We also heard helicopters in the distance above us. But my doubt started to subside when we passed other hikers returning to the trailhead parking lot who said the view at the lookout was clear. Would we see anything at the Awa’awapuhi Lookout? Were we expending all this energy just to be faced with another wall of clouds?Īny views at smaller lookouts along the way did nothing to boost my confidence. I squinted my eyes, but I was looking at a white wall. Before we set off, it was so cloudy at the Kalalau Lookout near the Awa’awapuhi trailhead that I could only hear the sound of crashing waves. My mind filled with doubt about the end view at the Awa’awapuhi Lookout. It genuinely surprised every time we passed the half-mile trail markers. The treacherous trail felt agonizingly long for the first 1.5 miles. For these reasons, I kept my camera tucked safely in my backpack to keep it from getting damaged and don’t have any photos documenting the trail! I would be covered in mud by the end of the hike, no matter what. After my first slip into the mud, I decided to just own the experience. I tip-toed around the muddy trail with my brand-new hiking sandals at first. The downhill hike into the valley was very slick, and I maintained a downward gaze, watching my step while clutching a walking stick for support. That record-breaking rainstorm 48 hours earlier certainly didn’t help our situation. The trails in Kauai are often slippery and muddy. To set the stage, let me first say that Kauai is the wettest place on earth. I don’t care what the other websites say hiking the Awa’awapuhi Trail for 6.7 miles round trip is not easy. Although I can’t compare it to the Kalalau Trail, the Awa’awapuhi Trail was a major highlight of our Kauai trip and led to one of the most beautiful coastal views I’ve ever seen. Our best chance at hiking to a view of the Napali Coast would be hiking the Awa’awapuhi Trail from Waimea Canyon. As of now, the trail is closed for the foreseeable future. The hike would be out of the question for the length of our trip. Parts of the north shore suffered landslides and flooding, and the single road to anywhere past Princeville was closed. The weather had other plans for the duration of our stay, however.Īs luck would have it, we arrived on Kauai the day of the heaviest rainfall in a 24-hour period in the US. Hiking the Awa’awapuhi Trail wasn’t in the original plan we wanted to hike part of the Kalalau Trail on the north shore of the island for the on-land view of the Napali Coast. I just had to see those cliffs by the ocean in real life. If you’ve ever seen photos of it before, you understand what I mean. I arrived in Kauai with my sights set on one part of the island in particular: the Napali Coast.
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