penny for a thought | Patrick on every & anything

After six days of hiking and primitive living I’m officially back to civilization. I won’t be on the mainland until Sunday, though it’s nice to sleep in a bed and eat things that aren’t rice, pasta or oats. It was an epic adventure to say the least, one which began a week ago in the city of Lihue on the island of Kauai. Bright and early, we (Mario and I) packed our backpacks and took a public bus to the town of Hanalei, from there we had to “thumb it” another ten-or-so miles to the Kalalau Trailhead on Ke’e Beach. From Ke’e the Kalalau Trail meanders for eleven miles along the Na Pali Coast to Kalalau Beach.

Eleven miles doesn’t seem like a lot , but believe me when I say that I’ve run easier marathons. The trail is riddled with sketchiness; in fact, the entire trail is difficult; strenuous enough for the Sierra Club to rate the trail a 9-out-of-10 in respect to difficulty and danger. Seventy percent of the trek you’ll think to yourself “if I slip, this is it, there’s no coming back” and that’s the reality of Kalalau. Don’t let me intimidate you, the spectacular views will calm your nerves.

Six Five Moderately Useful Things I’ve Learned:

1. Killing one of Kauai’s gazillion chickens will get you locked up (I don’t know from experience)
2. Take off your hat and sunglasses when hitchhiking, wait for a pickup truck and go all out (eye contact and a smile helps)
3. In Hawaii you must finish every sentence with “yeahh brahh” (finish it off with a ! or ?, either works)
4. If you’re hiking the Kalau Trail, pack light. Once on Kalalau Beach, clothing is optional and food somehow appears
5. Two items you need while backpacking (both have many uses) - 1. Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap and 2. A tarp
6. Peanut butter, spaghetti and raisins make for an excellent meal and cover all your nutritional needs

Stay tuned as pictures and more details from the trip are to come. Cheers!