn back, soaking wet ,thirsty, hungry and sore.  We learned later that the Sierra Club had rated this trail a 9 out of 10 for difficulty! 

The above photographs give you an idea of how steep the trail is and what kind of terrain you will be traversing if you decide to tackle it.  Was it worth it?  Oh, yes!  And I learned a valuable lesson that day:  I now take hiking boots with me whenever I travel!