Days 2 & 3

I made it through Day 1 - barely.

Later in the evening, I felt hungry.  This was a time that I would normally have a slice of cheese or a piece of bread, and both are now on the No list.  I tried a few berries, some walnuts, nothing really satisfied.  So I went to bed.

But these are new days. 

Days 2&3: Feeling very energetic and definitely not as irritable as usual.  Breakfast both days was steel cut oats with berries.  Lunch on Day 2 was raw kale with tahini plus aztec salad from Whole Foods.  Lunch on Day 3 was a big ol' salad with turkey and tons of veggies.  Feeling good, no hunger, no headaches.  I don't seem to want to snack as much as I usually do. 

Dinner on Day 2 was tough.  We went to a BBQ, and there were tons of things that I definitely wanted to eat.  Instead, I had 2 chicken wings with a spice rub, 2 raw oysters, plus green beans, suger snap peas and a few corn chips with salsa.  Oh, and I cheated a bit with some 8 layer Mexican dip.  A teeny bit of dairy, but not a ton.  And I managed to steer clear of the beer.  I went to bed feeling satisfied, if a little bit drunk.

Woke up on Day 3 with a bit of a tummy ache - although I attribute this the several glasses of wine I had the night before.  Oats for breakfast took care of this. 

Again, less irritation than normal, and I had a super productive day. 
This was definitely a more stressful day than normal, but I felt like I held up a little bit better than usual.  Feeling good.

After work meeting & then happy hour with the girls.  Ouch - super tough cause we went to a pizza place.  Nothing for me to eat here.  The girls ate 2 yummy pizzas, and I had to use all of my self control to say no.  But I did it. 

At home, eating split pea soup and some dolmades.  Feeling pretty good.  My skin seems to be getting clearer and brighter, although maybe that's just wishful thinking.  So far, pretty happy with the wheat-free, dairy-free life.  It's hard though, right?  Always having to ask:  "What's in this?  Is this gluten-free?  What are the ingredients?" 

Yeah, I'm totally one of *those* people now. 

Day 8 - Kauai - Happy Hikers

Are you serious?!  We're doing another hike today?  What's wrong with us - we're on vacation already!

Yes, we're up early again today because we're heading back to the West Shore for a hike in Koke'e State Park.  Originally, we planned on doing the Nu'aolo Loop Trail.  Including the walk back to the car, this loop trail would be about 11 miles.  However, upon further research, we realized that this loop trail includes a portion called the Nu'aolo Cliff Trail, and this cliff trail is literally on the edge of a cliff.  It's very, very narrow, and if you fell, you would tumble about 2,000 feet.  Hmm.  Sounds a bit sketchy, eh?  Here are the two photos that convinced me that not only is this portion of the hike sketchy, it is NOT FOR ME.

I do not do well with cliffs.  And thus, our 11 mile hike became a 7 mile hike.  We decided to just do the return portion of the loop - the Awa'awapuhi Trail.  Now, don't start thinking just because this trail is shorter that we got off easy.  The trail starts at 4,120 feet, and it ends at 2,500 feet.  And what did I say on the Kalalau Trail?! 

What goes down must go up.

But seriously, this trail is awesome.  LOVED it.  Really nice landscape, and you are rewarded with some gorgeous views at the end. 

This is definitely a trail you would want to avoid if it's been raining in Koke'e though - it would be really muddy and treacherous.  Also, it quite a bit chillier at this elevation than in other parts of Kauai.  I wore long pants and hiking boots, and I actually started out with a hoodie.  By the time we were huffing and puffing on the return, the hoodie was history, but I was happy I had it in the beginning.  We started the hike around 10am, and this was perfect.  We were done by 2p-ish, and we had time to explore Waimea Canyon on the way back.  We brought sammies and ate lunch at the lookout.  Unfortunately, as I was eating lunch, I looked down and a mouse was drinking the condensation off my water bottle.  Another sad rodent surprise.

Side note:  I forgot to mention this in the Kalalau post, but on the last leg of that hike, I was walking up ahead of Tim, and what do I see on the trail?  Yes, a rat.  A rat.  But I was so effing tired, I COULDN'T EVEN SCREAM. 

Me:  "aah. a rat."

Tim:  "What?  A rat? Hahahahaha!  You can't even scream!  You must not be afraid of them anymore!"

Rat:  "Well, I'm sure as hell not afraid of her.  She can't even walk, let alone hurt me.  I think I will instead lay down in the middle of the path and force her to walk around me."

Back on the Awa'awapuhi Trail, we're enjoying the beautiful views and beautiful day and all together beautiful hike.  Fed?  Yes.  Rested?  Yes.  Well, get your boots on cause it's time to pay the piper. 

And up, up, up we go! 

Let me tell you guys, Tim is amazing at "up".  He can power up a hill or a mountain.  He's barely sweating, barely puffing.  And I am pretty sure I am going to pass out.  But I made it.  Yeah, I'm totally a hiker now.  It's pretty cool.

After our hike, we stopped at several viewpoints of Waimea Canyon.  Seriously, gorgeous.  If we come back here, I'd love to check out some more hikes in this area. 

Afterwards, we headed out to Waimea Brewing Company - obviously it's time for a beer!  It's located on the Waimea Plantation grounds which are so beautiful.  They have all sorts of different and unique cottages to stay in, beautiful beach views.  We saw a wedding going on - if we could afford it, I would love to get married here.  Sigh.  Okay, moving on.  The beer was okay, nothing spectacular, but not bad either.  We also had some Kalua pork nachos, and those were definitely spectacular.  Loved this spot for a post-hike nosh. 

After relaxing for a bit, we're heading back to Kapa'a.  Even though we've had our afternoon snack, you know we're going to need more to eat tonight!  We have been wanting to try a restaurant really close to our place called Caffe Coco.  You can sort of see it from the road, and it looked adorable.  We were definitely not disappointed.  Basically, you enter the restaurant and order from the counter.  Oh, and it's BYOB, so make sure you bring a bottle of wine along with you.  After ordering, you basically head out to the backyard, and you pick your table.  It's almost like having dinner a friends house.  You're outdoors, and there are Christmas lights strung up, and citonella candles everywhere.  A cute hippie band was playing Cat Stevens and the Beatles.  The food was fabulous.  It was just really cute and very romantic. 

Sigh.  I love Kauai. 

Day 6 - Kauai - Get Your Boots On

We're up early 'cause we've got our biggest/longest hike planned for today.  We're doing the first portion of the Kalalau Trail and the side trip to Hanakapi'ai Falls.  It's 8 miles total, and we think it's going to take us about 5 hours.  It does not. 

So, the Kalalau Trail is 11 miles one way, and it goes from Ke'e Beach to Kalalau Beach with some super spectacular views of the Na Pali coast.  I hope to someday come back to Kauai and hike the whole thing, but for now, we'll be satisfied with the first portion.

Gentle Reader, you must do this hike if you go to Kauai.  I'm not gonna lie - it's not easy.  I had mud up to my ankles.  Actually, I had mud pretty much everywhere.  It's a very muddy hike in the winter (rainy) season.  It hadn't even really been raining much, and it was still crazy muddy.  Keep in mind too that the first 1/2 mile will have millons of people on it as well.  See, you can get your first Na Pali view by just doing the first 1/2 mile.  And that's what lots of folks choose to do.  Including Japanese tourists in high heels.  Um, WTF?  I had hiking boots on, and I had issues in some places.  After you move past that first viewing point, you won't see nearly as many people.  And on the side trip to the Falls, we really hardly saw anyone. 

First things first:  start this hike early.  I would say the earlier, the better.  And if you're staying on the West, South, or East shores, it's going to take you quite awhile to get to the trailhead.  Bring a lot of water.  Definitely bring lunch if you're doing the Falls trip too.  And plan on getting dirty.  The first 2 miles to Hanakapi'ai Beach isn't difficult.  If you're a beginning hiker, there might be a few dicey parts.  It's mostly downhill, and the mud can be slippery.  DO NOT get near the water at the Beach.  Apparently lots of people have died here.  There is a stream crossing at the end as well.  There are rocks to jump on, and it's not difficult.  But don't be an a**hole and sit on one of the main rocks that folks are using to cross the stream.  This is rude and douchebag-like. 

Honestly, you guys, I cannot even describe how beautiful the Na Pali coast really is so I'm not even going to try.  Here are some of Tim's photos instead.

After you get to the beach, hang out for a bit before beginning your trip on to the Falls.  You'll want to rest up.  This is a fairly tough 2 miles.  The beginning is quite easy though, so it doesn't seem like it's going to be challenging.  I was just crusing along, thinking to myself, "Well, Emily, you are quite the seasoned hiker these days, aren't you?  Nothing you can't handle."  And then we came to the river crossing. 

Ah, the river crossing.

There are rocks to jump on, and it's easier in some places than in others.  We did not choose an easy path.  Tim was sort of helping me, guiding me to the best rocks to jump on, and then it happened.  I put my boot on a rock, could not see the moss that covered it, and slipped.  I fell straight into the river, cut both my knees, and skinned my palms.  More than that, I injured my pride something awful.  And I cried a little.  Don't tell anyone. 

Now my boots and socks are soaked, and I am crabby.  I mean, c'mon!  Hiking with squishy boots sucks!  To his credit, Tim did not laugh.  He is a wise man.  After the river crossing incident (or RCI as it will henceforth be known), my spirts were a bit low.  And this hike gets hard.  There is some climbing, some crawling over rocks, more river crossings.  It seems a lot longer than 2 miles. 

But you're finally rewarded with the Hanakapi'ai Falls, and it is worth it.  Sit on the rocks, eat your lunch, enjoy their beauty.  Swim in the pool if you're brave - this water is hella cold.  And actually, it's kind of chilly near the Falls because there is no sun coming in.  Rest up - 'cause you gotta go back the way you came.  And what goes down must go up. 

The return was pretty tough for me.  I was tired and a little crabby, and the elevation gain on the last 2 miles is challenging.  But again, it's worth it, and if I can do it so can you. 

As I said in the beginning, we thought it would take us 5 hours to complete this hike.  It took us over 6, and Tim and I haul ass when we hike.  I would definitely plan on 6-8 hours for this hike - depending on how fast you hike and how much time you spend at the beach and the waterfall.  But do it.  Seriously, do it.

But don't plan on doing much else that day.  Dirty and tired, we stopped at Kalypso in Hanalei again for beers.  And then we headed home.  TV and pizza and putting our feet up sounded pretty damn good.  And it was.  Oh, and the best pizza on the island is hands-down Brick Oven Pizza.  They've got 2 locations, one in Wailua and one in Lihue.  Delicious whole wheat crust with garlic butter and yummy toppings.  Delicious.  Some Yelp reviews say it's expensive, but if you're from Seattle, you know that $20 for a pizza isn't outrageous.  And when you've hiked 8 miles, you're up for a little splurge on cheesy pizza goodness.

Man, what a great day.  Helluva day.