Aloha from Kauai

Kalalau Valley from Koke'e

Kauai is one of those magical places that exist on our earth that seem more like a dream than reality. You have to pinch yourself to make sure you're really here, seeing the impossible beauty that surrounds you. It really is stunning and we saw firsthand as we stood atop the Kalalau Valley Lookout of the Napali Coast during our first day here. The razor sharp ridges are green with foliage and the soil that was once lava has again become red as it erodes and oxidizes. There are waterfalls cascading into pristine pools, colorful flowers, and it just happens to be the perfect temperature on top of all of that (plus no creepy bugs!)
CCC Camps in Koke'e

We are beginning our visit here by working for the Koke'e Resource Conservation Project whose mission it is to save the native forests of Kauai. This is a program I volunteered for right out of college for 3 months in 2000. As many if you may know, Hawaii evolved in isolation without much competition between species, so many plants have lost their competitive advantages; for example there is a local raspberry that doesn't have thorns. Unfortunately, with the arrival of people comes invasive species that can easily outcompete the local plants. So, our job this week is to try and target certain invasive plants and kill them (a fancy way of saying that we are weeding), in hopes of saving the native forests that exist in some spots on Kauai. In order to do this work, we use machetes and crawl through thick vegetation seeking out the weeds, then we cut them and spray them with herbicide. I enjoy it because I am relearning the plants of Hawaii, (plus, how often do you get to use a machete?) but the work is pretty tiring. Today as we began our work we started with a Hawaiian chant that was sung by a staff member in Hawaiian, asking permission of the forest to enter and keep us safe. It was quite touching, and the first line translated to "Humbled, as travellers, we seek the light of Heaven as our guide."

Weimea Canyon

Over the weekend, we backpacked into Weimea Canyon also known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" and it's gorgeous. We hiked from the rim, down into the hot valley within. We had spectacular views along the way, and after 6 miles found ourselves at a spot called Lonamea. Here our campsite was adjacent to a river that has to be one of the most breathtaking places I've been to. Waterfalls cascade into perfect swimming holes, surrounded by the red cliffs of the canyon, banana trees, and flat rocks perfect for laying on. You can even take a ride into the pools on what the locals call "slide rock" which is like a natural waterslide. Drew kept saying "You couldn't design a place this great!" and its true, only nature could be this amazing!

Kauai is a place close to my heart, and there is something wonderful about coming back here, like a homecoming. There are few places I know that have all the right ingredients of paradise; natural beauty, varied landscape, golden beaches, 80 degree temps, and happy people. We're having a great time!

Erin