Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [136]
The Awaawapuhi can be a straight out-and-back trail or a loop that connects with the Nualolo Trail (3.75 miles), which provides awesome views and leads back to the main road between the ranger’s house and the Kokee cabins, about a mile and a half from where you started. So you can hike the remaining 1.5 miles along the road or hitch a ride if you decide to do the entire loop but can’t make it all the way.
Hiking Safety
According to a survey done in 2000, 78% of the hikers in Hawaii were from out-of-state. At the same time, Hawaii’s search-and-rescue teams are responding to more and more calls from injured, stranded, or missing hikers. The best thing you can do to avoid becoming a statistic is to get Na Ala Hele’s (the State of Hawaii’s Trail and Access Program) free brochure, Hiking Safety in Hawaii (from the State Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry & Wildlife, 1151 Punchbowl St., Room 325, Honolulu, HI 96813; 80 8/587-0166; or print it off the Web at www.hawaiitrails.org). This free brochure could save your life. It has comprehensive lists of trail safety tips and equipment you’ll need; describes what to do in an emergency; and contains other information you should know before you lace up your hiking boots.
If you are not an experienced hiker, consider hiking with a commercial operator (we list several in this chapter), or join a Sierra Club hike. If you have experience hiking, keep these tips in mind when venturing out in Hawaii:
• Remember you are a guest in Hawaii and treat the land (especially sacred cultural areas) with respect by following posted signage on the trail. Always start your hikes with clean (well-scrubbed) boots, so you don’t unintentionally carry seeds into the island’s fragile environment.
• Practice courtesy when on a multiple-usage trail. The signs will let you know who to yield to (hikers generally yield to horseback riders, and bikers yield to both hikers and horses).
• Plan your hike by informing others where you are going and when you should be back. Learn as much as you can about the hike (the conditions you will encounter and the degree of difficulty) before you set out.
• Hike with a partner. Never go alone. Dress in layers to protect yourself from Hawaii’s intense tropical sun, carry light rain gear, have a brightly colored jacket (not only for weather, but so that if you get lost, people will be able to spot you), and bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. If you are hiking, you should wear hiking boots with traction and ankle support.
• Check the weather. Call 80 8/245-6001. The bright, sunny day can dissolve into wind and rain, and you don’t want to be caught in a narrow gully or streambed where flash flooding is possible.
• Carry water (2 liters per person per day), a cellphone, and a daypack (holding a whistle, sunscreen, insect repellent, a small flashlight, food, and a basic first-aid kit). Don’t drink untreated stream water; leptospirosis (a bacterial disease transmitted from animals to humans, which can be fatal) is present in some streams.
• Stay on the trail and stay together. Most hikers are injured wandering off the trail or trying to climb rocks.
• Watch the time. Being close to the Equator, Hawaii does not have a very long twilight. Once the sun goes down, it’s dark. Be sure to allow enough time to return from your hike, and always carry a flashlight.
• If an emergency arises (for example, if an injury or illness prevents someone from walking, bad weather hits, it’s too dark to see, or you become lost or stranded), call 911 and ask for fire/rescue. Tell them what trail you are on and what happened. Make yourself visible with either bright clothing or a flashlight, and use the whistle. Stay calm and stay put. Keep as