The Hidden Beauty of Hawaii's Garden Island | Best Hiking on Kauai, Hawaii in 4K

every year millions flock to tropical islands like Hawaii to escape the drudgery of life what is it about this place that captivates so many people why do we see it as the quintessential vacation spot today Adventure Archives travels to Hawaii's wildest Island Hawaii to experience paradises allure firsthand [Music] [Music] our journey to Hawaii began with the frigid and early morning on the way to the airport from the parking lot we hopped on a shuttle and headed toward our gate and this time our crew was joined by our good friend Marissa [Music] we boarded the plane and took off right at the break of dawn [Music] below Columbus started bustling with energy but we were headed west to Chicago [Music] here it was substantially colder and snowier but inside things glistened with holiday cheer but unfortunately as soon as we boarded the plane we were hit with a delay after an hour delay we were finally in the air back to a familiar city Los Angeles and as the plane headed west we saw majestic snow-capped mountains jutting into the sky and the Grand Canyon cutting deep into the earth finally we landed okay so good news and bad news bad news we missed our connection flight there's no flights left for the rest of the day so we're stuck in LA for the rest of the day but the good news is we're getting four rooms we're getting a bunch of food vouchers that could be used here or the hotel and I are the and so we caught a shuttle to a nearby hotel and thankfully it was a very nice hotel [Music] oh my bad and as the others checked out their rooms I was settling into my usual habits we couldn't use our vouchers yet so we decided to grab some lunch at a local burger chain after enjoying some burgers we wrapped some drinks in the hotel bar as the evening turned to night Maresa Robbie and I decided to go out on the town we were headed to Venice Beach we went along the pier and saw Santa Monica in the distance and we gazed out into the Pacific Ocean a sight that would soon become familiar to us [Music] then we continued walking along the shore and there was plenty to see along the way we tested our strength that Muscle Beach [Music] saw some odd sculptures took in some of the bohemian ambience [Music] danced around in a candy store and kept the night off meeting some of the local color [Music] now tired and hungry we headed back to the hotel to use our meal vouchers how was your sleep Brian I get it easily just the next day greeted us with a brilliant sunrise with a long flight ahead of us we fill it up on breakfast before heading out back at the airport we ran into that familiar la traffic but before long we were in the air [Music] now we were soaring above the Pacific Ocean heading to the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands kawaii [Music] hours later we caught our first look of Hawaii's beautiful cliffs and mountains we landed in Lihue and needless to say things were quite different out here this is extremely obvious but as soon as we got off the plane you could feel the heat and the moisture at the same time Robbie and I had grabbed her luggage which had flown in the day before and then we took our first step outside we hopped onto a shuttle picked up a rental car and headed out we drove along to eastern and northern coast Princeville where we were staying for the night all around us prehistoric looking mountains teased us from beyond the treeline and thick vegetation grew densely while thomas checked in the rest of us abandoned him where we saw a cattle egret and some tropical fruits so we are at the hotel we're staying at the Wyndham High yokai and this is actually breadfruit so breadfruit is a plant can get in the market you can kind of see where they've just been rotting on the ground breadfruit went cooked tastes like fresh baked bread well you got a coconut coconut they're dying off the ground this one's already cracked open we were told we could take one with us to drink back at our hotel room so we did and what a hotel we had [Music] [Music] okay hikes off hikes off hotel archives [Music] wow this is and as we took into view we also enjoyed our new jewelry we all got blazed fun fact those flowers like to wash it down with some fresh coconut milk this is good yeah I was pretty good YUM the flowers and coconut weren't quite enough to fill us up so we headed into another town to look for food so we all got different foods I got fish tacos some sort of barbecue hopefully this is not the weather we're looking forward to tomorrow I have a good feeling it's going to kick up alright what do you get loco moco black rice crazy hamburger steak and a Friday I also got spam musubi musubi is a Japanese American and Hawaiian food fusion rice and spam wrapped in a layer of seaweed and Thomas got some amazing Hawaiian style shaved ice mocha flavored next we headed to the store to get some snacks for our upcoming hike watch I'm truly and back at the hotel the snails were out and it became even wetter outside so we're getting everything packed and it is currently raining very hard and this is not inspiring a lot of confidence for our chances for tomorrow we were feeling discouraged by the weather but slowly packed up our gear and got ready for bed tomorrow we had a big hike in store we again rose before the Sun as we had to catch an early shuttle to the trailhead ok the weather is certainly not looking encouraging but on the plus side it isn't raining right now so if that's any indication of the heaviness of the rain then we might be in good shape right now sounds feel like it's raining a bit yeah I think it's mostly just the wind we grabbed our bags and cleared out of the hotel room because there was no parking by the shuttle stop we had to drive over a mile to the stop unload our gear then one or two people had to drive back to the hotel park and Trek by foot back to the Sun all before 7:15 in the morning [Music] but thankfully an incredibly nice worker had a solution for us okay so turns out the person who works here they're gonna help us out by letting us drive back park our car and then take us back here so Thomas an Android doing that right now so far still going according to plan because of her help our morning went much more smoothly and we were much more at ease as daybreak came [Music] eventually the shuttle arrived whether or not we were ready it was time to begin our adventure and today we were headed to the world-famous kalalau trail from Princeville we drove along the turbulent North Shore to our very rainy trailhead probably still some nice hikes [Music] the conditions were not looking promising but nonetheless we were all in high spirits we're gonna just give it a go I mean we're gonna be safe but we'll see how it looks on the trail itself we're not just gonna give up yet yeah not yet this is a little wind and rain [Music] and so we hiked out into the tsunami light conditions on our way to the actual trail looks like we're going through a little garden if it looks like taro leaf to me yeah Hawaiians often cook their meat wrapped in taro leaf that's the like pork luau we had the other day the mist and rain kept falling in sheets around us but soon we made our way into the forest [Music] [Applause] here Maresa spotted some pothos which she was familiar with as a houseplant you probably have seen these they've gotten pretty popular lately I have one at home you can buy them at Lowe's you can buy them at your little trendy plant store how big this is half your height when grown in the mainland these leaves usually only get as big as your hand here they were as big as your head the path took us along a beach and eventually to the actual trailhead here we reviewed our plan we were hoping to hike the length of a kalalau trail staying three nights at the designated camping sites along the way hiking a round trip of 22 miles but the conditions threatened to throw a wrench in our plans due to some dangerous stream crossings the start of the trail is rife with warnings about falling rocks cliffs and flash floods but the scenery around us felt more like a peaceful paradise [Music] I have no idea what these berries are but look how vibrant leaf purple they are I feel like we would only see color like that in a place like this I do have order know that these are wood circles they just follow us around again at least for the time being conditions have improved drastically like actually on the trail it's not so bad definitely not the worst weather we plankton so far [Music] sites like that water and that win that'll definitely give you a healthy respect for nature you're like oh yeah maybe it's obvious but it feels like the Garden of Eden it looks like some Divine Being just planted a whole garden here of all floor these exotic in nature treachery exists alongside nourishing plants so this is a fruit called Penn damn it smells super fragrant these grow kind of like a corn on the cob like all in a row like this and this orange part is the edible part of the fruit so yeah you can actually eat it kind of smells like the produce section at like an international market or something I'm not gonna eat this because it's covered in dirt and who knows what disease I might get but it smells actually kind of decent yeah it does smell like a produce section we also saw the familiar rib work plantain a medicinal plant we continued hiking higher into the hills below us the blue waves of the ocean churned and crashed and above a small rainbow appeared in the cloudy sky lush vegetation grew all around us but the tropical aesthetic was contrasted by a rigorous uphill climb what do you think so far it's honest a little different from your typical Hawaiian paradise it's definitely a paradise but you got a I guess keep your mind open to get that perspective as we climbed higher it became even more blustery and the distant rainbow seemed like a mockery amid the rain in the wind but beneath the jagged peaks were more fruits see more of these pendent fruits pretty sure it's from this very dr. Seuss looking tree and we can definitely smell it to you and beneath those plants was the soil and stone that supported them this is like textbook volcanic rock it's just this dark black color and then up close there's all these like holes and pores in it it was this rock which formed the surreal looking hills in the distance this was truly a wondrous land especially with the rain it really felt that the ground beneath her feet was rich and fertile springing forth a colorful array of life the ocean waves below crash like thunder adding to this paradises primordial ambience we continued along the trail hiking along trickling Brooks and emerging into open hillsides flanked by more vibrant flora I'm pretty sure this is terribly and taro is a purple root that is often eaten both in Hawaiian and Chinese cuisine Asian cuisine in general but what's really cool just look at how the waters just beating on this waxy leaf it's just like falling right off as if it's a solid object looks like snow or sleet whatever that is we need it for our rain jackets yeah get a big one and hold it above our head we came across other soaked hikers who are also making the best of the situation and some of those hikers had heard some news from further down the trail I guess it's just like it always be here right yeah come back and do it again Wow famous a pretty small helicopter oh yeah we decided to keep hiking until we had to turn around here we saw green tropical Hills and a frog bigger than my hand closer to the first big stream crossing we got an update on the situation so the Reynard was up here checking out the stream is definitely not safe to cross the trail itself is officially oh he's going back right now to close the interest yeah he gave us two options he said we can wait there's there's people waiting down there for the river together safer it would take a while it would take a while there's a lot more of the island I think we can't see too so I think we have to be creative and try and fly by the seat of our pants hear that it's funny because I was like stressing out about what the hike would be but I'm actually really enjoying it so far and I'm not - it definitely felt good to get out just move yeah so we're turning around then yeah yeah well yeah well it's my round let's go check out the stream and then we'll go back so I can have a snack down there okay we hiked down in the lush Valley and passed over some small rivets we again got a beautiful view of the distant cliffs as well as the dangerous rip tides and violent ocean waves further down the trail we can see a small beach so this is just warning signs for the beach looks like not even for the crossing okay we're starting to be able to hear the stream and I think we can see it now and oh that's that's not a stream that's a raging torrent the streams current was rapid full of white water and at least weights deep now I was walking down this hill and I didn't really like register until I looked over the edge I literally just went holy [ __ ] funny because like the beach beam right there just almost makes it seem so like yeah I don't know non-threatening way remember when we first went to the Smokies the river looked sort of like this and we were like we might be able to do this it's like we've learned a lot like we were idiots back are we got the most was it musubi musubi yeah it's like a spam sushi that's one way to eat it we enjoyed our snacks by the stream but ultimately decided not to wait it out and headed back to the trailhead so as the Sun pokes out it kind of makes this thing did we make the right decision and immediately the rain will come along and say yes you definitely did in the clear light of day and you're again spotted some fruits growing from the source so you can see some of those pending fruits we kept smelling in the trees hain and they kind of look like pineapples another common name for it is tourists pineapple cuz a lot of people mistake it for a pineapple wait wait wait is that a pineapple [Music] the sky had cleared significantly and the sunlight exposed even more of the beautiful coastal view [Music] [Music] we charged our way back up the hills as jagged peaks loomed in the distance the bright blues of the ocean and sky complemented the vibrant greens of the misty hills far in the distance now it truly felt like we were in Hawaii [Music] there were jagged peaks and towering waterfalls looming cliffs that dropped straight into the ocean and turquoise colored water that curled into picturesque waves [Music] in Hawaii there is no need for metaphor no drawing parallels to ancient lands or comparisons to far-off utopias when the Sun is out and the ocean shines bright you need not wonder what it was like living in the Garden of Eden you are already there Hawaii is not like paradise it is paradise [Music] all around us we could feel rejuvenation and energy buzzing there is a real sense of Verve and vigor emanating from the dirt the trees the moisture in the air it felt like you could drop a single seed on the ground here and create a sudden groundswell of life [Music] for now it was time to leave the natural paradise of the trail we came back to the trail Junction which had been roped off and closed to the public [Music] we rested and dried off in the warm sunlight before continuing on [Music] back at the bus stop we felt both disappointment and relief as we got ready to re-enter the relaxed resort side of Hawaii whenever you call off a hike there's always a twinge of doubt as to whether you made the right decision or not okay it started raining again so we immediately feel good about our decision so I was like yeah we did make the right decision that's right with everybody at least with more rain we could feel better about taking a load off and embracing the slowed down Hawaiian style of life [Music] yeah at our last stop we decided to grab some food and drinks including a local brew it is brewed in a Kihei Maui it's good like a standard lager oh it tastes like it - oh it tastes just like I can't remember it just like we had some decidedly unhoned food what as we ate a red crested cardinal hopped around looking for snacks after filling up on lunch Brian and I left to get our car then it was off to get a hotel room for the nights we would have spent camping while we waited for our room to be ready headed into town to wander around we learned about Polynesian history saw star fruit tree back at our new room we had a simple dinner from a market in town budget and time friendly so we got some pokey we got spicy tuna again from Ian Thomas and also I am drinking another gelato which ice we've seen before is Clamato juice right a traditional Hawaiian bouquet is without register still it's kind of like infused with Japanese culture that's almost like a chicken sound but with rakia cheers everybody plates Folie back in civilizations embrace be retired for the night our hike may have been canceled but tomorrow our adventure was just beginning it was a clear morning back in Princeville we started the day with a cup of coffee grown and roasted on this island an outside a little cat wandered around [Music] we wanted to see some of the things we had missed out on due to not being able to finish the Kalalau trail first on the list was a waterfall up close and personal we hopped in the car and headed to a trail that would lead us to some falls on the way we made a pit stop and I found some very interesting plants plants with those purple flowers you'll feel the top of those leaves in a few how soft they are close up dude that is crazy it's like it's just a little animal like no don't touch me my babysitter growing up anytime we saw like a big like fat piece of grass she called it whistle grass cuz he could just put it in between your thumbs like a little Reed if Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho had a cast of ducks now we continued our drive to whole obe Falls the trail started in a residential neighborhood and at the edge of a street I spotted a gaudy flower so this up here is a flower belonging to the passionfruit family and it looks just about as passionate as you would imagine like that is the most intricate looking beautiful flower I've ever seen in my life it's like a little animal or something yeah it was like a weird colorful and buoyant spider so it's important to kind of respect the surrounding neighborhood here because this is technically on private property but they let you go on and check it out all over the ground were African tulip tree flowers these are all over the place this trail was also on sacred land so we were being extra cautious as we hiked just off the trail we saw some goats and another interesting plant that's coffee this is a coffee poem yeah okay literally in my nostril yeah so these are the little berries that have the coffee bean inside wow it's just grown wild here I think so yeah I mean I've heard that there are a lot of coffee plantations see if you can smell it I tried smelling it but I couldn't yeah maybe I can definitely see what would happen if you like roasted it though after a while is there like a nut inside of these or is this inside there is a bean so there's some that we're on the ground we're gonna open it up poo see this must be like what the immature bean looks like but you can definitely see the shape of it it's it's just white and gooey though which is crazy I don't smell any coffee smell though maybe I can hear yeah I think I can really know it smells like dirt yeah smells like a dirty vegetable no I think the problem is I made coffee this morning and I smell it on my hands to go along with the coffee plant we also saw this tremendous or snow fungus which is used in Chinese medicine and cuisine [Music] we continued deeper into the forest and did our best to keep stable footing yeah this trail is super slick it's just one sheet of mud covering the entire trail [Music] [Applause] this is like no place we've ever been before but if you stop and you you kind of squint your eyes a little bit it really does kind of look a lot like the Midwest [Music] just if you look up at the Kenneth e it is like dizzyingly beautiful just the way the leaves looks so lazy but these trees exhibit a phenomenon called canopy shyness and what that means is when you look up you can tell that the leaves from one tree avoid touching the trees of another tree so you can actually kind of see these channels form in the canopy where it kind of almost outlines the shape of each treetop it also just kind of looks like psychedelic if you look long enough with all this rain that we're getting one of the important things to remember is that flash floods to happen any moment one of the good sayings is if you are standing here and you see the water go from clear to brown turn around [Music] [Applause] the trail led us up a gradual Hill here we saw West Indian raspberry and some fragrant yellow guava fruits it's got kind of a similar texture to a mayapple which we've seen before and on the inside there's kind of this pulpy rind and then a bunch of like seeds surrounded by juice and it smells like like pear or apple or something just off the trail where the upper hull befalls we continued on eager to see more [Music] and along the way we found a shrub with several more guavas growing on it this is the plant that it came from there's a bunch of them all over it tastes good I tried a little bit no this is without a doubt the muddiest trail we've ever been on I don't think anything comes even close [Music] we continue trudging on and entered a section of the woods with foliage climbing high above on the trees around us submerging us in a sea of green the twenty kids when you look out in the distance there's these trees and it looks like they just have some green young bark but up close you realize it's just these big sections of lichen growing on them many of the trees were wrapped in more pothos plants so is that growing on a tree or is the tree part of it no it's growing on it you see up there there's a good vine yeah so it kind of wraps around the trunk and stuff it's amazing though it just like feels like we're almost miniature you know like little bugs in the grass so this is more of that same plant growing all over the trees and I don't know if it just fell off the tree or if it's been pulled up by somebody or what but even though these roots are detached from the soil and from the trees this plant is still gonna be alive these are often growing as houseplants in the mainland and you can just propagate them by like cutting them wherever there's roots and putting it in water and it'll just grow more roots I guess that's why it's growing everywhere yeah like even if this falls off we can just start growing again as we continued on we saw some interesting sites including these modeled toothed red flowers so funny man I seen this grow as a houseplant and I have never imagined it could get this big it really feels like we are in some like I don't know life spring of the world it's like it's hard as a tree - yeah look at all these tiny roosters wrapped around everything kind of creepy looking all around as fines wrapped around trees and dangled from above but continue down the muddy trail scrambling under fallen logs and eventually came to a clearing with pools of water all around before long we neared the trails end and the waterfall was in sight these lower hell ope Falls were actually featured in the movie Jurassic Park [Music] and beyond the falls before stretched for miles [Music] but now we looked back to the mud there was another trail that led to the bottom of the waterfall we hiked along a ridge and scrambled down a muddy slope to the bottom of the falls which gave off a cool mist Wow oh that feels good already haven't even gotten to the water yet nice please you didn't we dipped into the cool water and Robbie found a nearby rope swing [Music] [Music] the mosquito bite just it'll hunt weird quite a paradise [Music] oh my god that water instantly all the bug bite it just went away you're like oh thank god starting to come back already though after a relaxing time by the Falls we clambered our way back up the muddy hill that led to the trail [Music] after a full day of hiking and swimming we were feeling pretty great I would assume that everybody feels the same way but that was a good waterfall substitute for the original trail that was a phenomenal waterfall stuff to do even without getting in the water there's this nice breeze of just cold air yeah so earlier we saw some orange flowers all over the floor and that's actually from the invasive African tulip tree but this is very much a hibiscus which is native to Hawaii I'm not sure what species but it'll look good in your hair we backtracked along the trail through the forest and it was just as beautiful and muddy as before you had smooth landing for minimal splashing on the way back we caught some glimpses of animal life including more goats frolicking in the nearby meadow at the trailhead we climbed into the car and headed back to the hotel back in our room we booked tickets for a luau and relaxed with some afternoon beer then we stopped by the hotel lobby for some free mai tais after that we drove in search of some food to eat so some dude on the shuttle was talking about this Liang's meat house that had good Pokey well we got here like an hour before they closed and there they ran out so we got some balls and we got some cookies it's good right that is both oh no and oh yes then we went to a small shopping center to find another restaurant but the entire place was closed down by the end of it we settled on a burger place next to the shore [Music] we had some burgers with chili on it and some burgers with pineapple then we indulged in some desserts okay what evening would be complete without ice cream Thomas why I got chocolate on your nose the next morning we had some coffee and breakfast before heading out so I got a Hawaiian style barbecue pork bun or Bao it's definitely not supposed to be refrigerator cold but we're kind of in a rush this morning by the way that in fact microwaved that other one while you're at it so I can eat that one it was kind of sweet thank you with that we headed out on a long drive [Music] we stopped to get some food Simon which is a kind of Hawaiian ramen and some bento boxes we were headed to the other side of the island towards Waimea Canyon okay after what feels like being in the car literally all day we finally get something good this is the Waimea Canyon overlook let's go check it out and the parking lot were some chickens and baby chicks from the overlook we can see the canyon in all of its vibrant colors the red rocks green vegetation and the distant Blue Hills and hazy mist [Music] we saw some roosters preening themselves on the way back down from the Overlook then we headed a Koki state park to hike a trail in the howl a Manu Valley right at the start of the trail we saw a few interesting plants I think this is something in the nasturtium genus and often times you see this planted in water as a decorative plant and this is something in the rubrics genus which is where blackberries and raspberries lie no berries on I don't want to get ahead of myself but I'm very glad whatsoever I mean I'm just happy to finally be moving we have done literally nothing but sit in the car today funny how how exhausting doing nothing can be and how much energy actually moving can give you as we hike down the path we notice large bushes with thick waxy leaves every time I'm in the Smokies and I see all the rhododendrons I'm like wow this feels like a tropical forest and it's because of stuff like this you always associate thick waxy plants with tropical climates is this biome technically a rainforest or is it just tropical or I think most of Hawaii is definitely a rain for us since we're a little higher in altitude I'm not sure how much that changes but I mean it is kind of interesting because here you can definitely tell there's a difference in the type of plants we're seeing you know we also saw beautiful acacia koa trees all around us in the distance whoa trees the way it's just like bear like silvery bark with little leaves right at the top it looks like some sort of like Art Nouveau painting or something yo we just passed two people who were covered in mud do we know why they were covered in mud is that a fate that is awaiting us rainbows style along the sides of the path were even more plants of note found these plantain leaves these are all over the US as an invasive plant these are like as big as burdock leaves back home the only other place I've seen them this big is in a Midwestern forest in the summer but even then it's rarely that big it really does feel like you just like drop a seat here and it grows like exponentially but it's also funny cuz if you look like just up at the sky right there and take that little snippet it almost looks like you're out in Colorado in the mountains or something because there's just like pine trees and a blue sky such a weird environment okay unfortunately it looks like Thomas spoke just a wee bit too soon and there is plenty of mud on this trail the path nut took us deeper into the trees and we carefully avoided muddy puddles whoa more acacia koa trees swayed in the breeze as we approached a trail junction we continued hiking and I took a closer look at some of these trees so these are the trees with the silvery bark we keep seeing and I don't know exactly what it is but I know for a fact that it's in the P family some of the give aways is this pattern of the leaves and leaflets that's typical on P family trees especially also it's got these p-pods but interestingly enough its leaves also look really similar to pea pods even though they are not younger acacia Co has produced delicate compound leaves but as they mature these crescent-shaped leaves take their place now we came to another overlook of a canyon we stopped here to admire the view of the deep River Valley and the jagged cliffs as we enjoyed the view a helicopter tour flew through the canyon we also saw some white-tailed tropic birds soaring through the air with their extravagant tail streamers we continued along the trail hiking further into the woods there was more of the canyon to see the trail eventually became more exposed now we can see distant Hills through the foliage and then we came to a section with large boulders and wide dirt paths then we've reached the bald rocky hilltop it was much more open here giving us a view of the canyon walls and the valley far below well that is a pretty sheer drop oh maybe not too bad you'd probably find some rock or stick to catch your fall [Music] actually All Things Considered it's not too scary compared to some other places we've been to because it's not like a super sharp drop-off and there's another ledge to kind of block the view yeah [Laughter] train like this where you always want to like turn your feet sideways and kind of go down that way if you can just control your gravity and your attraction reminding us not to get overconfident we pass by a memorial for a fallen hiker and eventually we came upon WIPO Falls [Music] alright there's not a whole lot of room here but I want you to check this out alright let's go check it out [Music] my legs are not moving at all right now this is just a locked position [Music] beyond the waterfall was a view of cliffs with strange rock formations while those structures look almost like somebody just set up some parents way in the distance it's like some ancient Hawaiian God sent those like when he first created the people of this island out of clay or whatever you know but you can really start to understand how mythologies get built when you see stuff as weird is this you're like that couldn't just be random yeah had to be some sort of Island God after enjoying the view we headed to a second waterfall further upstream located in a little grotto nearby were some tropical plants as well as elderberry bushes as we enjoyed the cool mist we talked about the sights we had seen and when you're sitting there you see those Falls and also the whole valley that yeah that last little bit as you're hiking up over to the top and just get the whole valley yeah it is a journey to be a raindrop here you start up there you go over this waterfall you go you don't think everything's ok you go over a huge waterfall another huge wonderful thing all with that in the ocean that's what's cool about why he's gonna get like all these different ecosystems there are times where it looks lush and tropical and then their friends where it look like Colorado or something yeah and with that we left the grotto and headed back [Music] you we left the bald hilltop and hiked onward until was far behind us blending in with the rest of the grand scenery people walking on the hill as we get there I realize that's where we were just now that big bald Rocky Hill that's crazy I didn't see that at all on the way in Thomas had hiked way far ahead of the rest of us and had been waiting at the trailhead for a good while Thomas just said he gave some hitchhikers a rioter in the game back that's how long he's been here I thought about cooking up some like noodles for you guys we got back after we were all back we piled into the car and headed to our next destination [Music] tonight we weren't headed back to the hotel we were on our way to camping at polar Holly Beach [Music] and the last three miles of the journey were a little bumpy okay so looks like very much unimproved narrow road going to maximum of five miles per hour right now it's set to proceed at your own risk I did not see that part these guys are just hanging out the window lower half mr. wolf Queens Ponda left no facilities campsites to the right picking we still had a ways to go and Robbie and I stepped out of the car to take a break from the constant bumpiness and to avoid throwing up they really aren't even going that much faster than us and I'm going to guess they went down there eventually we gathered the others back into the car because there was still a good amount of ground to cover and the road had smoothed out we arrived at the beach grabbed our gear and excitedly headed towards the ocean this has the potential to be one of the best campsites we've ever been to for sure look at this [Music] we're not afraid you're gonna get swallowed up by the waves like maybe a little bit but it feels pretty good especially after that all right as we watch the sunset behind the ocean a rainbow came out in the valley behind us once again we remembered that we were in paradise [Music] it was hard to imagine a more perfect evening to camp out on the shore ever since the beginning of adventure archives I wanted to camp at a beach like literally as close to the beach as possible nice little camping nook is this our spot yeah there's a nice fire pit and then within walking distance nice picnic table fire pit oh yeah this yeah this works I think this is fine you know whatever we got Sam Porter bridges over here [Music] in his night fell tarp that Andrew had pitch was looking less and less promising [Music] [Music] I thought rain is coming right now I'm getting the check good luck to everybody else I came with the quickness man so we are under this really really windy tarp it's not cold though on the other hand most people get hypothermia in the summer in Miami so we'll see how we go you know my skin will be so exfoliated well I'd love to hang out but um I'm gonna go back to my waterproof tent eventually Maresa retreated to the tents but also I'm not sorry anymore conditioned to this well I've been abandoned I can't imagine why Thomas I'm telling you're gonna regret your decision if the sky cleared a bit and Andrew and I sat out to watch the stars I don't think I've ever seen stars like this especially I've definitely never seen stars like this over the ocean wow this is truly incredible this rustic tarp ain't feeling so bad right now and as always the sight of the Milky Way put us into a more philosophical mood whenever you look at it at the stars like this it always inspires like that sort of like universe talk at night [Laughter] really really hope it's somebody who's next to that star just looking at my star at the same time that light is really old so or even better I'll be long dead for them and they'll be looking at my sorry I think that warms the cockles of your eyes I think there is this deep human or even just fundamental instinct of wanting everything to be connected yeah yeah I don't know you can look at the Stars and you can either feel small and alone or you can use it to make you realize everything is connected like all of these lights coming into our sky it definitely does give me a sense of comfort because it makes your problems you're like ah and it doesn't matter yeah look how big the universe is nobody really cares what happens yeah yeah sometimes it's important to have an almost dismissive laid-back attitude to take life in stride and continue being relaxed and kind to people the best you can that's the kind of attitude you encounter often on Hawaii weather in the towns or under the stars Andrew this guy was lavender-colored at dog we decided to stroll down the beach and take in the peaceful ambience and although the air was chilly surprisingly tied in wet sand was go get in the water it's actually warm the warm bubbling sea foam was comforting as it embraced our ankles [Music] [Music] as the light began to break the rest of us also woke up I thought I was just gonna be uncomfortable I'm like Heinz sweaty and Sandy the whole night but like most camping nights eventually just fall asleep and you cool down the Morning Sun started to illuminate the clouds back at camp we grab some equipment to prepare breakfast we were having some pasta sent to us by our young viewers Ryan Sam and Alex chicken alfredo is not my ideal breakfast but I haven't eaten flavors are a little strong for this early in the morning after breakfast we started breaking camp careful to shake off any sand on our gear a rainbow appeared on the horizon some skiffs bobbed on the ocean waves we washed as much sand off as we could and crammed back into the car it's literally my nightmare to get into a cramped car when you're away let alone wet ancing how did everyone not comfortably I slept fine the thing with the tarp is that all you can do is lie there and close your eyes and with that we were back on the bumpy road although the views of the morning light were beautiful the three-mile ride over super rough terrain was a bit much I feel like if you were a little kid you would think she was like really fun this is so much fun it's like going to Disney is like a whiplash I didn't have to like worry about slamming my head into the window or maurices cranium okay I already like elbowed me in the eye last night so but finally we neared the paved road we made it don't break the car this laptop just immediately like the car just deflates we're back Oh for breakfast we stopped in a little restaurant for some japanese-style Hawaiian food we had various orders with tempura shrimp grilled spam Simon pork cutlet fried fish and some of the best cooked tuna I had ever had we finished our food and we're off to the eastern side of the island type the sleeping giant so lunch is eaten can't check into the hotel yet we've decided to go to new new mountain I'm not sure that's how you pronounce it but it is also known as the sleeping giant pretty short hike it's less than a mile one way so a mile and a half both ways and there's walking sticks anybody need a walking stick there is plentiful walking sticks we've also reached new territory because most of our hikes 3 days and 2 nights and we've been out significantly longer than that and gone on significantly more hikes it's ironic we didn't do our full backpacking trip and yet it is kind of like a lot more than it's way more yeah this hike started in another peaceful residential area and near one of the fences was a very utilitarian plant we've seen a lot of nice tropical plants but one thing I did not expect to find was this which is a cotton plant and you can see here the nice fluffy balls of cotton ooh that kills I want to feel it oh wow that is so soft and nice so we've had our first casualty Arisa saw the condition of the trail and she was like well I'm staying in the car the trail was very slick and muddy as was the theme for all our hikes so far [Music] eventually the trail led to a grove of prehistoric-looking araucaria pine trees here we passed by a boulder adorned with Christmas decorations we kept hiking uphill through the mud eventually we emerge from the forests and came to an open path flanked by bushes this is gonna end up being a pretty short trail but I'm pretty sure that Marissa definitely made the right choice for herself because she had a problem with uphill yesterday she'll definitely not enjoy this going uphill on nature's downhill escalator just sloshes you back down a little I found another yellow guava though it was a slightly different color on the outside got the same kind of insights but the outside is kind of a rougher Brown I don't know if it's just a different stage of maturity or what but this one kind of smells like a Kiwi okay like a Kiwi too like straight out of a game you you can I think [Music] the path left is sleeping giant has two routes and we had decided to take the background now we came upon the point where the two paths intersected and I'm not sure the difference in difficulty but the other way was longer so we decided to take this one but I have a feeling there's probably this one shorter and a steeper elevation cuz this has been very steep that'll be close now right kind of okay so this is just a false peak you got to keep going up here a little more and then get up to there [Music] Wow I did not expect this out of this trail at all it was just suddenly a rock scramble up a mountain and at the end of that scramble was a wall that we had to climb up that is crazy this reminds me of Mount Katahdin we waited a bit for other hikers to climb down before going up this is almost 90 degrees how was it Thomas there's honestly not that bad going down is gonna be a little trickier [Music] and at the end of the mountain was a narrow ledge with a sheer drop on either side yo this is what what in a way this is kind of worse than angels landing I think this is a little a little scary the kind of place where I just scoot woo and the wind is a little strong good oh it feels great but good god this is crazy anyone who thinks that reality is colorless has not been to Hawaii look at that look at that yeah three points of contact at all times I almost lost my hat there hey irony is we didn't get to see crawlers legend kalo alma crawling on a Ledge yeah I think for the most part we've kind of gotten a good substitute from each trail this rock is kind of loose so careful justice any closer we've been to the top we saw one of these at the Kalalau trail head but it's a piece of rope made of some sort of plant Brian you still coming Wow look at this damn this is the type of thing that you see from a distance you're like I wonder if you can go up there absolutely worth it but a little bit terrifying the wind is not helping at all don't feel like you have to come out here because it's more or less the same we do need to look up what the sleeping giant thing is I think we're on the sleeping giant the sleeping giant Mountain gets its name because from a distance it looks like a person lying on their back you know it's so silly because there's I stand every day but I can't stand right now you can take like two steps and then you got to sit again a lot of mountain peaks are kind of underwhelming this one was not at all clenching your buttocks I was like good I've seen all there's to see whoa what's this way oh I mean I'm not there yet but I think this is actually the real top I mean it looks like it goes for a little ways I might keep going I mean we came this far well this is underwhelming after reaching the top and seen the island from an eagle's eye view it was time to return to sea level okay there is still the matter of getting down which is not at the easiest but can't be managed there were other hikers on their way up and we gave them some advice for the top here's what we're gonna do take that corrugated sheet metal fashion it into a sled and ride our way back down the mud on the way down we noticed arrows carved into the trees pointing the way finally we made it back to the beginning without a doubt the muddiest trail I have ever been on also deceptively longer 1.7 round-trip but it felt much much longer than that I mean it's supposedly 1.7 round-trip I don't know yeah I didn't feel that way at all back at the car Marissa was living a life of luxury you definitely see a lot of dogs around so much for the hood shoes yeah you just got brown shoes man alright let's get out of here when we returned to the hotel the Sun set illuminated the clouds in an orange light [Music] we ended the night with some delicious food and cocktails [Music] the next day after relaxing all afternoon we hopped in a car and headed to a luau a night of endless food and entertainment but by now we had gotten a little too used to the resort lifestyle and it's not on the beach so already a little disappointment setting an unlimited seafood watching people dance on a tropical island as we got closer to the main area we heard some rhythmic island beats [Music] you're the rhythm times the body doesn't look like it's cool I feel like if I try to dance to be offensive Andrew on the other hand was swept away in the moment we signed up for a free tasting of local rum while we waited for the luau then we headed to the main stage and grabbed some complimentary cocktails the blue Hawaiian it's like a perfect color of the ocean just outside a pig was being roasted underground but eventually we're going to dig that up and we're gonna eat that okay so in case we haven't talked about it we've been joking about how there's different versions of us there's regular version and there's Island versions and we each have different things that unlock that version of us Andrews unlock [Music] the drinks I need to take a nap on a hammock on the beach and then mine is pretty obvious it's the island rhythms right here those Island rhythms [Music] Oh [Applause] [Music] after dancing the pig roast was uncovered and the luau began [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] after an incredible time on kawaii our journey was finally coming to a close tonight we would say ah Hui ho choco to Hawaii and fly back home [Music] [Applause] we use the hours we had left in the day to take a ferry to the fern grotto we boarded the ferry and as we gazed into the water around us we reflected on our time here in paradise [Music] there's no denying that Hawaii is the quintessential island paradise but what is it that makes it a paradise it's beautiful climate pristine beaches and rich and sunny nature certainly contribute [Music] but there's so much more to it there's the people who inhabit the islands who are native to them and they're kind and relaxed demeanors everywhere you go you feel welcomed everyone you meet is laid-back and the stress of your everyday life melts away [Music] but there's another side to paradise any place this beautiful ends up filled with tourists like us with resorts and with a clash between the sacred and the profane [Music] luaus are a way for Native Hawaiians to proudly display their culture but they're also commodity a form of entertainment for outsiders because of high demand many of the people who have lived here for generations can no longer even afford their homes [Music] nar couldn't tell you not to come to Hawaii after all you just had an amazing time here [Music] [Applause] but maybe in a better world we wouldn't feel the need to come here [Music] in a world where the Aloha spirit is everywhere where people don't feel the stresses and anxieties caused by our current society and where we're able to be a little more relaxed about life maybe we could see that paradise can be anywhere we want it to be [Music] hey everybody if you liked what you just watched please consider signing up on patreon.com slash adventure for $2 or every full episode you can get access for behind the scenes bloopers there's no wine and diamond and chocolate in the nude so really good the desert soldier a great book at one Abby great man did you know commentaries weekly updates and weekly live streams with each of us we put hours and hours into making this video from planning the trip to actually hiking and filming to taking the over 375 gigabytes of footage and trimming it down into a nice watchable format we also accord our own narration and we also compose all of our own music so if you appreciate what we're doing and you really enjoy watching our adventures sign up on patreon.com slash adventure and if you still want more adventure archives check out our teespring website where we've got t-shirts for sale like this one and the others that I'm showing you right now finally thank you so much for watching remember to Like and subscribe and tell all your relatives and friends and enemies to do the same okay it's 8:25 we are at the airport it looks really different being here 1:00 at night with two and you're leaving no maybe it just feels different our flights at 11:37 so we got three hours to kill in here well we're all good to go you ready to go home so we ready to go ready to go home and see my dog [Music] well this is where we were supposed to be yes this was our end point I think this is crawlers ledge right here or something maybe this problem here guys start hiking in front of this and then we can film it [Music] [Music] [Music] we'll see how red my red eyes are it's a red eye true [Music] okay one more flight back to Columbus then a short drive home journeys over [Music] a lot of stuff this is much much colder than what we're used to it is a balmy 32 right now [Music] okay we're finally back we got snow on the ground what a change in environment we're all gonna go our separate ways I gotta pack up get out of here I still have a three-hour drive left Thomas it's been real see you later no I'm going inside oh okay we'll see inside the adventure archives Kent mm-hmm well I gotta poop good job guys congratulations on our libation of our successful shared narrative demand you leave at once sir you are breaking and entering Oh dry up and McBride you'll prune I haven't seen you since your baby Aaron Jones who who are you Dan Vulcans keeper of Milla and Sam school of wandering without being lost of course you know all about that sorry I don't know blimey haven't you ever wondered what your mum and dad learned it or your friend Sarah Avery learned what your wizard Arri all right Jesper kappa rata which one is adventure archives biggest fan is it a Clinton Johnson B Corrin Johnson C Mila Johnson or deep know what Johnson beef corn and Johnson is that your final answer that's my final answer shout outs to John and Lisa treu it thank you for the frog dog I'm sure it'll come in handy shout outs to expedition research LLC thank you very much for your patreon support and shout outs to s11 in who would like to remind everybody to keep sharing and characters one does not simply walk into Mordor it is a barren land filled with fire we must destroy the ring and if we fail what happens with Sarah Churchwell takes back all that was hers I'll be dead before I see the ring in the hands of Charlie Joe I will take it I will take the ring to Mordor though I do not know the way I will help you bear this burden Jason bourgeois for as long as this is yours to bear and buy my life for death if I can protect you i Jim Potts will you have my sword earn my axe Gandalf we must turn back [Music] [Music] turn ourselves around I am a terrible dancer

Channel: AdventureArchives

Views: 532,819

Rating: 4.8570471 out of 5

Keywords: backpacking, hiking, camping, wilderness, survival, outdoors, travel, outdoor recreation, nature, 4k, wild, kalalau trail, waimea canyon state park, kauai, Kauaʻi, hawaii, na pali coast state park, polihale state park, polihale beach, Ho'opi'i Falls, sleeping giant mountain, nou nou mountain, wailua river, fern grotto

Id: Awb5lNMcFT4

Length: 89min 5sec (5345 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 29 2020