We wake up for an early easy hike to some nearby tide pools named Queen’s Bath in Princeville. We get to the trail right when they “open”, although there really isn’t any opening and closing of the baths (or the hike). We are back in the mud and immediately reminded of our Hanakapi’ai falls hike, except this time we’re in our bathing suits and sandals.
The trail isn’t obvious as the mud has washed much of the easy trail indicators away, and we end up on an old trail. We assume it can’t be too hard, so we forge onwards. We find small ropes down a cliff side, and we’re happy there’s at least something to hold on to as we slip down the muddy hillside. We are grateful for every tree root that we can use for support as we repel down. Although this make it seem like a controlled decent, I feel it was probably anything but.
By the bottom, due to a healthy fear of heights and a fair amount of exertion, I’m in a full sweat. It takes a little time to calm my heart rate, after which a dip in one of the tide pools is exactly what’s needed. The crashing waves along the side of the tide pool, the fish swimming through the perfectly clear water, and refreshing temperature of the tide pool made it all seem a little more worthwhile.
