Pathways

I am afraid I've been thinking again - it's a dangerous pastime.  But, you already knew that, didn't you?


I have an affinity for attempting to take photographs of paths, trails or pathways of any other sort.  I realize other people probably do this too and there are certainly far more talented photographers out there than I.  Nonetheless, during hikes that Tammy and I take, Tammy has to tolerate my desire to have the camera out to see if I can capture some of the process of going from here to there.

I was wondering what fascinated me so much with this until I looked at the bridge picture at the left.  This is not far from the entry to the Kuamo'o trail that meets up with the Nounou trail in Kauai.  When you stand on this side of the bridge, can you tell where it goes?  What will you see when you cross to the other side?  It's a hike in Kauai, so it probably leads to something wonderful to view, right?

Well, it does - and we'll show you later.  But, it clarified for me something I've thought for some time.  Too much of the time, too many of us focus on the big goals at the end of a process and too few of us recognize the beauty, joy or satisfaction of being right where we are.  It's the bridge that holds much of the beauty,  believe it or not.

This doesn't mean we shouldn't dream or strive for bigger goals.  And, there are certainly times when you need to ignore some of the details as you pass through on the way to somewhere else.  What it means is that we are often cheating ourselves when we are unwilling to put forth some effort to appreciate the process and where we are right now.

Just off the Awaawapuhi Trail in Koke'e State Park

Awaawapuhi is listed as a "difficult" hike on a few internet or published guides.  We have to admit that no particular part of this trek was all that hard.  There were no super steep climbs or drops.  There were plenty of roots and rocks and places were muddy.  But, that's true of many Kauai hikes.  The difficulty for us came with the final mile on the way back.  The total hike length (down and back) is about 6.5 miles.  But, it's the 2100 foot drop in altitude that you have to climb back up that got us.  Some people have reviewed the hike as being 'boring' until you get to the end.  But, we found it to be quite interesting.

Official end of the Awaawapuhi Trial

We've taken the Canyon Trail several times now.  There are some nice trail spots along the way, but we went with a shot on the ridge as our 'along the way' picture this time.  We've not been on the trail with the interesting shadows coming from the trees onto the trail before.  There was a light breeze, which made it tempting to sit and just absorb the surroundings for hours.

Canyon Trail near Waipo'o Falls

 The light wasn't the best for canyon photos this time around, but it was still great viewing in person.  I've been enamored with the natural arch on the ridge just across from the trail since the first time we came here. 

Waimea Canyon from the Canyon Trail

 For some reason, the Kuilau Ridge Trail came as a last minute hike the last time we visited the island.  This time, it was high on our list of hikes we wanted to take.  It's a good one to get back into shape for the kind of hiking you need to be prepared for on Kauai.  It also gives lots of opportunities to stop and enjoy the changing landscape.

Kuilau Ridge Trail

This trail is one of the smoothest to take, though it still has a climb to it.  Even so, Kauai reminds you frequently that to view her, you need to stop to look around.  Otherwise, you need to keep your concentration on where your feet are going.  Otherwise, your face just might meet Mother Earth up close and personal when that little lump in the trail turns out to have a little hook for your foot.

View from Kiulau Ridge Trails

The Mahaulepu trail was a first time trip for Tammy and I.  I realize the 'trail' picture this time sort of cheats by having a mountain in the background.  But, none of the trail pictures really made me want to post it this time.  It's not the trail's fault.  Blame the camera operator.

View near the beginning of Mahaulepu Trail

 The strange thing about this trail is it actually has all kinds of options for you to follow at the beginning.  It's awfully tempting to stay next to the cliffs by the ocean.  Why?  Because you can see this.

View from Mahaulepu

If the light is right and the waves are right, you have plenty of opportunity to have fun with picture taking on Mahaulepu. 

Another new hike for us was the Kuamo'o Trail that leads eventually to the east Nounou trail.  Like many of the "there and back" trails, you tend to forget the difficult parts you passed early on when you weren't as tired. 

Yes, sections of Kuamo'o Trail were covered with roots like THIS!

There were also trees that bent over the trail so you had to duck at times.  But, there were a couple of clearings on the ridge facing to the interior of Kauai and you could see Waialeale if you managed to catch it without a complete cloud mantel. 

Waialeale from Kuamo'o Trail

 Another thing we enjoy is the changes in the surroundings as we traverse a trail in Kauai.  We moved from all of the twisty, bendy trunks of trees on Kuamo'o to some proud, stately evergreens on Nounou.  They both have their beauty, but I think Tammy and I were more enamored with the pines.

Kuamo'o/Nounou (east) pine area.

There was a bit more climbing than either of us typically likes at the end of Nounou (Sleeping Giant), so we actually opted to go with a different vista rather than completing to the top of the Sleeping Giant.  But, part of it is the reality that I actually like having some of the mountain left to provide some context for what we're seeing in our picture!

Nounou (the Sleeping Giant)

Then, there is the Pihea Trail.  It's an easy trail to take for a while and turn back or go all the way to the end (which requires a little climbing for the last bit).  The hard pat for this one is that you keep getting views of the Kalalau Valley which make you want to stop and gawk.

Pihea Trail - early stages

Yet, there are all kinds of interesting places along the way that have their own beauty and I was happy to try to give them their due as I was able. 

Pihea Trail - middle stages

Sometimes, the clouds move in and perform the 'giant eraser' trick on the vista that is the Kalalau Valley.  It might be tempting to be disappointed by that, except it makes you pay more attention to where you are, encouraging you to see more than the high wire act in the big tent. 

Kalalau Valley