I planned 2 weeks. Stayed 40 Nights. 1 Beach. 11 Miles Deep. How I THRIVED.
Kalalau beach was one of those places that kept finding its way into my conversations. At the time I had a small amount of money and I found a one-way ticket on Alaska Air for $225.00. After a 30-minute flight, a 13-hour layover, and another 5 hour flight, I made to Kauai. I was fortunate enough to have a friend pick me up and host me the first night, especially after that airline experience.
The very next morning I set out with two weeks of food in my 33-pound pack. I hitchhiked my way to the Kalalau trailhead.
Quickly I discovered this 11 mile trail along the cliffs of the Napali Coast was one long series elevation gains and descents. The beauty and excitement still had me running most of it.
After the first 6 miles, the touristy population was no where to be seen.
I had some amazing alone time on these cliff edge trail sections. I don't know why people told me they would be so bad... maybe in a rainstorm.
When I arrived this rainbow appeared to welcome me.
Little did I know this would become my home for the next 40 nights. With blisters on my feet, I set up camp, made some quinoa and beans, and went to sleep. (I lost most of my photos unfortunately but there is a spring fed waterfall at the end of the beach. You can drink from and shower under it, which is where I set up my first camp.)
So how well was I able to thrive out here?
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I was able to amass musical instruments, hammocks, an additional tent, and 35lbs. of food even though the nearest store was about 14 miles away walking distance. I never had to leave Kalalau beach/valley . All the while I only spent $20 in the first 41 days of my trip, not counting the plane ticket.
What was my secret?
Basically being considerate of others. Kalalau is secluded but there are some people who have been living there for ten years+. For the sake of where I am writing this, let's just call them whales. The whales over the years see people come and go. They generally like the people who help out bu contributing with food, music, or firewood. There are a lot of people who come there that only bring a small supply of food and run out but they end up staying a long time because they mooch off the whales.
This is Grizz, my whale friend and volleyball partner. He is also the creator of those amazing dutch oven pizzas pictured above. The first way I learned to supplement my food supply was to make sure we won almost every game of volleyball and to collect wood for Grizz from the jungle. He would have a fire big enough to have 4-5 pots cooking throughout most of the day. You can imagine how many thin branches that takes. Can you tell we spent most of our time cooking?
But if I was going to stay here I would need my own food.
The valley was full of hidden gardens, mango trees, a few lemon trees. The beach trails were littered with wild cherry tomatoes, noni trees, plantain grass, and edible flowers. That wasn't my secret though. First some more pictures.
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Something I learned from living in Big Sur, California and going to Burning Man is that giving to others feels awesome. The hike in was grueling and that stayed with me for a few days. Remember how I said there are always people coming and going? Well, I would see people arriving around sunset almost every day, exhausted. At first, I guided them around the area so they could settle in and it was always nice to meet new people. Sometimes when I was having little community dinner at my second beach camp with friends, I would invite these worn out travelers to come eat with us after they set up camp. These people usually headed out the next day and were over-packed with food since they ate ours. They usually happily gifted us some food. I left 90% of my food when I left the beach, every pound counts on that hike. After I made that connection, I started cooking food for the newcomers every day... even if it was only with my own food.
Use of the Barter System.
Every so often I would be given spam or beef jerky. These were as good as gold to me even though I'm a vegetarian. I had no trouble going up to a whale with pounds of food and trading it for a bunch of honey and rice. I could then use that food to continue the cycle. Soon I had a huge garbage bag full of food. I would hang it from a rope so the mice wouldn't be able to get to it.
How did the Whales come around their stockpiles of food?
(In case you ever desire to become a Kalalau Whale.)
Once a week or every other week, you could pay Captain "Name won't be mentioned." $10 to drop of a 35lb bag of food by boat. He would come by in the morning and drop them in the waves. You would see 20-30 bags washed up on the beach and all the whales would emerge from their hidden camps from deep within the valley. Lots of them even had messengers so they didn't have to leave their camp. I would give the overnighters an email address and a message so that I could let my family know I was okay since I basically disappeared for 40 nights.
The Valley
The valley is where I would spend most my days when I wasn't reading, playing music, or MacGyvering basic amenities like adjustable oven racks and sandals. I found solitude in the jungle. Eventually, I made my third and final camp underneath five large mango trees. My camp was up on terraces, which the Hawaiians originally built to grow taro root before the valley was air seeded by the Robinson family. Supposedly there didn't used to be any tall trees.
Today the jungle is full of mango and java plum trees. I would walk on the paths until they faded away higher and higher up the valley toward the back wall. Now the back wall has tall tales, where only a select few have made it over.
Each day I found new magic spots in the valley as I explored. I found hidden waterfalls, Swiss Family Robinson camps, and a labyrinth.
Every time I came back down the to beach I would feel a little sad that I didn't make it to the back wall. Toward the end of my stay, I met Shane from Santa Cruz, CA. During Shane's five-day fast, I rallied him to make to the back wall with me and I also convinced him to take Lucy along with us, who he hasn't seen in years. As we neared the top after about three hours of hiking, we encountered wall after wall. The whole landscape changed into what felt like a mystical, foreboding force that was ever so gently pushing us higher.
The Wall and the Point of No Return
Almost peaking out on my barefoot pilgrimage to the top was a waterfall, which carved out a little bowl where the ground flattened out. We took a short break and I noticed a goat trial on wall/ridge to the left of us.
Very shortly after we ascended the goat trail we hit the point of no return. I was standing on a blade of the mountain as wide as my two feet with a 50-foot drop on either side of me. To go the last 40 feet would require us to climb up and over to the top. While I was sure I could go up, getting back down was another story. The sun was close to setting. I realized I only had the clothes on my back, a waterproof/compass/flashlight/whistle/magnifying glass thing, no money, food or shelter. The famished Shane and I had to swallow our egos and make the decision to head back down. Reality is a fine mistress, and the idea staying the night at 4000 feet elevation with no shelter and then hitchhiking around the entire island to do the 11-mile hike back to camp just didn't seem worth it. Sorry.
Wrapping it up
This place was amazing in the true sense of the word. I learned that I can provide for myself out in nature, and what it means to be alone without the need of anything except your wits. I made friends, learned to sing in front of people, and was able to better myself in my own social shortcomings. It gave me the understanding of how much effort goes into creating amazing food and how not to be greedy even if you were hungry. There was only so much to go around. I feel as though I have to make a part two explaining all the types of food we made; like fresh mango chutney. I made chocolate and played volleyball almost every day!
(You can see the net in the background of the cover photo)
I connected with amazing people, one of which lived in my small hometown for years and I never knew him.
This guy!
A whole other story in itself.
I will mention that a cave was hidden around the last wall of the beach in the wintertime and showed itself as the beach grew in the summertime. In the back of the cave, I found a sandbar where a little crack leads to a completely dark circular room. I loved just sitting in there with the cool air and letting my mind run wild.
At the end of my hike back to civilization, we were greeted by this.
And finally some pictures of the space and the things I made. Aloha.
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 Turned a left sandal into a right one. |
 Shell bracelet. |
 Bear cub cloud |
 Every night :) |
@jeffjagoe this is an interesting read. Coolest place ever
That was quite the adventure. Most people would not even attempt that. You are quite the outdoorsman.
Thank you, I believe most people have it in them. They just have to be exposed to it in a gentle way. Not too long ago most humans lived this way.
This is really something everyone should experience, in one way or another. A friend of mine and I discussed heading into the mountains and trying to live off the land. We had all our plans dialed in, including an emergency stash, but never did it. I think it would have been a great adventure and learning experience.
I don't remember learning much in high school, though I suppose I did. One piece of advice as always stood out. A business prof said that the best education we could get would be to just hit the road and travel the country, without a car. He said to hitchhike or take a bus and stay in one town after another, doing odd jobs here and there. I wish I had taken him up on it. I think I'd be much more resilient if I had.
Keep it up tralawar, and keep sharing.
Your professor made a lot of sense. This kind of experience takes you out of your comfort zone and a lot of things emerge in yourself, some good some bad, that you may never have known. I surely felt like I have grown from it in a net positive way. It is can be hard when you have no car, no phone, the sun is setting and you have no idea to camp. When I arrived in Maui it was night time and we weren't allowed to camp anywhere in the city area. We (Shane and I ended up traveling together for a week or so) met a homeless man on the beach who told us about the salvation army. Long story short we ended up getting beds and slept with about 40 other homeless. It really opened up my eyes and assured me I that I would do everything possible not to be homeless, even if it meant camping in the jungle and calling that home =)
He was a cool guy. You know, when you're in high school it seems like adults don't connect well. Here's a very successful retired businessman teaching kids because he wanted to and telling them to hit the road rather than jump into college. That was (gulp) over 30 years ago.
@anotherjoe The reply option isn't appearing on your comment. Great words, I agree that I would like a doctor or and engineer to have a proper education. My grandparents remember how there used to be an abundance of trade schools sponsored by corporations like Ford Motor Company that would give a practical education producing opportunities to make a decent living. I am happy to see the emergence of that today with some new solar companies. As for myself, I am fortunate to work at home and share every minute with my child!
As for teaching I alway find I learn the most about what I am working on when I try to teach someone something. If you can't explain it simple enough for everyone to understand you must not understand it yourself.
Yeah, reply stops working when it gets this far into levels. I just use the next available one above.
That's awesome that you can be at home. I was able to be home a lot too, which, to me, was priceless. I could have made more money, but I wanted to be home with the family, doing stuff, spending time with the boys, etc.
Teaching - it's not just when you purpose to teach. It's that you ARE teaching, no matter what. What did you do at that moment? How did you react? What words did you choose? How did you speak about that person?
Without recognizing it, we can sometimes fail to realize how much we're influencing the little ones. Well, we're influencing everyone around us. And it's much more influential than we realize. People watch and emulate, or at least assimilate, without realizing it. Some folks have learned how to manipulate others through this. It is, at least, something to be cognizant of so we can bless those around us in ways they may never know.
@anotherjoe and @tralawar I really enjoyed your comment thread.
Guessing your 49? Haha. Yes, I do know what you are talking about. I have a few friends who have followed the same teaching path just show them how broken the system is. Change from within. I would like to teach as well if only I had finished my degree. I am happy to say I am doing fine without it :) Now I have my daughter and a chance to nurture and her mind! None of my many adventures even comes close to this feeling!
We didn't stress college for our sons. Both are raising their families now and doing well, without degrees. It's over-rated, except in some cases where the academics actually prepare you for the job at hand. Mostly, it's bloated nonsense though.
Kids are great. Congrats, and enjoy the ride. Three quick thoughts, for what it's worth.
-Every minute matters. She'll be gone before you know it, so make them count.
-Daughters look for love. If they don't get it from dad, they'll find it elsewhere. I don't have daughters, but a friend who does shared that and it's stuck with me.
-We are always teaching. Everything we do teaches something. It's a really powerful observation.
Whoa amazing post and such a detailed description. Killer photos, thanks for sharing how you not only survived but thrived!!
Thanks, passed along most my food and instruments, but I still have a hidden stash in the jungle with my coveted oven rack! Oven racks are the best grills for cooking!
Looks like something everyone should experience. I didn't think Hawaii was like that. After being on Steemit for a short time, my bucket list is overflowing.
Glad to hear it! Every island has a different feel. Kauai was my favorite by far, but I stlll have two more to visit.
I'm glad to hear it!
The sounds amazing! I want to go! The pizzas look so good :)
I miss them every day. Something about food when you are camping.
You posted a wonderful picture story! It makes me think of my younger days when I spent 9 days in Tahiti. While not as back-to-nature as your adventure, they were some of the happiest days of my life; kayaking in lagoons, 8-foot shark swimming below me, the ferry to Moorea, being caught in a riptide, nights under the Southern Cross. Yes, quite an adventure! Thanks for stirring up the wander lust in me.
Anytime =) thanks for reading.
The room in the cave sounds amazing, I love caves.
I like caves as well.
Keep it up, I loved Kalalau it was such an amazing experience!
Kalalau is the best.
Nice looks like you had fun!
Amazing pictures and amazing experience. Maybe i do this one day in my country Venezuela.
Go for it! It is so nice to unplug from the world for a few months.
Incredible story, I want to try something like that one day!
What a fantastic journey!
I'm going who's with me?