| Hawaiian Islands log (2004-07-17 -> 2004-08-06)
Leaders: Griff Dempsey and Danielle Little
Students: Katie Boydston, Caroline Campbell, Walker DeBardeleben, Sophie Dupont, Liz Humphrey, Lauren Izard, Rebecca Livezey, Caroline Porter, Christina Sachs, Madeline Sigler
We are all here and anxious to get our first activity, sea kayaking underway. Looks like we have 11 strong young women and Griff!! He is in for a treat. All smiles from this end as it took no time for everyone to get to know each other on the flight over from LA. We are ready to go!!
NEW LOG
7-22-04
When Griff and I met our group of ten female students in Lihue, Kauai they had already bonded. They met in LAX and endured the 5 hour flight to Hawaii together. They helped each other get their large duffle bags off the conveyor belt and away we drove to the far north of the island, beautiful Hanalei Bay. Of course it was dark, so the secret beauty was not revealed until first light. Due to the six hour time difference, the girls were certainly awake at first light. We watched the sun fill the sky over the calm ocean where twenty or so boats were moored. We ate our cereal on the pier gazing over the bay toward the towering green cliffs. The central focus was a distant waterfall that had to be at least 2000 feet tall. What a way to start our trip!
The students paired up and introduced each other to the group in a shady perch on the beach. We learned how to properly set up our tents and to live comfortably in the outdoors. Then we went for a swim. Being an all girls trip of course we choreographed a synchronized swimming routine! We are planning to perform for our sailing crew on the Big Island. Right before dinner the sky was filled with a huge double rainbow. Madeline expressed her love for sunsets and Christina her passion for stars.
Our third day was spent kayaking up the Waialua River where we landed and hiked through the mud to a gorgeous waterfall. We stood under its thunderous flow and of course filled the canyon with squeals of excitement. We tried to be quiet, but the sensation was far too intense for silence.
Rebecca and Liz were our leaders of the day. They helped our guide Adam remind the group to hydrate and reapply sunscreen and kept our spirits high as our arms became sore. Although Katie and Rebecca claimed to have no upper body strength, they cruised in front of the group the entire day. Christina and Liz were full of laughs. Liz loved tromping through the mud and Christina said the brownie at lunch was the best she's ever had! Madeline was hesitant to enter the cold falls, but Adam showed her how fun it really was. Lauren led the group behind the falls after listening to Adam's careful instructions. Sophie was the first to get her head wet.
Walker and Christina were chosen as the next leaders of the day. Their encouragement was critical on our seventeen mile paddle down the Na Pali Coast. These girls were chosen for their helpfulness on previous days of the trip. We endured some challenges along the way, but all felt extremely proud of ourselves for completing such an intense paddle. We saw green sea turtles, an endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal and remains of an old Hawaiian fishing village. With no wind, the paddle took us all day. Na Pali (The cliffs) and waterfalls were breathtaking along the way. Our guides Josh and Bobby were helpful and informative. Bobby found Lilik'oi (passion fruit) for us at lunch which we loved the tart sweetness of its juice. What a treat. Today Caroline Porter and Caroline Campbell are leading us as we are hiking up Sleeping Giant and then making quesadillas for dinner. Life is good here in the islands.
Aloha-Danielle, Griff and the girls
NEW LOG 7-29-04
Aloha from the beautiful island of Kauai! After we finished our sea-kayaking adventure we filled our days with several day hikes. The ladies and Griff hiked up Sleeping Giant and were rewarded with incredible views of the island. Everyone is in agreement that Sleeping Giant is a highlight of the trip so far! The next day we hiked on the Napali coast, world famous for its breathtaking landscape, which several major movies have been filmed. We hiked along the Kalalau Trail and ended up at Hanakapiai Falls…just beautiful. Our third day hike was up into Koke’e State Park. We followed the Auapuhi Trail that took us along side remarkable sheer cliffs that fell away into the Pacific. That night we decided that we deserved a rest day, so the following day was spent resting our tired bones and sore feet, playing games, taking pictures, and just getting to know one another.
Surfs Up! The girls had been talking about surfing all trip and now was their chance to shine. Everyone did very well, and the days were spent laughing and celebrating bloopers and accomplishments. Sophie said it was the most fun thing she has ever done in her life and Caroline P’s smile said it all as she had the time of her life as well. Madeline’s headstrong focus proved to be very successful. Her low stance provided her with several “tubular” rides! (Great rides) We decided that Madeline had developed her trademark a bit early compared to most surfers…on day 2! Lauren made us all laugh with her squeals, every time she would fall off the board. She had one really good looking ride until she decided to stay on all the way to the beach! Campbell had a little mishap when another surfer decided to ride the same wave as she rode and collided boards. No one was hurt and kind apologies were given on both sides. As for Campbell’s board, that’s another story. She found her foam board lying in two pieces, but our surf guides replaced it promptly and at no extra coast. Rebecca and Katie were so comfortable on their boards that they attempted switching boards mid-wave! We’ll let you ask them if it worked or not…Walker loved attempting some of the tricks as well, riding “anvil” style, on all fours! And Christina loved surfing so much that she swears she’s going to start surfing in the frigid waters of Long Island! And Liz says, “All I can think about is being back on a board, watch out Kelly Slater!” Everyone is having an incredible time and sends their love…talk to you soon,
Aloha!
NEW LOG 8/1/4
We just returned from an intense three day backpacking expedition. On the first day we got a late start and ran into high tide. Luckily our precious leaders borrowed a kayak and loaded all of the gear and took it over the river and through the woods without a drop of wetness. We then headed to steep mountains full of switch backs. Rebecca and Christina, our Leaders of the Day, did a spectacular job motivating the group. We reached a rest area and camped in Guava Land for the evening. Liz was an excellent Guava retriever.
On the second day we got up very early and Caroline P. and Caroline C. led us to the next campsite. Caroline C. has a new found love for leading the group at a super fast pace. Meanwhile, Caroline P. kept everyone’s spirits high on the trail. Once we found our campsite, Danielle prepared exquisite cinnamon rolls. Lauren enjoyed those most of all as she had three helpings!!! After breakfast we all took a luxurious nap on the rocks by the ocean. The ocean spray was cool and refreshing. In the afternoon we played many games and enjoyed each others company. We went to bed rather early because we had o big day ahead of us.
On Saturday we woke to cloudy but a beautiful sunrise and headed onward. We had a long journey of 91/2 miles ahead of us. We gained 1300 feet in .9 miles and then ascended and descended 12 gulches before our final ascent. Our final descent was 1000 feet. Sophie and Katie were great LOD’s and always volunteered to help others. Once we reached the bottom of the mountain we took a short break. Griff bet Rebecca and Christina to eat a not so yummy fruit called Noni. They did and their reward will be a Hawaiian shaved ice!
Although we were finished with the mountains we still had a long journey ahead. We had to ford the river and high tide was approaching fast but we luckily made it just in time! We then had to walk up a road that was one mile long and 1000 feet in elevation. Madeline did great time of 25 minutes…there was no stopping her as always. Walker walked at such a fast pace she was relieved to be at the top. One man drove by Liz and offered her a ride up the mountain but she knew she could do it on her own… (She certainly would not have accepted his offer anyway!) At the end of the day Lauren had enough energy to help the rest of the group stow away their gear which was a HUGE help! Although Rebecca had a blister the size of a half dollar she carried on with no problem. We have a day hike and then 3 days of sailing ahead of us so for now we will say goodbye…until next time.
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