sun and {fun!}

Hello there blog peeps!  How are you?  I have to say I am enjoying every minute of my vacation so far.  Kauai is just amazing as always.  Definitely my favorite place to recharge my batteries!  I've got a card share for you, believe it or not.  I brought this card with me from home with the intent of writing our note of thanks to the owners of our fun beach cottage you'll see at the end of this post.  Isn't this the cutest little surfer bear?  In the background is the view of the beach from our front porch.  It's truly a breathtaking view!

Today, I thought I'd share some pictures of our hike to the Hanakapiai Falls, which is part of the Kalalau Trail, located where the road ends in Hanalei.  We've done this hike now 4 times out of our 6 times here in Kauai.  And every time, the hike is a little different.  A huge part of it is due to the weather conditions, but this time, it was both weather conditions and some trail modifications.  It was also probably the most treacherous yet, since it rained on us a lot and the ground was really muddy and slushy.  You won't be able to tell so much in the pictures, because most of the time we took our camera out was when the rain stopped and the sun came up!  Anyway, here's a little snapshot of our hiking journey.

This picture was taken on our way to the hike, right off the road in Hanalei.  The rainbow ends in some taro fields!

Here I am - we've just started the hike and already, you can see the muddy path in the background.  Imagine this for 8 miles. The view was to die for though, so it made every bit worth it!

Did I tell you that there was quite a bit of uphill on this hike?  The elevation changes were pretty dramatic at some parts.  How cute is my hubby though?  Heehee.  He was a trooper carrying that backpack filled with water and snacks.

Here's one of the many gorgeous vistas that kept us going.  The cliffs in the background are part of the Napali Coast.

We even got to see kayakers in the ocean!  Their brightly colored kayaks looked so pretty against the gorgeous blue ocean.

Ahhh!  How gorgeous is this beach?  This pristine stretch of sand and beach is the Hanakapiai Beach, 2 miles into our hike.  Since we got an early start, there weren't too many people that had made it here yet.  It was quite a treat for us!

Here's a quick peek at the big payoff...the waterfall at the end of the hike! This is the Hanakapiai Falls.  We were probably a quarter mile away.  So pretty!  We took some flip videos at the falls, so hopefully, I can share them with you when I get back (after editing and all that good stuff!)

This picture was taken on our way back...the little peek a boo view is of the pristine beach.  Isn't this so amazing?  I really love this hike!  It's worth all the soreness I'm still feeling in my legs!

And lastly, here's a pic of our adorable beach cottage - our home in Poipu for the remainder of the week.

That's all for now.  Hope you enjoyed the photos!  Time for me to go and run before heading to the water.  Have a fantastic day!