Kauai/Kalalau Trail May 2013 - Introduction

***This post is part 1 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

The Kalalau Trail along the famed Na Pali Coast on Kauai is consistently named one of the most beautiful hikes in the world, and even the most beautiful coastal hike period. I had read about the trail many years ago and seen pictures from friends who have previously visited. Although I had already been to Kauai twice when I younger, I knew I had to make another journey there just to see Kalalau Beach at the end of the 11-mile trail with my own eyes.

Luckily, armed with a sizable amount of Avios in my British Airways account and also some SPG points, I knew I could make this trip a lot more affordable than the typical traveler. One of the best uses for Avios are domestic short-haul flights on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines, since the British Airways award chart is now based on the distance traveled. As such, direct flights from the West Coast to Hawaii actually come at a huge discount when compared to the typical number of miles charged by legacy carriers (25,000 Avios vs. 35,000-45,000 miles).

Alaska Airlines has tons of direct flights to many of the islands from the Bay Area, and since I was booking nearly ten months in advance, I easily found round-trip award space for SJC-LIH. Taxes came out to a whopping $5, and I was even able to convince them to waive the phone fee since Alaska Airlines award flights cannot be booked on the British Airways website.

Unfortunately, one of the hassles of booking so far in advance is the likelihood of schedule changes. And about four months prior to departure, I received an email stating that the direct SJC-LIH flight had been canceled, and I was being rerouted through SEA. Even though this increased my travel time by more than two hours, I didn't really mind, as British Airways didn't charge me more Avios or taxes and fees. Luckily, the LIH-SJC return flight remained unchanged.

For lodging, I used SPG points to book two nights before the hike at the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas on the north shore, which is relatively close to the Kalalau trailhead  For the two nights after, I booked the Sheraton Kauai Resort in Poipu on the south shore just to experience a different part of the island. Luckily, I did all of this prior to SPG's major Cash & Points devaluation and comparatively minor category changes in March 2013. The Westin moved up to Category 6, while the Sheraton stayed at Category 5.

Most frustrating of all was the inclusion of the dreaded resort and parking fees, along with taxes on the cash portion of the redemption. I'm glad to say that the Westin still doesn't charge a resort fee, but they do have a $13/night parking fee along with taxes. Sheraton charges a $31.25/night resort fee (including parking) along with taxes. Both provide in-room WiFi, thankfully.

Lastly, in order to camp at Kalalau Beach, you must have a permit purchased from the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources website. The cost is $15 for Hawaii residents and $20 for non-residents, along with a $2 online fee. Permits for the Kalalau Trail go fast, especially during the summer high season, so be sure to purchase them far in advance. In all, total out-of-pocket cost for airfare and lodging came out to $422.82.

Kalalau Beach - May 3, 2013

Kauai/Kalalau Trail May 2013 Trip Report

Earlier this month, I took a quick five-day trip to Kauai. The main purpose was to hike the Kalalau Trail along the famous Na Pali Coast. Kalalau has consistently been named one of the most beautiful hikes in the world, and I was very excited to finally be able to see the spectacular scenery in person after wanting to visit for so many years. Although I was slightly nervous about doing the two-day hike on my own, things turned out alright, and I met some great people along the trail. Read on for all the details (links will become active as I complete them):

• Introduction
• Alaska Airlines 321/873 Economy Class (SJC → SEA → LIH)
• The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas
• Kalalau Trail
• Sheraton Kauai Resort
• Exploring Kauai
• Alaska Airlines 848 Economy Class (LIH → SJC)

The Northern Lights March 2013 - Alaska Airlines 182/88/328 Economy Class (FAI-ANC-SEA-SJC)

***This post is the conclusion to a full trip report. The index can be found here***

I left for the airport around 6:00 am and arrived while the sky was still pitch black. Returning the car to Alamo was a quick and easy process: simply park the car in the lot right in front of the terminal and drop off your keys inside at the rental car counter. With no baggage to check, I just had to reprint my boarding pass and head through the security screening, which was virtually empty.

Fairbanks Airport is small, but beautifully designed. Airside reminded me of a rustic ski lodge, with plenty of wood beams and hardwood floors. There were a couple of fast dining options just past security. After a brief wait at the gate, boarding commenced slightly early at 7:30 am. I could tell it would be a fairly empty flight going to Anchorage.

The Northern Lights March 2013 - The Northern Lights

***This post is part 5 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

During my last night in Fairbanks, I had one of the most surreal experiences of my life while trying to see the northern lights. But before I get into the details, let me go through the two previous nights, the first of which was a disappointment, and the second of which was somewhat more successful.

I got into Fairbanks around 5:40 pm on the first day, and after getting settled in at the hostel and grabbing a quick dinner, I set out on the Steese Highway. My thought was to get out of the city limits so light pollution would be at a minimum. The Steese Highway extends 161 miles from Fairbanks to the town of Circle on the Yukon River, roughly 50 miles south of the Arctic Circle. After the 81-mile marker, much of the road becomes unpaved, but even in the paved sections, it can be a rather treacherous journey during the winter.

The highway traverses several passes, including Cleary Summit, approximately half an hour outside of Fairbanks, and Twelvemile Summit, at around the 86-mile marker. After doing a bit of research online, I decided to try and see the northern lights at both summits, although I was a bit hesitant on making the nearly two-hour drive out to Twelvemile with the road still covered in snow.

Map of the Steese Highway (slightly out of date)

As I mentioned in my previous post, the weather wasn't cooperating on the first night I arrived. Overcast skies gave way to light snow as I ventured out onto the Steese Highway. I have to admit, I was somewhat scared to be driving alone on the winding, ice-covered road in complete darkness with a rental car. Going at a maximum of maybe 40 mph, I slowly made my way up, hoping I wouldn't slide off the road at any moment.

I had heard Cleary Summit was a popular tourist spot to see the lights, but when I arrived, there were no other cars there. At around 10:30 pm, a small bus pulled up to the turnout and turned off its engines. I saw a number of people sitting inside, and I felt at least a bit more certain that I was in the right spot. No other cars showed up that night.

Unfortunately, the snow started coming down harder, and as I much as I peered into the dark sky, I couldn't make out even a tiny trace of the green glow. After another hour and half of waiting in the freezing car, I decided that was enough, and I turned the car around and headed back down the summit. I suppose the smarter tourists had all seen the weather reports that night and stayed indoors! Stubbornly, I thought I would try my luck anyways and came up empty.

On the second night, I once again drove up to Cleary Summit along with some hostel-mates. The weather had been beautiful all afternoon, with barely a cloud in the sky, so I had high hopes of finally seeing the lights. When we arrived, I was surprised to see a virtual parking lot full of cars and tourists. I guess this was indeed a very popular spot!

The temperature was even colder than the night before, but at least there was no snow coming down. At around 11:00 pm, people began to notice a very faint glow in the eastern sky. This glow slowly intensified, and I smiled, relieved and excited that my goal of seeing the northern lights was actually happening right before my eyes. The glow gradually became a curtain of light that would undulate and sweep across the horizon. Sections would quietly fade, but new regions would suddenly light up, connect and disconnect, and fade again. It was simply breathtaking.

The Northern Lights March 2013 - Exploring Fairbanks

***This post is part 4 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

With only two days in Fairbanks, I didn't have a whole lot of time to see the city and surrounding area, but I did have a few definite things on my checklist. While enjoying nature and outdoor activities are a huge part of the Alaskan pastime, winter weather is typically not conducive to either. And as much as I would have loved to visit Denali, I am definitely not hardcore enough to snowshoe, cross-country ski, or camp in the snow. Someday, I hope to visit Alaska in the summer and do the famous drive up the George Parks Highway.

In the meantime, I narrowed my options down to a few local activities. As touristy as it sounded, I really wanted to try out dog-sledding. There were a number of outfitters doing shorter tours, and I ultimately decided on Paws For Adventure, which had amazing reviews on TripAdvisor and a very informative website. Out of the six tours they offered, the two that sounded most appealing to me were the one-hour adventure for $95 or the three-hour mushing school for $275. Taking into account my budget constraints, I went with the one-hour adventure.

The location is about six miles outside of downtown Fairbanks, and the roads were cleared the whole way, until you pass the actual entrance. From there, it may be a little difficult to drive down to the parking area without a 4x4, but my Ford Fusion survived without any issues. The owner, Leslie, had a heated yurt set up with extra parkas and hot tea for guests. From there, you can go down and interact with the dogs and watch as they prepared the sleds for the ride.

For the one-hour tour, you don't actually ride the runners, but you get to sit in the front basket, which was somewhat comfortable and relaxing. If you like, about halfway through, you can stand in the back with the musher and ride the runners for a bit. It was a little nerve-wracking, since it was easy to lose your balance with the sled going up and down and side to side. But watching the eagerness and energy of the huskies while flying through the open snow fields and spruce forest was absolutely exhilarating. I would highly recommend trying out dog-sledding while in Fairbanks.