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December 14, 1994 till Jan 5, 1995

Maui and Kauai

Hitching and Hiking in Paradise

Manfred P.

Keywords: USA, Hawaii, Kaui, Kauai, tourist, travel trip report, travel log, travelogue.

Weather:

People say that the weather on Hawaii depends more on where you are on the islands than when you are there. For the most part that is true. Even on the same island the sun might shine in one spot while it rains in another. On Maui the south east side is considered the rainy side, while on Kauai the north eastern portion is consuming most of the rain. The seasons are the same as on the mainland. It is winter around Christmas and so on.Unlike the mainland the winter is pleasantly warm to hot while the summer is just another few degrees warmer. But don't be fooled. Just because it is warm it doesn't mean it doesn't rain. It rained nearly every day on my three week vacation. Often it is just a drizzle or a short 30 minute shower but occasionally the rain continues for 4 to 6hours. For both Maui and Kauai the few days without rain were definitely exceptions. The rain shouldn't be seen as something negative. It gives Hawaii the lush green vegetation that we admire so much in a tropical paradise. There can't be any rain forest without the rain. Maui's Hanawi Rainforest (between Wailua and Hana) gets 350 inches of rain each year. Even the drier coastal zones such as the ones around O'Heo Gulch get 90 inches a year and the hills inland get 250 inches. The world's wettest spot is Mt. Waialeale on Kauai. It gets 460 feet of rain per year on average. It was actually put into second place recently by a village in northern India with 462 feet per year. In a past record year 650 feet of rain fell on Mt. Waialeale. The rain is obviously not the perfect camping weather. However, you need to take it as it comes. While walking through the rainforest my clothing, shoes, and tent would stay wet or damp for days. Most trails in these areas are slippery and muddy all year round and with each step you hear a sucking sound as you lift your boot out of the mud. You also get the extra exercise of carrying two pounds of mud on your boots and pants. The wetness is tolerable because it is warm but the mud is not for cleanness freaks.

The large amount of rain has two major benefits. Waterfalls exist in abundance and as a hiker it is easy to refill your water bottles frequently. Waterfalls are the number one attraction on Maui and Kauai. Luckily there are many, so the tourists spread out. Some of the falls are remote. Hence, the helicopter is the favorite means of transportation for most sight seers.

One more note on the weather. The volcanos have their own climate. During daytime it can be scorching hot and at night freezing cold. During my night near the Haleakala Crater, Maui, I was shivering almost all night long in my 30 degree rated sleeping bag. During daytime I found frozen puddles. Yes, ice!

Hiking and Camping:

The real value of Hawaii is its natural beauty including the scenic landscapes, nice beaches, volcanic areas, bizarre rock formations, lush rain forests, and freshwater pools. On a vacation like this I don't want to do sightseeing but I prefer to collect new experiences. Maybe I should establish a new term "sight experiencing". It is two different things to drive through the rainforest for two hours in a rental car and spend the night back in the hotel or to hike through the rainforest for two full days and to spend two nights within as well. The guy in the rental car will have a nice impression of the all-surrounding green. But on foot I have gained a deeper experience. I have learned what "350 inches per year" means. I have learned how close all the plants are forming an impenetrable wall of green. I have learned that the air smells sweet because of all the wild growing fruit trees such as guava, grapefruit and banana. I have learned that creeks form instantaneously because the soil cannot absorb any water anymore. I have learned that camping is not something to look forward to because it means sleeping in the mud.

This little example example makes it clear that you can "see" nearly everything I've seen by car or helicopter but you can only "experience" it on foot. My choice of making this a hiking and camping vacation was overall a good one for me even though many hours were tough and tiring. Sometimes even painful.

With each hiking trip I learn a few new rules. This was my first trip with solid hiking boots instead of normal sneakers. Often I felt that the boots were heaven-sent and I was very glad that I had them. Even though I had only good experiences with sneakers in the past, I might decide the sneakers vs. boots decision in favor of boots in the future. The other thing I learned is that a rain coat or umbrella are nonsense. An umbrella doesn't help because of the wind. A raincoat makes you sweat so you are wet because of the sweat instead of the rain. The best is not to do anything about the rain. If you get wet you get wet. That simple. Main rule number one is as always to pack lightly. Tent and sleeping bag are necessary in Hawaii but I am glad I didn't bring any cook ware. The backpack was heavy enough without it and cold dinners were quite acceptable.

I hiked 175 miles in a week and a total of more than 200 miles on both islands combined. If you think this is tough listen to that. Eddie, the park ranger that I met, spent the last fifteen years celebrating his birthdays with his family and two days after his birthdays he hikes around Maui to celebrate his birthday with himself, with nature and the gods. His trip around Maui follows the coast until he comes back to the starting point. A 280 mile trip. It takes Eddie only nine days which means he averages thirty one miles a day. And he did this for fifteen years already. Now this is impressive! Forget my measly 175 miles. Eddie is now in his forties or fifties and nothing is slowing him down.

People:

Throughout this trip I met only friendly, well meaning, and warm people. Despite my ragged shabby appearance hardly anyone gave me any hassles. As a hiker people seem to be very interested in starting a conversation with you. They usually all start the same way. "So, you are hiking. Where are you heading to?" And from there the conversation takes its course and ends up at the weirdest topics. A couple of times people invited me to a drink and I cherished the free goat-stew dinner at Kalalau Beach and the social interactions around the campfire. You share stories and helpful information with the people you meet. This kind of first-hand up-to-date information is more valuable than anything you can find in a tour guide book. People themselves are usually quite interesting. Eddie, Hal, Melissa, Kimi, Jennifer, Maki, Steve, Mike, Dan, Mark, Victor, Bob, Mike, and many others whose name I can't remember added spice to the vacation. Another thing I noticed is that reggae music is very popular on the islands. Mostly you hear it blasting from pickup trucks of locals or from someone's radio at the beach. I also thought that the way Hawaiian talk is similar to Jamaicans, but I think I am imagining this. One thing that I am not imagining is that people are more laid back here than in California or the rest of the mainland. A "mahalo" goes to all the ones that provided me with such a warm welcome on Maui and Kauai.

Wednesday, 12/14/94:

Arriving in Honolulu was a pleasure. It is an airport with a lot of outdoor spaces with hardly any walls. Many of the walkways are simply covered by a roof and the warm air massaged my faced. Exotic flowers are growing in pots and the airport even contains a tiny Japanese garden. I also had to shed a few layers of clothing. Time to get rid of my sweater. The hop from Honolulu to Kahului on Maui was short, just 30 minutes. My first impressions of Maui from the air was a nice coastline with waves braking in long white lines and patches of plantations. After landing and getting my backpack ready I headed straight for the beach. The white brownish sand beaches are conveniently just a couple of miles north of the airport.

This is where my trip around Maui should start. I didn't plan any details but my goal was to hike on foot around the island making a loop covering the beaches, Hana, the crater and returning to Kahului. I enjoyed my first sight of the ocean and headed eastward along the water. The waves were teeming with wind surfers. It must have been a good day. Dozens of sails and boards cut through the water. After leaving the city behind me and looking back an image of white waves, blue ocean, colorful sails crossing at high speeds and a silvery gist of spray glowing in the mid-afternoon sun. After passing a beach state park the public beaches ended and a long stretch of private homes built right at the ocean started. Each home had at least a couple of signs like "No Trespassing", "Keep Out", "Private Property", or the Hawaiian "Kapu", meaning "sacred, stay away". These signs will follow me throughout my stay. Even in remote areas someone owns property. I bet there are more of these signs than people on this island. After miles of nice private homes to my right and the ocean to my left the stretch of sand I was walking on got more and more narrow. The beaches ended and the cliffs took over. From here I took private roads. It didn't take long and a good looking young lady pulled over to ask me if she can give me a ride. This should become pretty routine during the next weeks. A good opportunity to chat a few words with the locals.

These private roads followed the cliffs. Now and then beach access roads lead to the small sandy areas between the cliffs. After sunset I reached the small town of Paia. It is actually needless to say that it is a small town because on Maui every town is either small or tiny. There are no big towns or cities. The only thing I know about Paia is the watering hole Wunderbar. From here I followed one of Maui's few highways: the Hana Highway. Again, the word "highway" means something different on Maui than on the mainland. The Hana Highway starts as a small road with one lane in each direction and later turns into a dirt road. The road to Hana has something like a mythical flair to it like Key West or Woodstock. I slowly hiked along it. On the way I stopped at the Baldwin Beach State Park. Even at night it is a popular hang-out. People are grilling their dinner and some can't get enough of surfing. So they even surf at night. The other "sights" on the way were the Maui Country Club, the Buddhist mission and the well known restaurant Mama's Fish House. Not much later I found an acceptable spot to spend the night next to a sugar cane plantation on Holomuo Road. Clouds drifted across the night sky blown by a steady breeze. Not knowing too much about the Hawaiian weather I put my tent up. It was worth it since it rained several times during the night. The wet tent just gave me another reason to sleep in and to not get up before 10:30am by when the warming sun had finally dried the tent.

Thursday, 12/15/94:

I leisurely walked eastbound on or near Hana Highway. The small road follows the coast which is primarily made up of cliffs with only a few sand beaches. Also the private homes along the ocean have stopped and the coast is in a natural state. On the few places where there is a beach such as Hookipa Beach surfers gather. The picture doesn't change much with the miles. To the left the waves are breaking against the cliffs and to the right are either fields with cows or sugar cane plantations. At Haiku the road turns a few miles inland and the traffic becomes very light. I am glad about this since this is the only road to Hana and I'll have to hike on it for the next days. In Haiku I spent my lunch break outside a community center watching thee kids play. The basketball court is outdoors but is covered with a roof. It looks really funny but it's their solution to the frequent rain. Street maintenance is not very high on the priority list, so some wise crack changed the "Not a through street" sign to a "a rough street" sign by crossing out the "Not" and the "th". As the area becomes more hilly the big plantations make way to farms or smaller fruit orchards. Some of the meadows with cows and bulls look like on pictures taken in Austria. Shortly before sunset which happens at 6:15pm I reached Huelo, a small village with a historical attraction: the Kaulanapueo Church built in 1858. The Door of Faith Church is nearby but not as old. Both churches are very simple wood buildings with equally simple interior. I put my tent up outside the church since I figured what could be safer than that. During dinner which was oatmeal, raisins, and water I watched the sunset. Sunsets on Hawaii are not very spectacular. Usually there is a layer of mist and sometimes clouds on the horizon. The sky briefly turns a little bit reddish and then the sun gradually quietly disappears until it is dark around you. A couple of hours pass by before the moon starts rising in the east. The moon was nearly full and, hence, it had the power to turn the night into a semi-darkness. The wind would keep up its 24 hour breeze and the moon would play hide and seek behind the clouds throughout the night. Unspectacular as the sun was setting it would rise again at 6am. But only by 10am would it gain strength to break through the morning clouds and to actually warm the air and the soil.

Friday, 12/16/94:

It stayed comfortably cool in the tent till after 10am. I enjoyed this opportunity to spend a couple of hours day dreaming. The nights were warm and except for a few hours in the wee morning I slept on top of the sleeping bag instead of inside. By 10:30am the sun had finally burnt of the droplets of water on my tent from the last night rain and that was my sign that I should roll by lazy behind out of bed. After putting all my gear together and the first hour of hiking I indulged in my standard Maui breakfast. It consisted of of very hearty home-baked bread with peanut butter and water. The bread was made after a recipe from my brother. It's nigh in nutrients and calories but very dry and therefore low in weight and volume. The bread is only half an inch thick and baked in a flat tray. I thought it turned out surprisingly tasty. Needless to say that two friends who tasted it before I left had a different opinion ("too hard, too dry").

Sometimes this afternoon I passed the sign "Narrow and windy road, next 30 miles". It was another 30 miles to Hana. The road would frequently narrow to a single lane to be used by both traffic directions. But there was hardly any traffic. Some bridges were so narrow that when I walked across the car had to stop as there was not enough room for both of us. From here on there was no more farming and the plantations were long gone. The terrain changed to steep cliffs, cut by creeks and waterfalls. The environment started to change into a rainforest. The valleys were incredibly steep, often nearly vertical. But no matter how steep, plants grow on every square foot. The number of mosquitos also increased drastically. Nearly every mile now I would cross a creek. Often right next to the bridge a tiny trail would start leading to a waterfall one or two miles off the road. Nobody, however, seems to go through the effort of hiking these trails. The frequency of the rain showers went up too. While hiking it was quite refreshing to get a splash of rain in my face. It was a welcome revival. I leisurely strolled along this scenic windy road feasting my eyes on the vegetation and the landscape. Most people that drive by are friendly and wave at you or at least smile. It's easy to tell the tourists from the locals. Most tourists drive convertibles, primarily Ford Mustangs and Pontiac Sunbirds. The preferred set of wheels for locals is a 4x4 pickup truck which makes sense with all the dirt roads, rain, and mud. The Hawaiians wave differently too. Instead of with the full hand, they wave with thumb and pinkie finger extended, the "hang loose" sign. Of course, they have their own handshake as well, but that one is too difficult to explain. So, I won't even try.

Mid-afternoon I reached the Kaumahina State Wayside Park It was time to get the heavy backpack off my back for a while. A lady asked me if there were any waterfalls so far. I had to disappoint her that there were several but that they can't be seen from the car and that there are absolutely no signs indicating where they are. It's true, there are no signs. One just has to try to find trailheads at the bridges. From the Kaumahina Park one has a gorgeous view of the bays to the south and the village Keanae. A dirt road leads to the first bay: Honomanu. It was magnificent. To the left and right were the steep walls of the valley in lush green. Next to me was a creek flowing into the ocean and in front of me was a black volcanic pebble beach with white waves crushing with thunder. And I was the only one at the beach to enjoy it. I sat there for an hour and watched the waves. On the other side of the creek I spotted a grassy area. I waded through the knee-deep water to the other side and started putting my tent up. Right while I was in the midst of doing so a heavy rain shower surprised me. By the time I had the rain cover on the tent and my stuff inside, I also had a gallon of water inside the tent. By now the magic place had lost its romantic appeal. I was cursing and started bailing. Cup by cup I emptied the tent. Eventually I had it to the point where there were no more standing water inside. Sitting down I realized that the tent was floating on water. The grassy spot had transformed itself into a swamp. My first thought was positive. Excellent, this is like a water bed, I'll be sleeping extra soft tonight. But as I was sitting there I noticed that wherever I sat a puddle formed. My tent bottom was leaking. There goes my phantasy of a water bed. I was forced to relocate. I picked a spot with many rocks. It would be hard to sleep on but the rain that would definitely continue tonight would not be able to turn the rocks into a swamp. Eventually everything settled down and I fell asleep listening to the waves.

Saturday, December 17, 1994:

Just like last night the rain surprised me again while I was packing the tent. Not my lucky day I guess, but life goes on and these are just minor inconveniences. After a couple of hours of hiking I reached Keanae, an idyllic village with taro and vegetable terraces, a church and a very slow and peaceful life-style. What seems to be the only store between Paia and Hana is also here. The road continues uphill and turns inland into the hills of the Hanawi Rainforest. For me this was the first true rainforest that I experienced. I loved it. It would rain every couple of hours. The road would never dry out and water was flowing everywhere. Sometimes the rain was so thin that the tiny rain droplets seemed to be floating in the air like snow flakes. It was fascinating to watch them being nearly free of gravity. Water has saturated everything and the soil cannot absorb any more. Water simply runs on top of the soil and the ground is in a constant state of mud. The air is very delightful. It is not only clean it smells sweet. Many fruit trees grow wild in the rain forest and their fruits and blossoms fill the air with a sweet fragrance. The surrounding was very much alive. Towards the end of the dense rain forest is the Puu Kaa State Wayside Park. A perfect spot for a break. In this area there are also dozens of waterfalls right next to the road. None is huge but they are all unique and picturesque: Cut into black lava rocks and surrounded by lush green plants. Many of the falls have formed a set of pools. They are usually hard to get to but rewarding assuming you are not shocked by the rather cold water. That little bit of rock climbing just adds to the excitement. Ten miles north of Hana the rainforest turns into a cultivated rainforest and the first houses appear. Most people grow exotic flowers in their backyard and sell them on the street side. From here to Hana the road is filled with flower stands. Some of them with signs like "Take what you like, pay what you like." Others have fixed prices. People do the same with bananas and other fruits. The prices are not necessarily cheap. 25 cent for a banana is not a bargain.

As it got evening I through a closer look at the map. Before i left California I didn't do too much planning. I wanted to make a round-trip starting at Kahului, pass Hana via the beaches, cross the island in the middle through the Haleakala Crater, and return again to Kahului. I had vaguely estimated the round trip to be 100 miles. Now that I was close to Hana I realized that my estimate was way off. A more precise calculation revealed that the total mileage would be 175 miles. So, it was time to double my daily miles. Otherwise I would miss my flight to Kauai. This was my first day on which I continued hiking after sunset. Since I followed the road there was no problem. It was warm enough and the full moon provided ample light for me to find my way. Late at night I made it all the way into Hana. There the fire station was under construction; it had a roof and a couple of walls but not more. It provided shelter for a night's rest and I didn't have to worry about a tent or rain.

Sunday, December 18, 1994:

Hana is small. It has a couple of schools, a police station, one big resort, and a beach. It's a sleepy little town. There is no haste and not many people are on the streets. I checked out the bay and the beach but they were nothing to write home about in comparison to the ones' I have seen the days before. I even did a tourist-y thing by looking at some of the historic buildings such as the old court house. On the way out of town I stopped by the big resort to refill my water bottles. Definitely nice with cool Hawaiian music and fresh exotic flowers in the restroom. The ladies at the front desk were all locals and spreading warmth with their constant smile.

I followed the only road, still called Hana Highway, along the cliffs heading southwest. I was a few miles from the rainforest, the sun was shining, the breeze cooling, and the scenery breath taking. I was walking through meadows with cows and bulls that were framed by the blue-greenish ocean to the left and the hills with the rainforest as a backdrop to the right. This picture only changed in small nuances over the next hours. Since I had to make many miles every day now I hardly ever rested but kept on moving.

The road continues to be windy and it is going uphill and downhill quite a bit. The rainforest moves closer again and I was surprised to find some Catholic influence here on Maui. On a hill not far from the road is a white cross indicating the grave of a Catholic saint. It was interesting to see it from the distance but not interesting enough to climb the hill which would have been at least a one-hour effort. The next attraction along the road are the Wailua Falls. A 100 foot waterfall where an Hawaiian makes his daily income selling coconuts and fruits. In the early afternoon I reached Kipahulu famous for the Haleakala National Park and its many pools. The parking lot is pretty full since dozens of people spend the afternoon here. I can understand why. O'Heo Gulch is really a beautiful spot. You will have to share it with the others but there is enough beauty to make everyone happy. The pools are big enough so you can swim around in them, the green ocean is right beyond the last pool, there are grassy areas for picnicking or sun bathing. And all combined makes it a gorgeous spot. I feasted my eyes and refreshed my body with a jump into the cold water. It felt great. There I also met the park ranger Eddie. A really nice fellow with whom I had a long chat; but more about that later. The time at O'Heo Gulch was too short. Nevertheless, I had to move on, ten more miles needed to be covered before sunset.

A couple of miles west of the national park Hana Highway turns into a dirt road. Eventually it also changes its name to Pilani Highway. The last sight before turning off this highway (funny name for a single lane dirt road) is a small beautiful church on a well maintained patch of grass right by the ocean cliffs. You have to ask yourself how it ended up being built here. Charles Lindbergh is buried here but I don't know if the church was established first or not. Shortly after mile marker 35 I turn right and head north towards the mountains. Supposedly after two miles I should find a sign leading to the Kaupo Gap Trail, the trail that goes up to the volcanos and the highest spot on Maui. I walked more than an hour, roughly 3 miles, but couldn't find any sign of a trail. It got dark and I lost most of my optimism. I only had one quart of water left which would be nearly gone after tomorrow's breakfast. The nearest water I knew of was about seven miles back. The closest people were the ones at O'Heo Gulch campground eleven miles back. On top of that I had no idea why I hadn't found that sign and whether or not I was on the right road. Did the sign exist at all? Did I pass it? Where do I get water from? My spirits were down. I had dinner savoring every drop of water because I knew I wouldn't have any left soon. I was about to lay down when I heard some engine noise. I got excited. Unbelievable in this middle of nowhere something came my way. I hopped up and flagged it down. It was an old beat up pickup truck with one headlight and no clutch. An older sickly lady was driving it. She and two other farmers live a couple of miles uphill. Even better, she had heard about the trail and knew where the sign is. It was a mile ahead, off the road somewhat to the left. Great! She insisted to give me a lift since sleeping up there would be much better than the spot I had picked. I grabbed my stuff, threw it on the back, and hopped on. Without a clutch we drove a mile, she pointed me in the direction where the sign should be and I unloaded my stuff. I realized that in the hurry I had forgotten two items in the dark at my dinner spot. I went back and got them before looking for the sign which I quickly found. I felt so much better now. The area, however, unlike promised was terrible for sleeping. Sharp volcanic rocks were everywhere and nothing was flat or even. I pushed a few rocks aside and nestled myself like a snake between the rocks. I was so tired I didn't care about anything anymore. I didn't care about the rocks, I didn't care about the weather, and i didn't care to get my sleeping bag out. I just lay there in my clothing, watching the moon and all I wanted was to sleep. While watching the moon slowly drift across the Maui night sky I had the great idea for a Hawaii Party once I got back to California and i started to daydream about it. Then it started raining but I didn't care even about that anymore. Eventually it got cold and I got my sleeping bag and quickly thereafter fell asleep.

Monday, December 19, 1994:

I woke up refreshed, ready for a new day but with one concern: water. Right behind the sign marking the trail head another sign declared the trail closed. Needless to say that after all that effort I was determined to hike this trail, open or closed. Now the only problem was to find the trail. I found a little wooden arrow and another one 60 yards away. I looked near the first wooden arrow but couldn't find a trail. This was obviously not a maintained trail and with plants growing so fast here one can imagine that a trail disappears in a matter of a year. But since I had seen the second arrow only 60 yards away I figured that there should be no problem. I figured wrong. It took me ten to fifteen minutes to make it through that thick eight feet tall vegetation. A machete would have helped but I didn't have one. I only made 60 yards of the trail, but it already took 15 minutes, a significant amount of effort, and I had small cuts on both hands from the sharp leaves. This was not going to be easy, I knew, but at that time I didn't know that this should turn into a true torture, a test as I had never had one before. It quickly got worse. I could neither find a third arrow nor a trace of a trail and I had only two cups of water left. Occasionally I saw the mountain ahead of me and I knew in which direction I had to walk. I also knew that if I kept going continuously uphill I would eventually end up at the peak from where a trail leads to the parking lot on the other side. I also knew that there are trails in the crater and that those trails are "only" 5.5 miles north. My most valued possession was a compass and a hiking map with altitude lines with 400 feet granularity. Naive as I was I still thought that in five hours I could be at the crater based on the calculation that I usually hike a 20 minute per mile pace in the flat and that due to the tough terrain here I will be three times as slow. Boy, was I wrong. It started out as a forest, but not like a forest in the Sierras or Alps with room between the trees. No, this was a dense forest and every yard meant fighting through the bushes. My hands would get cut by thorns, leaves or branches. My backpack with frame got continuously stuck in branches. Sometimes the branches were so low I had to crawl on arms and legs. Even though individual branches were usually thin and flexible, if you have 30 in front of you they become a barrier that cannot be conquered. Every step forward means four steps to the right, two steps back, three steps left and three steps forward. Every yard forwards was a fight. To make it even tougher the whole mountain side is covered with sharp volcanic rocks that are unstable. The whole forest floor is covered with leaves at the knee or ankle level. So you can never see the forest floor. With every step you take you don't know if you will be stepping on a rock, if the rock is flat, if the rock is stable, if the forest floor is five or fifteen inches under your foot or if there is a gaping two yard hole in front of you. All of that together with the heavy backpack becomes a challenging balancing act. The last thing I could afford was to trip and injure myself. Out here it would be very hard for anyone to find me. With every step I was telling myself to be careful. By now you most likely understand that this was turning into a nightmare. Occasionally I ran into small walls erected by piling a few rocks on each other. People have been here at some point in the past. But it didn't make progress any easier. After several hours the vegetation changed from a wet forest to a dry bush-like area. The bushes were still more than 6 feet tall but at least often dry and dead branches could be broken off. Now that the forest was gone it also got hotter. These hours of fighting not only made me tired but they also had their negative impact on my mind set. It is tough to stay optimistic if every step forward is so difficult. My mind and my body got one big boost when I spotted a tank. I rushed over. It had a pipe going in and one coming out but no spout. I was sure there was water inside so I undid some of the wire straps and opened the top. Yes, eureka! I made a longer break and stuffed my stomach with one and a half quart of water, as much as I could drink, and filled two quarts into my containers. The water was heaven-sent. I continued my struggle but by early afternoon the terrain, the heat and the mind-crumbling frustrations had drained the last bit of energy from my body. I realized that for the third time in my life my body had hit the wall, i.e. I had pushed it as far as I could humanly push it. There was absolutely no more energy reserves left inside me to do even simple things. All my body wanted was rest and water. The rest of the afternoon past as follows. I picked a tree 200 yards away and thought my way to it. This would take me about half an hour. Then I dropped my backpack and lay down on some rocks to catch my breath and rest. The water was disappearing fast and I had to ration it again. I lay there for half an hour and then I would do this cycle all over again. While I was resting I was glad I was by myself because I wouldn't wish this situation on anyone else. Furthermore, I didn't want to be responsible for anyone else. I asked for this mess myself and I got it. This was a painful lesson for me but I would walk away from it having learned something. One definitely a little bit of a masochist like myself to ask for this kind of a lesson. I wasn't all by myself. From time to time I would see sight-seeing helicopters in the near distance flying over the area. During the rest stops I would use my compass and my map to roughly pinpoint my position. As I would find out the next day my readings were surprisingly accurate. My compass-derived locations were never more than a quarter mile from the real ones. But, of course, at that time I was never quite sure how much I should trust my compass-derived locations. One thing I knew for sure: I was moving at an incredible low speed; as slow as an eighth of a mile per hour. Twice I got my hopes up in vain. Once I thought I saw people and as I got closer I realized that it was a herd of wild mountain goats. Another time I saw something reflect sunshine. I figured it must be human-made, so I checked it out. It turned out to be a metal pipe. Despite telling myself to be careful at every step I lost my concentration and slipped a couple of times bruising both my shines.

Since I was high up it started to get cold before sunset. At 6:15pm as usual it turned dark. I sat down on the rocks inside the sleeping bag and tried to rest. It was too steep, too rocky, and too many bushes around to lie down anywhere. I had to spend the night sitting. It was cold and I was shivering most of the night instead of sleeping. I was too tired to be hungry. However, I knew that I needed energy for the next day. I was so burned out I didn't have energy to chew or swallow. I had to force myself to chew a few mouthful of raisins. Even that was a struggle. Usually I love to eat, but now I couldn't. The water was down to two cups and once again I couldn't touch it since I would need it the next day. The thoughts on my mind weren't too cheerful. Most of all I was thinking about the question: How many more hours of this do I have to go through? According to the compass I should have another 1.5 miles. That could be a very long time.

Tuesday, December 20, 1994:

As soon as it got light enough to see a couple of feet I was up. Walking would warm up my freezing bones. I also figured that under the still cold temperatures I should sweat less and therefore need less water. The night's rest did me good and I could hike, i.e. fight, through the bushes for nearly an hour before I needed the first break. Being on a little ridge I thought I saw brownish dry knee high grass about half a mile to the east. I was glad to see this because this would make the last mile or whatever distance separated me from the crater trail child's play. So, I fought my way over there. Once I was close I recognized that my eyes had betrayed me. This was not knee high dry brown grass. These were eight foot high dry thorn bushes who had hardly any branches but there was a stem every ten square inches. I already had more than fifty small cuts on each of my hands from the previous day, so I didn't care much anymore. I wrapped a spare T-shirt around my right hand and tried to use my right arm as a shield for my face and my body. I walked straight through these thorn bushes. That was less tiring and faster than going through the bushes. Another half hour later I had reasons to celebrate and say a thankful prayer. I had finally found the trail. I was overjoyed and all the worries were blown away in an instant. According to my trail description the nearest water was another twelve miles away. But hey, what's twelve miles on a trail? Despite the fact that I was completely burned out I knew I would reach it before the day's end. According to the map I was also very close to Paliku Cabin, one of the three cabins in the crater. Sure enough soon I met two young women on the trail who had spent the night there. They informed me that there is water but no drinking water at the cabin. That's what mankind has invented iodine tablets for. headed straight for the cabin, filled all my water bottles with water and lay down on the outdoor bench to take a one hour nap. Then I poured an unbelievable two and a half quarts of that precious fluid into me. After collecting my energy, I had enough power to have a decent meal. A can of sardines with my home-made bread. By now the sun was high over the horizon and was scorching hot. I packed my stuff, washed my face, poured cooling water over my head, then I was ready again to rock'n'roll. Crossing the Haleakala Crater from the east where I was to the west is an eleven mile trip. I timed the trip so that I would reach the parking lot by sunset. The crater has its own climate. Soon the vegetation would stop all together and the land would be absolutely barren as far as the eye could see. Miles and miles of desert in a variety of shapes and forms. I passed by several cinder cones. Since I had so far only seen black lava rocks on Maui I was surprised to find a multitude of colors up here. From black to red to brown all colors were covered. It is a desolate land and I met only seven people in the crater. Sometimes I felt I was on another planet like Mars. It was strange. As expected, my feet happily carried me all the way to the parking lot before 6 pm. On the last portion of my ascent to leave the crater I couldn't believe my eyes. Are these ice crystals, I asked myself looking at some crystals on the ground. Touching is believing; so I took a junk into my hand and sure enough it was ice. No wonder I was freezing last night. Once I reached the parking lot I immediately started the descent. It got dark shortly thereafter. I wanted to make it at least to the ranger station so I could make a phone call. The road goes downhill in switch backs which don't seem to end. It took an eternity to reach the ranger station. While standing in the phone booth making phone calls I started shivering again and my voice already sounded funny. I was afraid I was catching a cold on Maui. I had dinner inside the restrooms at the ranger station because they were heated. Not very pleasant but I did anything to stay out of the cold weather.

I had another forty some miles to the airport in Kahului and only a day and a half left. Even though it was already a long day I had to put some more miles behind me tonight. From here it was all downhill and I wanted to reach the warmer lower elevations, so moving on made sense. It was cold and windy and even walking didn't warm me up much. I was far above the clouds that covered the northern portion of the island. The number of stars I could see from up here was just fantastic. I had to think of my astronomer friend Don. He would have given a lot to see these millions of starts. Even the milky Way which usually seems blurry to me seems to consist of an infinite number of very crisp and sharp stars. A beautiful night, but all I had on my mind was to get lower. After hours I finally reached the clouds. It was another strange feeling to walk through this wet foggy layer of clouds. Finally before reaching the village of Kula my body said: No more, that's it. I walked far enough off the road to be outside the lights of cars. I only saw a car per hour, so I knew it would be a safe place for the night. I put my tent up and immediately fell into a comfortable sleep.

Wednesday, December 21, 1994:

I woke up early and continued where I left off the day before. Now I could see Kahului clearly on the ocean. Today would be pretty boring; hiking downhill through plantations until I hit the ocean. First I needed to get off the Crater Road because there was too much traffic now. All the tourists were now on the way to the top. Downhill bicycling is very popular too. Many tour organizers carry twenty or more bikes and riders to the top and the people then enjoy rolling down the volcano. Peddling is not involved in this activity since it is all downhill. If you want to be daring you can go really fast. Eventually I reached a farm road that runs right into Kahului. All I had to do is stay on this road for fifteen more miles and I would be back where I started. It was just a matter of hours. It turned into another warm pleasant day and by late afternoon I was at my destination. My feet and my back were tired but I was happy. I had finished this 175 mile lop in exactly seven days. That's an average of twenty five miles a day.

Guess what the first thing was I did in Kahului. Right. I went to a restaurant. So far I had solely lived from the food I carried around. Thinking I should be able to eat a lot I went to Sizzler. But I was dead wrong. My stomach must have gotten so used to small portions that after two soups, a small plate of salad, and one plate of fruits I was so stuffed I couldn't eat one more bite. My brain was willing to eat more but my stomach wasn't. From there I strolled stuffed as I was to the nearest beach along Amala Road. Further east there were a couple of people but I found an empty stretch of beach. I looked at the early evening sky and with my re-found optimism I convinced myself that it won't rain during my last night on Maui. I put my sleeping bag a dozen yards from the ocean and once again I fell asleep watching the moon slowly wander across the sky.

Thursday, December 22, 1994:

In the morning I was lazy and slept in. AT 10:30 am I finally dragged myself up and jumped into the ocean. This is how life is meant to be spent. Only a single fisherman was on the beach. After I had enough playing with the waves I walked over to him and we chatted for a while. By now it was time to put my clothes on, I had to a plane to catch. The airport is only three miles from the beach, so I conveniently got there shortly after noon. At the airport I called the office to wish my buddies a merry Christmas. From Maui it is thirty minutes to Honolulu on Oahu and from there it is another twenty-five minutes to Lihue, the biggest city on Kauai, located in the south-east of the island.

The most important items to take care of in Lihue was to refill my nearly empty food stores. I found a fairly large supermarket not too far from downtown. Their assortment of food was really excellent. They had a gigantic variety f Japanese and Philippine products some of which I had never seen before. I was very impressed. I am not sure if this is due to a high Japanese and Filipino population or simply because Hawaii is close to those markets. Equally impressive are the prices. Everything is more expensive than on the mainland. Even items that one would expect to be cheaper here are more expensive. Bananas run for $1.15 a pound, more than double the price on the mainland, and a can of pineapples is $1.75 vs. 99 cents in California. While I was shopping a really strong rainstorm started so I waited it out in the store. But I had to wait many hours. Finally after 9 pm it eased up a little. I simply walked a few miles to get out of the city and then tried to put up my tent. The wind was so gusty I couldn't succeed. I was cursing but eventually I managed to assemble the tent. Right afterwards it started raining heavily again and it wouldn't stop for hours. Luckily I was fairly well protected inside my tent.

Friday, December 23, 1994:

I slept long to let the tent dry out at least partially. The wind was still strong. But undoing a tent is so much easier than putting it up. My next destination was the Na Pali Coast. I had no time schedule, I just wanted to get there sometime. Originally I wanted to hike there from Lihue but since I hiked much more than expected on Maui, I decided to take it easy and to hitch a ride there. I started hiking and held my thumb up. It didn't take long and I had my first ride. Most rides I got were short. Kauai, however, is a small island. So even a five mile hitch is a big step forward. In between I hiked short stretches and checked out a few beaches. This way I got to see Hanamaulu, Wailua, and Kapaa with their respective beaches. My unconventional appearance must make people believe I am a pot smoker. Wherever I go I get asked if I want to buy some. It happens everywhere.Maui and Kauai were no exceptions. In Kapaa I had a nice chat with a guy about the Garden Island as Kauai is also called. When I about to move on he asked me if I had any need for pot or anything else. He got my polite standard answer: Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. Shortly after lunch I met Mark and Victor who -- like many others that I have met recently -- had moved to Kauai less than a year ago. Both were very relaxed and best described as surfer dudes. I asked them about the rumor I heard. Supposedly on Kauai it could be dangerous hiking off the beaten path and existing trails because one might run into pot fields which in turn might upset the field owners. They said I don't have to worry anything like this and laughingly added that in the worst case the owners will just offer me some. I spent a couple of hours with mark and Victor. They showed me the Princeville Airport, the Prince Golf Course, and Hanalei since they were going there anyway. Kind as they were they even drove me to the End of the Road which is as the name says the place where the road that goes three quarters around the isle ends in the north. This is also the where the Na Pali Coastline starts.

At the End of the Road is a small parking lot and a wonderful beach. The eleven mile Na Pali trail which is said to be Kauai's most beautiful trail starts here as well. Despite the beauty of the beach I didn't feel like swimming or hanging out there primarily because it had rained heavily in the last hours and I was partially soaked already. I enjoyed the scenery for a while and then headed into the rain forest along the Na Pali trail. People that I met at the airport already told me that recently tourists slipped on this trail, fell down the cliffs and died. Because of all the rain in the last two days the trail was extremely muddy and slippery. The trail leads as I said through the rain forest and is narrow but at the beginning wide enough for one person to walk comfortably. Water is running down the trail and in many creeks crossing the trail. The mud was a few inches deep and I was thankful I had waterproof hiking boots. One really had to concentrate to make sure every step is a safe one. One tiny bit of foolishness and one would end up sitting in a puddle of mud or, worse, slide down some muddy hill. I was in no rush to get anywhere fast. The next campground was only two miles away and I took it slowly. The last creek immediately before the 2-mile-campground had swollen considerably. We had to wade through knee-deep water to cross it. The campground itself is small but located right above a quarter mile long beach enclosed by cliffs. Luckily the camp sites were less muddy than the trail. The sky was full of clouds and it was just a matter of time before it would rain again. I put my tent up, took my clothes off, and jumped into the ocean. Ahhh, it was a delight. It was warm and invigorating. Nothing is better for relaxing and to loosen your muscles than a swim in the ocean. These are special moments to remember. Dinner was simple and good as always. A healthy appetite makes the most humble meal a feast. At night it rained a couple of times but I had not expected anything else.

Saturday, December 24, 1994:

The next and second campground was at the 6 mile marker. These four miles were similar to the first two: lush green rain forest with spectacular views of mountain ridges, cliffs, rock formations, and tiny bays. It was sunny throughout the day and the trail while still muddy was an improvement over the previous day. Certain spots got very narrow and my backpack would hit branches frequently. I got to the second campground early and made myself comfortable there. A lemon tree grows nearby enabling me to make some fresh lemonade. These tent sites were in the middle of the forest with no beach anywhere near. In this tropical paradise it didn't feel at all like Christmas but it was the 24th. As an Austrian I still have a very strong association between Christmas and snow. Without snow it can't possibly be Christmas. I celebrated Christmas Eve with a dinner of trail mix, oatmeal, raisins, and lemonade. I had to jealously think of the special treat that my brother Wolfgang would be cooking at home for Christmas dinner. One can't have everything in life. In the evening I had some Christmas-y thoughts. I thought about my family, relatives, and friends. Furthermore, I had some humble moments realizing how good I really have it and being thankful for it. In particular I appreciated the fact that I was healthy and fit and could physically do things such as this trip. There sure is a lot to be thankful for.

Sunday, December 25, 1994:

The third campground is at the end of the trail at the 11 mile marker. It was another sunny day and the vegetation changed to be less of a rain forest. Longer stretches of the trail were now out in the open and the trail occasionally got as narrow as the width of my boot. The trail still followed the coastline and was gorgeous. At the 10 mile marker the Kalalau Valley opens up to the east. Its first sight was inspiring. A big bright green valley with steep canyon-like walls that encircle it. To the south I could already see Kalalau Beach, a mile long stretch of light brown sand. My final destination on the Na Pali Coast.

Minutes later I was there: Kalalau Beach, paradise on earth. It is absolutely fabulous, words cannot describe it. It is definitely one of the nicest beaches I have seen in my life. Many Kauaians that I met over the next days say that this is their favorite spot on the Garden Isle. It is eleven miles to the nearest road, there is no airport and helicopters are not allowed to land here. Hence, the number of people is kept reasonably small and that keeps this special place idyllic. Everything there is in a natural state, except for the warning signs and the bio-style restrooms. The ocean is warm and the water green-blue. The waves are powerful and curl perfectly. On windy days the waves can be more than three yards high. It is a pleasure to play with the waves but most of the time the waves are so strong that the waves play with you rather than the other way around. The sound of the crashing waves seems loud at first but soon it becomes a natural harmonic background noise that is filtered out. The sand is of average light brown color and fine grained. After a fifty yards band of sand smaller volcanic boulders form the final border to the sea. Above the boulders is a tiny flat forest where most of the people place their tents so it stays cool in the morning. But there are also flat patches of grass, ideal for reading a book or playing frisbee. Behind the trees the cliffs start that turn into bizarre awe-inspiring steep but green mountains. They are so strange that they often appear ghostly, especially when the wind blows the mist of the ocean up into the mountains. They really form a gorgeous backdrop for this paradise. But that is not all. At the north border of the beach the thirty foot wide Kalalau Creek flows into the sea and to the southern end a waterfall right at the beach forms the dot of the "i". The waterfall has two levels of about ten yards each with a pool in the middle. Where else would you want to take your morning shower? Besides getting clean you also get a good massage standing under the waterfall. But hold on, there is even more to this wonderful place. If you walk a couple of miles into the Kalalau Valley you can pick yourself papayas, guavas, oranges, and lemons for dinner, so you won't go hungry. Just like Maui, Kauai also has wild goats. They were first introduced by Europeans and then got out of control. Hence, they are considered a pest and can legally be shot with bow and arrow. Bob, someone I met here on the beach, shot a seventy pound goat and invited me and others to his big goat-stew dinner. This was the first time I had goat and i have to complement Bob. His cooking skill is truly superb. The stew came out great. The goat meat was tender, flavorful, and soft and tasted very much like fine beef. This dinner was definitely a special treat I will not forget for a long time. I helped myself to a big second serving. Even the weather gods were merciful. It rained only at night time and never during daytime. If this is not paradise I don't know what is.

Monday, December 26, 1994 through Friday, December 30, 1994:

I came to Kalalau Beach to stay for one day but the beauty held me here like a magnet and I stayed for more than a week. By then my food supplies were used up and I was forced to go back anyway. Around twenty people stayed at the beach. Some spent only one night here but most stayed like I for a full week. People in such a community are always friendly and helpful. After half a week I would know most people by their first name, where they came from and what brought them here. There was always time for a chat and sometimes you would spend half a day with a bunch of people. Half the crowd was from Kauai, forty percent from the mainland and the rest from all over the world. There was not much to do besides relaxing. Each day was like the day before and one lost easily track of time. The battery of my watch went dead so I literally didn't know what day it was anymore. The main activities were: watching the waves, taking a nap, daydreaming, letting the mind wander, and pondering the big questions like the meaning of life. I spent many countless hours assessing the good and the bad of the last year and thinking in which direction I should be heading with my life in the next years to come. I also thought about my personal favorite question of all times: How much is enough? It is kind of nice to "waste" time like this once a year. And after all that there was still plenty of time left to write this trip report.

Saturday, December 31, 1994:

The last day of the year wasn't any different from the days before. I slept extra long and after a morning shower in the waterfall I made a failed attempt to do my laundry. The shirts looked equally dirty afterwards. The highlight of the day naturally was the New Year's Eve party after sunset at the nearby heiau, a sacred place overlooking the ocean. It was a new moon, the stars came out brightly, and many people saw shooting stars. I wasn't quite so fortunate. It was the typical beach family potluck dinner. Nearly everybody that I met in the past days showed up and we were sitting around in groups chatting and enjoying the food contributions. The big pot of lentils made a hearty meal and we transformed Jennifer's vodka to screwdrivers. Entertainment was plentiful too. From poetry reading, flute playing, singing, and firecrackers everything was offered. It was a very cozy atmosphere. People all over the world are the same. I had the same kind of party in Portugal and Baja California. They are always enjoyable, educational and memorable. Despite the coziness of the setting the wind cooled the temperature and we needed to move closer to the fire. The birthday kid Steve gave the party another boost shortly before midnight by making loads of popcorn over the fire. In traditional Hawaiian style he seasoned it with garlic salt and soy sauce. A great combination of spices. At midnight we yelled and made other crazy sounds. By flashlight we made our way back to the campsite. As soon as I hit the sleeping bag I fell into a deep sleep. With all the camping I did my body got used to going to bed shortly after sunset. So, midnight was late for me. The party was a great ending for a good year.

Sunday, January 1, 1995:

After a small breakfast all my food was gone. A beautiful eleven mile hike was ahead of me and I was looking forward to it. Jennifer and Maki were heading out today as well. I joined to have company. Maki was our trail leader for the most part and he moved on with decent speed. Soon he will be trekking in Nepal. The scenery was as beautiful as on the way in. The waves were bigger forming an even more spectacular sight as they crashed against the rocks and sprayed water for hundreds of feet. The trail had changed too. It was much drier and many of the places where creeks were flowing on my way in were now dry rock beds. But for the hike itself it meant that there was less of a mud fight. After about seven hours we were back at the End of the Road, back in civilization. Jennifer and Maki stayed in Kapaa. We all went there looking for a restaurant. Another friend of ours, Dan, is waiter at a bar there and had offered us free all-you-drink beer. We didn't take him up on his offer but the search for a restaurant brought us to Lihue.

From there I tried to catch another ride to Poipu before it got dark. This is how I met another Michael. He is an example of the unbelievable Hawaiian friendliness. He took me to his place so I could make a few phone calls that needed to get done. He invited me to dinner but I refused since I didn't want to abuse his welcome. When he heard that I had just finished the Na Pali trail he ended the discussion by stating "I know how it feels after Na Pali. You are going to have dinner her" and pressed a glass of wine into my hand and sat me down at the dining table. I joined the whole family, three adorable and cute girls and one baby boy, for dinner. After my stomach was filled he insisted on me using the guest room and minutes later I enjoyed my first hot shower in two weeks. He later gave me many insights into Kauai and educated me about the island of Yap, a Polynesian island he had strong ties to. He explained that the last cannery on Kauai closed two years ago. Now all pineapples are sent to California, canned there, and shipped back to Hawaii. That's why even pineapple cans are more expensive on Hawaii than on the mainland. The same thing happens to sugar. Sugar cane is cut in Hawaii, shipped to California and the refined final product sent back to the islands. He also made me understand a lot of the economical factors, the job market, and other Hawaiian issues. I learned more from him than I could have ever learned from books.

Monday, January 2, 1995:

After a good night's sleep I woke up around 8 and headed immediately to the grocery store. I desperately needed to refill my food stores in my backpack and I wanted to buy Austrian food items such as chocolates and specialty cookies for Michael and the kids as a token of gratitude. They were quite surprised to get this Austrian thank-you package and the kids' eyes were sparkling when they saw all the sweets. The kids were truly moving me. Time to move on though.

I started hiking westbound along the road holding my thumb up. I hiked for more than an hour before a guy from new York City stopped for me. Coincidently we had the same destinations so we spent the next half day together. We toured the Waimea Canyon State Park that every local recommends strongly. I personally was not too impressed. It surely is Hawaii's biggest canyon but I have been spoiled with too many beautiful canyons in Arizona to consider this view breathtaking. The climate has changed significantly. One can instantly tell that this is the dry side of the island. After climbing up to about 5000 feet we reached the Kokee State park. Not far from the lodge is a lookout down into the Kalalau Valley. Kalalau Beach itself is obscured by a mountain but one could see a small portion of the trail and the Kalalau Falls, a favorite destination of a lot of helicopter tours. It was nice to see the places I have been to the last days from a bird's eye view. Needless to say that the close-up look is the more enjoyable one. The rest of the afternoon I spent relaxing on the meadows in the Kokee State Park. Being at an higher elevation the night was expectably cool.

Tuesday, January 3, 1995:

There was only one more place left to see: the southwestern most portion of the Na Pali Coast. This area is part of the Polihale State Park. It is also the end of the road that goes around three quarters of the island. Since it can only be reached by dirt road the beach is semi-empty. A dozen of cars and twice as many people made it here today. The beach is miles long with brown sand. The five foot high waves rolled in in pairs, sometimes even as a set of three. The cliffs started right behind the beach. The formations were as picturesque as the ones' in the northern part of Na Pali but overall less beautiful. They were lacking the attractive bright green colors. Due to the dryness here they are not covered with any vegetation and, thus, light brown to black in color. Polihale is nonetheless a peaceful beautiful spot but it cannot rival the indescribable beauty of Kalalau and the rain forest further north.

Once again I spent the afternoon watching the curling waves. I also ran into JP whom I knew from Kalalau where we exchanged thoughts about Kenya and Tanzania, my next travel destination. We collected some firewood for the evening. After a cloudy afternoon the sunset turned out to be marvelous. The best I have seen in Hawaii. A small sickle of the moon came up behind the palm trees. The horizon was a palette of red and purple and in the far back, out in the ocean, one could see the silhouette if Niihau Island. Fantastic! The dinner party around the camp fire lasted till midnight. JP, Phil, George, two other guys and myself shared the food and the beer. The discussion got real heavy and we covered quite a few topics. I spent the night in my favorite way: in the sleeping bag right at the ocean under a clear sky full of stars.

Wednesday, January 4, 1995:

In the soft sand I slept really comfortably. My last day on Kauai should be just like many before. I would hang out at the beach in Polihale. Later George gave me a lift to the beach west of Kekaha Beach. Surf was up with six feet waves. It was a delight to watch these expert surfers catch the waves, ride the curl, and speed through the tunnels. The show they put on was outstanding. In five years in California I haven't seen anything that could compare to that. What a treat. George who just started surfing two weeks ago tried in vain for two hours to catch one of the big waves. Once he got pounded hard as a wave broke right over him. In the evening I made it to Lihue where I shopped for some presents that one can only get here on Hawaii.

Thursday, January 5, 1995:

My last day. Time to say good-bye. In morning I flew to Honolulu. There I briefly looked at the famous sights such as Waikiki Beach and all the famous hotels along it and watched the tourists rush from one shopping mall to another. The city of Honolulu is definitely a different world. A good transition to the mainland. A six hour flight placed me into cold and wet San Francisco.

To summarize the vacation in one word: Irie!

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