| Hawaiian Islands log (2004-06-21 -> 2004-07-11)
Leaders: Danielle Little, Griff Dempsey
Students: Hillyer Alias, Max Baird, Matt Beath, Molly Ellis, Arden Gray, John Horton, Jack McKinney, Lauren Russell, Nanny Wilson, Beth Yetter
Aloha!
All is well and beautiful in the Hawaiian Islands these days as our incredible Moondance team had a wonderful first adventure. After a long day reaching the other side of the island, we were all quite tired, so we set up tents on Anini Beach, had a great moonup and went to sleep. After a refreshing night under the stars we woke up and prepared for a beautiful day hike up Sleeping Giant, a lush short summit in Waimea Canyon, rewarding us at the top with astounding 360 degree views. We were all blown away at the grandeur and greenery of our temporary home. At the end of our first full day we cooked an incredible dinner, thanks to the chef skills of Hillyer and Molly, and talked excitingly about our 2-day paddling adventure starting in the morning.
We met our guide in the morning and the fun began. Our Leaders of the Day, Nanny and Jack showed great leadership as they got everyone ready and packing. Everyone took to the water like a ‘O’ opu naniha, a native fish of Hawaii. Our guide doubled as a knowledgeable teacher as he pointed out native fish and native plants. Some of the plants, we were able to taste and we learned are often used in old medicinal recipes. Our guide even climbed up a palm and served us fresh coconut! We spent the afternoon eating lunch at a waterfall and laughing as Matt and Arden fell overboard. They just couldn’t get enough of the water! John and Lauren couldn’t stop talking about what an amazing lunch we had in such a pristine spot.
After lunch our group increased their paddling skills as we navigated three different sea caves. We came out of the sea caves right into some adrenaline filled rollercoaster water. This got everyone pretty excited. Beth and Lauren kept their momentum up and paddled hard, showing everyone how the pros do it! Just when you thought you couldn’t paddle anymore, the waves mellowed and out of the thick canopy of trees opened to incredible expansive views of crystal blue water. Now it was cruising time. Max and John showed great teamwork as their strokes were in unison, making a smooth paddle.
The crew paddled a total of 17 miles. The last 5 miles our guide showed us how to use a homemade sail, so we were able to sit back, take in the views, and learn a little more about this new culture. After two days of kayaking we experienced great waves, plenty of sunshine and new words to add to our growing Hawaiian vocabulary! Next we had out to Hanakapiai and prepare to backpack in beautiful Kalalau.
NEW LOG:
BACKPACKING
The past three days our group has experienced incredible things with our eyes and conquered even more incredible feats with our bodies. Jack and Nanny were our leaders for the day and they did an incredible job. We started with a very burly hike on two miles of steep and muddy trails. Before we left we learned how to pack our backpacks and had fun making G.O.R.P (Good old raisons and peanuts). We had the privilege of being joined by one of Griff’s co-workers who knows the area very well and served as a perfect guide for our activities.
After one of many beautiful river crossings, lead safely by one Griff Dempsey, we finally made it to camp at Hanakapiai. Everyone took off their packs with a big sigh of relief as we looked out over the ocean and fiddled around in amazing spring fed fresh water pools. Before we went to sleep listening to crashing waves we were treated with an amazing dinner from John, Molly, Lauren, and Max. Some might say that they were the best fajitas ever made!
We broke camp in the morning with the anticipation of arriving to Kalalau. We had to triumph through nine miles of challenging trails but remarkable views. We made it to paradise. A mile outside of camp we passed other hikers greeting us with “Welcome to Kalalau”, and “Welcome to paradise.” We knew we were in the right place as we walked out onto the widest and longest beach in Hawaii. The sun was shining; the water was like a bath, so there we played surrounded by thousand foot cathedral cliffs. Matt and Jack could hardly stand still at the anticipation of getting in the water.
At the end of the beach, up on the trail was our own little waterfall. This served as our drinking water as well as a nice fresh water shower! (The boys really needed it!) We ended our day playing in and out of the ocean, having a good dinner, and talking excitingly at moonup of things to come.
In the morning Danielle surprised us with homemade backcountry cinnamon rolls for breakfast! We had a great rest day of relaxing on the beach and playing games. It was such an important day because it allowed us to simply learn a little more about each other, making the bonds that will last forever. Max and Hillyer were our resident fish, in and out of the water all day. Dinner was another treat that added so much to our evening. Hillyer, Beth, and Jack started by making homemade pizza, but then we realized that we had forgotten pizza sauce. Never to fear, we had a creative team on the job and we came up with a pesto based sauce that was incredible! Last but certainly not least, Hillyer made no bake cheesecake that really hit the spot.
We decided to go to bed really early and do an alpine start, which means we leave before the sun comes up to avoid the heat and bugs. Arden encouraged us to be on the trail by 6:00am trying to mentally prepare for eleven miles of rough terrain. The day was extremely long but along the way we were blessed with a pod of spinner dolphins and even a Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, amazing! The water is so clear that we were able to see these creatures from hundreds of feet above. As we walked closer to our campsite I heard “We are looking down on heaven” from one of the kids. It sure is close!
Hawaii update 7/5/4
Griff called and said the sailing was incredible! They were out on a 36 foot catamaran for 3 awesome days. The skipper got the kids involved immediately and Jack and Matt hoisted up the main sail. Marine life was abundant everywhere. On the 2nd day the group saw a pod of pilot whales. There must have been 40 or 50 whales! They also saw dolphins and one morning they went swimming with the dolphins! Griff reported that they caught an Ono fish which is a Wahoo. Kudos to Hillyer and Lauren who reeled in the fish. Ono means “delicious” and it was! They prepared the fresh fish in a coconut curry sauce and had a feast, not to mention all the fresh native Hawaiian fruit that was served on board. The boat took them to four different snorkel spots. Everyone did really well in the water and more importantly everyone felt really comfortable. Matt, Jack, and Max free dove underneath a natural coral arch at 18 feet! Jack, Nanny and Max were stoked to learn about all the fish they saw when they were snorkeling. Matt proved to be an incredible diver. John kept the group laughing and positive. Everyone had a blast on the boat. The highlight was swimming with the dolphins. Other spottings include a Spotted Eagle Ray and Honu which are Hawaiian green sea turtles. They ended with a diving contest and evidently Hillyer’s belly flops take the cake. The stars were at their brightest last night as Arden, Nanny, Jack, and Hillyer slept out in the fresh ocean air. The group is off to the backcountry for a couple of days in the Waipi-o Valley. We wish them well and we will update everyone when they return.
NEW LOG
Backpacking
We began this backpacking section on the coastline of Waipio-Waimanu, a beautiful stretch of land that rewarded us with incredible views and lessons. We decided to get an alpine start, leaving in the middle of the night to avoid heat and time, using our headlamps to guide our way. The road that led into the valley was a four-wheel drive road only, so our leaders of the day, Hillyer and Max decided to hoof it down a 70 degree pitch, cutting switchbacks then entire way down.
As we trekked downward, we realized that our map highlighted our route with the Waipio Valley. We learned that there has been a small community of indigenous people living in this valley for thousands of years. As we descended into the village we started to see signs of life, of isolated people that have some contact with the outside world, but not enough to ignore our presence. What a cultural experience.
Our excursion into the village made our trek a little longer than originally planned, but after seeing breathtaking flowers, eating fresh avocado, and even being followed by our friendly dog chaperone, we decided that it was well worth the trouble.
We hiked back up the other side of the valley, the trail being equally as steep as when we came down, but was covered by an immense amount of growth. We were thankful for the huge canopies of Eucalyptus Trees, Guava, and a few Noni trees. Noni is an Indian Mulberry that produced medicinal qualities to the Indians a long time ago. One brave soul, John, aggressively tried the Noni, which was horrible tasting! Everyone tried the fresh Guava!
After that incredible hike we called it a day. We woke with the sunrise over the ocean and greeted another challenging hike to a 400ft, three tiered waterfall! Lauren was so excited she could barely sit still. What a sight. We took the day to play in and out of the water, swimming in the waterfall pools, and lounging on rocks. We combined some games and other down time activities with our day in the falls. Before we hiked out of the valley, Griff and Jack found two feathers from a Pueo, a Hawaiian Short Eared Owl and some feathers from an Io, a Hawaiian Hawk. So Max and Arden helped Griff make a homemade Lei with shells, Ginger Flower, and the feathers. We all left it as a gift for the valley, a way to say thanks for our incredible time.
Our hike out was impressive. Everyone moved so fast on the trail as Beth, Matt, and Jack led the way. Nanny and Arden served as wonderful leaders of the day, getting everyone out at a good pace. Once we got back to our van, we drove to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
We came into the park on the Crater Rim Drive, which is an incredible scenic drive along Kilawae. We decided to take a hike to the Kilawae Iki floor, which is the crater floor. Once we walked around we began to realize that we were standing in what was once a lava lake! From the crater floor we went to the Thurston Lava Tube, which is a tunnel in the ground that was once a flowing lava tube, now dried out. We brought headlamps and were able to explore remote areas of the cave in complete darkness.
The most exciting part came when we went to the active lava site. We hiked over fields of hardened lava flow to the active flow, which we could watch pouring into the sea! Everyone loved all the colors of the lava and literally watching the earth being born. Nanny spoke for us all when she said “it is like walking on another planet!” We hung around until dark and the lava became brilliant against a dark background. Eventually we made it back to camp. That night we all agreed that the stars in the sky were not only many, but as Lauren put it, “They are so deep, I feel so small.” We are having an amazing time and will have more soon.
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