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Getting hiking and backpacking food

If you are planning to backpack on Kauai, consider shopping for your hiking and backpacking chow on Kauai. Food prices are higher in Hawaii, but you have enough stuff to put in your luggage without bringing your food, too. There are several well-stocked supermarkets on the island, particularly around Kapaa and Lihue, and some camping stores. You can buy almost anything from the “raw ingredients” (oatmeal, bread, crackers, peanut butter, cheese, …) to dehydrated and freeze-dried chow.

Companions

The standard advice is: never hike alone; never camp alone.

Water

Take your own drinking water for the day. Plan on treating water while backpacking. No open source of water anywhere in the U.S. is safe to drink untreated. Treat water by boiling (bring to a rolling boil) or filtering (note that filters clog relatively quickly in Kauai’s sediment-rich water).

Don’t spread pest plants: wash off your shoes or boots

As I mentioned in the chapter on geology and history, Hawaii has been overrun by introduced plants. It’s important to try to control the spread of these plants. One thing you can do to help is to wash the soil, and with it the seeds of any pest plants, you hope, off of your shoes or boots before you leave a hiking area. If there’s no water avilable for this, use a stick to clean off the mud.