awa-'awapuhi grand loop

This had to be the most rewarding hike ever. Nevermind the 11 mile (!!) loop, the views of the Nu'alolo Valley were amazing. Emma took the 7 hour hike like a champ. Not once was she ever put on the ground. Sheer cliffs, slippery slopes and loose gravel made me nervous to take her out of the Ergo. One part of the trail had washed out so we literally had to hug the side of a cliff and shimmy sideways. One wrong step and we would have been goners. Let's put it this way, we met a boy and his dad on the trail and they turned back from that point, not even daring to cross it. By the end of the hike we all had sore everything.

Look how happy we are at the beginning of the hike. Lovely green everything. The weirdest thing was that the forest almost sounded like it was alive. The trees were buzzing with bees (?) or who knows what.

Happy baby = happy mommy.

We hiked all the way across this ridge to the point for a fantastic view of the Na Pali coast line.

On top of the world.

Just to give you perspective of how grand the valley is. That's me and Emma on the top of the cliff to the left.

Blue, blue water. Keep in mind we are still on a cliff 2,234 feet above the water.


Here's the slightly, not as sketchy as the other part part. Jens couldn't take a picture during the first part, this is of Grandpa (aka Dad) shimmy-ing along the not as sketchy as the sketchy part part.

Bush wacking. Man was that annoying. Emma never complained once, but I could feel her little legs hugging my body anytime a branch got her leg.

It's a jungle out there.

Emma acting silly for the camera.

Seriously, are we there yet? We climbed 1500 feet in 3 miles, the last leg of the unpaved trail. After that we had to walk 2 miles down the highway to the car.