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Na Pali Trail Kauai Hawaii

Wednesday, December 16th, 1992

After our son Josh graduated from Whitman College, he joined his former roommate and friend, Phil, in Kauai where they were to spend a couple years working and repairing some cottages that belonged to Phil’s dad near Poipu Beach that were damaged in a hurricane September 1992.

Hurricane Iniki caused more damage than any other hurricane to affect Hawaiʻi since records began. It hit the island of Kauai as a Category 4 on September 11. Iniki caused almost $2 billion in damage, mainly to Kauai. It remains the second costliest East/Central Pacific hurricane on record, only behind Hurricane Paul in 1982. Six died as a result. Iniki brought winds of 140 miles per hour (230 km/hr).

Phil’s dad’s house, closer to the beach, was lifted clear off the concrete pad. For weeks afterward people were finding papers and objects they knew belonged to him because he was a well-known Methodist minister on the island.

Bob and I took the opportunity visit Josh while he lived on the island. We hiked the Na Pali Trail, which, in retrospect probably wasn’t a good idea. But what did we know was up ahead. Namely a trail along side the mountain…very very narrow trail…with a vertical drop of 300+ feet to the ocean rocks below. At times all we had to hang onto were branches of bushes and trees. Alas we turned back before we got to the hippie beach.

When the work on the cottages was done, Josh worked for a restaurant in the nearby Hyatt Hotel. He was offered a promotion but opted to quit and go to culinary school. Phil, who had been an art major is an artist and stay at home dad while married with two children in Seattle. For Josh the rest is history.