Two Go Hiking, Two Stay Home

Jon and Laura left early, heading back up the Waimea Canyon road to the last lookout so they could do the hike through the highest swamp in the world. Rebecca and I stayed home and lounged. She went for a walk around the area, getting her bearings while I stayed home and typed. After a few lazy hours, we slathered her with sunscreen and headed out to our beach. It is utterly luxurious to have a gorgeous beach just across the road -- we just took our hats, mats, books and went to read and lie in the sun. When we got hot we walked into the ocean just enough to get cooled off.

Meanwhile, the hikers were doing a really hard hike, as it turned out. Lots of climbing over roots and rocks, going up and down steep hills, walking on ridges. They were lucky and they got a good view of Hanalei Bay at the end -- they met another hiker who had done the hike a total of 7 times and had never seen the bay because it was always too foggy or voggy (volcanic fog). The hike was 7.5 miles round trip, which is the longest hike Jon has done in 8 years. When they got back at around 2:15, Laura said she was hobbling and she went right to the hammock for a few hours of recuperation.

Much of the trail is on boardwalk -- here through
a low forest. (LC)

Some of the slopes had steps built for convenience.

Again, the path goes through the forest.

Some of the trail was through low scrub. Here, the
boardwalk has been replaced by Trex.

A steep downhill with large ruts
and many roots.

The older boardwalk has disintegrated in
places. (LC)

A panorama shot from the overlook at the end of the trail. (LC)

A close-up of Hanalei Bay from the overlook, looking north. (LC)

After a football watching break, Rebecca and Jon headed out to shop for our next meal. Then we had a discussion about whether it was worth going out to have our daily picnic, since it would be so much easier just to stay home for dinner (Becca was against the logistics necessary for this picnic, Jon was for it on principle). We headed out to the beach and had a lovely picnic at a picnic table and we got to see whales! Multiple whales, multiple times -- spy hopping (that means coming straight out of the water, vertically), spouting, flapping their fins. (Alas, no pictures.) Laura got in the water and said it was the nicest yet -- no current, friendly waves. The red sun went below the horizon in a hurry, sparking a discussion about whether the sun moves at the same pace as it crosses the sky (we know it is not the sun moving) and why it appears to speed up when it gets close to the horizon.

Another picnic at the beach,

At the end of the day, Rebecca only had a sunburn on her shin and the top of her feet, where the sand and the water rubbed off her goopy sunscreen. We had haupia and pomelo for dessert. Mm mm.