So it has been way too long since my last adventure (at least those worth noting hehe)!
I am finally planning a doozy, one that will rival the Lost Coast, and a good next step on my way to the PCT! I wish I had the time to do John Muir and section hike the PCT but I just don't, work and all that life stuff, so I am planning to hike the Kalalau Trail in Kauai this summer!
I have been wanting to hike it for years now (since I went there on my honeymoon), but strangely, I could never seem to find anyone willing to fly to Hawaii for the sole purpose of Backpacking!!! HAHAHAHA! Interestingly enough, most people don't picture carrying a backpack over hundreds of feet of elevation gain/loss, 22+ miles of trail, and overall exhausting exercise as their ideal Hawaii trip. That being said, I finally found a few individuals who were willing (or naive) enough to agree to go!
My sister got married this past year and they too honeymooned on the Green Island of Hawaii. They did a bit of hiking while they were there, and being from Oregon where hiking is a necessity, they loved it! I pitched the idea to my sis and we decided to go this summer. I also was able to easily convince my friend Marco, who has been on a few packing trips with me, to come with.
I have been planning the trip with my sis for the past few months, and believe that I have it mostly figured out so as not to destroy all future enjoyment of the pastime for my sis and her husband who are mostly new to backpacking.
The main issue was water. Hawaii, due to its island like state, seems to have a bacteria that most continental waters don't share. Leptospira, the bacteria, is the smallest bacteria that I have heard of (not being a science major), and can fit through the average water filter. Take the Katadyn Hiker. I have used this filter on every trip I have ever taken, and never gotten sick due to pathogens in the water. It has a filter that weeds out bacteria down to .3 Microns! Pretty Tiny! The smallest backpacking filter I could find filters down to .2 Microns. Lepto can fit through anything but .1 micron or smaller! Which leaves me with only one way to purify my drinking water for the trip......chemical treatment. I am not a fan of Iodine based chemical purifiers, so I researched chlorine dioxide, and it seems to be the best bet. No after taste (unless you are a water junky hehe ;-) And it is guaranteed to kill everything. I don't like my options, since I would prefer not to have to purify at all, but between chemical and boiling, these being the only options, I am moving towards chemical, since I can't see myself carrying enough fuel to boil water for the whole trip. That is, and being happy with my pack weight and comfortable.
Other than the water issue, the trip is falling into place well! I have my plane tickets, a place to stay when not on the trail, my permit, and the only thing lacking is a rental car, which I will get over there. The smaller details are tougher, like how to get my stuff over their in one piece, and what gear I will take with me as necessity and what as misc.
I am planning on using a hammock as my sleep system, and most likely will not even bring a sleeping bag since the temperature rarely drops below 60 F. I still need to rig up a tarp system for my hammock, and have gone back and forth between making my own, and buying one. The pre-made ones are around 60-100$ and if I make one it might only cost around 30$, that is if I can get it right the first time. The weight issue is the big one. I don't have the resources to make my own ultralight tarp, so it would add weight to my setup. I think I will just buckle down and buy one.
Also, I am debating bringing fishing gear or not. I have been reading that with a light spinning setup you can catch most anything in the ocean, as long as you aren't interested in trophy fish. The other interesting thing is that there are supposed to be rainbow trout in the freshwater streams! Rainbow trout are one of the only mainland freshwater fish that can survive in warmer water, so they brought them over for use in the sport fishing world and introduced them to the reservoirs. They spread from there and now Kauai is a great place to fly fish i guess! Who would have believed.
If I take a rod then I will need some form of protection for it, and am thinking about getting a protective case for air travel. I am also concerned with the necessity of checking my backpacking gear and backpack on the flight over. My setup is small (on average) but not small enough to use as a carry on. This means checking the whole setup, or piecing it out into larger check luggage (which to me seems safer). I guess I will figure it out as the trip gets closer.
Other than all that, the trip looks to be a strait forward affair, just like any other trip, though on an island in some of the most drastically beautiful creation on the planet! I can't wait to be sitting in my hammock, tied between two palm trees, overlooking a serene beach scene ;-).
For now that is all.....more plans to come!
Till next time.....
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