While Doug and I were waiting with our thumbs out we met an older couple (also hitchhiking) from California who were doing the same trail we were, except they were running it (crazy). The couple told us that they are adventure long distance runners who typically do 50-100mile runs at a time. What?! They do that on purpose! And they love it! People are constantly amazing me. It's awesome to see people pushing themselves and their bodies to see what they are truly capable of. Very inspiring if you ask me.....Anyways, so Doug and I ended up getting picked up by a couple visiting from Australia. They were super sweet and visiting here on a cruise. They made me laugh and also a little uneasy because they weren't used to driving on the right side of the road. It definitely made for an interesting trip :)..... When we finally started the sliding sands I thought it was going to be pretty easy because we were hiking downhill. Boy was I wrong. Yes, you're going downhill but you are constantly sliding and trying not to fall on your butt, plus it was super hot and we each had on ~30lb packs on our backs. Parts of it were wonderful and parts of it were very.... Tiring (to put it nicely). It looked and felt like we were walking on the moon, totally desolate.
We were out in the middle of nowhere with no one around us (our crazy hitchhiking buddies had passed us within the first few miles). I kept making fun of Doug (aka I admit, complaining) for making me do something so insane on my birthday but eventually we got to our camping spot in the crater of the volcano and it was all worth it. By the way this volcano has been dormant for a while (just so you know).
Camping in the crater of a volcano gave us amazing exposure to the environment around us. First of all once the sun went down it got cold! Luckily we brought good sleeping bags and extra clothes. Doug made some ramen and we ate a few lilikois before crashing in our tent.
I don't think I've ever slept in a more silent, peaceful place.
In the morning we woke up and discovered that we were literally in a cloud (ahh!) We started our hike towards the switchbacks at around 9:00am and finished around 11:30am.
The switchbacks are hills that literally zig zag up the side of Haleakala. Getting to the top is a work out!! Our calves and are butts were burning! Not to mention, the altitude change messes with your bearings.
It was very cool to accomplish such a diverse hike together. We both got tired and cranky along the way- some more than others ( and yes, I am hinting at myself). But overall I could not have started my 23rd year of life off any better!
I was literally standing in the clouds and it was amazing. Thankfully Doug also bought starburst that were waiting in the car as a victory snack for finishing the hike. Let me just say the guy knows how to motivate me- candy (which tasted pretty good after eating only protein bars and ramen noodles).
I wish I could tell you how wonderful the views were, but there is just no explaining it.
The first of the year Doug and I went whale watching! We went out on a boat (that honestly was basically a big raft) and had a wonderful experience!
Within the first 10 minutes of being out on the water we had an enormous humpback whale breach ~100 yards from our boat (raft). The animal was as big as a school bus! I was in complete amazement. We had a great watch and also saw momma whales with their babies.
I felt like I was 5 years old on Christmas, because I could not stop smiling.
Maui has been so amazing, next stop Honolulu :) We will be on Oahu for the next five days before we head off to our next destination, so stay tuned folks!
Moreover, Doug and I hope everyone had a great time bringing in the new year with your friends and family! And as you start to think about New Years resolutions and what not, we definitely encourage all of you to make it a point to bring adventure into your lives this year. This world that God designed is a crazy creation--go explore it!
Happy New Year everyone and (as our friend Rob would say)
Much Aloha!
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