04/09/2025
We did the Kukui Trail going down into Waimea Canyon on Kauai & remember, what goes down must come back up! (Not quite the saying we all know...) We had another late start today, beginning our at 10am. I definitely recommend starting earlier than that!
The first bit of the trail has periodic shade, which was quite nice, but you soon lose the shade, trading it for dusty, wide open areas. The ground was quite loose as we were hiking in dry conditions, but I could see it being quite treacherous in the rain. After quite a bit of blazing sun, you are then surprised to find yourself a lush forested area with shade again. This leads you to the bottom, where a cool, refreshing stream awaits you.
We spent some time at the stream, soaking my feet a bit in the cool, refreshing water, & we had some snacks to refuel. There is an outhouse there, but I gladly took a squat off trail instead of battling it out with the monster spiders we saw in there!
The hike back up to the top I found to be challenging, as we were not only tackling the incline, but also, the heat was real! We took small breaks wherever we could find little pockets of shade.
We found our poles were helpful with the incline, reaching the top 4 hours later. Bring LOTS of water as you'll need it!