Kaena Point

Mythically, Kaena Point is the jump off place for souls leaving Oahu. We have walked halfway to Kaena Point several times. We go to a little cove that has a great collection of shells—pukas, cowries, turbans. But yesterday we decided to go all the way to the Point, a roadless area on the northwest tip of Oahu. It is a famous spot for big waves, whales, and albatross watching. We saw two out of the three Kaena Point attractions.  The albatross is, of course, a legendary bird associated with bad luck. They are magnificent fliers and we did get to see one skimming the surface of the water with its huge wingspan. But, mostly, the albatrosses, clumsy on land were waddling about, protecting nests or wandering. There was a group of six who were having some sort of meeting, squeaking and bobbing their heads. They had the look of a volunteer committee. Whales did blow in the distance but the waves  were modest.  The most surprising thing about the hike was that it was dry. Usually in winter there are mud holes galore made worse by four wheel drivers who rodeo around, often getting stuck, tearing up the terrain and marring the landscape. They are blocked from the wildlife refuge at Kaena Point by a gate and large rocks. Dogs are forbidden at the Point but recently there’s been a problem with dogs destroying the albatross nests. The trail is a railroad right of way from the sugar cane days. At the Point it curves through a man-made chasm. We were led through this pass by a lonely bird. Suddenly, dramatically, the view opens up with a great look south down the roadless coastline. The only vehicles we saw this day were fishermen who cast out into the big surf with long poles. We did stop for twenty minutes at our secret beach. A skinny old man, a lonely walker, wearing flip-flops crossed the beach behind us. We later passed him sort of staggering along on the highway near Dillingham Field where skydivers were dropping out of the sky.
We stopped for a swim at quiet Mokuleia next to where the “Lost” crew has a base camp. Later in the day we saw the old guy in flip-flops in Wailua, some twelve miles from where we had first seen him. Had he walked all that way? If so, I need to find out what kind of flip-flops he wears.