Three weeks past - part one

Hello.  
Here is the Hawaii blog again.  I have some residual thoughts/adventures/items to put in here just to complete my trip to Hawaii, so I will try my best to get it finished in the next week or two.  I still haven't posted all my photos on Facebook.  Kind of lost my impetus.  But I would like to publish these last few days, for my own sake, even if no one else is interested.   This is the entry for Thursday, November 7 (almost 3 weeks ago).  Huh.  It's strange to think that just 3 weeks ago I was in Hawaii.  A world away, and yet it also doesn't seem that long.  Anyway, here goes:

Wow.  What an amazing day.

I got up around 5 because I couldn't get back to sleep, and I posted a couple of blogs.  Sleeplessness can be quite useful.  I got ready after that and drove down to the conference hotel, parked in the same lot (same space, even) and walked over.  I got there early, stashed my stuff on my chosen seat in the conference room, and wandered to the restaurant for breakfast.  This morning I tried a pancake with maple butter, but I wasn't impressed.  I also had eggs and bacon - the scrambled eggs as prepared for large numbers of people tend to be squishy, but these were surprisingly tasty anyway.  And of course, bacon.

I finished breakfast with time to spare before the first lecture, so I decided to walk on the beach for a while.  The sand near the water was soft and spongy and your foot goes in about 3 inches with each step - tricky to walk in, and I saw some people running, though even the fittest of them didn't exactly make it look easy.  I wore my new dress and headband that I bought in Hanalei.  The handkerchief hem got soaked by rogue waves.  I didn't mind, though.  I walked and took some pictures and then skittered back in time for the first lecture, washing my sandy feet off in little puddles in recessed tiles on the pool deck of the hotel.

The lectures were good again, although I skipped the last one (it was the musculoskeletal guy who was so detailed and less practical).  Several people at the conference admired my "Tropical Tantrum" dress, and the coordinator of the conference snapped my photo with another lady (whom I had just met because she commented on the dress) in front of the Symposia Medicus sign.

This photo is from the Symposia Medicus Facebook page, by the way.

So, I took off to enjoy my afternoon.  I walked by a mall called Whalers Village, which was conveniently and tantalizingly wedged between the Westin hotel and where I had parked my car, so naturally I stopped.  They had several typical-appearing mall stores, but they also had some pretty little specialty shops, and I was drawn in.  After all, it was "my" afternoon to go adventuring.  And I like all kinds of adventures, even malls sometimes.  While I was at this big, beautiful outdoor mall in the blazing sunshine, I sat on a bench by a fountain and called my family - it was early afternoon.  Parent-teacher conferences had taken place that afternoon, and I wanted to find out how they had gone.  I didn't have any real fears, but this is the first time ever I've missed them [insert mommy guilt here], so I felt compelled to follow up.

Turned out that everything went well, but my elder daughter had gone home early with a fever, and when I spoke with her, she was weepy and sad, partly because she was sick, and partly because she missed me.  I tried to cheer her up with the news that I would be home in a few days, and also that I had found some machines to make the rolled penny souvenirs.  She had asked me to bring some back for her - she started a collection from a field trip recently.  I was dubious about whether I'd be able to find any, but oddly enough, right there in the mall was a rolled penny machine.  Success.

There was also a charming little store where I sought some nice things for the girls.  I struck up a conversation with the sales clerk - most people are so very friendly here, and it's genuine.  I rarely felt that people were kind because they were obligated, or because they wanted my money.  It is that sense of "Aloha" that may sound cliche, but really impressed me on this trip, especially traveling solo. 

Anyway, this nice saleslady and I talked about where I was from, and why I was on the island.  I chose out a few things for the kids, and then asked her where the nearest Post Office was.  She gave me directions.  Since I only had two carry-ons for this trip (total weight 30 pounds), I was interested in shipping items home, including but not limited to souvenirs, because it is cheaper to ship a box than to check a bag twice.  Or even once. 

When she discovered my motives, she immediately said, "Oh, you don't need to go to the Post Office.  You're buying items here - I'll give you a box and just ship it from here."  I protested that it wasn't that much of a problem for me to drive to the PO on my way to the airport on Saturday, but she insisted.  "Don't worry; I'll take care of it."  So she sent a box with me to take to the condo and fill with "whatever you want."  Charmed by her kindness, I did as she said, and then ignored the remainder of the mall stores, stopping only to make some souvenir rolled pennies for my elder daughter (for which the sweet store clerk had given me change for a $5 bill, including many shiny pennies), and headed for the car.  Off on a new set of adventures....

...to be continued...

Happy Thanksgiving

wb

Catching up - last Monday (Nov 4)

(Started on the plane.  As of right now, we are flying over some rather interesting snow-capped mountains.)

Hello, and sorry for the interruption in the narrative.  It has been pretty busy the last couple of days, but now I have some time of enforced inactivity (have to keep my seat belt on while the light is on, for example), so I'm going to try to catch a few things up.

I realize it is Monday already and I haven't talked about what I did a week ago Monday.  Let's see if I can remember.  In the morning, I got up to watch the sun rise.  It wasn't nearly as spectacular as the day before, but it is always fascinating to watch the changes in the light and what it does to the ocean and the clouds.  After that, I hiked down to the beach associated with the condo.  I think I already told you what that journey was like - a 15-minute walk down some slippery, muddy paths, across a stream, through some woods, down a steep rocky slope, and then along a pine-needle-strewn path with the ocean close on the right.  Round the corner, clamber down some huge black boulder formations, and voila - a beautiful crescent-shaped beach with coarse, white sand and gentle waves.  Apparently the snorkeling is very good there, but I didn't attempt it that day.

I spent some time walking on the beach, and also wading in the water.  The ocean floor was mostly smooth rocks covered with seaweed (or moss or whatever growth happens under the ocean).  It was mildly unpleasant to bare feet, so I determined to take my Sockwas ("socks with attitude" barefoot running shoes) next visit.  From the surface I did see some beautiful fish, but only got a refracted look at them.  I noticed in the coarse sand (which brushes off rather nicely) that there were some tiny shells.  Amazingly tiny shells, mere millimeters in length.  I learned later that these shells are only found in Kaua'i and Ni'ihau, aka "The Forbidden Island."



While on the beach there I met some people - a couple who were recent empty-nesters and decided to come to Kaua'i, and another older couple and their grown daughter who were staying in my condo complex as well.  We talked about the path down to the beach, and got talking about the Na Pali hike.  As we continued the conversation, something struck me as familiar, and I recognized that we had met the day before on Hanakapi'ai Beach, where Axel and I had stopped to look around and have a breather, 2 miles into the hike.  I remembered the mom saying that the difficult part of the hike started after the 6-mile turnaround point, and when she had asked us if we were hiking together, we said only to Hanakoa.  I pointed to Axel and said, "He's hiking all the way."  The woman said, "My daughter wanted to do that, but I said no way - did you Youtube it?"  We both said "no."  She said, "Good!" and laughed.  Now on Sealodge Beach we started talking about where we were from.  They were from Vancouver.  I said I had a conference on Maui later in the week, and they asked what I did.  When I told them I'm a family doctor, the mother smiled and pointed to her daughter and said, "So is she, now."  She had just graduated from residency a week before, and this was their celebration trip.  Small world.  We walked back to the condo together, talking about her new job and so forth.  Nice.  When we got back, I got a pen and paper and wrote down the name of the conference sponsor for her, and we parted on friendly terms.

After that, I met up with the condo's concierge, who lives next door, and we got talking about all kinds of things, or rather, she did.  Surfing, winter vs summer oceans, foodstuffs, GMOs (apparently Kaua'i has a big problem with them) and coconut water.  She was all about the coconut water, and highly recommended it for its purity - "it's the purest water you can get."  Everything I had ever heard about coconut water was not very positive, but she had several green coconuts and offered me a taste.  I was on my way out the door but didn't outright refuse - put her off, really.  She was interesting to talk to, if a little pedantic in places.  But aren't we all.

I had tried to reschedule my helicopter trip (that had been cancelled Saturday due to mechanical trouble) for Monday afternoon, and was waiting on a call about that.  Apparently they have difficulty filling a 4-person ride when one of the people is a solo; they have plenty of room for couples, but odd-numbered parties are hard to come by.  (I even tried to convince my new friends from the beach that morning to come along with me, or even just their daughter, but they declined.)  Seems as if my Saturday trip was an anomaly, with a couple and another lady who was doing the ride on her own.  Since I was on the north shore of Kaua'i, it would take me at least an hour to get to Lihue, where the helicopter company was, accounting for traffic on the single coastal highway and my lack of knowledge of any detours.  The helicopter company called me with an update or two - no luck filling the flight - and once I figured I would not be going, I headed west to Hanalei.

Princeville, where I was staying, is home to some restaurants and a bit of shopping, but mostly resorts, condos and golf courses.  For a true shopping experience, Hanalei is the place to be.  It is on the way to the Na Pali trailhead, so I had driven through it twice already.  It had some of the usual stores full of kitschy inexpensive made-in-China Hawaii souvenirs, but it also boasts jewelry shops, good restaurants, clothing boutiques, and other stores featuring unique handmade items. I never saw Puff the Magic Dragon, but he has been rumored to live there....

I made a good half-day of it.  It was a lovely day, with a sprinkle of rain but about 85 degrees.  I parked in a lot on the est end of town and walked my way into the (relative) bustle - not very bust-ly by city standards, but certainly a nice change from being alone in my condo.  One shop I particularly liked sold batik clothing, including dresses, designed by a Hawaiian designer, but she got so popular that she outsourced to Bali.  The cloth is still batiked by hand.  The brand is called "Tropical Tantrum."  I'm a big sucker for batik.  The saleslady in the shop was very helpful.  I tried on several dresses including some she called "tango dresses," which were like the regular batik ones but with more "bling" - beaded embroidery, mostly.  I really liked the shopkeeper, because she guessed two sizes too big on the dresses she helped me with (I was happy to find out I wore a smaller size, and not upset with her for thinking I was "bigger"), and also she thought I was in my 30s. 


I finally settled on a lovely dress, and bought a little periwinkle-colored crocheted jacket/sweater to go with it.  The store also had some bags and other little items.  The saleslady's name was Vicky, and as she was ringing up my sale (she gave me 10% off) we started talking about things.  I mentioned I am in a small group study through my church, and her face lit up.  "Are you a Christian?"  I answered that I was, and she got very animated, talking about the spiritual atmosphere around there that was sometimes difficult to navigate.  "I often find God brings me someone to encourage, or pray for, and I like to bless others.  But today you have blessed me."  I have no idea what I did, but I was glad she felt encouraged.  She even gave me a hug before I left the shop, and put everything I bought into a batik shoulder bag (that she threw in for free).  That was sweet. 


It was about 1:30 by then and I looked for something to eat.  I think up to now I haven't mentioned that I have two great apps on my phone, "The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook" and "Maui Revealed."  The books are absolutely outstanding, available in paperback, on Kindle, and there is a website as well.  These apps are great because they show the island maps and you can tap on the maps to find out what's nearby.  Everything - restaurant, hiking trail, rental car company, major hotel/condo, beach, and shopping center - is anonymously reviewed.  There is no advertising.  Anything they mark with a blue diamond is a "best bet" (Sealodge Beach was one, and worth the hike), and the better food places are marked with "Ono" (Hawaiian for "delicious").

It so happened that in the next block I walked right by a restaurant, the Hanalei Gourmet, and it had an ONO rating, so I went in.  I was seated immediately, even though the place was more than 3/4 full, and nobody remarked on my being alone.  I was at a table near the back, and there was an open door that looked out on palm trees and tropical foliage and distant mountains, and let a beautiful breeze in.  Sigh.  My server was a lady a bit older than I, with short black hair and glasses.  She called me "sweetie" in such a nice way that I didn't mind at all.  I noticed a cross pendant around her neck.  Having just had a conversation about Christianity with the lady in the batik shop, I was emboldened to say, "You're wearing a cross - are you a Christian?"  She answered yes, and I told her about the lady in the shop, and ended with "and she even gave me a hug."  My server smiled and said, "I could use a hug."  She took my order for a chicken sandwich with pineapple mayo ("I just had that for lunch today") and whisked off.  The sandwich was really good, and I opted for curly fries, because I figured I had earned it after my 12-mile hike the day before.  (Of course, I also had a steak dinner the night before, but who's counting?)  When she picked up my check and gave me my receipt, I stood up and said, "What, no hug?"  She laughed and gave me a hug, then said, "Thanks, I needed that."  So did I.


I wandered around town a bit more, and into a store set back from the road (actually behind another row of stores).  It was called "Havaiki Oceanic and Tribal Art," and was part artisan exhibition and sales, and part museum.  Amazing things inside, from masks to paintings and prints, jewelry, and artifacts.  There were no other people inside, and I took my time prowling around.  I saw bracelets made of shells from Ni'ihau (the forbidden island), and the sign next to them said that once they are made into jewelry, they are considered gems and can be insured as such.  "In order to find the shells needed to make one piece, one would have to spend nearly two weeks with one's face to the sand."  That was pretty much true, as I discovered on my trip to the beach that day, and the next.  Not that I gathered shells for a jewelry piece, but I noticed that they were that hard to find.  The owner of the stored was a guy who was originally from South Africa, had spent 7 years living on a boat, and now he lived here, and also sold sea kayaks.  We had an interesting discussion about things ranging from gun control to "Milgram's 37," scrimshaw (something at which I've actually tried my hand), cruises, and kayaking.  I told him about the Oru Kayak and he said he had heard about them, but wrote it down so that he could look into them further.  He actually said to me, "I'm not surprised that you kayak - you strike me as a water person."  That was a nice thing to say, whether or not it's true.  His name (I kid you not) was Dylan Thomas.  I bought a scrimshaw necklace from him that has the Hawaiian islands beautifully etched on it.


It was so nice to be able to have some interesting conversations, and encourage some people and have a couple hugs thrown in.  I really enjoyed my time in Hanalei.  I drove back to my condo in time to look for a place to watch the sunset - my concierge had told me the best place to go, which was a hotel resort at the westernmost part of the spit of land we were on.  I was glad I drove up there to scout it out first, because there was no parking there.  About a half-mile away on the way back, I spotted a lot in which I thought I could get away with parking for a few minutes, at least, and took note of how far it was from my turnoff.  I went back to the condo, ate something, and started to organize things for the next day, when I would be leaving.  The early morning "doors off" helicopter ride was a no-go as well, so I told them I'd take the 12:45 "doors on" one the next day, right before I left for the airport, so I had to pack and get the things I wanted to ship organized as well.

I left about 1/2 hour before sunset to head for my parking place.  I hadn't seen a Kaua'i sunset yet, and this was my last chance.  I half walked, half ran to the little park right next to the resort, and watched the sun set with a handful of other people, just as it began to rain.  The sun went behind the mountains, and there was not much else to see, so I covered my camera and ran the 1/2 mile to the car.  I was already soaked, anyway, and it was less than a mile to drive to my condo from the parking lot.  The rain felt rather nice, actually, and I outran it (or it passed me over) after a few minutes.


There isn't much more to say about my Monday; I think I hit the high points.  Enough for me, anyway.


Felt very blessed this day, and thankful for the Lion and his children who brought it about. 

wb

Falling behind

Pretty much the story of my life, when I go on a trip: I keep up well near the beginning, and then things happen or I have a busy day and then I fall behind and have trouble getting back.  There are still several empty pages at the end of my journal from my trip to Zambia in 1999, waiting to be filled.  On this trip, I haven't told you yet what happened this past Monday, and that was two islands ago.  

For now, let me say that I'm safely ensconced in (on?) Oahu with my friends Ron and Patience, who let me stay over last Friday night when my plane was delayed.  It's so nice to be rescued by friends.  They are perfectly lovely people to be with, so friendly and funny and kind and interesting.  

Yesterday I was up for about 20 hours, from waking at 4 AM to drive the two hours to Mt Haleakala to hike the crater, and then doing some shopping on my way back; arrived at my conference a few minutes late (all grubby and dusty), then went back to the condo to shower and get ready for a magic show for which I had tickets.  I would love to detail this adventure for you but I won't do it now.   One nice thing about blogging is that there isn't necessarily a chronicity to it.  I can write retrospectively, and often do. 

As for this morning (Saturday), I woke later than usual, probably because of yesterday's 20-hour busyness.  Or perhaps I'm getting used to this time zone, just in time to go back home tomorrow night.  Sigh.  The weather was nice initially, and then got grey and rainy in the afternoon.  I had 5 lectures this morning with my conference (still) and had to check out of my condo.  Unfortunately in my rush to get everything out and get to lecture in time (about 2.5 miles away, but 10 minutes by car, plus walking a block or so from the parking lot), I put my keys in the key drop, drove to the conference, and realized with dismay that I'd left a box of stuff back at the condo.

The lecture was due to begin at 8; it was about 7:30.  I had already pulled into the paid parking lot when I missed the box.  It was strange; I had this nagging sensation, and when I stopped to look in the trunk of the car and didn't see it there, I realized I'd have to return to the condo.  Unfortunately, the front desk wasn't scheduled to open until 8.  I had to go back, though.  I think it took a while for my ADHD medication to kick in this morning, because I had a big blank as to where I might have left it, and a moment of panic.  But the idea popped into my head, "Be anxious for nothing."  So I tried to get my shoulders out of my ears, and relax.  Since the front office wasn't open when I got back, I ran up to the room to make sure I hadn't left it in the hallway.  I hadn't.  Nothing for it but to wait.  So, I sat down on one of the (mildly wet) lawn chairs by the ocean, and watched and listened to the waves for 15 minutes.  There are worse things that one can do while waiting, certainly, and listening to waves is one of my favorite things in all the world to do.

Happily, the front office staff showed up 10 minutes early.  I explained my (idiotic) plight, and they smilingly returned my key so I could retrieve the box.  Side note:  the after-hours "key drop" into which one is supposed to place one's keys if checking out early is a doorknob-sized hole drilled into a half-door.  It is big enough for the keys to go through, but not big enough for the large circular condo key ring attached.  Mine was not the only key ring separated and abandoned on the sill next to the key drop.  The staff person said, "Yeah, they're going to make the hole bigger."  Good idea.

So, box in hand, I drove like blazes (well, in a 35 mph zone, not really, but it felt like it) back to the parking lot, grabbed my syllabus for lecture and headed in.  I was only 10 minutes late, although I missed the physiology of post-synaptic targets for anti-depressant medication.  Oh, well, I'll look it up.  The lectures this morning were very good - depression, eczema and other dermatology issues, pain control in the elderly, symptom management in end of life care, and "The skinny on good-looking skin" - protecting one's skin from the SUN.  I think I've seen this dermatologist before; I really liked her style.  She said she's trying to make it a fashion once more to wear broad-brimmed hats.  She said that sun protective clothing has a lot of benefits - don't need to reapply, saves money over time (goodness, she's right - have you seen how expensive sunscreen is these days?), and 100% effective.  "You can't put on 1/2 a hat."  (The statistics show that we put on 1/4 to 1/2 of the amount of sunscreen that is tested in the lab, so higher SPFs are better, because then if you put in a 60 SPF, you might get a 30.)

During the break, I went back to my car to get the box I had worked so hard to retain.  On Thursday, I did a bit of shopping at the mall (past which one has to walk to get to the parking lot), and found a lovely little store where I bought some things for my kids.  The shopkeeper was a friendly lady whose name I will not give here, to protect her.  :)  She said they ship (and their price for a flat-rate box was cheaper than the post office).  I had asked her where the nearest PO was, and we got into this conversation, because I didn't want to check a bag to Oahu and then check it again home ($50).  She said, "Tell you what - you put whatever you want in the box, and I'll ship it for you."  That was so sweet.  I did make a few purchases there, so I didn't feel too bad that she was bending the rules for me.  Last night I packed the box she gave me, and took it in this morning.  Of course, I found a few other things to buy, so I asked her for another box, and she willingly gave it to me.  When I thanked her yet again for her kindness, she said, "My mother always told me, 'Do unto others.'"   She also gave me change, including shiny pennies, for the rolled penny machine.  My elder daughter has begun to collect them, and they had a machine right in the mall.

When I returned from all this business, I was  a bit late for the lecture, but everything I needed to do before I got to the airport was done.  Whew.  I left for the airport after the last lecture with plenty of time to spare, just how I like it.  (I don't like being rushed.)  It was good to be early, because it started to rain harder during the 50-minute trip to the airport, and traffic always slows down in the rain.   I dropped the rental car off in the agreed-upon spot; by the time I got my luggage out and walked the 100 yards to the terminal, I was soaked.  I had to print out a new boarding pass because I had been holding it in my hand and it got a bit waterlogged.  I wasn't sure if the soggy barcode would scan.

For some reason, I qualified for "TSA Preferred" with my boarding pass, which meant I didn't have to take off my shoes (which were flip-flops anyway) or my jacket (which I did because my phone was in the pocket).  The line was a bit shorter as well.  I heard the TSA agent (who looked about 17) tell the person in front of me that certain airlines are "trialling" it; if one wants TSA Preferred, one can register online.  It costs $85 but that lasts for 5 years (pays for the background check, anyway).  If I knew I would be flying more, I might think about it.

Flight to Oahu was uneventful.  I think the rain helped me not feel as sad about leaving the island as I might have if it had been relentlessly sunny.  I sat next to a lady who was one of the managers of the Aston hotel chain; she had been on Maui for a meeting.  Her daughter just passed the bar; she had been in the Peace Corps in Benin, and while she was there her sister was going to get married.  Because they "wouldn't let her off the continent" in her first year (though they would let her go to a different country), the sister had her wedding in Africa - a safari in Tanzania, followed by "a real Masai wedding" in Kenya.  Elegant solution.  Everyone has a story, if you only ask and listen.

I was picked up by Ron and Patience shortly after arrival (they have their 8-year-old grandson Ezra with them this weekend too), and whisked off to their home.  It was raining on Oahu too, and Ron told me to be on the lookout (from the car window) for the scores of waterfalls that would appear in the mountain crevices as we drove by.  I have no idea if any of my photos turned out (no safe place to pull over on the highway) but it sure was cool to see them all.  We drove through a 20-foot long area at the bottom of the ramp that was quite deeply flooded; a car behind us got stuck  Ron's van was tall enough not to worry about it.

We went to the 5 o'clock service at their church, which I had attended 2-1/2 years ago.  The sermon was excellent.  Isn't it weird how messages often seem to parallel what one is going through?  I guess it shouldn't seem that weird, if someone is in charge.  :)  The series is "Verses you can't live without," and tonight's was on "A Well-Rested Life."  Excellent.

We went out for Chinese food after the service.  I tried to buy dinner, but Ron wouldn't hear of it.  "I thought you were Dutch," I said.  "I used to be."  Ah.  Then we came back home and talked a bit, and then watched a BBC show called "Call the Midwife."  Sort of a Downton Abbey of midwifery, I suppose.  So very interesting.

And now I'm here writing.  So hooray!  I only have to talk about...  oh, Monday, and Thursday afternoon, and Friday.  Whoops.  Well, Thursday's is half-written; we'll see how things go from here.  Time for bed, though.

Rest and peace to you.
wb  

Yesterday's adventure

Yesterday was Wednesday; my conference started in the morning.  The hotel where the conference is being held is about 2.5 miles south of my condo.  I had thought about running there one or two days, but honestly I haven't run much in Hawaii, and not at all since my hike this past Sunday.  (gosh, was it only Sunday?)  In fact, today was the first day my calves had recovered sufficiently (they were pretty sore) to keep me from walking like a duck.  So I drove to the hotel, the Westin.

When I drove up in my rattletrap Nissan (that is so old it has a cassette player and no cupholder), the nice hotel employees in their matching Hawaiian shirts kindly let me know that for non-hotel guests, the parking is back at the mall (about a block away).  They validate for parking but I still have to pay 10 bucks.  That's not bad, actually.  So I smiled and thanked them and drove off to find a parking spot.  The lot is under construction but I was there early (7) and found a nice shady spot with no trouble.

I checked in to the conference, and realized that I hadn't downloaded the materials for the lectures, and they weren't letting anyone have the inch-thick syllabi that were on the table for people who had registered but not yet shown.  So, I took extensive notes on the facing pages of the shorter syllabus I had brought with me.  (I'm glad I didn't haul that huge book all the way out here.)  The attendees were given breakfast vouchers for the three days we will be there in the morning, even if we weren't staying at the hotel.  Bonus.

The conference center is nice - about what one would expect in a hotel: long tables, large meeting room, good acoustics (at least, not a lot of outside noise, but that could be due to the room's location as well), and over-air-conditioned.  The hotel is pretty swanky, at least the common areas are - a huge rock waterfall in the middle of the open-air lobby, complete with live flamingoes stalking through.  The breakfast was about what one would expect, too - buffet, with all kinds of food, including cold cuts and salad and fish, in addition to the regular eggs and bacon and waffles and fruit and made-to-order omelets.  Guava juice in addition to OJ; fresh pineapple (of course).  I shared a table with an OB/GYN named Lisa, from Oregon.

There were 5 hours of lecture from 8 - 1, and I liked all of them but I was disappointed in the one on sports injuries, because the level of detail seemed higher than one would expect from a garden-variety primary care doc or nurse practitioner/PA who doesn't do sports medicine on a daily basis.  I am supposed to be signed up for his lecture tomorrow afternoon; I think I'll change to the guy who lectures on adolescent problems.  He was pretty interesting.  I liked the lecture on palliative care the best; I learned a lot from that.

After the conference I walked back to my car past a nice mall but didn't go to any stores.  I had in mind that I wanted to drive up around the northwest coast of Maui and do some exploring.  I lazed around in my condo for a while first, and by the time I left, it was nearly 3 o'clock.  The light disappears rapidly around 6, and I didn't want to get caught out in a strange place in the dark.  The darkness here seems really dark, for some reason.  That may sound simplistic, but you either understand what I mean, or you don't.

I called my family to say goodnight because it was about bedtime for the kids, and then I took off.  I drove about 8 miles clockwise around the island, and about 5 of those miles reminded me of the road to Hana, without the waterfalls.  Complete rollercoaster - narrow hairpin turns, plummeting and then climbing again, all on this rocky cliff of a coast.  I wanted to get to a place in the guidebook called the Olivine Pools.  I followed the directions and I think I found them, but I was too chicken to clamber all the way down to the water by myself.  The hike there was pretty steep and rugged, although everything will now be measured by the Na Pali yardstick, and by those standards it was average.

I saw so many little turnouts on the ocean side of the road (of course) and I only stopped at one on the way out.  I took a few photos of the coast behind me.  I realized as I got back in the car that there was a boar skin spread out on a boulder, head still attached.  It gave me sort of a Lord of the Flies kind of surreal feeling.  Anyway, I didn't stop at any of the other turnouts because I was afraid of losing my light, and I didn't want to be on those steep roads at night.  I got home to the condo around 5:30, and went in search of food.  I scored some discounted fried chicken at the ABC store for $1.62, and supplemented it with some things I had in the kitchen, so all in all I was satisfied.

Time to get writing about today, which I'll publish separately.
thanks for listening

wb

Travel day, take two

This was begun on Tuesday November 5.  I'm too lazy to edit it and change the references to the date.  :)  The end was done this morning.

Greetings from Maui.

I realize I haven't yet finished Sunday's hike (that's fitting, since it was a long one), nor have I commented on yesterday's happenings and doings.  I thought instead I'd talk about my travel day today, and get caught up on those other things another time (I hope).

Today I got up in time to watch the sunrise, which of course happens daily, thank the Lion, but today it was not too spectacular due to the cloud cover.  It did get light, however, and I decided to eat breakfast and head to the beach.

The beach for the condo at which I was staying on Kaua'i (Sealodge in Princeville, highly recommended) is west of the complexes themselves.  There is a big sign proclaiming, "CAUTION - This trail is extremely dangerous.  It is steep, slippery and hazardous.  Use this trail at your own risk.  You are now leaving Sealodge property."  That would be the reason it is so sparsely visited.  The beach gets a "Real Gem" rating from the guidebook, however, and I was determined to see it, because I hadn't done more than put a leg in the ocean since I've been here, and that was to wash the blood off after I scraped my knee on the Na Pali hike.  So off I went, thinking, "I just did a difficult hike - how bad can this be?"

Hm.  Well, in places, it was almost as bad as the Na Pali hike, although not so far to fall should one go over the edge.  It was muddy and steep, and the path through tall plants on either side, and down steep leaf-strewn slopes.  At the bottom of the first hill, one had to cross a stream, but getting to the stream involved a bit of tricky climbing down a muddy bank with few handholds.  Then a flat jog through the woods, and down another pine-needle-strewn slope, this one with planks set into the soil to give a stair-like feel to it, but it wasn't easy.  Then through a grove of palms and down another slope of rock.  Then it ran right next to the water, the path again covered with pine needles and consisting of roots poking out of the Kaua'i red dirt.  At the end one had to clamber down a tumble of huge black boulders, and at the bottom was a crescent-shaped beach.  The whole hike takes about 10 - 15 minutes, going at a decent pace.  I went there yesterday as well, and wanted so badly to go back today.  I found snorkel paraphernalia in the closet at my condo, so I was prepared.  Except I forgot to wear my swim top, and instead was dressed in what I wanted to wear today.  Oops.  I had my swim bottoms on (my triathlon shorts - don't leave home without them) and I figured I'd just put my face in the water once I was up to my hips in the ocean.

The other reason I wanted to go back was that yesterday I found that the very coarse sand at the beach (which is nice, because it just brushes off) contains some of the tiniest seashells I've ever seen.  They are literally millimeters in size.  The are so beautiful and cunningly designed - I love little tiny things, and I marvel at things like tiny ants (had some in my kitchen this morning, so small that if they weren't moving one could hardly see them) - how do they move?  How are their "muscles" designed to get them around?  And these shells - they must have housed critters once.  What were they like?  They are so small...  I was in a shop yesterday that showcased Polynesian arts, and they had jewelry made out of these shells.  The placard on the (pricey but probably worth it) jewelry said  that the shells are only found in Ni'ihau and Kaua'i, and once made into jewelry they are considered gems, and can be insured as such.  Wow.  They sure are pretty, anyway.  I spent a lot of the morning gazing at the sand.  I did go in the water, but didn't see any fish, and ended up getting my shirt wet anyway, so might as well have gone in.

I had a lot to do today, because I had to check out by 10:30 - or 11, depending on whether you believe the e-mail I got or the sign above the door.  I asked the concierge-next-door about which time was the correct one, and she said, "Sometime between 10:30 and 11, then."  That settles it.

I ran my wet clothes through the dryer and took a quick shower, and packed up the remaining things I hadn't packed last night.  I had some leftover food, which I brought to the concierge next door - she agreed to take it, and thanked me (food is expensive there).  She also offered me coconut water.  We had had an extensive conversation about it, or rather, she has gone on for about 5 minutes on the benefits of it, and how pure it is, etc, and offered to let me try some.  Most of the people I know who share my tastes have said it's vile stuff, but my neighbor cut a hole in the top of a green coconut and left it and a straw on the table on my lanai (porch).  How could I refuse?  I accidentally knocked it over (she had balanced it on a ceramic candle-holder) and spilled some, then managed to recover and drank it right from the coconut through the straw provided.  It didn't taste like much - water, with a mildly plant-y, slightly bitter aftertaste.  I wouldn't spend money on it, but it wasn't bad.

Clothing - mostly dry.  check.  

Things - mostly packed.  check.

Car trunk - locked, and can't get in with the key.  check.  

That last thing happened when I realized that the rope hanging out the back of the trunk was in lieu of the trunk release inside the car, which didn't work.  I managed to get my key stuck in the trunk lock, and even with the jockeying I normally did to open the trunk, it wouldn't open, although it had previously after I put all my worldly goods inside.  I managed to wriggle it enough that it turned completely in the opposite direction, where it promptly stuck.  I maneuvered the key so hard that I bent it (I bent it back, mostly).  Finally after very little cussing and lots of prayer, I got it turned in the right direction and then open.  I made sure to hang that rope tail out the back after that, so I could pop the trunk when needed.  When I went to put the key into the ignition, it didn't fit (still a bit bent), so I went back and put it in the trunk lock again and made it straight.  Voila.

I planned to drive to the Princeville Center (5 minutes away) and see if I could mail my trekking poles (I've grown fond of them, after all, after 9 hours together on the first date) and the camping stuff I didn't use on the Na Pali hike and sundry other things (went shopping yesterday) at the post office.  They had a $22 flat-rate large "game board" box that did the trick perfectly.  Even fit my titanium mug with very little bulging.  So I mailed that sucker home and relieved myself of both the need to schlepp more stuff around and the cost of checking it thrice (once to Maui, once to Oahu, and back home).  I think if I buy some things on Maui, I will look for the nearest Post Office and mail home some more stuff.  I like this two carryons deal.

I mailed my package, and the people in the store were very nice.  One woman was boasting to the other that she won her church's Halloween chili cook-off with her pumpkin chili, and she gets to "have the trophy for a year, and my name goes on it FOREVER."  She was excited.

Stopped for gas and put in the whole 2.3 gallons I'd used driving 95 miles in the Toyota Echo they rented me, then set off for Lihue, where the airport was.

Earlier in the day I had a call from the rental car place on Maui telling me where to find the vehicle I had rented.  I called him back, and he told me the information again, that he would leave the key and the rental agreement in the envelope on the dashboard, and "don't worry when you see the car - that thing can do anything you set your mind to."  Hm.  Interesting.

I was a bit early arriving to Lihue, and I knew the rental car parking lot had no shade, so I sat in the shade in another parking lot about 5 miles away (so I thought).  I called home and talked to my husband for a bit, then set out to drop off the car.  The helicopter company had agreed to send their van to pick me up from the rental car place.  I followed my GPS directions and was very confused when the voice told me I had arrived at my destination, and it wasn't.  I pulled out of a busy intersection onto the side of the road and saw "Destination relocated" on the screen.  I had 8 minutes before the helicopter people were to pick me up.  I frantically pushed the buttons to recalculate, and saw that it was only 2 miles away.  I made it there, and dropped off the car, and had been standing by the agreed pickup area for a full two minutes when the van came.  Whew.  A nice man named Jeffrey, who was native Hawaiian and looked to be in his 60s, helped me get my stuff in the van, and off we went.

The helicopter ride started a bit late because some other people were stuck in lunch traffic in Kapaa.  The receptionist let me put my luggage behind her desk.  Jeffrey the van driver gave us our safety briefing in the van.  I had had the "doors off" one a few days earlier; the only difference was the emergency exit.  We all had to wear life vests around our waists because we would be flying over water.

The helicopter was an A-Star 6-seater (plus pilot) and they gave me an outside seat (I think because they had cancelled so many of the flights I had tried to book on the doors-off.  The pilot we had was the director of operations and the most senior pilot.  He was all right, but I think he didn't have a lot of patience for questions.  For example, an older lady asked him at one point, "What's that white bird down there?"  He answered, "That would be an airplane." The pilot narrated the whole hour ride, and there was some background music appropriate to the scenery - for example, the theme from Jurassic Park when we flew over the JP waterfall, Iz singing "country roads take me home" when we were on our way back to the airport, etc.  He touched the helicopter down on the very last beat of the last song, and then the music stopped.  I was impressed by his precision.  

The ride itself was amazing.  I especially liked seeing the Na Pali coast from above.  The trail didn't look that hard from the air.  :)  I enjoyed the north shore, also, since I had been staying up there and recognized some of the places through which I had driven.  The glare from the windows was sometimes a problem, but I think I got some good photos anyway.  I was glad it was only an hour, because the seats were not so comfortable that I wanted to stay in them all day.

Jeffrey took us back to the office, and picked up my luggage.  I had intended to buy their $10 DVD to take home, and the lady at the desk handed me a copy with a sticky note with my name on it.  I said, "Oh, I was going to buy one," and she smiled and shook her head.  Nice of them to do that.  I hopped back in the van and had a nice 5-minute chat with Jeffrey, who asked about my shoes.  I gave him a quick hug when he dropped me off (it was so nice of them to accommodate my need to go to the airport and all that) and I went and checked in.  Once at the gate I called my family to say good night, and called my parents to say hello, then got on my flight to Maui.  I sat next to a very talkative young lady who had just taken her first solo vacation from her Coast Guard husband and two small boys.  We ended up talking about parenting, and occupational therapy, and sensory processing disorders.  It was a short flight (30 minutes) and then I was in Maui.

I found the car right where he said he left it, unlocked (of course - the key was inside) and with a big envelope with my name misspelled on the front.  Inside was the rental agreement, the key, and - the cassette adapter for my iPod, which he had promised he'd "try to find" before I got there.  I laughed.  How sweet.  How I'd missed my music, especially since my time in the car is Lion time, when I'm home.  The only drawback was that the sun was setting and the dash lights didn't seem to work.  I found a little flashlight in my purse and held it in my fingers (with both hands on the wheel) as I drove, and it worked.  Later I McGuyvered it to the windshield-washer lever so I didn't have to hold it.  I called the rental car guy Wednesday morning to let him know about that, and he said, "flick the reostat really hard with your finger - it just gets dusty sometimes."  I was pretty convinced that it wasn't just dust - the whole thing was so loose that I doubted it worked.  He asked me to call him back if it didn't work but my flashlight solution seems to be working fine, so I won't bother them with it.  I don't intend to drive much at night anyway.

I found my condo (LOVE my smartphone) and checked in, then went and found some grub at the local ABC Store, where they have a nice deli.  I got a cheeseburger with fries and a drink for $6 - a really good deal for Hawaii.  My condo really is oceanfront.  There is no beach, but the waves break on the rock wall next to the property.  I have been listening to them for a day and a half.  I don't need beach time as long as I can hear the waves.

I think that's enough for now.  Yesterday I had a nice breakfast at the conference Westin Hotel (vouchers included in the conference price, I guess) and then 5 hours of lecture.  I went on an adventure but I'll tell you about that later, because I intend to repeat it today.  Yesterday was just a scouting trip.

Time to go get ready for another morning of lecture.  See you later.

wb

Na Pali coast, last post.

Clarification:
It has come to my attention that there may have been a misunderstanding regarding my last Na Pali blog post.  When I wrote it, I talked about feeling a bit sorry that I was not camping overnight.  Two things come to mind here.  One is, I never intended that mild regret to be interpreted that I regretted not being able to camp "alone" with the gentleman I had just met.  For one thing, had I brought my camping things along on my hike, although I had a camping pass, I never intended to go any farther than Hanakoa (the 1/2 way point). It was never my intent to hike the entire 11 miles to Kalalau Beach, only to turn around and hike 11 miles back the next day.  I wouldn't have done that no matter how many convivial persons had come along to encourage me; I wasn't ready for it, and instinctively I knew it.  The feeling of regret was that it is an awesome accomplishment to contemplate, and someday I would like to do that entire hike. One day I will, but the dream of being able to say "I did this hike" died a little death the moment it was born that day.

The other idea was that I had schlepped my camping stuff (about 5 pounds of it, or 1/6 of my total baggage weight) all the way to Hawaii, and didn't find any use at all for it.  I made the executive decision not even to take it to the trailhead.  And then along came someone to encourage me to camp, and I felt a bit bad that I wasn't prepared to do what I had intended (to camp at Hanakoa).  So the other side of the regret was that I had essentially "wasted" that luggage space, and now had to deal with all the stuff.  Of course, I did manage to deal with some of it by shipping it home.  I address that in my up and coming post on my travel day yesterday.

So, to put your minds at rest, I never had any intention of going to Kalalau to camp, whether I had my stuff or not, although someday I would like to (I have some training to do before that).  I had no intention of camping with a person I had just met, despite the fact that there would probably have been several other people there also (also strangers to me).  And once I got to the Hanakoa campsite, I was very glad I had decided not to camp there.

I hope that sets any doubts to rest in any of my readers who were inclined to interpret those "regrets" differently.  For those of you who are wondering why I am even writing this, because you didn't assume anything sinister from my perhaps carelessly worded phraseology, my thanks to you, and I hope you will continue to believe the best about me.

Now to finish the day:  It had taken me almost 5 hours to get from the trailhead to Hanakoa (including a 20-minute stop at the first beach).  Alex and I crossed the river and then stopped to eat something and get a drink of water (from our water bottles, not from the river; although I had my filter with me, I left my water treatment drops in the car).  There was another man sitting by the stream; his name was Lesley, and he was a 50s-ish social worker from Vancouver.  He was on his way back to the trailhead, hiking "out."  Alex got some directions from him, and then I found out that his name is actually Axel, but he tells people "Alex" because apparently Americans have difficulties with names that are different.  He didn't phrase it that way, exactly, but that was what he meant.  I wished him well, and turned around to head back.  Lesley had already left, but had supposed that I would catch up with him, because "you're a runner."  (He had commented on my Five Fingers shoes when we stopped to eat.)  

Having used up a bit more than 5 hours of the short daylight hours on my hike to Hanakoa, I tried to step it up a bit on the way back.  I figure sunset (especially on the west coast) would be around 6:30, so I wanted to be back at the trailhead by 6 just to be safe.  I left Hanakoa around 1:15, a bit nervous that I might not make it, but remembering the two 20-minute stops on the way out, I had high hopes of making that goal.  

The trail back felt really different than the trail in, although it was the same trail.  I was more focused on my walking - again, that "cognitive walking" that uses so much decision-making capability in a short time, with each step and placement of the poles.  Which side of this pile of rocks am I going to climb?  Which has the best footholds?  Which has the least mud or chance of slipping or turning an ankle?  I used my trekking poles all the way back; I literally wouldn't have made it back without them, because I could feel myself flagging a lot in the last 2 miles.  I was passed by a person or two, and actually caught up to and passed Lesley, who was standing by the trail talking to another fellow, I don't know about what.  

I noticed some landmarks on the way back - places I had stopped to take a photo behind me, and so forth - but much of the trail felt really surreal, and at times I wondered if I were still going the right way, because the switchbacks meant that the cliff edge wasn't always on my left.  I felt more connected with the Lion on the way back, because I had no other regular company, but honestly I was more concentrated on the effort of hurrying back so as not to lose my limited daylight.  I did not want to be on that trail in the dark.   By mile 9, I was starting to feel the rocks through the soles of my shoes, and picking my way a bit more carefully accordingly.   I made it to the beach in good time, and crossed the river over which I had so carefully climbed on the way in by walking through the water with my feet on the bottom, because it felt so good. 

Principally what I noticed (besides the trail in front of me, and the time) were the smells of rotting fruit fallen off the trees, the cool breeze off the ocean (thank the Lion for that, because it was 95 degrees), flowers and little butterflies, and on the way back, ants EVERYWHERE on the ground.  Teeming.  I didn't notice them on the way in, and I as I spent a lot of time looking at the ground, I think I would have.  Maybe they had a time of day that was better suited to their activities?   Once I found a shell on the trail, with a moist critter still inside (or I might have pocketed it).  Some seafaring bird must have dropped his tasty snack.  How odd for a shell to be in the middle of the trail 700 feet up.  

I stopped very little, and only for a moment or two to snatch a mouthful of water (I was running low) and eat a piece of fruit leather (Costco in Lihue).  I knew my pace was all right but I could feel myself slowing down and I wanted to be done. 

I tried using a free app on my phone called "ALLSport GPS Free" (hence the name) to track my statistics, and I was really impressed that although there was no cell service, the app seemed to work just fine with the satellites.  According to the stats, the total elevation change was 4485 feet; I wish I could post the elevation graphs because they are impressive.  I didn't start the app until about 10 minutes into the hike, so the total time isn't accurate. 

I realized that although I got to the river in Hanakoa, I didn't get to Hanakoa Falls (1/2 mile farther inland). By the time I realized it, I was unsure enough about the time I had to get back before dark that I was OK with skipping it, and looking at it over my shoulder from the trail back.

The last two miles from the beach to the trailhead felt like carpeted stairs in many places, especially compared to the trail farther out; there were some steep climbs, but much of it was strewn with pine needles, and was flat with few rocks.  I recognized the steeper rocky and muddy areas as being near the trailhead, which was good, because I was really ready to be done.  I reached the trailhead at 5:05, exactly 9 hours and 5 minutes after starting out. There were water fountains across the parking lot from the trailhead, so I refilled one of my water bottles.  My legs were shaking as I crossed the street, and I got some funny looks, but I didn't care.  I was done.  Twelve miles, almost 8-1/2 hours of walking.  Amazing experience.  Done.  

Although I didn't get to the trickiest part of the trail (just south of Hanakoa, I hear), I hiked 12 difficult miles in one day, something my concierge had doubted I could do, and a mile further than anyone hiking out would do (unless s/he decided to take a side trip to the falls),  I think few people have done Hanakoa as a day trip.  I smile to myself thinking about it sometimes, because I like having done something few other people have done.  I like being a collection of experiences, although I know I am more than that.  One day I'll write them all down for myself and look the over on days I feel I haven't accomplished much.

Mahalo (thanks) for listening
wb

Travel day

Hi.
I had planned this evening to catch up on today, but it's been a long day and I'm too disheartened to say much.  I made it safely to Maui, and it's so dark that even the slim crescent moon is casting a light on the surface of the ocean, which I can hear sighing through my open lanai doors.  Conference starts tomorrow.

good night
wb

Church of the Na Pali coast, part 2

Aloha.

Today was a mix of busy and relaxing, but I am just now sitting down to finish writing my thoughts on yesterday's adventure.  It's about 8:20 Hawaii time and I think I'll go to bed early, but I would like to get caught up.  So here goes:

I think I had just mentioned that I met up with a man from Germany who now lives in Vienna, and we agreed to hike together until it was time for me to turn around.  He said his name was Alex.  He was nice enough to let me go in front of him, so that I could set the pace (with my short legs), and also because he was tall enough to see over my head.  I had planned to hike the distance by myself.  Of course, there were others hiking the trail, but they were mostly in twos or determined-looking singles, so it was unlikely that I would find a companion, and honestly, I wasn't really looking for one.  I had some idea that I would have a lovely commune with the Lion as I hiked this wild trail.  The Lion apparently had other ideas.

I must admit that it was very "energizing" to have someone with whom to hike; the difficulty of the trail disappeared into the background as we chatted away (OK, mostly me, but he didn't seem to mind).  We talked about all kinds of things - the kind of conversation one typically has when getting to know someone new.  All right, you who know me probably have guessed that we didn't just have small talk, though we did talk about our jobs and our families (he has a girlfriend and they're thinking about having kids) and why we were there doing that hike.  But we also talked about books, and travel (he's going to Kenya in a few weeks) and wilderness rescue insurance (as they have in Europe), and health care, and CS Lewis (he's never read the Narnia books, schade), and the Lutheran and African churches he attends, and decision-making, and introversion, and camping.

After I mentioned that I had originally planned to camp, but decided not to, he said several times what a shame it was that I had left my camping gear at the condo.  I think he wanted a friend to go with him, and he also thought I wanted to hike the whole 22 miles (round trip) and was disappointed for me.  I was a bit sorry, I admit, because along comes this perfect opportunity not to camp alone, and to have someone to watch my back, and I was unprepared.  But both yesterday, and looking back on it today, I am glad I made the decision not to stay over (and not just because it rained here pretty hard last night, though I have no idea what weather they had in Kalalau).  I decided that going "halfway" (6 miles out of 11) was going to be good enough, and certainly more than the condo concierge had told me was possible to do in a day, so I was content with that.  A small pang of "coulda," and the rest was gratitude for some company, at least one way.

As for the hike itself, I think I mentioned this morning (I don't have that one in front of me) that the first two miles was muddy and rocky and slippery in places.  In fact, my only fall was in the first mile, shortly after Alex and I decided to go together, and I put my right foot in about an inch of mud and it slid right out from under me.  I did a little half-split and broke open the skin on my left knee, enough to bleed a bit but nothing serious.  I also decorated half my backside with the legendary Kauai red dirt.  It is tenacious stuff, let me tell you.  My ankles are still ruddy with it, even after a scrubbing bath and then a wade in the ocean this morning.  If I thought I could get an even coat, I'd get the look of a tan without the skin damage.  But I think it would be blotchy.

So, with my lower legs covered with mud (and a little blood), we continued toward the first stop:  Hanakapi'ai Beach.  We got there in about an hour and 40 minutes.  There was a little river coming out of the woods across which we had to navigate to get to the beach, and then pick our way across some bouldery ground.  The guide book had said that in the winter (October - April) there would be little sand, but there was actually plenty of it.  A sign on the trail shortly before the stream said, "DO NOT GO NEAR THE WATER" and warned about rip tides and strong currents, and underneath were the many tally marks indicating how many visitors had drowned.  Cheerful.  I was keen to get my knee washed off, and I didn't think about doing it in the stream, so I went to the water's edge and got in deep enough (about 6 inches) to scrub my small laceration with ocean water, and clean off some of the mud.  I was wearing my triathlon shorts (what I use to swim in) under my hiking shorts, so I stripped to those before I went in the water.

I think I forgot to mention previously that I/we were passed on the trail by several people, including 4 guys who were RUNNING up the trail, and who passed us headed the other way before we even got to the beach.  They must have gone for a quick dip or something.  Also we were passed by a barefooted guy carrying a surfboard.  When we got to the beach, he was out there, frolicking with his board, blissfully ignoring any warning signs.  Interesting people around here.

So, Alex and I stopped on the beach and had a snack and a bit of water.  He was fretting that even though he had food and water for the trip, he didn't have "enough salt."  I think he had some kind of electrolyte powder with him, but I didn't take a look at it.  Instead I shared some salted chips with him.  There was a shallow cave to look at to one side of the beach.  Three people came onto the beach, talking about the difficulty of the coast beyond the 6-mile point (that's supposed to be the hardest section, but I never got that far).  It was obvious that it was a couple and their grown daughter.  Alex told them that he was going the whole way, when they asked him.  The mother said, "I watched it on Youtube - did you see that?"  When he replied he hadn't, she said, "Good thing," and laughed.

After about 20 minutes, we started up again.  He had to go the whole 11 miles and the light goes away about 6:30, so we had to pace it well.  We kept plugging, except for frequent 30-second stops for me to take a photo.  It was really nice to have someone to get things out of my backpack for me so I didn't have to take it off and rummage around on my own for things.  It was nice to have someone to gauge pace with, and of course to talk to.  One of the coolest benefits was someone to take my photo with all these cool backgrounds; since I'm the main photographer in our family, I rarely get in photos.  Alex didn't want his photo taken much, but when he asked, I did take one for him.  I had the phone photos which I planned to put on Facebook, and many more taken with the DSLR, to come later.  (Since I have no computer with me, I have no way to upload those, so they'll have to wait).

The 4 miles of trail from the beach to the Hanakoa campground was so variable.  In places it was smooth, dry dirt, but that didn't occur very often.  Many steeply climbing and descending switchbacks, over roots and piles of rocks, or on the edge of the cliff, or farther inland through thick groves of trees, with huge palm fronds littering the ground, and rotting fruit littering the ground.  You couldn't tell you were near the ocean most of the time when you couldn't see it, because it was too far below to smell, or to hear.  At some points we rounded a corner and stopped short at the breathtaking views.  In places we could see in the distance Nihau, "The Forbidden Isle."  I read about it in my guide book but it's too long to explain here - look it up for yourself; it's fairly interesting.

Breathtaking views aside, much of the hike was spent looking at the muddy ground.  The terrain was so rough in places that each foot placement had to be carefully planned.  I mentioned the trekking poles; I would have been lost without them.  They saved my balance a number of times; I only fell that once, near the beginning.  Sometimes there were two choices of how to proceed, for instance, step up a pile of rocks, trying to find footholds as you ascend, or chance a more slippery gradual path with not much to keep you from sliding back down.  I'm not sure if I did Alex a favor or not by going in front of him, but by the time I had passed the tricky spots, he was able to see what worked for me and decide what might work best for him.  At least, that's how I imagined it was; he never said.

The hike was physically strenuous, but also mentally difficult, because all of the above constitutes what I call "cognitive walking."  You have to make so many decisions about where to put your feet, or how to use the poles, and try not to turn an ankle or stub a toe especially me, since I was wearing my Vibram Bikilas.  A word about shoes: everything I read about this hike said, "Hiking boots are a must."  I had planned all along to do it in my Vibram Five Fingers, because I'm used to them, I have no other hiking boots, I don't care if they get wet or muddy, and I like a flexible sole for climbing.  In general, I think it was a good choice.  More on that later.

We crossed into the State Park (officially) near 11; we had left the beach near 10 AM.  There aren't really any mile markers between the beach and Hanakoa.  Amazingly enough, my GPS program on my phone (which I started up partway into the first mile of my hike) worked - showed me a map, change in elevation, hiking speed, and distance traveled.  We used it to determine if we were making good enough time.  We moved steadily, not speedily, but at a reasonable pace, and I think we parsed it out properly.  I hope to find out - we exchanged e-mail addresses before we parted company, thought I haven't sent anything or heard anything yet.  He would have hiked out today, and I imagine he'd be pretty tired, having done nearly twice the hike in two days that I did in one.

We were a bit concerned about our pace, and losing the light, so anyone coming from Kalalau direction we asked how far to Hanakoa.  I especially could only hike 5 hours in once direction before heading back or risk having to do some of the trail via head-light and flashlight.  Brr.  It doesn't bear thinking about.  The answers we got varied greatly, and I was hoping it was because people are lousy judges of distance, which I think was the case.  We had been hiking for perhaps two hours from the beach and hoping we were within two miles of Hanakoa, and one couple we asked said, "Oh, it's a couple of hours in that direction - maybe 3 miles?"  Egad - the idea we had come 1 mile in 2 hours was disheartening, but it wasn't true.  We made Hanakoa just before 1 PM, 5 hours from when I started at the trailhead, and we had had the 20 minutes or so at the beach, so 6 miles of terrain in 4:45 or so.  There was a small river there, which we crossed, and stopped to have something to eat.

I will end there, and continue with the end of the tale perhaps tomorrow.  I will also catch you up on today, which wasn't too involved, but had a few nice memorable moments for me.  And after all, that's what this blog is for, although I hope you enjoy it too.  Wish I had some way to put a Na Pali photo up in here, but it will have to wait.

Blessings meanwhile
wb

Church of the Na Pali Coast, part 1

Good morning.

I must have been very tired last night because I slept until the sun was almost up.  OK, well, I knew I was tired, but this is the first time since I've been here that I haven't woke up while it was still dark.  And it is very dark here after sunset, which happens around 6:30.  You all just gained an hour because of the end o Day light Savings Time, but here in Hawaii, there isn't any daylight to save.  It reminds me of Zambia, with the sunrise around 5:30 or 6 and sunset around 6:30.  Boom.  Dark.  Something about it makes me want to be indoors, curled up with a book or a movie when it's dark.

The reason I was so tired yesterday was that I hiked part of the Na Pali coast.  I had read many things about it and had even bought a camping pass and brought my camping stuff with me, in case I wanted to stay overnight.  Saturday night I made the executive decision to leave home my hammock and gear and just do a day hike.  I have mixed feelings about that decision, though I think it was the right one.  More about that in the next post.

For those of you who don't know, the Kalalua Trail is an 11-mile (one way) cliffside hike ("pali" meaning "cliff") on the west coast of Kauai.  It is rated 9/10 difficulty by the Sierra Club.  The ultimate destination is Kalalau Beach, inaccessible (legally) except for this hike - no boats allowed to land on the beach.  I had pretty much decided I wouldn't be making an 11-mile hike one day only to turn around and hike 11 miles back the next.  I'm not a hiker, although I do run.  Not many mountains to hike locally in Michigan.  But because I run, and have run a few longer races (although not marathons), I figured I was fit enough to get halfway, which is a camping site called Hanakoa.  There are a beach and a couple of waterfalls on the way; I decided to see how far I could get.

The sunrise is visible from the lawn of the condo, and my neighbor (who is the concierge) told me the sun comes up "around 6."  Which was more like 6:40.  When I woke up yesterday, it was still dark, but nearing 6, so I went out onto the lawn and waited with my camera.  And waited, and waited.  And waited.  It was lovely to watch the sky change, and eventually I was rewarded with a gorgeous sunrise, but I was also anxious to get an early start on my hike, to see how far I could get.  When I had told the concierge my plans, she pooh-poohed them and said, "You won't get as far as Hanakoa.  Just go the the first waterfall, swim there; your skin will be soft as silk.  It's very therapeutic."

Anyone who knows me well will know that I don't take kindly to being told something can't be done.  I did keep it in the back of my mind, but her words didn't prevent me from giving it a shot.  As those of you who know me also know, I have to see something for myself (within reason) to be sure it can't be done.  This sometimes puts me in a postion where I have to backtrack, but at least I have seen for myself that it can't be done.  And sometimes, it can be done - the advice I was given was wrong, or I found a different way to do it, or someone was too timid to try it himself.

Anyway, I had gotten much of my stuff ready the night before, and while it was still dark yesterday morning, so I loaded up the car and took off.  I had been advised to get there early, and I had hoped to get there as early as 7, but since the sunrise happened later than I had been told (ahem), it was more like 7:30 that I left the condo.  It's a half-hour drive or so to the trailhead.  I needn't have used my GPS, because I discovered that one essentially drives west until the road ends, and there it is.  I lost the signal halfway as it was.  The drive there was a bit unnerving in itself, with a couple of switchbacks, thick foliage on either side of a narrow road (which lives up to its speed limit of 25 mph in places).  I half expected a panther, or even a dinosaur, to come leaping out of the trees.

I drove through a town called Hanalei (where Puff the magic dragon lives, I would guess, though I didn't see him) and then there were several single-lane bridges with yield signs on either end.  The etiquette demands that one let a line of cars through before proceeding (there are even signs of "local etiquette = 5 - 7 cars").  I guess that's more efficient than taking turns one by one in each direction, but it's still unnerving.

I got to the trailhead, packed up my stuff (including some last-minute jettisoning of my water treatment tablets and a couple of other things), used the bathroom there and headed up.  I started on the trail at exactly 8 AM.

It rained a bit last night, so the trail was muddy in places, and very slippery there.  The first two miles is to Hanakapi'ai Beach.  It sloped steeply upward to begin, and was very rocky where it wasn't muddy.  I didn't notice until the way back that there were also pine needles strewn liberally on this part of the trail, something that I didn't see in other places.  I had with me a pair of trekking poles I bought at Walmart (one of the essentials I bought on Saturday) and that was probably the best $22 I've spent in a long time.  My balance is good, and I have pretty good endurance, but I don't think I would have made it there and back again without them.  I saw plenty of people (more than not) without them.  Maybe they all are better hikers than I, but I did note that as the day went on and I went further that many of the people "hiking out" from Kalalau Beach (having stayed there overnight) had them.  Some people had long wooden poles they had found as well.

I took it relatively easy on the first bit, although I was full of energy.  Part of it was that I kept stopping to take pictures, also something anyone familiar with me would expect.  I wish I had been able to stop on the road to the trailhead, because there was a huge beautiful shard of rainbow supermiposed on the green mountain as I rounded the corner.  You'll just have to imagine it.

Anyway, I was passed by several people (with no poles), and at one point I noticed I was keeping just ahead of a young man who also had two trekking poles, and was making what seemed to me a great noise banging them on the rocks.  He finally caught up with me as I took yet another photo, and I said hello.  I made some comment about the poles, and noticed he had a German accent.  Turns out he is German, but lives in Vienna.  He was at a conference in California and took a few extra days to fly out to Hawaii (not too far once one is in California, especially if one normally lives in Europe) to do this hike.  He was by himself, and had all his camping gear on his back, because he was going all the way to Kalalau.  He is 10 years younger than I and about a foot taller.  I spoke to him in German a bit (I'm so rusty); we discovered that we each were alone, and decided to join forces, at least to Hanakoa.

I think that is enough for now; today I'm going to check out our beach, and probably do some shopping.  There may or may not be a helicopter ride later; we'll see.

Blessings
wb

The adventure continues?

Hello, all.

After traveling for about 18 hours yesterday, I'm pretty tired and I plan to go to bed soon.  I am finally in my condo on Kauai and so glad to have landed.  Right now I have all the lights on and all the windows open.  I can hear the ocean and the wind and I think it will send me to sleep quickly. 

Yesterday after I finished writing, our plane was re-routed to Salt Lake City, where they had us deplane, and about 10 minutes later told us all to get back on again.  Seems they were getting mixed signals as well.  We flew to LAX, which had reopened - landed about 3:15 California time (6:15 at home) and then we all sat at the gate for the next flight.  And waited.  And waited.  The plane was there, but no flight crew.  They kept announcing what they knew, which was not much.  Originally it had been set to leave at 4, but we didn't leave until 7.  I called my connecting flight and told them I wouldn't be there, then a few phone calls later rearranged my rental car.  

I knew I would likely miss the last flight to Kauai, so I called a friend who lives on Oahu and he said, "Your room is already made up.  Call us when you get to Honolulu."  Turned out that his wife had thought I was planning to stay with them Friday night (as well as the following weekend) so she had had everything ready.  She was mistaken, but it was a happy mistake that worked in my favor.  The flight got in at 10:45 Oahu time (4:45 AM EDT) and by the time we got the their house and I unwound, it was after midnight (after 6 AM Saturday).  I had been up almost 24 hours, unless you count a couple of 40-minute naps sitting upright on the plane.  I wouldn't.

This morning I caught an 8:30 flight to Kauai, but the plane had to return to the gate after it had pushed back due to mechanical trouble.  They fixed it, but it took about 45 minutes.  Fortunately I wasn't in a hurry.  The flight to Kauai was gorgeous - it had been drizzling so there were rainbows everywhere.  I called a taxi from the airport info kiosk, and a lady showed up with a van.  I have never had a female cab driver before.  She had two photos pinned to the passenger-side visor.  I asked about them - they were her great-grandkids.  In thickly accented English she said, "I'm old - 75.  I got 18 grandkids."  And she laughed.  I gave her a bigger tip than I might have someone else because it touched me that this 75 year old woman was driving a cab.  Maybe she likes it, but just in case....

She dropped me off in this very industrial-lookng area, where there was a car waiting for me with all the paperwork and the key under the visor.  I filled everything out and dropped it in the mail box where indicated.  Very relaxed atmosphere.  

I did all the things one does with a "new" car - found all the buttons for things, adjusted the mirrors (I often forget to do that until I'm on the road, and then it can be problematic), ran the wipers (which are lousy, by the way), located the nearest gas station to the rental site. 

I decided to drive up to the condo and drop off my stuff.  I was about 9 miles out of Lihue when I noticed the police cars blocking the road.  At first I thought it was an accident, but then I realized it was a parade.  Veteran's Day parade.  I tried to find a way around but to no avail, so I parked the car and ran up to see part of the parade, the tail end of which was already passing me.  After about 1/2 mile of following them (hoping to see them turn off so I could get back in my car ad head to y condo), I decided to turn around, but the scent of breakfast caught me and instead I wandered into a little diner and ate.  Very fast service, and about what one would expect from a diner - one egg, bacon, hash browns, toast with guava jam.  It was served quickly and I ate rapidly (I was hungry).  

By the time I finished, the traffic had begun to move in the direction I wished to go, so I ran back to my car and started off again.  But now there was significant congestion because of the Veteran's Day festivities.  A parking space opened up next to a craft show so I figured it was providential and stopped.  I still remember how to parallel park, thank you very much.  

I walked around Kapaa for a little while, poking into the shops and whatnot, and a great loneliness descended on me.  I suddenly got fed up with knick-knacks and Hawaiian shirts and magnets and macadamia nuts for sale, and just wanted to get out of there.  I decided to go back to Lihue, which was where I was supposed to have a helicopter ride in a few hours anyway, so I drove back to get some necessary shopping done at the Walmart, I'm sorry to say.

I found the things I needed, and noted they also had groceries, and are open until midnight.  I called my family to say goodnight as I sat in the car in the relative shade and had a snack.  I finally made my way to the helicopter place, and they checked us all in and weighed us with our cameras and all, did the safety check and then drove us to the airport.  The helicopter came back in, and the pilot was discussing something with the van driver.  Turned out the artificial horizon was starting to go, and even though the weather was not bad, he didn't want to risk it.  (He was a medevac copter pilot in Iraq; we trusted his judgment).  Unfortunately the three people with me were leaving soon and couldn't reschedule.  

So, I went grocery shopping and drove to the condo.  I was feeling discouraged with all the seemingly thwarted plans - travel yesterday, not getting to Kauai last night, plane trouble this morning, parade, and now the helicopter ride cancelled.  I was very glad, however, that I didn't have to drive up to the condo in the dark while in a tired post-travel state (which I would have had I come in on time yesterday).  The road was curvy and hilly enough as it was, and the condo a bit tricky to find.  I got here just at the sun was going down, so I was happy to find it and bring all my stuff in to dump.

Turned out I am next door to the concierge, Jeannie, who is an older woman who seems like a free spirit, if you gather my meaning.  But she was nice, and gave me some advice.  I'm thinking I won't camp overnight in the park tomorrow.  We'll see what the hike brings.  If it rains, the trail won't be worth hiking, and I'll have to find something else to do.  Sigh.  This is turning out a lot different than i had thought.  I'm thankful I didn't have wall-to-wall plans.  

If I'm going to get up early to hike tomorrow, I'd best get to bed.  Thanks for listening, and good night.

wb

Plane speaking

I started this post  on the plane yesterday (Nov 1).  OK, so the blog title is a bad pun.  I'm jet lagged; that's my excuse.  Here goes:

This is my first time using my Bluetooth keyboard and my new office suite for my Kindle Fire.  So far it's working pretty well, and nice to have two small things instead of a heavy laptop computer.  

Today is my travel day for my trip to Hawaii, to which I have been looking forward (forward to which I've been looking?) for the last 6 months.  I anticipated it as the gateway to my 10-day adventure, but also as a long day potentially fraught with difficulty.  Of my last several trips, I have had enough problems with flight cancellations and delays that it has dampened my enthusiasm for air travel somewhat, so it was with mixed feelings that I embarked on this day.

The day began at 6:50, when I awoke to realize my children were not out of bed yet.  Ordinarily their alarm goes off at 6:30.  They don't have school today - records day for teachers, I think - but since my husband was bringing them into the day care today, I was concerned that they might not be ready in time.  I wandered into their room, only to see my elder daughter's head pop up (she has a loft bed) and she whispered, "The alarm is set for 7, Mama."  I nodded and crept out.  That's my responsible girl.  :) 

I curled back under the covers for a few minutes, but my brain was already thinking about the few last-minute things I didn't want to forget.  It was a losing battle - I got out of bed.  I sat at the table with the girls as they ate, because I won't see them for 10 days.  Then I went upstairs to get ready.  My husband and kids left shortly after that - I hugged and kissed them goodbye, trying not to think how much I will miss them.  Then my thoughts turned to today.

The drive to the airport was too short.  My friend picked me up to take me and we had a lively chat about many things - so easy to do with this friend, and indeed, with many of my friends.  It was strange to turn north at the exit where I normally turn south to go to work.  She dropped me off and I went into our little friendly airport terminal.  

I like flying out of Grand Rapids - the gates are close, the atmosphere friendly and relaxed, the food not too expensive.  There were three people in front of me at security.  I went to the gate, dropped my bags and went in search of a second breakfast.  Got a bagel sandwich at the place I remember getting one last time I went to Hawaii, remembering that that bagel last time had saved my soul alive on the 9-hour flight.  

I love that I heard at least three different languages being spoken in the gate area.  I miss that sometimes.  That's one thing I love about travel - the diversity,  We boarded our plane for Detroit - one of those little connector flights.  My luggage consists of a "25-liter" backpack from Tom Bihn (weight: 17 pounds) and a nylon zippered tote from LL Bean (weight: 13 pounds).  The backpack fits under the seat, even with all my camping equipment in it.  No wheels this trip - trying something new. 

On the plane t Detroit I had a rather surly seatmate who had a slight accent - I'm guessing German, but I didn't hear him speak much.  Originally I had gone past my row and was in the wrong seat - when I realized that, he had to move his big duffle, which was on the seat, to accommodate me.  He didn't look happy. 

I had been concerned at the short layover times between my flights - 42 minutes in Detroit.  Our flight was only 27 mintes, and we arrived 20 minutes earlier than was posted on the ticket.  Thank the Lion, because I had to get myself and my 30 pounds of luggage from terminal B to terminal A in 20 minutes.  Thanks to the numerous moving sidewalks and the relative paucity of people headed in my direction, I made it with plenty of time to spare.   I found out later there was a tram.  Oh, well; I needed the exercise.  First hurdle down; first prayer request answered favorably.

Boarded a larger jet headed for LA,and my seat companions are a couple from Australia who are headed to Hawaii as well, and staying there for 10 days on their way back home.  There could be worse places to stay over, I should think.  She was in a conference in Baltimore and was visiting a friend there as well.  Very pleasant people.  

There's so much that goes through my head on days like this.  My possessions for the next few days are all being carried on my person; I'm trying this new "minimalist" packing idea, making things serve more than one purpose.  It's amazing that my world shrinks to this small package, even as I venture into the world at large.  Traveling alone, I have no one to "watch my back" (or my stuff, for that matter), so it's well that it is compact.  

***************

1:30 PM - the pilot just announced that there has been a shooting at LAX.  Of course I am too cheap to pony up the fee for the on-board wi-fi so I am out of the loop.  We will be allowed to land but the airport is shut down to land traffic (people coming into the airport to pick up passengers).  I have a feeling we may be able to continue on to Hawaii, but I don't know at this point, and I have to say I'm not particularly worried about it, because what can worrying do?  I know whatever happens is by divine appointment somehow.  

This is a huge change from the person I once was, not that long ago, in fact.  I read in a book - last summer, I think it was, but I don't know for sure - a phrase that penetrated my anxious, worry-prone self in a way that no other epigram or Bible verse had.  It was in a fantasy novel; pity, I don't remember the name of it, because I'd love to give it credit.  It read, "Worry is praying for what you don't want to happen."  Zing.  Some words drive straight to the heart, and that phrase illuminated the foolishness of worry for me in a way nothing else did.  Although I can't say I don't worry about anything anymore, it's surely a lot less.  There's a huge freedom in that. 

Nonetheless, I do wonder about this news item, for which we have so little information.  I guess I will find out later what happened, and for sure how it affects me.  But I'm certain it has affected someone, and for those people I pray.

Im not sure when I will post this; I doubt I will have any internet connection anytime soon, although if we land 25 minutes early as they had promised (of course, I don't know if this incident has changed that) I may be able to paste this into my blog.  Sorry for the pedantic  beginning but this really is a journal for myself, and there are things I want to remember that may not be of interest to anyone else, and that's fine. 

I will leave you with that for now.  We shall see how this multifaceted adventure unfolds.

From between the Paws

wb