We hiked and hiked...we traveled the Waimea Canyon and watched the terrain change from lush greens to loose sand, literally, as we moved across the canyon. We crossed streams, battled overgrown bushes, brushed across waterfalls, scaled incredible heights, ate PB&Js constantly, and marveled at the unbelievable sites. We also hiked from the canyon to the West side of the island of Kauai. Both hikes were topped by the NaPali coast hike on the Northern side of Kauai a few days later. The Northern part of the island is WET - so the hike up the coast was muddy and slippery. We paused at a cave - sat on the beach, ate, relaxed - and climbed back to the beginning of the hike. We topped off the day with some snorkeling off the shore. Wow.
Other highlights of the trip include watching a seal emerge from the water just yards away from us when we were boogie boarding, watching Brad and Bruce (two very athletic men) struggle to ride their surfboards to shore, eating amazing fish for every non PB&J meal, spending the day with Brad's cousin and her husband (who were on their honeymoon), enjoying a home cooked meal from our coach, playing volleyball until our forearms were sore, and enjoying an incredible, fancy meal on the shore. This meal was unbelievable - I began with a green tea martini and remember sipping my fabulous drink, looking out from the bar at the waves lapping the shore as the palm trees quietly swayed while the sun set. The view is indescribable.
The wedding was phenomenal. Sloan asked me to do her makeup, so I had a ball with Sloan the day of the wedding. We laughed and talked and enjoyed each other's company. Then, the wedding itself was perfectly classy, relaxed, and peaceful...until the dancing began...then the party started!
There is so much to post that I know I'm forgetting so many fun details. I'll add more as they come to me. As I type this blog, I'm craving shave ice (desert of choice on the island). It is a delicious version of a snow cone (which I don't like) - yum. Looking out the window at the pouring rain brings me right back to Boston. Reflecting on the whole week makes me realize that the best part of the trip was spending it with our good friends, Bruce and Christy, our coach and his family, and Sloan and Drew.
So, why 'from the tropics to the trenches'? Well, now life is underway, I need a new post to cover the last 3 weeks. Suffice it to say, for now, that we're getting our hands and feet dirty - Brad's teaching his high schoolers, I'm teaching my college students, I'm working with some high school student's through sport, I'm working on my dissertation proposal, we're both running... whew!
