The hike that changed my life - The Kalalau Trail

The hike that changed my life - The Kalalau Trail

This is it. This is the trail that got us into hiking. The Kalalau Trail. I can't really say how special this place is to Tina and I, so I'll just stop typing and show you in the video. Enjoy.

Music by Artlist:

We Got Love - The Talbott Brothers

Shema - The Duke of Norfolk

Row - Isreal Wasserman

Find Our Way - Sunriver

Feast of Starlight - Elad Perez

Denali at Dawn - SPEARFISHER

Motions - Caleb Etheridge

More We Are Together - Energy Plus

Love of Mine - The Hunts

Music by Epidemic Sound:

Big Sky - Gavin Luke

La Fille Sans Larmes - Lo Mimieux

[victorvelez]

Thank you so much for this journey. Brings back fond memories when I took 3 weeks off from work back in November 2010. Ostensibly to heal my soul from my wife's passing a year before. At the time was sleeping 1 hour a night. Decided on the trip out west to get my head back on straight.

Flew to San Fran from New York for the first 11 days. SF was awesome. Went to the Redwood forest outside of SF to do some hiking. Then flew to Lihue, Kauai. Chickens everywhere outside of the airport! Stayed at a beachside hotel in Lihue which featured a serpentine pool, Koi pond and nesting seals on their beach. Did 2 luau's and a 7 hour catamaran trip on the Holo Holo.

One morning I drove to Ke'e beach. Gorgeous beach! Noticed the trailhead for the Kalalau trail. Decided to do the 2 mile portion to the beach you both camped out at for a day-hike (I have been walking since I was young, even in the snow. One time walked from my home in the Bronx, NY, over the George Washington bridge and walked down to the Hudson river to take pictures of the 4th of July fireworks that was a rare event over that river). In my flip-flops!!! Mostly the hikers were from European nations. Some were amazed at what I had on my feet. One of the highpoint ot the 3 weeks vacation.

Back to SF for a drive to Santa Barbara. Ostensibly to visit the oldest mission in California. Met with some churchgoers while there and was invited to the Thanksgiving mass. During the sermon I was shocked at the comfort that I was experiencing from the words, which felt that they were directed to me. I am so thankful that I did decide to go since I started to recover from my mourning of my beautiful wife. I felt that she did not wish for me to wallow in misery.

Thanks again!!!

[martinbrodie]

From 1993-1996, I worked as a perfusionist (in open heart surgery, operating the heart-lung machine) at Tripler Army Medical Center. I lived in Honolulu Park Place on the corner of Nuuanu and Beritania Avenue next to China Town overlooking Honolulu Harbor. While I was there I hiked the Kalalau Trail three times, twice all the way the Kalalau State Park. I also kayaked (much easier and faster) from Hanalei and camped at Kalalau one summer (it's too rough in the winter) and kayaked the entire Na Pali coast. Along the way I saw monk seals, green sea turtles, and spinner porpoise. Camping was by permit only and limited to 5 days, with a 6 month waiting period. Words cannot even begin to describe the scenery. One of the hikes was in March and the humpbacks were breaching in the distance. The 2000' sheer basalt cliffs at Kalalau valley make you feel like an ant. I saw 5 moons of Jupiter with my naked eyes sitting on a heiau (temple) ruin overlooking the inky Pacific. I snorkeled from Kalalau Beach to Honopu Beach. Kalalau Valley is an archaeological site. I can still smell the sweet bouquet of wild ginger that grew along Kalalau Stream that perished decades ago. Hiking and camping the Na Pali coast and Haleakala National Park on Maui were the highlights of time in Hawaii.

[highsocietysongchannel]

Several years ago, my wife, daughter and I day traversed the first couple miles of this amazing trail. Having hiked Mt. Whitney and the Zion Rapids, I soon realized that some of us may have all been over our heads, and we headed back. No shame. Thank you for showing us so beautifully the rest of the way.

[jenniferhauck]

Never say never on the for the ride Papillon! Iniki 1992!

[Cowdog]

Thank you. No I mean it Thank you. Loved your words at the end. Thank you.

[johnkangas]

That hike changed my life too. Now I watch other people's videos and cry. Great job. Mahalo

[janevalentine]

That hike was Incredible, Frightening, Stunning, Epic and Frightening. Really, really beautiful.

[jeffhildreth]

Spectacular !
I was an avid hiker/explorer for many years..mostly when I lived in near Big Sur and later in the Sierras ...but side tracked by work and obligations.
Now at 77, and still healthy, I have decided to get back to it.
Plenty of beautiful places here in Oregon, especially in the South part (State of Jefferson) where I now live.

Thanks for all your excellent videos and the inspiration.

[ronniea.]

16 years ago when my husband and I were younger and in much better shape we did the first 2 miles to the Secret beach and it was tough. Thank you for sharing the rest of the way.

[bradwhitcomb]

Wow. A love story. You've outdone yourself this time. Thank-you.

[bristleconepinus]

Great hike, spent a couple of weeks in there in 1973 only we didn't wear clothes, ditched them @ Hanakapiai...took some acid @ dawn one day and swam around the headland to the next valley over. i was just coming on when the wind caught the waterfall and the water danced over to where i was layijng against a rock and splashed me on the chest...i knew i was blessed... there was a guy living in a tree house up the valley. all he brought w/ him was visqueen and string and made the house out of bamboo. had to leave when our gorp ran out.

[diegoaduriz]

Great video.
Amazing music.
Lovely love story.
Thx for sharing

[jamesfoureight]

Beautiful video! I’ve been there a couple times, fun to watch and remember the place.

[outsidereids]

I too did this hike with a girlfriend years ago and was amazed by the beauty..I also ended up pursuing a lot of outdoor adventures since that time. Thanks for sharing

[marckieler]

Beautiful love story and you certainly picked the best place to surround it with. Keep on hiking and sharing this with us. Extremely generous / priceless of you. So much appreciated!

[baldophil]

Waaaouu la plage...the beauuutifuul beach! Merci.

[IanMcSlater]

Made the mistake of swimming Hanakapiai Beach. Ive spent my entire life on beach, the ocean is my playground and i am extremely comfortable in a variety of conditions, since i was young, but that day/moment was a slap in the face to my over confidence in the water. Something thats only occasionally happened in my several decades surfing and playing in ocean. I waited decades to get to Kauai and the entire time i was there i was in a cloud of peace and happiness so my guard and common sense was a bit clouded too. The joy of being there, the beauty of the water and surroundings made me ignore what id heard and didnt even look at what the water were doing (which i normally do at my everyday breaks). I simply dove in, started playing in the small waves, clear water and super soft sand. Imagine being an avid swimmer, in ocean almost every day, your playing in small waves in waste deep water only 10-15 yards from shore, beautiful day. Then within that peaceful moment a little bigger wave comes, you turn to body surf it (feet on the soft bottom), and the wave breaks and sucks back soo fast and heavy it sweeps your feet from the soft sand and pins you flat on stomach sucking you back and down the slope. I was close to the south side rock outcrop, i instantly started clawing the sand as deep and fast as i could and trying to get feet in for a push. From the initial sucking out and me digging in sand and the pull letting up was only a matter of maybe 3-5 seconds? and i know i was just near the point of no return. The currents are stronger than most anything i encounter daily, and that particular beach has insane currents that sweep along the shore. That day it was sucking from the steep slope to the deep. Ive learned that sweep sucks downward as it goes along the south rock outcrop and pulls under along edge of rocks under water. The amount of total deaths at that beach (in shoreline or river crossing) compared to yearly deaths around the world should shed light on how serious you should pay attention.

[garman]

I hiked that trail as a youth with a friend and got stranded all the way in by rain storms. We waited an extra day and the rain didn't stop, so we hiked out on the now muddy and slippery trails anyway, and yea. That was tense . Amazing experience altogether, but a bit scary at one point!

[mikesimonson]

This was “quit your day job” good videography.

[carlinbay]

I hiked this trail back in the early 80’s. I swear crawler’s cliff was even more scary. I think i side stepped a lot of it and cried. No helicopters for us at the time or other people. I loved the taro fields back into the waterfalls. Great memories.