the trips for suggestions.
You can’t expect resort-quality weather in hiking areas!
The relatively dry, sunny weather advertised for Hawaii is typical only of a few coastal resort areas, like Kauai’s Poipu and Polihale areas. That’s why Kauai’s biggest and busiest resorts are in the Poipu area. Much of Hawaii, including most of Kauai, is covered with rainforests and is very wet. That’s where the most beautiful and interesting hikes are! Be prepared for rain when you hit the trail, and consequently for weather markedly cooler than that of the resort you’ve left behind, especially if the trail is in the mountains.
Equipment Suggestions and Miscellaneous Hints
Let no one say
And say it to your shame
That all was beauty here
Until you came.
— Sign, Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania
This book isn’t intended to teach you how to hike or backpack. If you can walk, you can hike, especially the “very easy” hikes. You can learn about backpacking in Backpacking Basics by Thomas Winnett and Melanie Findling (see Bibliography). Just be sure the trip you pick is within your hiking limits.
This book is intended specifically to let you know where you can hike on Kauai, what to expect when you hike there, and how to get to the trailhead for each hike. And that, I hope, will help you decide which hikes to take.
This section contains suggestions which I hope will make your hikes even more pleasant, and perhaps better protect you and the environment. Of course, you’re the only person who lives in your body, so you’ll have to judge what’s really appropriate for you. But there are a few things you might want to know before you go—things that may be very different from the hiking you’ve done at home on the mainland. (Maybe you already know them, but it’s hard to shut me up when I think I have some good advice.)
It’s up to you
No book can substitute for, or give you, five things only you can supply: physical fitness, preparedness, experience, caution, and common sense. Don’t leave the trailhead without them.
Minimum equipment for very easy and easy dayhikes
Wear or carry these items as a minimum:
Sunglasses
Coach’s whistle—you can blow a whistle for help longer and louder than you can shout
Appropriate footwear
Strong sunblock applied before you set out
Insect repellent if you are attractive to mosquitoes and deerflies
Food—recommended minimum for easy hikes: high-energy, concentrated-nutrition snack bars
Water—no open source of water in the U.S. is safe to drink untreated, so fill water bottles from treated sources (e.g., the bathroom tap at your hotel). Recommended minimum: 1 pint for very easy and easy hikes, 1–2 quarts for moderate hikes, 2 quarts for strenuous hikes
Lightweight “space blanket”—a couple of ounces of metallized mylar film usable for temporary shelter or rain protection
Appropriate clothing so you can keep warm when the temperature drops, when it rains, and when it gets windy. Even in Hawaii, and especially in the mountains, the weather can turn nasty quickly. Be prepared with extra, appropriate clothing— especially a warm cap—when it does so. See Hypothermia?, On Kauai?, below.
If you wear corrective lenses and/or require special medications, take extra lenses and carry a small supply of your medications
Minimum equipment for moderate and strenuous dayhikes
Start with the minimum equipment for easy hikes, above. Add—
Extra food and water—for moderate and strenuous hikes, carry lunch and some snack bars
Extra appropriate clothing—see Hypothermia?, On Kauai?, below
Map (and compass if you can use it)
Flashlight with extra bulbs and batteries
Means to dig a hole 6–8 inches deep and at least 100 feet from water, in order to bury solid body wastes; tissue that you will also bury (or pack out)
Pocket knife
Firstaid kit—backed by firstaid training
Waterproof matches and something you can keep a flame going with (such as a candle) only when necessary to start a fire in order to save a life
Equipment for backpacks
The following is a minimal checklist for backpacking equipment.
Minimal Backpacking Equipment List
Everything listed above for dayhikes
Permit
Backpack
Tent
Sleeping pad
Sleeping bag
Cookware and clean-up stuff
Stove and fuel*
Eating utensils
Boots
Socks
Shirts
Shorts or long pants
Hat
Rain gear
Underwear
Personal medication
Toiletries
*You cannot take stove fuel on a plane. You must buy it at your destination.
Tennis shoes?
I’ve noted in the hike descriptions whether tennis shoes—that is, lightweight oxford-type shoes—are okay to wear or whether I think you should wear boots. I base that recommendation on the length of the hike and the difficulty of the terrain. What tennis shoes lack that boots can provide are ankle support and soles that grip. Only you can really decide how important those are to you.
Boot care
If you’re going to hike a lot, be sure your boot seams are freshly sealed and you’ve freshly waterproofed the entire boot, including the cloth portion, if any. Use a heavy-duty waterproofing compound like a wax, and bring some of it along in order to renew the coating if necessary. Chances are your boots
