| Hawaiian Islands log (2006-06-19 -> 2006-07-09)
Leaders: Zack Brendel and Michaelyn Koss
Students: Adair Tigert, Danny Hahn, Haley Ruebel, Anna Ike, Wil Gaiennie, Ruth Fuqua, Carolina Langley, Claire Kana, Mac Musselwhite
June 19, 2006
Aloha! All have arrived safely. Preparations are underway for a spectacular adventure on the Big Island of Hawaii. Stay tuned for updates!
June 26, 2006
Aloha from the big island of Hawaii! In our first week, Team Land Shark has already lived a month in only seven full days. Our adventures began at the Los Angeles airport and by the time we reached the Kona airport we had already bonded completely as a group.
This first portion of our trip involved a whole lot of sightseeing and day hiking through diverse terrain. We have hiked the Waimea canyon and the lush Pololu Trail which entailed green cliffs, black sand beaches, and mountain top vistas. Our leaders of the day, Will and Haley, pushed the group, making sure we were rewarded with amazing ocean views.
We awoke the next morning at Punalu'u and hiked through a "desert" along side the ocean until we reached the remote green sand beach on the southern most tip of Hawaii (and of the entire United Sates). The next hike we did was a seven mile walk on hot black lava all the way to where the magma poured into the ocean. That place was an endless playground for Danny as he scrambled and climbed everything in sight.
Today we just finished our first day of sailing and snorkeling, which was where Ruth, Adair, and Anna wore themselves out underwater. The food has been great, with a different cook group preparing every meal. Mac and Danny had a pancake cook-off two mornings ago and it was delicious. Caroline and Adair awoke the entire group three mornings ago with the "Growing Pains" theme song and it has been a hit ever since.
The locals on Hawaii have completely embraced us; one campground manager even brought us fresh fruit one morning. He gave us a bucket full of red grapefruit, papaya, and lychee (a new local treat). Some hikers we passed on the Pololu Trail had been raised in the area and they introduced us to the local passion fruit....so tasty!
Last night at our camp, two ten foot manta rays fed in the shallow water a couple hundred yards from our tents, it was amazing! The wildlife, weather, and good times have all been cooperating beautifully to make this first portion of our trip wonderful. Tomorrow we sail again and then it is off to Kauai!
Aloha!
Zack & Michaelyn
Shout outs!!!
Adair- "The water looks like blue Jell-O"!
Anna- "I hope you are well! I am having a blast. I have met so many awesome new people and I can't wait to tell you everything we've done! I miss you so much!"
Caroline- "Everything about Hawaii is amazing! What a birthday! I wish you were here and I miss our puppies!"
Claire- "Momma, Daddy, and Sarah- Hawaii is absolutely amazing and my leaders are very nice. I can't wait to see you all again and I miss you very much! P.S. Sarah I can't wait for that party when I get home!"
Danny- "Hey Mom/Dad/Grandmother/Grandfather/anyone else, it has been amazing so far and I can't wait to tell you about it".
Haley- "Hawaii is a blast! TEverything is good here. I miss you all very much and I can't wait to see you!"
Mac- "What it do!!! I hope the corn turns out well. Love ya!"
Ruth- "Everything about Hawaii is amazing! Can't wait to tell you about it. Miss you!"
Will- "Having a good time. Thanks for sending me! Love ya!"
July 1, 2006 update
Aloha from the Garden Island of Kauai! (We all gave a huge sigh of relief when we arrived here.) We were certainly sad to leave the Big Island, but our travel day was long and intense. 11 people and 19 bags! How on earth do we have so much stuff?! I know we've all learned to minimize our packing from now on...I must say that I was extremely impressed with our group's ability to go with the flow, which is the Hawaiian way.
We arrived on Kauai and went to our first campsite on Annini Beach, which was pretty close to paradise. The girls switched tent groups and Anna, Caroline and Haley set up their tent in record time. We awoke the next morning to a surprise breakfast from Mac. He woke up at 5:00, watched the sunrise and then made egg and cheese McMichaelyns (I was very honored) for the entire group. Claire ate two and exclaimed, "This is my favorite meal BY FAR!" It was truly delicious and we spent the rest of the day complimenting Mac on his wilderness culinary skills, which he loved, of course!
Yesterday we conquered the Sleeping Giant (an UPHILL hike). Everyone was thrilled to get moving and sweat after a day of flying and van-riding! Danny (our rock star stunt man) was on my heels the entire time with Caroline close behind. We took regular breaks for water and photos. Every single turn on the hike provided ample opportunity to take postcard-worthy pics. Somehow Ruth managed to make it through the hike looking like the perfect hiker. A natural athlete, Ruth still looked like as beautiful as ever and like the poster child for Hawaiian hiking. As we reached the top of the Giant, a wonderful and welcome breeze cooled us off. We played several rounds of the game Mafia with Mac as the creative narrator. (The kids will have to explain this game once they get home; it is extremely complicated and I must admit, they had to explain it to me several times!)
After our hike, we drove to Salt Pond for another glorious night of camping and star-gazing. As soon as we arrived, we changed into our swimsuits and bounded into the refreshing ocean. Adair did an amazing job as Leader of the Day, impressing us all with her gymnastics tricks on the sand and making a yummy macaroni and cheese dinner with summer sausage and green peppers for a garnish. Haley surprised us all with her talent at throwing the nerf football in the ocean. The guys were no match for her! Wil, Danny, Mac and Zack threw the frisbee for hours and were eventually joined by all the girls, who I must say, gave the boys a run for their money on skill level! Zack taught Claire how to throw the frisbee and she was soon doing tricks like everyone else! Definitely a fast learner! We've decided that Wil is on his way to becoming the next superstar Ultimate Frisbee player. You should see him with a frisbee! We had several people at the campsite ask us what group we were with and when we replied "Moondance," they said they'd have to look us up on the Internet because it was obvious that we were having a blast and the most bonded and cohesive group around!
Anna, our "group mom," continued to offer her help and assistance to everyone, carrying equipment to the van, helping people set up tents, and writing hilarious quotes in the group journal.
Until next time, the Land Sharks bid you farewell and "Mahalo," (which is 'thank you' in Hawaiian) for reading the tales of our adventure.
July 5, 2006 update
Aloha again from Kauai and happy 4th of July! Since you last heard from us, our adventures have continued and we've fallen even more in love with this beautiful island. We spent two days sea kayaking down the Wailua River and around Hanalei Bay (where Puff the Magic Dragon lives!)to the Blue Lagoon. Adair and Caroline demonstrated their skill and experience on the river and were soon far ahead of the rest of the group. Danny and Haley paddled at a leisurely pace so that Danny could figure out the kayak steering system, which we all realized was not the easiest part of kayaking! Wil and Michaelyn ended up zigzagging up the river, but did much better on the way back. When we reached our first stopping point on the river, we pulled our kayaks on the shore and hiked a mile to the Secret Falls. Our muscles were all relaxed by the steady, massage-like water flowing over the top of the cliff. I definitely wish we could go there every afternoon!
The next day we got up at 4:30 am to make it to our 6:30 kayaking appointment with the Blue Lagoon! We paddled into a river that lead us directly into Hanalei Bay where we continued on to a private beach with the most beautiful shades of green and blue. Caroline, Anna, Adair, Wil and Zack started the morning snorkeling in and out of underwater caves and taking hilarious photos with the waterproof camera. The rest of the group relaxed on the beach and almost everyone fell asleep in the sun. (This group usually rises with the sun, but 4:30 was pushing it!) Danny, Mac, Wil and Michaelyn spent the rest of the morning surfing the huge waves in their kayaks. We all ended up flipping at least once, but agreed that that was part of the fun! Ruth and Claire paddled back together and had a great rhythm going, minus the fact that they kept hitting each other in the head with their paddles! Of course, they couldn't stop laughing!
We are already getting sentimental when we think about this amazing trip coming to a close, but luckily we have 3 crazy days of surfing the waves remaining. Until then...ALOHA!
July 10, Final Update
Aloha everyone! I trust by now that everyone is safe at home and wishing they were still on Kauai like I do. The last update was posted just before our last activity, the grand finale, three days at the Garden Isle Surf School. Surfing was a new activity to just about everyone on the trip and by the end of the first day everyone mastered how to catch and ride a wave. The pictures that Michaelyn and I took on the first day are hilarious. Wil, Adair, Mac, and Danny were almost instant surfers and Caroline even rode the waves backwards on the first day. The photos I took while surfing alongside Claire and Ruth are great, and the shot of Haley coming straight at me in the water is exciting.
The second and third days of surf school were spent perfecting our form on beginner waves and we practiced catching waves without help from the guides. Everyone really impressed me with how well they did. Anna, the patient surfer, seemed like a native of the islands on her board by the third day. After three days of surfing it was great to spend an afternoon eating shave ice and relaxing at our new home away from home, Salt Pond Park.
The group used the final day in Hawaii to sneak in one last swim, say goodbye to the locals, and to clean all of our gear. We also had our banquet dinner at Pizzeta Pizza in downtown Kapaa before we had to go to the airport and say goodbye to paradise. Long live the Land Sharks!
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