EISPIRATEN

Just spent a week in Kauai and had the chance to experience a bit of local hiking while there. One of the more easily accessible hikes was the Sleeping Giant which was visible right off the balcony of our condo in Kapa'a.

The Sleeping Giant, so named because it resembles a giant lying supine with his head to the left and chest to the right, is a about a 4 mile round trip hike that ends on the giant's forehead. Total elevation gain via the Nounou Mountain Trail from the east is about 1,000 feet. There's a picnic table on the giant's chest at about the 1.8 mile mark if you don't want to scramble up to the chin and forehead. I had reservations about going the last .25 miles to the top because I had read that it was difficult and I had the entire Rico clan with me, but it turned out those concerns were unwarranted and the descriptions I had read were a tad over-blown. There was some scrambling up one steep section that could be slippery in wet conditions, but no one had any real trouble with the push to the top.

The trail is well marked and easy to follow. Unlike SoCal, everything is incredibly green and lush on account of the constant rain. The locals are fond of saying "if you don't like the weather, just wait 10 minutes" because conditions are constantly changing. And in fact, we experienced rain, sun, and everything in between while we were out.

The nice thing about this hike is that it is very easily accessible if you're staying in Kapa'a, Wailua, or Lihue. And it affords some nice views of the east side of the island from various vantage points along the way. Give it a look if you find yourself in Kauai. We found it to be a decent warm up hike and introduction to the island.

Here's some pics:

Here's a few more:

Nice pics. It reminds me of Ladyface Peak, but waaaayyyy cooler!

Jealous. I miss that isle so much....but have a lot of great memories
Out of curiosity, did you feel an internal association with the Channel Isles and/or Hawaii?
When I went to Channel Isles... OK, comparison to Hawaii is ridiculous...... but I still felt there was an isle lifestyle that connected the two.

Girl Hiker wrote: Nice pics. It reminds me of Ladyface Peak, but waaaayyyy cooler!

The hiking is better, but there was no name-sake post-hike beer options like with Ladyface.

AW wrote: Jealous. I miss that isle so much....but have a lot of great memories
Out of curiosity, did you feel an internal association with the Channel Isles and/or Hawaii?
When I went to Channel Isles... OK, comparison to Hawaii is ridiculous...... but I still felt there was an isle lifestyle that connected the two.

Yeah, different places so a hard comparison, but I get what you're saying: there is definitely an island vibe that they both share.

With all the waterfalls there to descend, that's got to be total paradise for you (assuming access and anchors).

Uncle Rico wrote: Yeah, different places so a hard comparison, but I get what you're saying: there is definitely an island vibe that they both share.

With all the waterfalls there to descend, that's got to be total paradise for you (assuming access and anchors).

Yeah...waterfalls. A lot of them are aerial though. They look nice in pictures but dont have framing on the ground. So in person they arent anywhere near the rating their picture gets.
Or so the 'rumour' goes from the rebels of the 'permanent forest' nanny state