(all pictures are low res, for high res click here)
During our
recent trip to the garden isle of
Kauai, we took a side trip at the top
of Waimea
Canyon to the
Honopu Ridge Trail. From the parking lot,
it was clear that this was going to be a muddy adventure. According to the
Kauai Ultimate Guidebook (a must for anyone traveling to Kauai) this trail
was reclaimed by the jungle during
Hurricane Iwa in 1982.
It is no longer maintained by the state, but by volunteers, thus the trail is
very tricky at times, even at the trailhead which has 3 passageways (you must
pick
wisely)
The jungle was thick
and it was imperative that we followed the pink and orange trail markers
otherwise we'd get lost for sure. The flora was extravagant and unique to this
tropical climate
and the jungle was unforgiving.
As luck would have it, the trail led to a lookout that was completely obscured
by clouds. All we viewed was white, even after waiting a few minutes to see if
it would clear. The clouds gave an ethereal feel to this hike
and the mud made for a very messy outing
.
Overall, I can't really say this hike was worth the trouble. It was fun
bushwacking thru the jungle, but the payoff was not there. There are
other hikes on Kauai that
can provide more benefits.
