Hiking the Kalalau Trail - Kauai, Napali Coast

Amazing!   . . . after 23  years I finally was able to return to Kauai!  It's an island I was able to visit with my family as a young person growing up in a traveling family.  This island was always a favorite of ours . . . and now I'm remembering why.

It is BEAUTIFUL!

(Like all the Hawaiian island - each in their own way!)

My sister Kim and I spent a week taking our parents back to Kauai, a place they have always loved but find difficult to visit and enjoy all on their own right now.  What an amazing adventure.

I have so many photos . . . places I want to remember for always.

Today, I'm sharing photos of the Kalalu Trail.  It begins at the end of the road.  At Ke'e beach. 

Hiking this trail is something I've always wanted to do and now we had an opportunity to experience the first two miles of the trail.  Someday I hope to come back and do the whole 11 miles one direction. But that will be story for another time . . .

The trail is an awesome hike, glorious and beautiful, scenes from the Napali coast, tropical rain forest, muddy trails, river crossings, scenic overlooks around every corner . . .

I'm sure you'll agree - it was beautiful!

First scenic overlook . . . many more to come!

Kinda scary . . . it's certainly not a beach where you want

to go swimming!

Although while we were there a bunch a young guys

showed up with short surf board that they carried all the way up the trail

and were surfing on the waves on the beach.

Notice - the wild life . . .

pretty tame looking kitty cats.  But they were totally

wild just used to being fed lunch scraps

by the hikers.

Time to head back up the trail.

We're heading back to Ke'e beach once again.

Here we are -

almost back where we started.

You can see the people have arrived upon the beach.

Lots of snorkelers and beach sitters.

Ahhh . . .
Someday we're going to do the full 11 miles!!

Heheheh - Oh So Clever . . .

Just for your entertainment today -

Feeling THIS today . . .

I'm feeling this today . . .

As I read about the current environment in Honduras . . .

Who more needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ

and the peace that it brings?

What better service can we do

than to bring peace into the

lives of the people through

our Savior?

When they are Learned . . . They think . . .

I'm feeling an an essay coming here but I don't even know where to begin . . .

 Sometimes Heavenly Father blesses us in our foolishness. Or saves us from our foolishness. Or intervenes when we do something that could cause us to experience tragic consequences . . .

 And then sometimes He doesn't.

 Can you feel a foolish story coming here?

 Maybe I should start with . . .

 A least two times as we were walking out the door I received the prompting to put on my sport hiking sandals that buckle onto my feet instead of the cheap flip flops, but brushed it off, not once but twice, preferring to not imagine a circumstance where I would need a more sturdy shoe. You'd think I would know better.

 As we were preparing to launch a canoe on the Provo river, a river we have canoed down, kayaked down, inner-tubed down several times over the years . . . (Although never at this early season of the summer) We noticed the water downriver was much higher and swifter than we anticipated. While lulled by the more peaceful and calm waters upriver, the thought did cross our minds that maybe it wasn't a good idea. That maybe today wasn't the best day for such an activity.

 But again we brushed it off . . .

Why do we do these things? !!

 Looking back in hindsight which is always 20/20 . . . Our foolishness was apparent. And I'm grateful that sometimes our Heavenly Father saves us or deliverers us from our foolishness. (Though sometimes he doesn't)

 I'm grateful that for us it was the earlier option this time, though perhaps we were undeserving.

 After our experience on the river, I barely had time to make it back home and dash off to work for the night. I was scheduled for my 5th to last shift at the hospital before we make our final departure to the MTC and then to the mission in Honduras. A place that we have deemed infinitely more dangerous than the Provo River which is almost in our backyard. And after much pondering  between patients,  maybe the lesson for me was that if Heavenly Father can save us in our foolishness, he can surely preserve us in our service with wisdom, knowledge and a grain of cautiousness.

Though I have a quiet but firm reassurance through the Spirit that our service is needed in Honduras,  and all will be well and we need not fear. It's difficult to not have doubts. But I'm not doubting . . . I'm not fearing.  I'm really not.

 But maybe I do need a lesson in heeding the quiet whispering of the Spirit.

While I may eventually get around to sharing the physical details of the experience, this is a spiritual details post.  As I review in my mind the many tragic news stories of the day, and lest you miss the ultimate message of my relayance . . .

Let me just say today . . .

I am grateful, immeasurably grateful.