ADAM HAYDOCK

If you are camping over night, I suggest pushing for an early start as the sun will be behind the mountains for almost half the day, The total ascent is around 5000feet one way, the switch backs provide shade, water to purify, and the jungle portions will be a bit cooler than being on the spur roundabouts.  There is a desert like section where the trail narrows a bit and has a slighter potential to become risky but if care is taken, it is not bad.

 

 

For the first two miles I was in complete darkness. It was nice and quiet all the way to Hanakapi Beach.  The waves were tearing through this beach as the dim cloudy sun started to work its way through the nightfall. It was an experience in itself to be the only one on the trail in this section until some weary hikers came up from the Kalalau beach. They must have left around 4 am and hiked most of the trail in total darkness.

 



Kalalau Trail, Kauai Hawaii

The beautiful lush rain forest started to take form as the sun slowly created a gray dawn and I no longer needed my partial flickering incandescent headlamp.


Kalalau Trail, Kauai Hawaii

 

I was impressed with the nature of these plants and how unique they looked to other rain forests that I have visited in the past.





Kalalau Trail Kauai, Hawaii

Continuing on past the beach, the trail turned into a series of switchback directions and weaved itself through patches of forest and I followed a mid cliff ridge switching back a bit to the first and second significant spur.



Hanakoa Valley, Kalalau Trail, Kauai.

 This is where the trail started to get interesting. The whole time you follow the trail, you can hear the ocean waves smashing up onto the cliff walls and you can also see the debris from the wall washing away into the ocean from the torrent of wave action created below. Moving around the corner was a valley that had to be followed back to the wall and back up to the next major spur.



Kalalau Trail Kauai, Hawaii

 

The switch back into the valley offered a lot of terrain variation as it gave the trail a lot of personality from being out on a open cliff overlooking the sea, to being in a dense jungle that turns back out on another cliff overlooking the sea. That was one of the amazing attributes that this trail will offer you. 



Waterfall going into the ocean from one of the spurs on the Kalalau Trail.

 bending around this Spur, you could start to see the outline of the Kalalau Beach which appeared to be decently close but with all the switchbacks and spurs to go around, the trail was set to be a lot longer than it looks.



Hanakoa Valley, Kalalau Trail Kauai Hawaii

 The next valley is Hanakoa valley which was a bit bigger than the last valley and also is home to a beautiful waterfall and a pool at the bottom of the falls that I planned on visiting on my return from the beach. At the back of the valley switchback in the jungle is the 6 mile mark and a place where people can camp.  There appeared to be a lot of places to camp so I wouldn't worry too much about not finding a spot to park your weary legs to camp for the night before heading to the falls or the remaining trail.

 



Hanakoa Valley and Falls Kalalau Trail Kauai Hawaii

 You can see Hanakoa falls from the distance but I highly recommend you check this waterfall out as I have heard that it is the better of the two falls and quite a place to relax and hang out. You will prob have the waterfall to yourself.



Kalalau Trail Kauai Hawaii

Continuing on the trail, the environment got a bit drier and the trail kept the hikers along the cliff coast for the majority of the trip. There will be a few switchbacks but you also come up to the notorious section that has been deemed dangerous. Personally, I did not find this section dangerous, rather I found it to be quite easy to walk along as there were many foot holds and enough room for two lanes of hikers coming through but not much more.



Kalalau Trail Kauai Hawaii

 I can see where some people would find it a bit tricky and if it was raining out than it could be a bit more slippery yet I found that there were a lot of places to step and as long as you were paying attention, you will be fine. but pay attention!

 after passing this the mountians were shining with the suns rays cresting over the ridge.

Kalalau Trail Kauai Hawaii The Closer I got to the Kalalau Valley, the more majestic the views became. It was amazing to see the mountains and thankfully the sun was burning through the clouds to get some decent pictures.

Kalalau Trail Kauai Hawaii

 The kalalau Valley was starting to become in sight and the morning was moving on to late morning which I found surprising as I thought it was a couple hours earlier than it really was. I guess time flys when you are on mile 8 on one of the most beautiful trails on the planet.

Adam Haydock, Kalalau Trail Kauai Hawaii

 The final approach was within site and I wanted to get to the top of a mound and have lunch surrounding myself with the green mountains, valley and the Napoli Coast.

 There was a nice sign at the entrance of the valley resembling the entrance and a warm welcome to the Kalalau Valley.

 As I cooked up some lunch on the valley top, I could see some of the campers coming out of the valley and starting their journey back to Kee Beach and the Kalalau trailhead. The beach was another mile and a half but I stopped where I was so I could give myself time to check out a side waterfall.

 The sun and the humidity added to the challenge to get some quality photos but at least the sun was out which gave the valley some good shadowing and dynamic.

 After lunch I had to start heading back the way I came and as I was walking back,  I could feel the tug to stay in the valley of the Kalalau. I really wanted to stay where I was for hours, maybe even take a nap but time was going to run out fast and I had to start to head back.


Kalalau Trail Kauai Hawaii

 Next time I have to camp here and as a matter of fact, I want to take a kayak to Kalalau and Honopu beach.

 It was a bit warmer and that heat made the switchbacks a bit more sweaty but once I got back into the valleys, it wasn't bad.

 It was nice to see how the trail looked as I headed back to the trailhead as the sun shined on all of the green mountains and lit up the ocean the emitted an electric blue color.

 The waterfall was very impressive! It was multi tiered so all I could imagine was rappelling this fall from the top and imagining swimming in this dark blue pool but time did not allow so I took off back to the main trail.

 Along the way, some of the visitors of the Kalalau were building bamboo lean-to's in the wood just beyond the trail.

 As I continued back towards the trailhead, I was partial to think that I am going to start to run into the hoards of the adventure tourists and people taking a day out from the hotel to do something exciting, which is great but can get rather crowded at times.

As I got closer to the beach I started to see people that have gone beyond the 2 mile mark where you need a permit, naughty, naughty!! I knew I was getting close to the trailhead after seeing that which gave my legs some brief relief.                                     

I headed up the trail and have been striving to make it back to the car in 10 hours from when I left the trailhead at 6 am.

I was passing people left and right as they worked through their challenges of walking up the hills, some might have been a little annoyed that I was passing them by like I was the bad guy.

Finally I reached the top of kee beach and it was just in time as my legs started to scream at me for hiking 10,000ft of elevation, 20 miles, in around 11 hours. It felt like battery acid was pumping through my veins.

There was a large group of people watching the whales jump in the ocean which was actually pretty cool.

I finally made it back to the trailhead after 11 and a half hours, a day trip to the Kalalau has been complete.

It was incredible being on the trail but I wish I camped there and next time around, I will be kayaking to see the sea caves of the Napoli coast and camping on the beach will be most awesome.

The amazing thing about this trail is the variation of the environment that one can find with the reward of having a remote beach to enjoy.

Everyone that enjoys the outdoors should visit this place and stay for a few days or a week.  There are other beaches in the area that are even more remote which is something I cant wait to visit this again next year!

Kalalau Trail

 

Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands that appear more like mountain tops that have grown out of the ocean 5.1 million years ago, than the traditional islands you might see in other equatorial destinations.  Kauai and the other 7 Hawaiian islands are in the middle of a dramatic trade wind jet stream that delivers abundant moisture and precipitation to the 8 islands in the middle of the Pacific.

Makauwahi cave, Kauai, Hawaii

 Kauai is composed primarily of a central shield volcano which built the island from layered basalt flows starting some 3.7 km below the surface of the ocean.  The Speleogeneological nature of the island is dominated by basalt lava flows of which have created the Napoli and Okolele formations. These formations have a major role in the flank collapses and Caldera fills, including the one in the Alakai Awamp where the Caldera has been filled in resulting in a region of impermeable water seepage creating what we know today as the Alakai Swamp and Mt. Waialeale, one of the wettest places on earth.

Waikapale caves, Kauai, hawaii

Naturally lava tubes would have been created if the lava flows allowed, but with the brittle formations of the Napoli and the Okolele formations, Karst and cave systems appear to be very few on the Island of Kauai.  However, there are a few small caves that I was able to locate on the Island within the time that I was there.  They are all touristy caves and I could also see some other grotto features in cliffs but nothing as extensive as some of the other lava tube systems on the other islands in Hawaii.

Makauwahi cave limestone, Kauai, Hawaii

One of the caves is called Makauwahi.  It is located in the southern region of Poipu near the Heritage trail. there is a small trail leading to the Sinkhole entrance which has a trail that leads through a small hole into a cavern and out into the bottom of the sink itself. Learn about the Heritage trail here.

Makauwahi cave, Kauai, Hawaii

There is a couple hundred feet of passage where a guide takes people on tours of the cave and its history.  The cave is relatively new and has been said to be between 700,000 years and 1,000,000 years old which is pretty new considering the islands were formed only 5 million years ago and typically caves, especially the ones in the Midwest, are around 250,000,000 and 350,000,000 years old. The cave is the only limestone cave on all of the islands which is interesting and has artifacts that can be found inside the cave include early Hawaiians conducting various ceremonies and pieces of extint shell and bone which have been washed into the sink during the last few ice ages.

formations in Makauwahi cave, Kauai, Hawaii

 I found that to be rather interesting as it is a collection dish of sorts throughout the last Holocene and Pleistocene eras.  The Sand is silky smooth and there are some popcorn formations and small stalactites in the cave. It is worth a visit if you are into geology or if you are just in the area, I recommend giving it a look.  The Next cave is called Maniniholo and is a very easy access cavern across the street from lifeguard beach where Tunnels beach is located. 

Maniniholo cave, Kauai, hawaii

Maniniholo Cave appears to be more of an old sea cave that has endured the trials of time and today, it is a dry and dormant cavern with some oxidizing material that can be found on the walls.

Maniniholo cave, Kauai, hawaii

 

Tunnels beach actually has some interesting lava formations in the form of broken up sea cave passage and short broken up lava basalt features 40ft underwater that swimmers and divers can visit when the tides are not ripping through the bay, unlike how it was when I was there.



Maniniholo cave, Kauai, hawaii

Waikanaloa and Waikapale caves are up the road a bit more and provide a impressive entrance which immediately leads to a water filled passage that abruptly ends.


Maniniholo cave, Kauai, hawaii

  From what I understand, the caves watercourse connect with the tides in the ocean and rainfall that lead out into the sea and divers have been in the cave water entrance but I cant find anymore information on where the passage goes or the results from the dive research.  The passage and cave is pretty big, with clear water, and looked tempting to rent dive gear to see where it goes.

Waikapale caves , Kauai, hawaii

 The govt. does not want anyone swimming in there due to Leptospirosis.  Interesting basalt entrances and caves but as far as exploration goes, I believe some of the other islands have more extensive passages than these caves.

Waikapale caves , Kauai, hawaii

 

 

 Last day in death Valley and the weather was a beautiful 72 degrees in Badwater basin with a cool breeze in the shade.  It was a great condition to hike up the mountain for a nice loop trip to pull down Helios Canyon 

 Helios canyon is in the Badwater basin region so it is accessible by any car and is great for a half day trip through a pretty straightforward canyon.

 There is a sneak route which will drop you into the canyon but to get the full effect, I recommend starting from the top.

 The hike up is straightforward regarding the route but does require you to negotiate the scree slopes you will encounter on the way up. 

 The views were really nice of badwater basin and I could see cars driving by as I made my descent down to the bottom.

 There were a few raps that were between 160 and 180ft but the remaining drops were less than 100ft which made for a nice quick pull. You want to make sure you check the natural anchors being used and check the webbing before loading the anchor to ensure that they have not shifted.

 The breeze was a  cool wind and the canyon was dry as a bone.  there is some exposed climb downs but with a little team work, negotiation, and scrambling, it should not require the use of a hand line but I can see where it can be helpful.

 I am looking forward to going back to Death Valley for more canyoneering routes as they have been recently ben uncovered and look quite interesting for a dry pull in the Valley.



Smelter tower in Panamint City Death Valley

Panamint City is a high desert ghost town located in California's Death Valley national park in the Panamint mountain range. Panamint city was booming destination for mining prospectors in the late 1800s which rewarded these committed miners and families with silver and copper to prospectors and their families.

Panamint City, Death Valley

 The revenue generating city in the Panamint mountain had a mile long road which was destroyed in a flash flood that consequently limited the functionality of the city and created a challenging obstacle for future prospectors.

Panamint City

 The resident living quarters, hotel, post office, and brothel, were starved to the point where the road was completely washed out in the 1980s which isolated Panamint City turning this thriving and lucrative establishment into a eerie and well preserved ghost town. 

Motel in Panamint City, Death Valley

Today the few intrepid hikers that visit this historic American mining frontier can find a ghost town full of artifacts including cars left behind, foundations to homes, a motel, a garage, old car remains, other house structures and a crumbling smelter tower with some interesting brick structure surrounding the town.

Panamint City Death Valey

 The city is at around 6250ft. above sea level so conditions can be quite different than they are in the valley or even at the Chris camp trailhead in surprise canyon.

Panamint City Death Valley

I encountered sub freezing temperatures upon our morning arrival and frost lightly sprinkled on the ground. It appears you can camp around Panamint city today as there were spots where camp fire remains were found and one of the buildings appeared to have a register where hikers have stayed inside and slept.

Panamint City, Death Valley

To get to Panamint city is not exactly a walk in the park. To visit this remote ghost town, there is around a 20 mile drive from Panamint springs to a dirt road that takes you across a dry lake bed to Ballarat ghost town.

Ballarat Ghost Town, Death Valley

 Ballarat has a few structures standing including rusted out machinery scattered around the property. We were greeted by a man who owns the property and had cold beers and soda available which was nice. 

Ballarat Ghost Town, Death Valley

He mentioned that the truck in front belonged to Charlie Mansion which might be true but no evidence that it belonged to him. I'll take his word on it as it's an interesting story.

Ballarat Ghost Town, Death Valley

After you leave ballarat you have another few miles on a dirt road to a side road which became a 2WH high clearance road with a steady slope surrounded by a screw pile into the mouth of surprise canyon. After a couple miles up the road, come to
The trailhead for surprise canyon and a old mining claim fixed with some artifacts and a wooden device used to separate material from composition. 
The trail to Panamint city from the trail head of surprise canyon is the most direct route and is also the road the led to Panamint city which can be noticed from time To time while hiking up to the top.
The trail leading to Panamint city has a steady slope that can give the experienced hiker a vascular manageable pace on this 6 mile, one way, trek to the top. Along the way you will pass a couple series of waterfall sections in the lower narrow corridors of the canyon that allow all kinds of plants to thrive with the surge of constant flowing spring water.

Surprise Canyon Hike to Panamint City

  The canyon opens up into larger gorge sections and narrows as you slowly ascend in elevation and pass different strata layers of rock. Some of the layers have mineral veins and a section of granite and marble was passed in a narrow section which was beautiful. 

Surprise Canyon Hike to Panamint City

Did I mention that this hike is awesome? Well it was!!!  I was surprised to see how interesting the hike was with a great piece of historic treasure to encounter. There was a lot of variety of interesting trail to encounter from scrambling over slippery waterfalls to pushing through heavily vegetated trail sections that grab your pack and can be a little Mis orienting at times until you pop through back into the talus and scree covered trail.

Surprise Canyon Hike to Panamint City

 At times you can get your feet wet from the spring water which abruptly starts at the springs resurgence and loses back underground or continues to flow out the head of the canyon. I looked for the springs resurgence and found it to be small clear water and heavily vegetated to the point where it will take quite a while to hack through. A large section of vines protects and feeds itself at the resurgence. 

Surprise Canyon Hike to Panamint City

We ended up camping for a night in the middle of the canyon as sunlight was running out but found there were some great and pretty plentiful locations to set up camp the further you head up canyon.

Surprise Canyon Hike campsite Panamint City

The following day we passed another spring which had a small cave entrance around the bend from the small resurgence which appeared to be not much passage.

 The canyon continued to climb a dry and cold ascent meandering until we got to a final stretch where automobile parts were noticed on the side of the broken road along with foundation structures starting to appear as we passed the juniper line. I noticed a red tower of sorts and soon after, we came to the front line center of Panamint City!!!

Surprise Canyon Hike to Panamint City

This was a fantastic and a very unique hike which takes you through a variety of interesting features and rewards you with a destination being a historic ghost town locked in time. This easily a top 10 favorite hike of all time and I was absolutely surprised with the whole route from start to finish!!!

Panamint City, Death Valley

The remaining portion of this trip was a visit to the Panamint Dunes for an evening vista overlook of Panamint lake during sunset, a hike through falls canyon which was a nice hike to a dry fall, and a loop trip through Helios Canyon 3AII in Badwater basin which had some amazing views while hiking and scrambling to the top of the mountain.

Fall Canyon

The Dunes are a "must visit" because it is remote and you will most likely be the only group there.  the 5 mile road is a little rough getting to the dunes but once you are there, the hike is a 4 mile B line to the dunes.

Panamint Dunes

There is a great place to camp at the base of the dunes which overlooks Panamint Lake, the town and another 30-40 miles of Playa.

Panamint Dunes

 Upon our final approach to the dunes, the sun had set and we were left with a beautiful vista overlook of the valley below.  Laura and I enjoyed a beautiful night with the sun setting as we lounged on one of the dunes with a massive valley overlook and a beautiful sky above us!!! It was incredible.

Panamint Lake, Death Valley

Helios canyon had a drop which was around 180ft and another which was around 160ft but the other drops were less than 100ft.

Top of the 160ft drop in Helios Canyon, Death Valley

.
 The canyon narrowed and expanded and you descended down with dramatic views of Badwater basin.


overlooking badwater basin in Helios Canyon, Death Valley

 The route was completely dry and the anchors are natural so you want to check the webbing and replace it if needed. Also check the anchor to ensure rocks have not shifted which could create a fatal decision due to believing the rock pile is bomber left unchecked.

Rapid Fire drops in Helios Canyon, Death Valley

 I really enjoyed this canyon and our trip and I am looking forward to returning back to Death Valley in the near future.


Helios Canyon, Death Valley