Perhaps we should have felt bad that we had hiked all that way and had to turn back. That we didn’t get to see Hanakapi‘ai Beach. That we didn’t get to see Hanakapi‘ai Falls.
But we didn’t feel bad.
We had hiked a good hike, and weather notwithstanding we got a good view of the Na Pali coast from the east.
The beach, like Ke‘e Beach behind us would have been socked in from mist and cloud. And from all reports, the trail leading to the falls was absolutely treacherous.
Folks returning from the falls reported that the trail was muddy and slippery and dangerous. The guide books caution hikers that the trail is unmaintained and can be difficult towards the end, and they say only to hike it in dry weather.
So we concluded that even if we had been able to ford the river, hiking to the falls would not have been in the cards. And in any event, it was afternoon, and a hike another two miles up the valley would have taken long enough that we’d have been racing nightfall to get back.
No, we didn’t feel bad. We were triumphant.