Hiking Hawaii: the Kalalau Trail
I'm back in Hawaii for a few weeks. The weather is great, the water is hot, everyone smiles. If one manage to get away from the beach, there is an amazing world to discover around here. Last week I decided to head for some back country hiking on Kauai, the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands.
I was lucky that my post on the Hannah Stove got so much attention. Jim Thompson, a scout leader on Oahu, liked the instructions and he advised me on the best hikes to do around here. I'm on Oahu but hoping from one island to the other is like taking the inter city bus in Montréal. Outside rush hours, flights cost between 9$ and 39$ and bring you to destination in 45 minutes or less.
Kauai is five million years old, five times older than the Big Island. It had more time to be beaten into shape. Valleys have voluptuous curves, beaches are wider, the reefs more populated and colossal canyons intensify the landscape. Volcanic rocks have soft edge and there is a lot of the Hawaiian typical red clay.