We were blessed with a wonderful day, clear skies with a blustery wind off the amazingly blue ocean. However the sun was intense and we were glad to have lots of water. We were making good time and by now knew that we would be able to make it in reasonable time. Ridge after ridge, through drainage after drainage, we were soon on the last descent to Kalalau Beach. A lone beach bordered by impassable cliffs that look more like a vertical jungle than any cliff I had ever seen.
Water falls and runnels draining the upper reaches of the island cascaded down everywhere.
Being winter on the north shore, the waves were huge. The waitress at the caf was right, the ocean here dominates everything. We were afraid to even get in the water because the rip tide was running west faster than we could run. If you were to get in the water past thigh level you would likely get knocked off your feet and swept west past the end of the beach. If that happened you would have to swim all the way around the island before you could find a place to get out of the water.