Surviving A Miracle (eBook)

CHAPTER 1

The Hike to Hanakapi‘ai Falls

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything
beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting.”
—Charles Kingsley

Hawai‘i is famous for its beauty, tropical nature, and pristine beaches. Kaua‘i is known as the Garden Island, earning the beloved nickname for the vast tropical rainforest that covers much of its surface. The island receives more rainfall each year than any other in the chain, lending to its green and lush terrain. While O‘ahu offers travelers spectacular dining and shopping and Maui is home to a number of family friendly resorts, Kaua‘i treats visitors to a plethora of outdoor adventures —boating, cave tubing, ziplining—to name a few. The one thing the island is best known for is hiking. The hike to Hanakapi‘ai Falls along the Nā Pali Coast is arguably the most famous of all hikes in Hawai‘i.

We arrived on Kaua‘i on the evening of April 3, 2014. We spent the next two days relaxing on the beach and preparing for the long-awaited hike to Hanakapi‘ai Falls. I had completed this hike twice before and was anxious to share the beauty of this location with my family—my wife, Carrie, our three children, Zach, Samantha, and Marla, as well as our dear family friend Steve, who had travelled with us. The night before the hike we prepared our packs so that we could leave early the next morning. We prepped food, planning to enjoy a picnic lunch at the falls as a reward for the eight-mile hike, and filled our water bottles and hydration backpacks. The weather forecast called for clear skies with no storm warnings. All signs were pointing toward a beautiful day on the trail.

We awoke early on April 6, 2014, and loaded into our rental car. We left our condominium at about 6:45 a.m., and at 7:15 a.m., we arrived at the trailhead at Ke‘e Beach, a thin strip of golden sand surrounded by the characteristic and striking face of the rolling cliffs that make up the famous Nā Pali Coast. Even though our children were young at the time, we are a family of experienced hikers, and everyone was fitted with their water backpacks and ready to start hiking by 7:30 a.m.

With my water backpack in place, I donned a child hiking carrier over the top. The child carrier had been rented, and was intended to carry Marla, our youngest child, knowing she would be unable to complete the hike on her own. At three years old, Marla had only just begun walking, having low muscle tone since birth, along with several other special medical needs. Unfortunately, we had not tried to place Marla in the backpack before that morning, and it was too small for her. With the aid of Steve and Carrie, we were able to squeeze her legs through the holes and shimmy her body down to fit her into the backpack. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but it would do for the day. She was so securely squeezed in that we did not see a need to buckle her in with the additional straps on the backpack.

We had hiked with Marla previously using a child carrier backpack, and the reality was that we knew she would only spend limited time being carried this way. Given the combination of wanting to try out the newly acquired freedom afforded by learning to walk on her own, plus preferring to be carried in my arms rather than in a pack, we knew that Marla was likely to be in and out of the carrier as we maneuvered the rocky trail that went up and downhill, crossed streams, and lasted eight miles round trip. We set out with Marla in the carrier, prepared to embrace the constant changes that accompany adventuring with a toddler.

The hike starts at Ke‘e Beach, which is the northernmost point of Kaua‘i that is accessible via car. This is the origination of the famous Kalalau Trail. The entire trail spans eleven miles one way, beginning at Ke‘e Beach and ending at Kalalau Beach. The hike to Hanakapi‘ai Falls, which is four miles one way, makes up the first two miles of the Kalalau Trail before splitting off into the valley. The trail travels on a narrow path along ocean side cliffs several hundred feet above the crashing waves of the magnificent blue-green ocean below. The views offered by this hike on the Nā Pali Coast are considered to be some of the most beautiful in the world, and though this trail is popular with locals and visitors alike, the path is rocky, and the hike itself is at times challenging.1

The kids and I hiked ahead of Steve and Carrie. Every quarter to half mile, we would pause and wait for Carrie and Steve to catch up, taking the opportunity for a drink of water and chatting about our favorite sights so far. After hiking two miles, we were nearly at Hanakapi‘ai Beach. In order to reach the beach, you are required to cross Hanakapi‘ai Stream, which follows the trail closely for the rest of the journey up the valley to the falls. It was an easy stream crossing. Zach and Samantha crossed by hopping on boulders to avoid getting wet. With Marla in the backpack, I followed the lead of my older children to cross the water. We waited for Carrie and Steve to arrive, and Samantha and Zach enjoyed instructing them on the best path to cross. When we arrived at the beach at approximately 9:00 a.m., the views of the ocean were awe inspiring. It was a great spot to relax for a few minutes and eat some snacks.

While we refueled on granola bars and Zach and Samantha happily recounted the expert way they traversed the first section of stream, we noticed a sign that said, “Danger! Flash Flood. Be alert, water may rise without warning. Fast moving water in this stream has killed people.” The stream we had just crossed? Of course, we were not completely unaware that Hawai‘i, for all its beauty and majesty, could be dangerous as well. Even paradise is no stranger to risks or tragedy, but at that moment, we never sensed any danger. The sun was shining, and there was no sign of a storm. It appeared to be a perfect day for the hike.

We took Marla out of the backpack, and she enjoyed walking around on her own accord. We spent about fifteen minutes at the beach, taking a few photographs of the scenery and of our family. We noticed an Asian couple nearby enjoying some pineapple. We had considered asking them to take a photograph of our entire group, but they soon got up and headed for the trail into the valley.

Those looking for a shorter hike make Hanakapi‘ai Beach their turnaround point, but from this location, you can also continue along the Kalalau Trail or trek up the Hanakapi‘ai Valley. The hike up the valley is a challenging two-mile trek but rewards you with a pristine waterfall and an inviting pool. I was looking forward to seeing it again. As we prepared to continue our journey, it was clear that Marla was not getting back in the pack, and I resigned myself to carrying her in my arms. Marla is about thirty-five pounds, and with her and the carrier backpack, as well as the water pack I was wearing, I was carrying a full load. Just after leaving the beach, we noticed a porta-potty set high at the top of a flight of stairs. Samantha and I took the opportunity to use the bathroom, as we knew this would be the last chance for quite some time.

Along our hike up the valley, we took notice of several people walking along the path. The most notable of these individuals was an older man with rainbow-colored, striped hair. When we came upon this man, I was again hiking with the children, while Steve and Carrie trailed us by a few minutes. As we crossed paths, he smiled and said, “Oh, a family affair— how nice.” Even though the terrain can be rough, it is not unusual to see families tackling the trail together. We also passed the Asian couple from back at the beach as they stopped to rest, and soon we found ourselves leapfrogging each other up the trail. At one point, the husband jokingly commented on my ability to walk faster than them even while carrying a child on my back. The camaraderie from these interactions with fellow hikers added to our enjoyment of the experience.

The trail offered endless opportunities for the kids to explore and observe our surroundings. Muddy spots with small puddles and groupings of rocks presented little challenges, much like the first stream crossing down at the beach. The bamboo forest was a wonder to the children, and they commented on the eerily beautiful music of wind passing through the trees. As the tall bamboo swayed and creaked over their heads, they joked and played scared, pretending that it seemed ready to fall right over them. I’ll never tire of witnessing them enjoy new experiences.

As we continued hiking, we came to our second stream crossing. There are a total of four river crossings along the route to the falls. The second stream crossing is in two parts, with a sizeable piece of land between the sections of stream. We again waited for Steve and Carrie to catch up before we started across. I had to walk slowly to avoid tripping or slipping on the many rocks in the streambed as I travelled to the other side. After getting across the stream with Marla, I left her there with Zach, headed back to help Samantha cross on boulders, and then returned again to help Carrie. The stream was rather calm with the water reaching halfway up my calf.

The trail on the other side of the stream was a little muddier and somewhat difficult to hike given the mud and the rocky terrain. Despite the challenge of the trail, we continued hiking and were treated to the spectacular scenery of the Hanakapi‘ai Valley. The trail and stream parallel each other as they run up the valley. Across from the trail, on the opposite side of the stream, is a several-hundred-foot, nearly vertical rock wall covered with...