Nounou East Trail - Sleeping Giant - Kapaa, HI

Well it's ixnay for the north shore hikes today. The sporadic rain turns every trail into a mudslide and every mountain is a mud pie. Fortunately for us, the east side is a little less wet, and there's a surmountable Sleeping Giant to mount.

Even the parking lot is picturesque - he does an impressive parking job up an giant incline. We are having too much fun with the 4-wheel drive. 

There are lots of views all the way up. 

So green from the giant's chest. 

So sooooo green!

It's a narrow path to the giant's face, 

and there's a little side path to a gorgeous, rocky arch.

The views are indescribable. 

Good thing I took photos.  

Stand even higher if you dare. 

Lion's Head, Cape Town, South Africa - Day 14

I am still EXTRA. Day 14 is the only day of promised sunshine we have, and it's likely the only day of Table Mountain and Lion's head we get. The mountain cableway carries a precarious height and will close for weather conditions if there is a single cloud in the sky or for high winds if a couple of dassies sneeze at the same time.

Lion's Head doesn't close, but it easily becomes unsafe. But I will not forego this iconic hike. Harry and Kerryn are wiser than we and express zero interest in this amount of exertion so we decide to get up early and try to finish hiking before they're done with breakfast. I absolutely refuse to get up at the crack of dawn for it. Instead, I insist we get up BEFORE the crack of dawn.

It's pitch dark outside when we start the uphill climb. Cape Town unfolds below us, a sea of city lights. 

The hike is a never-ending uphill battle of the switchbacks, and some of the stairs are steep.

The last leg has a bypass path, otherwise there's some free climbing lite with chains and staples to help you scale the rocks.

The view from the top is worth the climb. I love the breathtaking sight of waves lapping on sandy shores, and I love even more that this summit remains non-commercial. No vendors, no snack stands, just all the smiling faces of the people who passed you on your way up.

The sunrise concludes while we're up there, and hiking up in the pitch dark is probably the best decision I've made this trip. Lion's Head...the hike will eat you alive if you're out of shape, but it's worth every butt-wrenching step.