The other day a friend and I hiked part of the Kalalau Trail to Hanakapi’ai Beach.  This trail is one of my absolute favorite.  OK, my FAVORITE trail that my feet have had the privilege to walk.  Being back on the trail reminded me of that, and along with that comes the gift of being embraced by all the beauty nature has to offer.

The hike into Hanakapi’ai Beach is a 2-mile hike.  Depending on the weather will determine the terrain that one journeys through.  This particular day we had lots of sun, and even some rain (which felt amazing!)  So, the trail was pretty muddy in places.  For this reason, I am one for wearing my most comfortable pair of hiking shoes for the hike.

This coastline is called the Na Pali Coast.  Na Pali means “the cliff” so Na Pali Coast translates as “the cliff coast.”  Quite fitting for a trail that runs along side the Kauai mountains, overlooking the expansive blue ocean and sky.  For some this can be intimidating.  One woman at the beginning of the trail stated she didn’t know if she wanted to do it because of the mud and terrain.  But my reply to that is “it is worth every step!”

Along the way to the beach we seemed to have our breath taken away by the magic of each turn.  The cathedral like mountains are like no other, the smells of the plants and sweet, the mud earthy.  Hiking up and down gives the legs and bottom a good workout, and the sea breeze kindly keeps you from overheating.

Upon reaching the beach you must cross the Hanakapi’ai River.  Here there are rocks that may be slippery, so take your time and maybe even take your shoes off and get wet a little as you cross.

Although there has been magic all along the trail, once you get to the far side of the beach time, and your schedule as you know it, all seem to drift off into some other world.  Our sense of time melted away as we leaped and played on the beach.  We marveled in the power of the ocean and enjoyed a playful practice of yoga right in the sand alongside of the breath of the ocean too.

Bring lots of water and enough food to stay awhile.  Let the bliss of this special place take hold of you, and enjoy every step of the way!