We set the alarm for 5:30, got up around 6, made breakfast, and were on the trail by 6:45. The therapists were gone by the time we woke up, so they must have been up and out before dawn. Sophie said she heard them packing up, so that must have been sometime before 5. Hats off to them. After getting water, we started the hike back in earnest.
Those smiles faded pretty quick. The first mile is a total asskicker, totally exposed red dirt with several thousand feet of gain and some tears.
The way out was significantly easier than the hike in, and we made good time, finishing around 3.
Along the way, we kept leapfrogging two guys on a school funded trip (how awesome is that!). We checked in with everyone, picked up our bags from our airbnb, and got Mexican from that place across from Java Kai. We made a quick stop in Lihue to pick up a full lilikoi pie (judge away), then bee lined it to Poipu and bed.