Bringing a Pet to Hawaii: Part 1

There is so many testimonies available in regards to bringing a pet to Hawaii, but the best resource to start at is found at http://hdoa.hawaii.gov .  Click on "animal quarantine" from the tabs on the top of the website to specifically find information.  The reason there is such specifics on bringing an animal to the Hawaiian islands is because Hawaii is a rabies-free state.  According to the Hawaiian Department of Agriculture, "Hawaii’s quarantine law is designed to protect residents and pets from potentially serious health problems associated with the introduction and spread of rabies. All dogs and cats, regardless of age (puppies and kittens included) or purpose, must comply with Hawaii’s dog and cat import requirements."  There is so much information, and I recommend reading all of what they make available so that there is no mistake made while traveling or moving with your animal.  At this point we are going through the slow, yet necessary 120-day quarantine process so I will be here to share with you if we hit any bumps along the way.  At this point, let me sum up some of the research we have found to follow on this quarantine process:

• Allow for extra time, even though the waiting period is 120 days. The waiting period starts after all the shots and blood work is done and received by Kentucky State University (KSU).
• Dogs and cats will need original records of vaccinations signed by a veterinarian
• FAVN titer test blood work is sent to the lab at KSU to be checked, and the are then sent to Hawaii, paired up with the animals microchip number .  At that point you can find out online when the first day your pet is allowed into the state.
• No more than 14 days before the pets arrive in Hawaii a veterinarian must apply a certain flea/tick preparation to the animals, and no more than 10 days before the vets must prepare a health certificate. Note that these are for the dates you are actually traveling.
• Pets must arrive by 3:30 pm in order for them to be released directly, otherwise they are transferred to the quarantine site and held up to 5 days (for the “five days or less” option, which costs $225).

So since our dog is already vaccinated for her rabies booster and already has her 9-digit AVID microchip, we have made an appointment to see our veterinarian for her FAVN test for mid-April.  Wish us luck bringing our adorable and energetic Schnoodle (miniature schnauzer, miniature poodle mix breed) over to Hawaii with us! (fingers-crossed that we still go and make this dream a reality!) This is officially the start of Doodle's Hawaiian life adventure!!

The Basin

This weekend we traveled up to one of our most favorite New England areas to explore some more of the White Mountains in NH. You could explore forever and there is always more trails to find. This time we took the Doodles with us for her first White Mountain hike and she did great. What an adventure seeking, no fear, little dog!

That's me holding on to Doodles because she was a bit nervous at first

The Basin is only a 0.1 mile hike, but then there are trails that can take you all the way up the Pemigewasset River. This river flows from Profile Lake in Franconia, NH then connects 60miles south to the Merrimack, and then continues to flow eventually out to the Atlantic Ocean in Newburryport, MA. That's a total distance of 185 miles, and they say that the river system drains some 5000 square miles - yup, pretty crazy long... so even thought it is an easy trail, we had to finally go check it out.  And you should too!  It's truly an easy hike and great for dogs, children, photographers, and I would even say some wheel-chair access too!

My hubby and our Doodles

Kalalau Trail

As described in our post yesterday (see here), today we hiked the Na Pali Coast.  We hiked the early stretch from Ke'e Beach to Hanakapai'ai Beach. We definitely hit our 2 mile goal point in less than 3hrs which allowed us to enjoy the beach before the tide came in.  There was amazing pools of water where the fresh water from the Hanakapi'ai Falls met the salt ocean water.  Here are some of the photos from our amazing trek

Trail sign at beginning of hike

Na Pali Coast hike view

Hubby on Na Pali Coast hike

Me hiking Na Pali coast, Bali Hai peak behind

Secluded Hanakapai'ai Beach

Standing where the fresh water meets the ocean

Hidden beach caves

Be careful: waves are bigger than they look!

Fresh water rock river from the mountains to the ocean

Running water pics

Hiking Preparedness

So it's 9pm here on Wednesday in Hawaii and that would make it 3am on Thursday back home on the East Coast.  We have prepared for a hike tomorrow on the famous Na Pali coast of Kauai's north shore. Since we will probably be getting up early and heading out, I will not take time to write so I'm going to tell you of what we think and hope our adventures will be tomorrow:

They say The Na Pali Coast is the ultimate hike and the most famous in all of the Hawaiian islands. The "Pali," or cliffs, provide a rugged beauty of deep, narrow valleys ending abruptly at the sea. Waterfalls, streams and rivers cut through the valleys while the ocean carves cliffs at their openings.

The Kalalau trail is the name of the 11 mile trail that runs the Na Pali coast. We have been wanting to hike along these cliffs for years and this is the biggest reason that challenged us here this year. But preparedness doesn't even begin to explain what is needed to tackle this, so we are being smart and tomorrow, we will only be attempting 2 of the 11 mile stretch. The warnings are extensive and even the ultimate prepared hiker can become surprised at any moment. So as not to scare our loved ones, let's just say that WE WILL BE SAFE!!! So to be safe, we will only go the first 2 mile and suggest other hikers heed the warnings as well. We are tempted to go on a 2mile switchback up to Hanakapi'ai Falls, but from what we read and have discussed with locals, that is difficult as well without proper food and water rations, so maybe we will plan that 4mile hike for another time.

Ok, now that we have talked "safety-first" about the possible dangers... let's talk about how cool this will be tomorrow!! We will be hiking the early stretch from Ke'e Beach to Hanakapai'ai Beach. We have chosen to hike this tomorrow because the weather should be amazing tonight (not making the trail soggy or slippery in the morning) and amazing weather tomorrow for a great trek. I hope all that time at the gym pays off because they say even the most experienced hiker will trek a pace of only about 1.5-2hrs per mile.  Even though we are ambitious hikers, we are planning on enjoying this experience and hitting our 2 mile goal point in less than 5hrs. Bring it Mother Nature! We're packed and ready for the challenge!! Let you know how it goes with pictures tomorrow, but until then here's a tasty picture of our evening dinner

Our new favorite appetizer: Poke!