Hawaii 2023
This is the very, very rough outline of a page I hope to release in the next mont or two. So if you are reading this, stop now and come back when it’s ready. None of the photos are edited, nor is the text readable. Just looking to work some stuff out.
My journey starts with dropping April off at the airport, that’s right. We aren’t actually going together. Despite the huge occasion that awaits the two of us at the end of this journey, we start on our own separate paths. We will both be on the same island, yes, but separated by an uncrossable gap. Her, 13 little kids, and me, a lack of proper transport.
So off she goes, and I continue about my day in the bay for another 24 hours before getting on my own plane.
I had originally planed to spend my time in Honolulu recovering from the marathon… My life had other plans. I suffered a knee injury in the weeks leading up to the race, and after attempting to run a few times in the days leading up to the race, it was clear that there was no way I could without serious problems. So I decided to call it off. A years worth of planning and training down the drain wasn’t the best way to start a vacation, but I needed to make the best of it. I didn’t want this to set the tone.
So I arrived at my farm stay with some level of trepidation. The pressure of a solo vacation looming. No plans, nothing booked. Just showing up. Let’s see what happens.
So while the first champions were crossing the finish line in downtown Honolulu, I was starting on my own independent adventure. This amazing trail was walking distance from where I lived, so I decided to start my adventure off right and do something memorable.
Because I originally planned on laying on the beach all day, recovering from a whole day of running, I didn’t book any transportation. But now, I found it very important to find a reasonable way to get around. I didn’t like the idea of a rental car, so instead I opted in for a scooter. These little thigns aren't good for much. My large weight means they top out at 40 on flat ground, and 15 going up hill. But despite this, it turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip.
With a scooter, I was now slightly more free than before. So I took to the road and headed as far as I dared. The rodes were not exactly safe for someone capable of a maximum of 15 when going up hill. None the less I made it to a really cool Temple to experience some cool birds.
An über drive recommended I grab some fish food and feed the birds with my hands. He said “I don’t know how else to desicribe it, but the little wire feed of the birds feel like praying mastics”
A strange way to describe it, but yeah, they feel like praying mantises for sure.
Wanting to take advantage of the beautiful light, I decided to find a good place to see sunset. Someplace where I didn’t have to go back into Honolulu. A bit of help from my robot friend led me to this somewhat hidden beach found deep inside a beautiful neighbor hood to the east of Honolulu, only 10 minutes away from my stay. This place seemed to be a favorite of the young and beautiful. I felt very out of place in my old man uniform and full brim hat. But people were obviously not concerned, So I hung out for a while as the sun begun to set.
I could see the city in the distance. The city I had planned to run though this morning, still a bit of a sting left in the disappointment. But the light and the waves were slowly beginning to dissolve my disappointment.
Not a bad first day
The next morning I decided to go to the botanical gardens on the way to that same town I visited the previous day. And just to piss April off I only shot black and white
JK I did take a few Color pics
The specific botanical gardens I visited were not heavily curated like the ones I’m use to in big cities. Rather, they felt very wild, and un kept. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, the flowers were very beautiful and felt real in their quality. None were perfect, but all were beautiful.
The rest of the day, and in fact the rest of my time in Honolulu, I more or less just wondered around doing whatever I felt like. Not a bad few days.
I only made it to Honolulu proper a few times. Not really my vibe. Too similar to Oakland…
Good views tho, and lots of beach stuff
My Journey in Honolulu came to an end without much fanfare. It was relaxing, but lacked the adventure I had wanted. The food was okay, the drinks were watered down. I had met a few cool people and saw some beautiful views. But I now needed to to get back to my roots. I needed to get down and dirty and have an adveutre. SO it’s time to go to kauai.
Kauai
As I arrived at Kauai, my nerves were high. Weather had been bad for several days and the Kalaula trail, the whole reason I was here, was closed… People on the internet said It should re-open soon, but I was skeptical. I couldn’t take another disappointment of this level. Two major planned events down in one vacation…
So as Picked up my rental car, I drove around the island aimless and unsure of what to do… I had planed to start the hike early the next morning, so I still carried out my plans of picking up camping fuel and food. and because the weather was bad, lots of rain and wind, I had decided to to sleep in the car.
But I was on kauai, and I needed to make the best of it. I decided to drive south, to the less visited part of the island. I found a nice little neighborhood and had what turned out to be the best meal so far. A posh little restaurant nestled between vintage shops. The quality of the food was much more honest than what I got on Honolulu, and its warmth filled me with optimism. I walked around and decided I woulnd’t worry.
As the sun begun to set, I had a plan. I needed to run to target and do laundry. And I would sleep in the car and drive to the trail head and wait till 7am, when I was told the website would be updated for the trail conditions.
Next to the laundry mat was a good times bar. The kind of place where the average age was 45 and the clientele had a very different definition of a good time compared to the young and hip bars I usually frequented. But the beer was cold and the music was good. I ordered the poke nachos which was my new favorite meal of the trip. Things were looking up! The bartender trusted me to leave several tines to check the laundry. I had a few too many beers and ended up sleeping in the parking lot till about two in the morning. At which time I drove to the campground that I reserved and continued to sleep in the car. A restless night for sure.
At around 5 I gave up on trying to sleep and started to head north. I found the only coffee shop open that early and decided to just hang out in my car till the website refreshed. April had apparently been tracking me and was ready for my text, where I told her I may loose signal and if I don’t text for three days Its because I would be on the trail.
Turns out were were both checking the website, b uncase right at 7 I put the car in drive and headed to the trail head!
The conditions and circumstances were… Less than ideal to say the least. I packed up The last of my gear, donned my raincoat, and set out. My back still sore from the relates night. Few people were around, I could hear the ocean I the distance, louder than I remember.
I had previously hided the first section of this trail. A popular destination for visitors to the island and locals alike. Two miles in is a preside beach. Last time the trail had been full of people, but with the rain I find I’m one of the few read to brave the trail.
Not long into the hike, the rain starts. At first I try keeping my shoes dry, avoiding puddles and rain drops. Buy by the time I reach the beach, I realize the attempt is futile. It's going to be a long, wet hike…
Despite the obvious beauty of my surroundings, my circumstances had made me a bit sour. I hate wet socks. And a lack of sleep made me a bit irritable. And the hike before me made me a bit fearful. This isn’t an easy one by any means. And walking along a muddy cliff face while rain water makes the trail slippery doesn’t make me feel comfortable
by 1 in the afternoon, I make it to the half way point. A small camp site with a few amenities. I stop for a quick lunch of rice, but worry I wont make it to my final destination before sunset. I had planned to finish the whole thing by 2, but I now realize that was impossible. I totally underestimated the difficult and the toll the weather would cause.
I soon reach the famed crawlers ridge. A dangerous section of trail named after a small section where hikers have to walk on a very, and I really mean very, narrow ledge over a deadly drip to the ocean. To make my fears worse, the terrain leading to the ledge was black mud, devoid of any plant life and conspicuously strun with the bones of animals that I assume had fallen to their death.
Because of this, I packed my heavy camera away and attempted the feet alone, and as quietly as possible.
I latter learned that the week after I was here, a hiker had feel to their death from this point…
With the ledge behind me, and feeling as if I was one the home stretch, my spirits began to lift. The beauty of the nature around me was undeniable and while I was still cold and wet, it had begun to feel numb towards the pain.
All around me helicopters flew in the distance. I don’t want to spoil the suprise but in a few days time I would be in one of those, looking down on this trail from above. But For now, I was in a groove and ready to get to camp!
The last few miles needed up being the hardest. The rain got worse, and in the final decent to sea level I had to walk across a completely exposed section, where sand and rocks blew at me with such fearsness I was worried I might go blind.
But finally, I made it to camp. Only few minutes before sunset. and so I set up my tent as fast as I could, ate a much deserved meal, changed out of my completely soaked clothes, and fell right to sleep!
Day two of the hike was the absolute best, because there was no hiking involved. I just lounged around camp, built a great big fire and relaxed. Everything was just perfect.
As I readied myself for bed that night, I felt much more prepared for the journey back than I did coming in. But I also felt kind of sad to leave. I felt like I could sleep on this beach for weeks, and never get tired. But I had plans that required me to get back.
I work up before the sun came up, but it took me a while to get packed. Despite washing my hiking clothes as good as I could, they still stunk and smelled strongly of smoke. My shoes were now dry, thinks to the fire, but I had opted to wear sandals for the first part of the day, as I expected to see some rain.
The morning light was beautiful, and after such a relaxing day I was able to make great time! Up the cliffs and across the crawlers ledge before I saw my first sign of people. Two girls who had slept at the fist camp and were day hiking to the beach.
I felt nice and strong, but hungry. I had only a gernola bar and a pack of Raman to last me the day. And as I expected not to get to my car till 4 or 5, I was in for a long day.
I decided that once I get back i’ll look for a hotel. If I can find one for less than 100, I would get it.
At the half way point I have my Raman. You know what, I think I can splurge, even if the hotel is 125, or maybe even 135, I’ll grab it. I need to shower real real bad.
I may even go as high as 150.
Only 2 miles left. I think I might go as high as 180 for a hotel tonight.
I don’t think i’ve ever seen anythign so beautiful! I’m at the end. I’m dead, but I’ve never felt so alive!
I basically run back to the car, drop everything off and switch to some dried clothes. There is no service here and I need to get somewhere so I can call April.
So off I drive, the car feeling shaky under in my hands. Almost as if I’ve forgotten how to drive.
I find a parking lot as soon as I get to someplace with service and phone April. I tell her all about my experience and as we talk I look up a hotel… about 230 after tax and fees… well… I think it’s worth it.
I hand up and drive to the hotel, where I shower and then walk to the shopping center near me where I can get some chicken in a barrel.
While I was hoping I could get a lot of rest, I ended up tossing and turning all night. A bit of excitement, and after a week of not sleeping in a bed, I felt somewhat uncomfortable now in the soft covers.
But I tried to get what I can, for the next day it was helicopters!
After a terrible night of sleep, I woke up and found my legs didn’t work all that well. So I wobbled to the longest coffee line in Hawaii and was almost late for my flight… But I got a last minute safety breafing and was strapped in before I really knew what I had gotten myself into.
I could only bring one thing, just a camera and nothing else. No extra backs or rolls of film. So… 16 shots. I blew through most of them within the first half,. and most of those turned out blurry and out of focus. Turns out focusing a 20 year old camera in a helicopter isn’t all that easy.
But it’s probably for the best. Things like this don’t work on film. It’s better to just put the camera down and enjoy the ride.
In the hours after landing, I found myself in a bit of a daze. Perhaps overstimulazation. A bit too much excitement so early in the morning. I had this strange feeling come over me. I had accomplished all I set out to do, and even if nothing else happened on this part of the trip, I would be happy. So what was I to do?
Well, I grabbed a fancy cocktail, ate some good food, and proceeded to just relax. For the next few days I did nothing but bum around. And boy was it fun.
Before I knew it, it was time to leave this beautiful island. So I packed up my pac once more and headed to the airport.
Awaiting me was a big life event, and I must say I was a bit nervous.
The Big Island
I was finally reunited with April in the Honolulu airport. She had made it so I would have a layover and we could share the last lego of the journey together. But we couldnt’ quite express our excitement yet. She was still with all of here students.
Soon tho, we were alone and happy to be so. We flew over to the big island and picked up our red convertible sports car, a requirement for April while in Hawaii.
But before we could head across the island, we had one thing scheduled. Swimming with the mata rays. An experience that was surprising and epic. A must see. No photos tho. That will happen next time tho.
So totally exhausted, I drove the two of us across the island where we found our quite little jungle stay. And.. We were instantly in love.
Our little Jungle Stay
April and I will debate about who found this spot till the day we die. I’m pretty sure I sent it to her, but April insist she found it.
But whoever found it, we both loved it. It’s a tiny shack in the woods. No real windows, just screens. Located deep down a dirt road. Surrounded by hippies and yoga retreats. Full of animals. This place was the perfect location for our little elopement.
Our first two days here on the island were to be spend getting ready for our wedding. Not a whole lot to do, but we had to get our license and a few other things. We also needed to glean up as much as possible, especially me. And last, April wanted to see if we could make a boquay. Which the host said we could use anything on the property for. She introduced us to the two people who worked there and they showed us around. And I must say, they made us feel very at home.
The animals of this place were just unreal. I have too many pics to share responsablily… So lets jump to the host:
I’ll have to figure out their names because I can’t rember, but boy were they nice. They showed us around. Gave us bags of fruit, and helped us in any way possible.
We were able to collect everhting we needed for April to make a beautiful bouquet… That I only photographed in black and white…
Wedding Day
Before we knew it, it was wedding day!
The day started slow with a tasty homemade breakfast. But soon, as the pieces began to fall together, everything began to speed up till it was a blur. Before we knew it, we were saying I do, and that was that!
When I got off the helicopter a few days before, there was an overstimulation of excitement. This day was similar, but 10 times so. Or maybe even 100 times so. So much going on, yet I cannot capture or describe what had happened. At least, not yet. I’ll have to think about it.
But let’s just say that after a perfect day, we went into the city of Hilo and had a creative meal at a place that was recommended to me by the guy who sold me my wedding shirt. we returned home to our lovely little shack and felt more relaxed and happy than we had ever felt before.
Our first day as husband and wife was an easy one. We slept in, and enjoyed the space. Eventually we got out of bed and made our way to town for some brunch, and then drove all the way to a beach that had hot pools in the lava rocks. It was quite nice there. And very relaxing. And then we drove to get some groceries and then back home. What a beautiful day.
