Not Too Afraid of Heights
The climb to the Sleeping Giant’s nose
As our first day in Kauai came to a close, we were joined by another couple who would be our adventure buddies for the duration of the trip. Mitch and Nick work together as techs (Nick, guitar and Mitch, drums) for the same band and they shared the idea to extend their work trip into a short vacation. Kyna, Mitch’s girlfriend, is a talented photographer whose work mixes the natural and ethereal. Her prized camera made the trip with her, as she had a feeling that inspiration wouldn’t be hard to find on the island.
In the morning, the four of us packed up our little hotel room and savored the last showers we would have for three days, as we planned to camp for the next three nights on various campgrounds around the island. My years of logistical and travel coordination as an executive assistant came in handy; in the weeks leading up to the trip, I had researched and secured camping permits for us in various locations. The state and county permit process for Kauai seemed a bit overwhelming at first, especially for someone who has never camped before. There are so many options, differences in facilities, and small-print restrictions on which campsites are closed a few days a week or for entire seasons at a time. But through a independent research and a call to the permit office, even a rookie like me was able to figure it out. The admins at the office helped me select sites that were most likely to be the driest and safest during February (rainy season). County permits were $2 per person per night, and state were $26 total to secure. Though we were never asked to present our permits throughout our trip, in retrospect we were happy to have spent a grand total of less than $50 to contribute to Kauai’s park maintenance and ensure that we could camp unbothered and without the anxiety that would surely accompany breaking the rules. Not to say it was seamless. More on the camping part later…
One of the best things to come out of this trip is that Nick and I, still new in our relationship, learned that we make a really good team. Our interests, abilities, and eccentricities compliment each other. For example, Nick drew from the information I found to book our campsites and planned an efficient itinerary for our remaining four days on the island. There are only two highways on Kauai and it is impossible to drive around the entire circular island, as the vast Napali Coast acts as a natural, impenetrable road-block. But he plotted out a course that would start our explorations on the east, take us down south, then out west to the base of the Napali coast, then back around the island heading to the north shore before we would embark on the world famous Kalalau Trail as the culmination of our time in Kauai. Along the way, we would camp at each of the sites I had selected, and explore a different part of the island by day.
Now that Mitch and Kyna had joined us, our second day in Kauai commenced with a a bike ride up and down the Kapa’a bike path. Yet again, the weather gods seemed to be in our favor, and it was hard to keep my eyes on the red road ahead, as to my right, the sight of waves crashing over rocks and onto the beach in the sparkling sunlight was so beautiful it made me a bit emotional and quiet.
We rode past Lydgate Beach a few miles up to Kuna Bay, a topless beach better known as Donkey Beach. The current was so strong that we only went in to our knees, and still ended up getting our feet swept out from under us.
Kyna’s pictures (see her work to the left in B&W and more on her instagram) capture the other-worldly natural beauty we were struck by on this day. You can even see my smile beneath the straw hat. It returns to my face now, months later, remembering how free I felt there.
While we could have spent all day biking from beach to beach, Nick’s itinerary told us that we had a hike in store that was not to be missed. We drove from Kapa’a into the suburban streets of Wailua, and the Sleeping Giant trailhead began in what appeared to be a very lucky someone’s backyard. Out and back, the trail was just under 4 miles, so it sounded really doable, but the steady incline on muddy terrain, added a challenging element for the two-mile ascend. As the sweat started and my quads and achilles resisted, the antidote to doubt was easily found in every direction. The trail was ever changing, the landscape evolving at what seemed like every turn — from a shady forest, to a narrow winding path on the mountain edge bordered by high grass and bright flowers, to the darkness of a canopy of trees with sprawling roots casting a spider-web like design on the ground, and a network of branches above. Kyna was obviously in aesthetic heaven. We all were.
Sleeping Giant is the better-known name for the Nounou Mountain, thanks to a bit of ancient folklore. From the highway, the bald, rounded face of the mountain hunches in the skyline, forming a shape which looks, fittingly, like a very large being. Local legend has it that a giant partied so hard at a celebration that he laid down for a nap and never woke up. Nick, a lover of history and research, kept us posted on which parts of the giant we were scaling as the elevation rose. We climbed up to the “chest” of the Giant where the East trail technically ends at a picnic shelter with a sprawling overlook. But to the left, there was a path to go higher still. The terrain turned to rocks and I followed where Kyna placed her feet and slowly but surely climbed up a wall of rocks, and then another one.
“We’re on his neck now,” Nick reported. The path grew narrower and steeper, and soon we were as high as a sane person could go. But Nick, an experienced climber pressed on ahead, and I looked up at him, perched on the highest possible peak, sitting in the sun, proud and content, and I knew I had to join him. I am afraid of heights, but not afraid enough to simply wonder what the view from the highest possible point — the giant’s nose — was like. I climbed cautiously and joined Nick at the very top, surprised at myself. “I’m afraid of heights.” I laughed as I sat on a flat ledge. Nick laughed and said “Me too!” and we both took in the beauty around us in every direction. As Kauai’s forests met the towns which met the beach and greeted the sea, we took it in… that feeling of doing something that scared us but was so absolutely worth it, together.
