This has been an odd week. I'm not sure as though it was necessarily a great week, yet at the same time I wouldn't go so far as to call it a bad week. Just more or less odd. I've spent a few down minutes during the days and in the evenings attempting to make sense of how things actually got to where they did and then transpired in the manners in which they did and as I pause to reflect about all I can really say is things are just silly sometimes.
I had a female visitor this week not named Jenny or KathV who came to the island for the week and we didn't sleep together. The fact I didn't get laid didn't bother me particularly; as a twenty six year old male I'll more or less take any hide the carrot opportunities that arise these days but I don't lose sleep when things don't go my way in this particular department. This wasn't anyone who I had crush-ed or sweat-ed on or was interested in encountering on a more intimate level as a potential “one” or any of that idealized, romanticized b.s. which quite a bit of my younger days [read: wait that still happens, just not in this particular instance so let's move on..] were spent hemming and hawing over.
Tuesday evening after dinner prior to sleepytime I offered space in my bed. She chose the couch. That was the end of my effort for the week. Call me a gentleman in that respect. A boyfriend was mentioned beforehand. I didn't detect seriousness but I didn't inquire deeply and that sneaky shit has never really jived with me so the lack of action has undoubtedly provided me with less discontent now than I would be feeling had I fornicated with some guy's girlfriend, no matter the circumstance. Karma's comes around in unpredictable ways and I don't need to be worrying about any of that malarkey biting me in the ass anywhere down the line.
I suppose my growing aloha spirit allowed me to be selfless and permit travels to the island with more or less nothing in return besides an opportunity to play tour guide around what is commonly referred to as one of the most beautiful places on Earth. If this doesn't prove that I'm a nice guy – a gentleman – than I don't know what does.
[From here I wrote another page and a half that was actually going to break down more of the week's events that provided me to think to myself, “This is just downright odd and unlike anything I'd do (or generally any person I more-or-less associate with, for that matter..), especially while I'm on vacation, and I'm quite certain I'm not the only one who would find this odd, too..” but I don't really think there's any way I could elaborate on even one instance and my thought process which followed without the strong likelihood of sounding like a pretty big asshole or insensitive in some way and today I don't feel much like walking down that road. I've grown tired of slippery slopes. But as I am generally in the habit of pseudonyming (yep, just conjured up this term. I think it works..) the names of random folks who may not wish to be included on the 'Pad I bid Shirley safe travels back east and good luck with whatever work comes on Monday and, presumably, every Monday thereafter. Hope you enjoyed your time here immensely.]
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I clipped my fingernails today but once I left the house I realized that I should have clipped my toenails, too. This wasn't a big deal but the nails on both of my big toes had pretty legit chips in them from a hike I went on a couple of days ago. So, in actuality, I should have clipped my toenails a couple of days ago but I put it off when I got home because I don't like to clip my nails right after I get out of the shower because sometimes when they're soft from the water I trim a little too much and then I have sore toes or fingers (DIGITS!) and that doesn't leave me with a smile: it leaves me with a frown. At present I still haven't clipped my toe nails. I hiked on Thursday. It's been a busy week........
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The aforementioned hike was the Bamboo Forest hike I've gone on a couple of times (and posted pictures of..) well back in the day. March, maybe April. It's on the east side of the island and it's gorgeous. On the walk up (Ya, it's a walk, not really a hike. It takes about an hour to go in and an hour to go back. This isn't really the kind of training I need for a potential AT thru-hike, but you can't beat the scenery so I just go with it..) you pass three waterfalls along a river and then you hop in the river and swim about 100 yards upstream and climb some rocks to get to about a 70 footer. This time around the top fall was just a trickle but it never ceases to strike me with awe. SAY YES TO THE NATURAL SUBLIME...IT WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE ON THURSDAY.
Prior to this hike we cruised the West Maui mountains. I enjoy this drive a little more than the drive out to Hana for a couple of reasons:
- It's closer, and I don't really enjoy driving much.
- I think the West Maui drive is more gnarly than the road to Hana.
Hana's longer so there are more one lane bridges and the like but I really think the West Maui drive has far more truly sketchy places. You're on cliff's edge a lot more, there's a greater chance of encountering fallen rocks in the road, it's less traveled. You're right on the oceanside, at times looking down hundreds (maybe even thousdands, the West Maui's peak over 6,000 so there are times you're way the f up there just skirting the shoreline..) of feet to the ocean below. It's just cooler. And that got the day started! BIG DAY ALREADY, WATCH OUT.
Then, AFTER the hike we drove up Haleakela, a 10,000ft “dormant” volcano. There was actually a little earthquake a couple of days before Thanksgiving that I forgot to mentioned because I didn't actually notice it but apparently shit shook at the restaurant and shit shook at the apartment. It was determined to be a 4.3. When this sucker pops again it's going to be CRAZY, but I don't anticipate being here when it does. I'll activate my car's wings and fly away. Yeah...I don't have a car. Guess it better not pop soon.
ANYWAYS we made it up to the top just a few minutes before sunset so it was absolutely nutty watching the sun set over the clouds. It felt like I was in a plane, only the plane was all glass and I wasn't cramped or angry about being on the plane. But yeah, I found the views to be breathtaking and as usual I'm quite certain my pictures did in no way, shape, or form do it justice. You could see the Big Island from up there. Yeah, it's big and all but it's also far away. That was pretty wild.
It was also cold as balls on top, as you're standing 10,000 feet above sea level and I guess that does something to bring the temperature down when the sun isn't directly overhead. We brought sweatshirts but we all had shorts on. It felt like being back in Maine in a way so I may investigate getting back to the top on Christmas Day. If I can't have a white Christmas I may just have to take an quasi-uncomfortably cold one, at least for a small portion of the day. Much like in Maine, my feet weren't cold. Maybe I have magic feet but neither one seems to mind sandals in the cold. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.
Now I can more or less say I've seen “everything” on the island. I wasn't in any sort of rush to drive up to the top because I had toyed a little while back with walking up a trail on the backside that starts at sea level and goes to 9000 ft, then down into the crater and meets another network of trails that gets you to the top. It would have been a pretty solid day hike but it also would have involved things like planning so I took the easy way out. In this instance I found the easy way to be worth it, to the point I can't imagine how crazy I would have felt walking up it and then seeing that view for the first time. I probably would have been more silly than the double rainbow guy. But, I didn't walk so I guess we'll never know. I'll have to settle with hiking Everest now. Cheers.
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