We read about the Nualolo trail and the Awa'awapuhi trail and decided on the challenge of starting on the Nualolo trail, following a connector trail, and taking the Awa'awapuhi back up. All in all, the loop is a total of 11 miles with an elevation change of 1,760 feet. It doesn't seem right to be in Kauai and not enjoy its landscape on foot.
We were at Kokee Lodge by 9:30am. We strapped our packs on our backs filled with a few bottles of water, a sarong in lieu of a heavier towel, ponchos and our trail map. Professional hikers would most likely pack energy bars and bite-size fruits to eat during their hike. But the boy and I are professional eaters so we packed the leftovers from the meal he cooked the previous night: lamb stew with potatoes and homemade guacamole and chips, plus slices of watermelon and bananas.
With all that weight, we started off a few blocks away from where we parked our car at the Kokee Lodge and entered the Nualolo trail. There were trail markers every half a mile but I stopped counting after I realized I still had seven miles to go. Exercise is not a hobby of mine and this trek was definitely strenuous. As soon as we realized that we were on top of the Waimea Canyon, we could only shake our heads in disbelief. None of my photos do justice to the incredible view we witnessed.
We set our sarong at the lookout and ate our lunch. It started drizzling so before we could fully rest, we had to get going and trek through the Nualolo Cliffs to reach the end of Awa-'awapuhi, the other trail that we would start from to begin rhe second half of our loop.
We stopped at another vista that marks the end of the Awa'awapuhi trail. Other hikers were there taking in the view. After only a couple of minutes, we started off again.. The drizzle turned into a downpour and we ended up schlepping in mud, our ponchos thankfully keeping our cameras dry. Our guidebook described Awa'awapuhi as an easy trail because it is mostly downhill, but because we were starting off from the end of it, we were going uphill for the next four miles. With the rain turning our trail into mud, climbing became more difficult.
I don't remember ever being thankful to the gods above like I did when we finally reached the starting mark of Awa'awapuhi. My legs were Jello and my shoes were covered with mud. The boy reminded me that we still had to go back to the car to go home and that meant walking on the highway back to Kokee Lodge for another mile and a half. I almost cried.
But we made it back to our car after almost six hours, dirtier than pigs in mud but also rewarded with the athlete's endorphin high.
11-mile Hike: Nualolo-Awa'awapuhi Loop
start at Kokee Lodge |
