A good substitute.

Well, I'd hardly call Yosemite National Park a substitute, but that's what it will be this week. Our Kaua'i trip will not work due to flight loads. Some other time. So we're going to CA instead to see some granite country in the winter. Mmm. It'll be great. Off to plan it...

Mullet is currently tunneled underneath Yosemite National Park. I think he wants to come with.

Return to Hawaii

This Saturday Alison and I are hopefully returning to Hawaii for a second trip down there since November. Nice. Spoiled with flight benefits. This time we are going (flight loads permitting) to Kaua'i, and our friends Nate and Emily are coming with. The goal is to backpack the Na Pali Coastline on the Kalalau Trail, see the Waimea Canyon (nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific), and relax on many beaches, getting out of the cold for a bit. (Although it's been a totally balmy 25ish around STP lately with fluffy snow- good winter).

Planning has been going ok, with some stress over permits and flights. Apparently the Hawaiian State Park system is unaware of credit cards and the internet for purchasing hiking permits. Instead, one must round up a cashiers check, mail it overseas, and either wait for the permit to come back, or stop by the park office in Luhue, which is open only occasionally it seems. Wow. It's making me very thankful for our amazing, free, volunteer-based, nationally renown Superior Hiking Trail here in MN. But I wont complain much- the Na Pali Coastline is supposedly a "life-lister" when it comes to backpacking ventures. It's 11 miles in and 11 out along the rugged, worn, cliffs of the North Shore of Kaua'i. There will be many pictures assuming it all comes together. We have high hopes, but it could still fall through.

Either way, it will be nice just not to be at work for a week. I'm sure we can come up with a back-up adventure if we can't make it to the middle of the Pacific...