My dear wife, in her infinite wisdom, arranged for me to fly alone into Kauai nearly a full day early before meeting her and friends for a Hawaiian vacation. My task: get in an extended adventure of my choosing so I could enjoy a relaxing vacation the remainder of the week.
It didn't take long to pinpoint the perfect adventure: the Kalalau Trail along the Na Pali Coast. This trail has emerged as one of the most-sought-out backpacking destinations in the world. The 11-mile (22 round trip) trail accesses some of the most formidable yet beautiful terrain you'll ever see. 4000-foot cliffs covered in green fuzz and cloaked in clouds, ubiquitous ribbon-like waterfalls, tangled jungles, and white-sand beaches bounded by wave-battered sea cliffs make the Kalalau Trail unforgettable. And the scene surrounding the campground at trail's end truly is a slice of heaven on earth. Note to self: next time you make it out this way, spend a minimum of one week at this campground, and for heaven's sake, share the experience with your wife!
Adding to the excitement factor, is the fact that the trail has garnered the reputation of being one of the most dangerous trails to play on. The Kalalau Trail rated as one of Backpacker magazine's 10 most dangerous hikes in America and Outside magazine included it as one of the 20 most dangerous hikes in the world. I think the hazard here is a little overblown. Just stay out of the ocean if the surf is high, don't cross the rivers if the water is too high, and watch your step on the narrow parts of the trail, and you're good to go.
I had perfect weather the entire hike. I completed the run, complete with many breaks for photos/ water treatment in less than 8 hours. Even though I had GPS for backup, navigation was not an issue.
Here are the pics:
The Kalalau trail surface varies from boulders to sticky mud to exposed bedrock, but all of it is very much runable.
The rugged Na Pali Coast. I could literally feel the huge waves crashing against the cliffs below. The ocean is particularly angry here during the winter months.
The first two miles of trail to Hanakapiai Beach can be a bit crowded, but beyond that (where your supposed to have a permit) are just sporadic groups of backpackers.
The KalalauTrail traverses wild and deep canyons that beg further exploration.
The secluded Hanakapiai Beach is reached just two miles in. Despite its inviting appearance, strong rip currents have claimed many lives here.
Hala trees and their aerial roots wait to trip up unsuspecting runners along the Kalalau Trail.
Backpackers make their way out onto an exposed ledge above the Pacific.
The Kalalau Trail is not flat. In fact, you'll climb more than 10,000 feet roundtrip -- this elevation gain is similar to the Grand Canyon Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim, and the Kalalau Trail accomplishes that gain in 20 less miles!
Narrow trails carved into cliffs and loose scree fields leave a very small margin of error along the Kalalau Trail.
Poking my way across "Crawler's Ledge".
Descending the Red Hill to Kalalau Beach.
Campsites in paradise at Kalalau Beach.
Westward travel along the Na Pali Coast is blocked by impassable cliffs.
Barefoot beach running along the Na Pali Coast -- does it get any better than this??
Hippie hangout at Kalalau.
Kalalau Falls -- also known as "the shower" if your are camping nearby.
A nap on this comfy-looking hammock was hard to resist!
It's about 7,000 vertical feet from the Leeds Exit on Interstate 15 to Signal Peak atop the Pine Valley Mountains in southwestern Utah. For me, getting to the top and back equated to an 18 mile (round trip)/3,100-vertical-foot bike ride and a 10 mile/4,300-vertical-foot hike. Whew.
I tried to limit the timer shots, and was able to complete the round trip in under 7 hours. Aside from a couple of people camping at Oak Grove, a saw just one hiking group of three girls on the mountain all day. The weather could not have been better considering that is was late November.
Early approach up the Oak Grove Road from Leeds. The main Pine Valley escarpment lies ahead.
Oak Grove Campground. I was shocked to see that this Forest Service campground at 6500 feet was still open.
Oak Grove trailhead. Only 5 more brutal miles to go to the top.
Gaining elevation fast on the Oak Grove Trail.
The rugged east face of the Pine Valley Mountains.
A rare flat section heading up to the rim.
Great views of the Kolob Terrace and Zion National Park present themselves from the 10,000-foot rim of the Pine Valley Mountains.
Sublime singletrack in the Further Water meadows.
Final snowy push to the top.
Lunch on Signal Peak at 10,365 feet. Signal Peak itself is not terribly impressive as it it just a jumble of rocks that stick up slightly higher than the surrounding the 10,000-foot plateau.
But, if you walk to the southwest a hundred yards or so, you reach the rim and are treated to colossal views of the desert below. The red rocks here are part of Snow Canyon State Park.
The best part of an ultra-climb is when you get back to the bottom and look back at the top of mountain that you just conquered!
Me and a couple of my brothers took advantage of an extremely mild Fall here in Utah and headed out to explore some new (and old) haunts in the West Desert. Matt's Jeep performed flawlessly as we completed a world-wind tour through the House, Confusion, and Wah Wah Ranges.
Sawtooth Canyon camp in the central House Range.
Matt enters the Hell'n Moriah narrows of the central House Range.
There are two things that make the Hell'n Moriah narrows special (and a little scary). First, the canyon is carved into Cambrian to Ordovician-age limestone of the Notch Peak Formation. A limestone slot canyon is relatively rare compared to the hundreds of sandstone slot canyons found in the Southwest. Second, the deepest, darkest part of the canyon is a known lion's den. It is a little unnerving to be hiking through the slot and have dozens of disarticulated animal carcasses laying around!
Eros negotiates a smoothed pour-over in the Hell'n Moriah narrows.
Cabin in Sawtooth Canyon.
The mind-boggling Desert Sink Hole east of Orr Ridge of the House Range. Large sinkholes don't normally form on alluvial fans. This sink is most likely rooted in underlying Cambrian limestone (where sinkholes typically do form) of the Weeks Limestone and Orr Formation.
Relic of mining operations in lower Amasa Valley in the House Range.
Derelict equipment used in a large-scale placer mining operation in lower Amasa Valley. Matt Photo.
Death Canyon Junction in Tule Valley. Howell Peak of the Middle House Range in distance.
Camp at Painter Spring.
The Ibex Crags of the Barn Hills.
The Tule Valley Hardpan holds water from a recent rain storm. Barn Hills in the distance.
The desolate Tule Valley Hardpan.
Hardpan mudcracks. Matt Photo.
Ordovician Eureka Quartzite make up the interesting canyon country near the abandoned Ibex ranch.
Easy-to-miss pictographs near Ibex, Utah.
Quartzite narrows at Ibex.
Crystal Peak of the Wah Wah Range.
Crystal Peak is composed of the 35-million-year old Tunnel Springs Tuff -- an volcanic ash-flow deposit that erupted from a large caldera to the east. The unusual cavities (tafoni) eroded out of the tuff are unreal.
Dolomitic "zebra rock" of the Cambrian-Ordovician Notch Peak Formation, Lawson Cove, Wah Wah Valley.
Loading bins at the Tasso Mine at Pine Grove, Wah Wah Range.
It is sad to see the carelessness of visitors to the abandoned mining district at Pine Grove. I biked through this area back in 2007, and there are several noticeable changes since then. Sure, some of the decay is due to time and heavy snowfall, but much of the destruction is clearly people ripping the cabins down for fire wood or just for fun. Compare the 2007 cabin photo above with recent photo below.
The old Revenue Mine bunkhouse in Spring 2007.
The bunkhouse today.
Revenue Mine cellar -- 2007 on the left -- door gone in 2014. Sad.