Trip of the Decade: Part IV

 Wednesday was our back country tour with Outfitters Kauai. Of all the tours we booked and activities we planned, I was most excited about this one.  We checked in at 8:00 AM ready for a full day of adventure.

 First thing we did was climb into a tandem ocean kayak.  It was the first time I had been in a kayak.  It took us a minute to figure out how to paddle in sync, but we got it down and had a blast.  The kayak up the river was gorgeous.  There is so much vegetation.  I don't think I've ever seen so many different shades of green.

 After splashing out of the kayak, we hiked up through the jungle.  I kept thinking I was on the set of Tarzan or something with so many swingable vines everywhere. 

 I've never hiked through the jungle before, but with everything so dense and lush you'd expect danger to be lurking around every corner.  But no, Kauai is paradise, so there is nothing out there that's gonna get you.  No poison ivy.  No snakes at all.  No poisonous spiders.  No jaguars ready to eat you for dinner.  Just exotic superfruit that can heal all your ailments...like this noni fruit we picked and tried.

 The destination of our hike?  Zipline, baby.  Like everything else on this day, I had never ziplined before.  I didn't expect to get so nervous since I had been so excited, but once I got up on the platform I was scared to death!  Don't worry, the tour guide gave me a little shove and I was off across 800 feet of zipline over a small canyon.

 The next zipline we hiked to was tandem - an 1800 foot mammoth zipline done side by side (and even upside down...boo-ya!)  And we both looked so good in these red safety helmets that I had to post the photos online for all the world to see.

(and those are Jeff's UnderArmor, not underwear in case you're wondering.)

 We only took one camera with us on this part, and it was easier for me to carry because I could strap it to myself.  I ended up using it more on video mode than still mode during the zipline, so I don't have very many still shots, and I don't have any of myself.

 The last zipline we did was into a pool.  Everyone stripped down to their bathing suits and ziplined and high dived into this beautiful jungle pool prefaced by a small waterfall.

 The pool was shallow around the edges, so we could sit on underwater logs and just pinch each other to remind ourselves that this was real life...we weren't dreaming.

 The hike out was just as beautiful as the hike in, and slightly more muddy.  It rains nearly every day on Kauai and so nothing ever really dries out, which is part of what makes everything so brilliant.

 We stopped at some east shore beaches before heading back to our condo that night, but we were pretty dirty and tired.  We even took pictures of our feet and legs because we had mud up to our knees.  As we drove that night and talked about our day, we kept saying, "Is this place really this amazing?"  Yes, it is.