On Kauai, start at the highest point you can drive to.   Hike along the rim of the caldera, following a narrow ridge that drops off 3000 feet on one side to the Kalalau Valley or south down the slopes into the jungles of the Alakai’i swamp.    The views down to the ocean are only a few feet off the main trail.   The trail is barren red dirt, but slippery, almost gummy.    Good shoes and a trekking pole are appreciated, but we fell nonetheless, covering ourselves in red muds.   Following the narrow ridge, we arrived at the Pihea junction at the east end of the Kalalau Valley.    Fluted ridges run north to the Na Pali Coast.    The climb to the top of the Pihea Viewpoint is a steep scramble to a hilltop shrouded in flowering shrubs.   Every space in sight is covered in trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and herbaceous plants.

The route below winds down the hill towards the swamp.   Within 400m, the trail is a boardwalk, supported planks with wire mesh stapled on.   The planks flap and buckle in the wet terrain and an occasional splash reminds is that we would be wading in mud and ooze if not for the boardwalk.    This is a jungle.   Koa and ohia are covered in vines.      Tropical plants that we buy at the gardening store are 12 feet high.    Rotting stumps are hosts to a type of spider plant, bromedliads, and orchids.

At a junction several choices are available and we choose to follow the Pihea Trail down to the Kawaikoi Stream.    The air is humid, 98 percent humidity.    Mokihana and ferns fringe the trail.   Bushwhacking is not an option anywhere.   The stream is brown, flowing among boulders, but small trout dart for shelter as we peer downwards.   After two hours of hiking we merge at a grassy meadow, a campsite that can be accessed by 4WD.   More junctions.    We climb the hill to Sugi Camp.    The viewpoint offers views west to the drier gullies leading to Waimea Canyon.   To complete our loop, we followed the Alikai’i Swamp Trail back.

The State tried to build a road around the island and thought that an extension from Kokee through the Alakai’I Swamp, then down the pali to the north shore was possible.     Bulldozers and pylons started the route, but over  the breaks, the equipment and the installations would sink and disappear.   The project was eventually abandoned.   The trail follows the original route, but even on top of a ridge, the boggy path is wet, muddy, and enclosed by jungle.   The boardwalk resumes, winding its way through boggy meadows, then back into the forest.    Vines trail down off trees and broadleaf plants grow to enormous size.   The humidity is almost stifling.    At a junction we know we will be retracing our route out of the swamp to the rim of the caldera, looking over the Na Pali and back to our start.

The entire route is about 8 miles, but it is slow hike.   The surface is constantly slippery.    We took some falls on the sidehill mud.   Some of the gullies require careful planning.    Vegetation grows over the trail.    And, there is much to see.    If you choose this trail, leave all day.   Bring your camera, wear good shoes, and bring a pole for stability.    We traveled down to the ocean for a swim and to clean off the mud.    The Alakai’i should be on a hiker’s list of hikes to do, especially when you can return to the beaches of the south shore of the island for a swim in warm Hawaiian ocean.   Even on top of the mountain in February, the temperatures were 23 degrees and 26 degrees at the beach.  A special hike plus a warm swim makes an unbeatable combination.