During our trip to the Island of Kaua'i in October 2006, we ventured up to the end of Hwy 583, Ma'alo Road, to see Wailua Falls. Just about all tourists that come to this island seem to find their way here at least once. Heck, we did it on our first trip here, too. But we skipped it during our second trip.
Now, for our third trip here, we had read about an interesting hike to the bottom of the gorge that had a wonderful pay-off. You could swim in the pool at the base of the falls. You could even stand in it if you wanted. It sounded too good to pass up.
So we drove up there.
After a few obligatory pictures of the falls from behind the fence at the top, we ventured back down the road a ways to find the trailhead. Sure enough, we found it. However, my wife was not feeling up to the challenge of the long hike. She opted to wait at the car. I started down the steep trail.
On the way down, I came across this couple who were returning from a failed attempt. They said that they made it to the river and followed the river upstream. But they ran into a section of the embankment that was just vertical rock. They said that the steep embankment was too steep to traverse, so they looked for a way to cross the river, but could find none. Perturbed, they turned around.
I pressed onward.
Sure enough, I, too, came to the same place that stopped that couple. But after looking at the protruding rocks and tree roots, it became apparent how to use these to make it past this obstacle. Placing my feet on the rocks and holding onto the tree roots, I was able to get past.
One good thing was that if I had wanted to wade through the water, I could have made it around here. But with the chance of a twisted ankle on the submerged slippery rocks weighing on my mind, I chose to make it "feet dry" by clinging to the tree roots and stepping on the rocky protrusions.
I made it to the falls shortly thereafter and snapped the photos and video shown here.
I chose not to swim or stay too long. Why? There were two reasons.
First: there is a real threat of leptospirosis infection from the water. Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that, at worst, can be fatal or, if mild, can cause "kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, and respiratory distress" (quote from the CDC).
Second: the weather report had indicated a chance of flashflood. We had been getting plenty of rain during our stay on this island so far and everyday there were flashflood warnings issued. I wanted to get in and get out before there was any rain -- here or way upstream in the mountains.
The toughest part of this hike was the return up to the road. The trail has a grade of 60% or steeper in many parts. The tree roots act as terraces to hold the soil and create an almost natural staircase in many places. However, the continuous steep step up in many places will make your hamstrings and calf muscles burn. And with all the water and camera stuff in my backpack, I was struggling. I was also huffing and puffing all along the way.
I had to stop and rest several times during my ascent. The dense tree cover blocked most all the wind. There was barely a breeze to be felt, which made it quite hot as the late morning sun started heating things up. By the time I reached the road at the top of the gorge, my legs were a little wobbly and my shirt was soaked in sweat.
All in all, it was a pretty tough hike back up. But I made it! AND, I felt it was well worth the effort!
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Island of Kauai, Hawaiiby lexphotolex24,819 views
Yeah keep it, I'm not impressed.
tomwill4sure 2 years ago
That's only because you have not yet hiked down there and back.
BlueCollarTraveler 2 years ago
That's Opaekaa falls by the wailua homesteads. wailua falls is further south of here.
theflorist09 2 years ago
Sorry, you got it wrong. Opaekaa Falls is a tumbler falls where the water is in contact with the rocks most of the way down. Wailua is a freefall, just as it is shown here.
BlueCollarTraveler 2 years ago