I am, by nature, a person that likes to plan things down to the smallest detail; almost to a fault. I am the idiot that passes out itineraries to everyone when we are on a group trip and spend more time making sure everything is running on schedule than I do enjoying myself. That being said, I began to plan this trip in my head about 6 months in advance.
Let me start by saying that I have never been a hiker. I'm fat, I'm lazy and didn't believe anything that spanned 22 miles should be done without the benefit of a motor. However, as I began to lose weight and the hikes with my wife became longer and longer, the reality of this hike being achievable slowly took form.
As far a physical condition goes, my 41 year old wife is in excellent shape and my 12 year old daughter is in average shape but at 5'4" and 125 lbs, she is as strong as a bull. At the time we left for Kauai, I was at 235 lbs., which is still way too much for my 6' frame but much better than the 280lbs I was at 6 months before.
Physical preparation wise, I walked 5 days a week with my wife and generally went between 1 and 5 miles each trip. I didn't do much in terms of elevation change other than two specific occasions where I took 2 mile hikes on a trail similar to the beginning of the Kalalau Trail. From a "being in shape" perspective, I was probably not where I needed to be but I felt I was adequate enough to attempt the trip.
I was a little worried about the distance (22 miles round trip) but was planning on the fact I live at 8,500 feet being an asset on the hike. That and the fact that I was mentally committed to doing the hike.
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