Boys in Kauai!

Hi all,

Matt, Tucker and I took a trip to Kauai last weekend. It was a blast ... a beautiful and fantastic time. We rented a condo and below is the view we got a few steps outside our condo!

On Friday, we went on a long hike. It was 2.2 miles from our parking spot to a secluded beach.

The hike was a lot of uphill climbing.
Then there was a dramatic down hill until we got to a stream that lead to the beach.

The trail was the only way in unless you had a boat. The waves were too rough for us to swim but we hung out at the beach for a while and enjoyed the roaring surf.

We continued heading up from the beach inland toward a large waterfall.

It was tough going at times. We got tired and gave up on staying dry and instead of attempting to hop from rock to rock, we just plowed through each stream crossing. Finally, after another 2+ miles, we turned a corner and there was about 400 feet of cascading waterfall.

It was stunning. The cool breeze whipped through the water brought droplets to our faces. We stood there in awe and just gazed up. Matt was the first one with his shirt off and ambled his way into the water. Tucker followed quickly. I stood there for a moment in disbelief.

At this point in time, a young man was coming out of the water.

"Cold, huh!" I said.

"Yeah, but not as cold as at home" he said.

"Where is that?" I asked.

"Massachusetts." he commented.

"Oh, I grew up there. Where abouts?"

"Western Mass now but I used to live south of Boston."

"No kidding. Me too." I looked toward Matt and Tucker as they were getting deep.

"You've probably never heard of the little town I was in," he said.

"Where is it near?" I asked.

"Milford."

"Bellingham, Franklin, Medway?" I asked.

He laughed, "Bellingham!"

Is that bizarre or what?
After kibitzing with Jeff Menardi, I got in the water with Matt and Tucker. It WAS cold! We told George Costanza jokes and swam under the waterfall. YES, UNDER THE WATERFALL.

Somehow, we were tired AND refreshed by the waterfall.

We made the climb back down reluctantly. None of us had ever done anything like that. During that hike, we realized that Tucker had wrecked his ankles. He let us know that he could not hike for at least a day.

Matt and I chose a hike that was 6 miles round trip and not as steep or up and down as the first day. We drove to Waimea Canyon which is also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. The car took us up to the top of the canyon (thankfully, we didn't hike it!) The view of this canyon is stunning.

The waterfall off to the side caught my eye but both Matt and I were too tired to hike another waterfall.

So, we drove on to another hike. This hike heads away from the canyon and toward the ocean. We really weren't sure what to expect. It was downhill most of the way and after 3 miles, I began to get concerned with the uphill hike when we returned!

We got to the end of the trail and it opened up to a sparkling vista at the edge of a narrow cliff. That's me down there ...

Here is a video clip of the mountains all around me from down on that point.

As I turned around, I could hear the sound of a baby crying. At least it sounded like a baby. Matt spotted it first. There were goats on the side of the cliffs! They are amazingly agile.

We headed back and were tired before we even started. The previous day had really sapped our energy level. We heard something in the woods and I stepped off the trail to investigate. Matt was soon beside me as we looked through the brush ... 4 wild pigs were rooting around. Actually, it was 4 adult pigs with at least 3 babies. As soon as they heard us, the pigs started running around. One of the babies ran right by us within about 5 feet. Those little guys are super-fast! I had the camera ready but frankly, it ended up being a black blur!

We continued on our way back up the trail ... it was painful. I had images of Tucker eating bon-bons while we struggled up the rooted trail.

We had a hearty evening meal and watched a movie. I think I fell asleep at 9pm. I was very tired.

We decided to have an easy day. We kind of drove around to some waterfalls and ended up at a beach. Note the rainbow at the bottom right.

We did not go swimming at this waterfall. It is said that Hawaiians used to leap off the top of this to prove their manhood. We declined. We were too tired!

At the beach, the waves were rough but we went in anyway. It was us and the surfers and that was pretty much all there was.

How rough was it? The picture below does not do it justice but notice that there is a wave behind the wave ...

As I sat on the beach, Tucker trotted up out of the water. He was holding his hand funny. He had been stung by a jelly fish! It left a mark all the way across his hand and around the other side.

It seemed like we were getting hurt every day. Matt's ankles were bothering him and a blister on my foot was just getting worse. So, we went out to dinner at a fine restaurant!

The next day, we took an easy walk. No one got hurt but we were STILL tired from that first hike. What wimps we were!

At the end of the day, we looked toward the amenities of the condo ... the pool beckoned. It was crisp, clear and free of Jelly fish!

At the end of the trip, I think we all reflected on how tough that first climb was and how it made the subsequent trips even tougher. Hopefully, none of us will forget the incredible views, hard hikes, cheezy-eggs, the tortellinis, onions, garlic, green peppers, and pesto, or the bow tie pasta!

We worked hard and we ate well but I'm still tired and it is a week later!

Peace!

John