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Kalalau Valley Concluded! Let's see, where was I?
Ah, yes...
Day 4: Kalalau!!!
Waking up in the Kalalau Valley is a bit like falling into a superior dream world. Open the eyes, grumble grumble, unzip the tent door, and
WHOA! Perhaps I've died in my sleep and gone to heaven?
The colors of the place hurt my sleepy eyes, but I didn't mind. We all woke up semi-late on our first full day in the valley, and quickly split off in our own directions, to explore! Amy and Hawk went to wander the up-valley trails, and Mikey did the same awhile later. I, however, couldn't resist the pull of the beach. I sat on the sand and marveled at my surroundings, swimming cautiously ever so often, while soaking up as much golden sunshine as possible! Eventually the wind came on quite strong, tossing up mini sandstorms that stung my skin and forced me to cover my face. (Heaven only knows how many pounds of sand I've accidentally eaten in the last few months.) I decided to go to the waterfall at the end of the beach, for a shower and a drink.
About a week before our Kalalau journey, we'd read a local newspaper article about a man who'd been hit by a falling rock while showering in the Kalalau waterfall. I remembered this when filling my bottle and showering, trying to be quick with both. The waterfall is definately in a precarious place in the cliffside, but what a heavenly stream of water! I felt like a fairy in Fern Gully as I stood in the sparkling pool, washing my hair (with biodegradeable soap), and singing songs from South Pacific. We drank the cool water unfiltered, and felt enlivened by it. Before I left the valley I filled a small jar with the same water, to carry with me, until I return one day.
Leaving the waterfall, I took the trail beside the beach back to camp, using the opportunity to toughen up my bare "haole feet". I lingered at the tent for a moment, had a snack (dried mango found at the waterfall), and changed into a long sleeved shirt and long pants (the best mosquito repellent I know of). I packed a little bag, grabbed my magic-staff-walking-stick, and took off to explore the up-valley trails myself!
Thinking of my extremely limited sense of direction, I decided to let the river be my guide. There are trails on either side of the river, and I followed them, occasionally hopping rocks across to the other side if one trail disappeared. I didn't see a single other person on my whole walk; it was just me and my prehistoric surroundings. I stumbled upon hidden, perfect campsites, flat from the terrace work, and surrounded by ancient stone walls. The river grows wide, and thin, and wide again, often forming beautiful round pools fed by mini-waterfalls. I stopped at one of these and had a swim, watching dragonflies hovering over the water like little Tinkerbells with thin reflections. The bugs are fairly intense in the wooded valley, and I had to keep moving or they'd form a cloud around my head. I stopped at one abandoned camp and picked up a few things I knew we could use, candles, clothespins, etc. As I walked, I waved my stick in front of me to clear the spider webs (before I ate them accidentally). I wished I knew more about the local plant life so I could identify all the Dr.Seuss-ish plants. Overall, it was magical. I felt just like Alice, wandering through Wonderland all on my own!
Finally I noticed that the filtered light was waning, so I skipped back the way I came, arriving at the beach just in time to catch the STUNNING SUNSET, during which 5 whales played adjacent to our camp, so close we could hear their tales smacking the water. Surreal!
Dinner was yummy instant potatoes and lentils, or something like that. We took the fly off the tent before sleeping, because the sky was free of clouds, and the moon was bigger than ever before. The silhouetted cliff above reminded me of Agrabah (the setting for Aladdin), with its strange curves and sharp points, and the stars hanging delicately above. I watched the sky until my eyelids fell.
Day 5: MORE KALALAU!!!
On this day I woke up feeling poorly. In fact, I'd known for a few days that I was not well (despite my bliss), but this was the first day I felt really worried about my state of health. I put some colloidal silver (a natural antibiotic) in my sacred waterfall water, and hoped for the best.
Amy and I decided to go to the beach and have "spa day". We brought the aloe leaves I'd picked the day before, and I found some ripe noni fruit on the trail-side (noni has been getting more and more attention as a "superfruit", it has many wonderful medicinal qualities, though it smells like a mix of sour feet and baby poop, no joking). I also had a packet of green clay, bought in Hanalei, which we mixed up at the waterfall and spread on our faces, while covering ourselves in aloe and stinky noni fruit. Then we sun bathed, until the afternoon sand storms returned, and we rinsed off at the waterfall. Mikey "beached it up" that day also, swimming, sunning, and exploring the sea cave on the far end of Kalalau.
Later in the day, when we'd had enough of the hot sun, Mikey and I went for a hike together up in the valley. We took a different path (Mikey's sense of direction is far superior), going up a trail that really looked more like a red dirt ravine. We followed the path until it seemed to disappear, and stopped to find it again. We noticed, while looking for a trail, an arrow, painted on a rock(!), pointing to the left. (Another total Alice moment. Eat me, drink me, go left!) We went left, and sure enough, the trail continued.
We found ourselves in a different part of the same woods I'd wandered the day before, following whichever paths looked best. I wonder where they all go? Finally we ended up on the top of a cliff (made of the same red dirt, very loose, which requires one to run at top speed up the hill, so you don't start sliding backwards, and when you want to get back down, you've no choice but to slide...). From there we had the best view yet: a full rainbow over the wooded valley, sunset colors appearing on the makai side (towards the sea, kai means ocean), and the silver river flowing below, looking very tiny. (How romantic, eh ladies?) Even the smells of Kalalau are astounding, the smell of that red dirt earth, mixed with salty ocean air, and cooler breezes coming off the cliffs... the valley probably has some of the cleanest, sweetest air on Earth.
Perhaps I also caught a whiff of a freshly baked cake, because as we were going back to camp, I saw several of the Kalalau live-ins coming out to the main trail, carrying fresh baked goods! How is this possible? I'm not sure, but I think they have big stone ovens up in the valley. I've heard that pizza parties are common, and I'm sorry that we didn't stay long enough for me to experience one of those. Anyway, we caught word of a pot luck happening on the heiau. It's so amazing, the inner social happenings of Kalalau. Those that live there have full moon parties, build sweat lodges beside the river, gather for dinner up on the bluff, and have birthday parties at the river mouth. Wonderful!
Speaking of birthdays, and cakes, I must digress for a moment to explain an inside joke. Earlier in our trip, Amy and Mikey were talking one morning about birthdays, and how once a year really is not often enough to celebrate ourselves. They came up with QUIRTHDAYS, or quarter birthdays, which don't really have to be on the quarter, in fact they can be every month, on the same date as your birthday. So, for example, my birthday is January 25th, so I have quirthdays on February 25th, March 25th, September 25th, and all other 25ths. HAHA, Brilliant!
Well this 5th day of our adventure happened to be Amy's Quirthday. (As is today, actually, so HAPPY QUIRTHDAY AMY, WHEREVER YOU ARE!) Earlier that day, Amy actually said out loud, "Well, I wonder who is going to bring me my Quirthday cake?" And wouldn't you know it, after we ate dinner and were sitting by the fire, one of the shiny Kalalau folk happened upon our camp, and offered us the remaining half of a freshly baked cake! Amy lit up, and hollered, "My QUIRTHDAY CAKE!" And we laughed, and ate the delicious white cake with even more delicious chocolate icing. It was the best thing we'd tasted in days.
Kokoleka (coffee sage man) had said to Amy the night before, "That's why they call this fast-prayer-island." (He was talking to her about a happening similar to the Quirthday cake.) It's true: on Kaua'i, and in Hawai'i in general, if you ask for something out loud, it is bound to happen in the next half hour. Similarly, if you find yourself in a negative state of mind, bad things WILL happen, almost guaranteed. It is as if we truly are dreaming, and co-creating each moment as it unfolds, together. And perhaps this is how it is everywhere, but in Hawai'i, it is faster, and more clear.
WONDERLAND
After we ate the cake, fat droplets fell quickly from the sky, and we took shelter, and slept.
Day 6: Kalalau to Hanakoa
I woke up the next morning, and I knew I had to leave the valley. I didn't want to go! But my little jungle-fever had turned into a real live fever, and I felt foggy and awful. I'll spare you the gory details of what was the matter (you can thank me later). At any rate, I told Amy and Mikey I had to go, and they seemed ok with coming with me.
It was funny; we decided to leave while Hawk was away from the camp for a moment. We figured he would want to stay longer, so we told him we were leaving, reluctantly. He threw up his hands and said, "You all are leaving? OK, lets go! Screw this place!" We all had to laugh. Like, "yeah, sure, sure, screw the most astoundingly gorgeous place on earth. Yeah! Screw it!!" Even now I'm giggling. Hawk has a uniquely wonderful sense of humor.
So, we packed up our camp. I was sad to leave, but at the moment I wasn't really noticing. I just knew I needed to get back to civilization so I could make myself feel better. And, more immediately, I was dreading the hike because of how yucky I felt. How unfortunate, to dread the most wonderful hike I've ever taken!
I blew Kalalau a kiss. And thanked her, for showing me a new side of planet Earth!
Indeed it was a different hike on the way back for me. The wind was SO STRONG on the cliff part, and I got quite scared. We would start out on one of the open exposures, and a gust would come across and hit us, and I would just fall against the cliff side for stability and wait until the wind let up for a moment, move forward until another gust came, and so forth. On the hike into the valley, I'd prepared my mind for the cliff, and enjoyed it. On the hike out, my approach was different... I cursed. (haha) I just cursed my way over the cliffs, muttering under my breath about "how silly this is, we're going to get ourselves killed, this is just ridiculous..." mutter, mutter, grumble grumble. It was a different way of keeping myself going... not the ideal choice, but at the time it was the best I could do. As soon as it was done I just had to laugh at myself! (Mikey laughed at me also, he had to listen to me, poor him. :)
We stopped and slept at Hanakoa. Again, if there were ghosts, they let me sleep in peace.
Day 7: Hanakoa to Ke'e Beach (Back to Civilization!)
This hike, looking back, is a blur to me. The descent to Hanakapiai was quite muddy, and by the time I got back to the river my shoes were so covered it looked like I was wearing skis. I still can't get my boots clean.
When we reached Ke'e, I was tired, but I think we all felt quite accomplished, like we'd really DONE SOMETHING, and we did, didn't we?! When we finished our walk, I took my special magical walking stick, thanked it for helping me, and left it for someone else to pick up. I wonder who is walking with it now, perhaps at this very moment?
I would like to return to Kalalau one day, and stay for a whole month.
I hope the valley doesn't mind me writing about her... I debated whether or not to put all this on the internet. In the end I decided, I have so much to say about this one adventure, and I want to tell this story out of gratitude for my experience, shared with my favorite people, Amy and Mikey. I hope that reading this will make some of you friends and family feel like you were there too, if only for a moment, because I certainly thought of everyone I love so much while I was on this little journey, and wished I could share it with more of you.
This concludes the longest blog entry ever.
Aloha,
Kristen
- comments
Liz & Joe What an amazing trip you all are on! Mikey, thanks for the eye-popping photos that complement Kristen's glorious text so well. Kristen, you are so multi-talented - act, sing, dance play piano, flute, etc., and now a travel writer, as well! Thank you so much for sharing this remarkable account with us! Love you both, Liz & Joe/Mom & Dad
weak reader Rigorous, informative blog entry; thanks. BE RISK AWARE, please. I knew about sickness from uncertain water, and, or food sources; I hadn't thought about the danger from winds. "Indeed it was a different hike on the way back for me. The wind was SO STRONG on the cliff part, and I got quite scared. We would start out on one of the open exposures, and a gust would come across and hit us, and I would just fall against the cliff side[sic(?)](cliff face?) for stability and wait until the wind let up for a moment, move forward until another gust came, and so forth. On the hike into the valley, I'd prepared my mind for the cliff, and enjoyed it. On the hike out, my approach was different . . . " (from, Bouncing Round the World, Honolulu, Hawaii, Friday 22 April 2011 / www.offexploring.com/bowdeebouncesroundtheworld/blog/hawaii/honolulu) Thanks again. Please be mindful.