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Published: December 18th 2008
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The Kona side crew
Pre getting really really intoxicated Sunday morning our dear friend Pat offered to take Joe, Alberto and I on a lovely hour long hike thru a jungle in Waimea Valley to a waterfall. It involved climbing, slipping, wading chest deep thru a stream and several bruises but all together it was this amazingly spectacular hike to a 1,450 foot waterfall. I fell behind a little but waded thru the stream and several little waterfalls to see Pat yelling at me to hurry my ass up. I see this picturesque water scene...a pool at the base of a waterfall. The boys are all ready swimming out to put their heads in the pounding drops of water. The water wasn't flowing as much as usual so Pat and Joe start joking about “What if the water starts going at full speed???” Pat laughingly talks about goats falling over the edge.... then we hear the rev of an engine 1450 feet up. Then we hear the sound of a bomb falling from above. When I say bomb I really mean a rock the size of a fist but you have no idea the sound a rock makes falling from that high up..the sound it makes when it hits the
Waimea Valley
Pre almost dying water. Then a few more fall. We all just look at each other, cuss loudly and literally start swimming for our lives. It was a gamble swimming to the edge of the pool really but we just didnt know how many rocks were going to fall and it was better odds trying to make it away from the waterfall. They stopped pretty quick and with all of our hearts pounding and our adrenaline pumping we start to laugh it off. But we all realized how badly that all could have gone. Needless to say Im thankful to be alive. I had just told Pat the day before I was going to wait to do the dangerous stuff til the end of my trip. Oh well.
We all got back to the house and Joe, Alberto and I packed up the car and started the drive to Hilo side. We decided to stay at this “hostel” called Hedonesia in the rain forest outside of town. A guy named Mojo runs the place.. It was 22 a night for Joe and I to share a lil hut complete with electricity. The toilet was a nice lil hut enclosed on 3 sides
..the 4th side looked out into the jungle. Thats right ..every morning when I went number 1 I got to see ferns and frogs and trees. It was like the executive bathroom in Family Guy. Awesome.
Our first full day we headed to volcano national park and saw the Caldera aka crater for the first time. I only have one word. Majestic. We actually had fantastic timing in getting to Hawaii. In March an eruption started in the middle of the caldera. People used to be able to walk onto the crater and overlook the center part..that is until tons of gas exploded out of it. Now we have to look on from afar but it was pretty spectacular seeing an actual eruption happing. That evening we went to the overlook spot to “see the lava” Unfortunately its out of the park now so the police regulate how close we can get to the lava. A half mile away. Booooo. People used to be able to walk right up to it. Still pretty fracking cool to see the glow of the lava and the bits fly up into the air as it creeps over the edge of the earth
Hikin
Walking out to the overlook point into the ocean. The hike itself over freshly blackened and cooled lava to the overlook point one of the pros of the whole thing as well.
Yesterday was the day of waterfalls. We hiked to about four. None were as adventerous as getting to the one in Waimea Valley but still nice to admire for a couple minutes. After our soak in a volcanically heated pond it was a good filler before we headed to Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea is a 13,796 foot mountain that, volume wise, is the biggest mountain in the world. From the bottom of the sea to the summit its taller than Mt. Everest. I got my rental car, a lil Vibe I will name Suzy for the purposes of this tale, to make it all the way to our stopping point about 400 feet from the summit. I pet Suzy, encouraged Suzy, and just did everything in my power to get Suzy up there. She made it!!!! Justin, Ben, Tyler, Alberto, Joe and I jumped out of the two cars and frolicked around in the snow at the top. We got naked (well half naked) and threw snowballs. We made yellow snow. We watched
Volcano!!!
Joe was there too a spectacular sunset and we laughed A LOT (partly because the lack of oxygen at that altitude) I loved it.
Today I just hung around the house and then a few of us headed to the stereotypical luau experience. Free because Justin rocks it was all you can eat, all you can drink and all you can watch fun. Wooh!!! Big Island time is coming to a close in a few more nights but Justin and friends have made this part of my trip all I could have ever hoped for....even the almost dying part.
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Abby
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When do you leave hawaii again? Where will you be for Christmas? Glad you are having fun- call me when you get a chance. How is your new cell phone?