We imagine that we are walking along the trail and ahead of us ‘pops out’ a figure. The person, who happens to be an angel, mentions that he has been sent by Hashem, the Master of the world, to find a suitable place to reestablish the Garden of Eden. He then asks for suggestions. After overcoming our initial surprise and shock, it does not take long to answer: “Selective parts on the island of Kauai are gorgeous. You will find forests that are ‘heaven on earth’ over here,” might be our answer.
To be Frank, hmm…Gary, we have only seen a tiny fraction of the beautiful world. However, one finds idyllic spots on this island that ‘blows one away’. This is after only a few days on Kauai. Yesterday we hiked two trails of eight miles with ups and downs that took us through some of the thickest coverage we have experienced. The trees, bushes, shrubs, ground cover and plant life that we cannot identify or describe, are so thick that they create rolling hills as far as the eye can see. The top of this growth, as one gazes towards it, is so closely knitted that one may be forgiven for thinking the sight is at ground level. Effectively, the surface is high above the ground, like a carpet up in the air, if that makes some sense.
The trees and shrubs cover the mountains completely. The contours, the colors, the hulking mountains as background all mesh together to create as we mentioned, paradise on earth. To break the multitude of shades of green, the Pacific blue ocean is visible between the hills on one side. Its effect is more subtle than overt, blocked by the undulating hills and mountains, from the altitudes that we reached.
Throughout the hike, we were enthralled by the mountains—we need to climb those ‘fellows’, were our thoughts. On further research, we discovered to our great disappointment that the only access is by helicopter. The mountaintop is reputed to be the ‘wettest place’ on earth with 440 inches of rain per annum.
We photographed as best as we could but our lack of skills, do no justice to this very beautiful place.
There was disappointment on the day. As much as we prefer ‘talking to the trees’, listening to the birds and absorbing the abundance of beauty surrounding us, the ‘tripe’ flowing from Washington continues to upset and irritate us.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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