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... The Hawaiian island of Kauai may not have any spewing lava, but hikers along the magnificent Napali coast have brought their own volcanic action recently, violently hollowing their innards amid the gushing waterfalls and deeply carved valleys.
Between August and early September, at least 50 hikers fell ill with norovirus along the famed Kalalau Trail, which has been closed since September 4 for a deep cleaning. The rugged 11-mile trail runs along the northwest coast of the island, giving adventurers breathtaking views of stunning sea cliffs and Kauai's lush valleys. It's situated just north of Waimea Canyon State Park, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
"It's one of the most beautiful places in the world. I feel really fortunate to be able to be there, and appreciate and respect that land," one hiker who fell ill in late August told The Washington Post.
"My guts exploding all over that land was not what I wanted to do at all."
That hiker, Danielle Burr, told the Post that she was one of at least eight people in her 12-member group to fall ill with vomiting and diarrhea after they had reached the Kalalau beach campsite, where the trail dead-ends at the foot of towering fluted ridges. After a night of relentless heaving outside of her tent, she was unable to make the 11-mile return trip and was taken to the hospital by helicopter just after sunrise.
"There was no way I could physically do that trail to get out," she said. "And I was spreading the virus all over the place, like, I'm a public health risk."
At first, responders assumed that some of the hikers had picked up leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that spreads from contaminated water and soil and is known to lurk along the trail.
But, the brutal illness continued its lightning spread, with reports of other hikers along the trail erupting like biological volcanoes. Testing on September 5 determined that norovirus -- a germ notorious for igniting explosive outbreaks in the great outdoors -- was to blame.
Life's a bleach ...