Hiking the Na Pali Coast Barefoot

The Na Pali Coast in Kaua’i, Hawai’i is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places on the entire island.  There are no roads along the coast, so the only way to enjoy the amazing vistas is either by helicopter, boat or on foot.  The Kalalau Trail snakes its way along the entire eleven miles of coastline, from Ke’e Beach to Kalalau Beach.  Our destination for our day hike was Hanakap’ai Falls, a 410 foot waterfall 4 miles from the trailhead.  I hiked barefoot.

Why barefoot?

Aside from the challenge of hiking over rocks, navigating tangles of tree roots, trudging through mud and traversing numerous rivers along the way, being barefoot brings a person closer to nature.  Instead of feeling separated from the Earth, you are now a part of the system.  Each step is focused and intentional.

As you walk, you feel the changing terrain.  The mud oozing between your toes, the warm rocks and algae covered boulders on the river bottoms.  You are mindful of each moment of the journey, your mind never wandering.  All your concerns melt away from your consciousness, your mind is unshackled and unplugged.

One step at a time, you are focused only on the next, not the previous nor the one five minutes from now.  In our daily lives, we are constantly concerned with the past and the future, rarely considering the moment in which we are currently occupying.  “Should I have done things differently?” and “What will I make for dinner tonight?”  invade our thoughts.  Rare are the times when we stop and say, “I am here, now…I am blessed.”

We are lost in the past and the future, neither of which are reality.  The moment is now and finding a way be mindful of this moment, right here, right now, is what walking barefoot along the Napali Coast was meant to do.

And it worked.

I focused on each step, one by one.  Where was the next spot to put my foot down without getting injured?  The soothing feeling of the cold water as I crossed a river, the childish happiness as the mud squished beneath my feet and through my toes.  Each step was intentional and unique.

In the moments when my mind wanted to wander and think of other things, I paid the price with an accidental kick of a rock or slip down the muddy slope; the sting of pain a “gentle” reminder to be mindful of my journey.

After reaching Hanakapi’ai Falls, I rewarded myself with a swim in the pool beneath the falls, watching the water cascade from hundreds of feet above.  I had reached my destination, one step at a time and even though I no longer needed to focus on where I was walking, I found myself enjoying the moment without concern for anything but absorbing the beauty in which I was surrounded.