A morning hike in Kauai

Kauai is the most isolated Hawaiian island, with buildings no taller than a palm tree and enough rainfall each year to maintain beautiful dense foliage throughout the island. It is much less touristy than the rest of Hawaii and is a draw for nature lovers around the world. It is also the site of a number of great films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park.

My wife and I had a chance to visit recently and had a wonderful experience. We hiked most days and one of our favorite stops was the Na Pali coast trail.

The trail goes 11 miles each way (22 miles total), but we didn't have our camping license so we settled for a lovely 8 mile hike through some of the most beautiful scenery on earth...

There were a few water hazards and steep uphill climbs along the way to keep things interesting

The halfway point of our hike was something out of a fantasy world. The picture/video can't do it justice, but I was just a small speck relative to the scale of the waterfall

Here I am about to take a dip in the pool. The water was ice cold, but refreshing!

The last couple miles home were tough with fairly long uphill stretches. All told, we finished in just under 4 hours, spending about 30 minutes in the waterfall area. If you are ever in Kauai, I highly recommend this hike. If there are more breathtaking places on earth, I haven't found them.

One last shot of us getting some r&r with the rest of the family after an amazing morning hike.