Greetings from the Garden Island, the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands and the last to submit to the rule of King Kamehameha I when he united the islands in 1810. Captain Cook had already “discovered” the islands, naming them the Sandwich Islands after the Earl of. And aren’t we glad that name didn’t stick! Vacationing in the Sandwiches just doesn’t have the allure that the staying in Hawaii does.

Life is slower here, but even if the locals are more laid back, the incoming need reminders. One of my favorites is a hand lettered “Try slow.”  There were a couple of those on the north shore where we were yesterday. Another said, “Throw the biggest fish back. They have the most eggs. Mahalo!” (Thank you)

And speaking of the North Shore, it sure took a lot less driving to get there than it does in MN! An hour and a half to get half way around the island to their north shore. Of course, the road ended there; there’s no 494/694 that goes around Kauai. And we are talking 40 mph here. I drove home last night in the dark and the rain and it was not easy.

We drove up to the end of the road so that the hubster could hike the Kalalau Trail. Let me just quote the tour book. “Notorious for its difficulty and its dangerously eroded areas, the Kalalau Trail is also revered for the sublime beauty of its dynamic aqua- blue ocean setting and the crystal-clear mountain springs that constantly re-carve the 1000 ft-plus cliffs… Hiking safety needs to be taken seriously here, though.”

He chose the day with the forecast of sunny for his hike day.

Keep in mind that the hike is broken up into three parts and his plan was to hike the first two. Even then, the total time for his hike was 6 to 8 hours. To hike the third part you need overnight gear.

This is a serious hike.

There is only enough room to drop him off at the trailhead; that parking lot was full. There was another parking lot that we had passed. I told him when I dropped him off that if I wasn’t in that trailhead lot, I’d be in the next one.

Did I mention that there was no cell service on the trail or at the trailhead?

So I dropped him off shortly after 10 with the understanding that I would pick him up at 5. That was the best we could do for estimating a pick up time.

And then I went shopping! No, no, not there. In Hanalei. And I had a great time other than getting roped into a facial cleansing I-can-get-rid-of-those-under-the-eye-bags presentations where I wouldn’t drink the koolaid. Man she was good! But $600 for a jar of goo was too pricey for me. And that was just for the first of the two year course! I looked great with it on, though. Just erased those bags that I have taken this long to perfect!

Then I drove to Princeville for lunch, followed by visits to overlooks and beaches before I arrived at the trailhead just before 5 pm.

It was easy enough to find a place to park in the trailhead lot because enough of the hikers had started and finished their 6 to 8 hours earlier. I pulled out my embroidery and got comfy.

I did also feed the chickens some of my leftover rice and some cookie crumbs. There was a mama with 7 of the cutest little chicks that I fed. Oh, forgot to tell, there are chickens wandering all over the place here, at the airport, at the outdoor restaurants, on the side of the roads. Roosters crowing all day. It was fun to feed them. There was even one black chick! I made sure he got a piece of rice.

Shortly  after feeding the birds, it began to rain in earnest. It had sprinkled some during the day, but this was flat out downpour. ( The Garden Island, remember?) And  it continued while hikers came off the mountain and drove away, emptying out more and more of  the parking lot. I moved the car closer, angling it so that I could see him come off the trail.

It was now 6 pm.  Seven hours after he started his 6 to 8 hour hike.

Something  else I need to tell you is that the hubster is in great shape and has been training on the treadmill for this hike. He has the right boots, poles, jacket, hat, pants, and GPS.  He has the hydration system and the right food. He was prepared for the hike.

But I was not prepared to see him limp down that trail, looking thirty years older. He had fallen twice, once almost sliding over a twenty foot cliff into a ravine.  His knees were hanging over the edge. Another group saw him fall and hiked over to help, not knowing if they would find him alive. He got lost a few times because the trail became a river with all that rain. He missed a turn and was two miles into the third part before he realized it and had to turn back. And then he decided to tackle the second part even though he had already mistakenly hiked four miles out of his way and would be short on time and daylight.

But, after all that, he has this grin on his face, says he’s really glad to see me and this was the best hike he’s ever done!

What a guy.

And speaking of guys, I’ll close with this. It was after 11:30 last night when I had to knock on our neighbor’s door and ask them to be quieter.  The conversation went something like this:

“Hi. Could you be quieter?”

“No. Well. Let’s look at it on a scale. On a scale, let’s say we’re an 8. Where would you like us to be?”

“4”

“I’m not going to do that. What about 7.”

“4”

“6”

“4”

“5” and I’m not going any lower than that. You’ll have to take that.”

(cold stare from me)

I walked away, back to my room where I fully expected to have to call the front desk.

But I didn’t.

They quieted down.

It took me a couple hours to calm down. I hate confrontation.

Tomorrow we are off to the North Shore again to visit a Wildlife Refuge. Today we visited one of the two quilt shops on the island. Oh come on now, you can’t be surprised at that, can you??

Sending you a big aloha hug,

Janet