I was somewhere over the Pacific, sitting in the very back row of the airplane, stretched out over three seats, i pod in, and wondering what the heck I was doing. My Guatemala mission trip I had been planning for many months was coming up right around the corner, but still my soul felt restless. I knew I needed to get away for a little bit. Being in one place for too long does that to me. I had blocked out a week in my calendar for this very purpose. There were many ideas rolling around in my head as to where I could go, but I knew I needed to save as much money as possible. Road tripping was a possibility but after calculating how much gas would cost, that option was ruled out. I thought of taking a train to Nashville and checking out the country music scene there. I could even write a country song about it! I found out taking a train to Nashville would cost more than twice as much as flying there, but flying to Nashville didn't sound as fun, so I discarded the idea. I decided I wanted to get out in the wilderness instead but spending a week in the cold didn't sound appealing either. I checked out flights to Hawaii and was surprised at how cheap they were. I had been to Kauai four years ago and remembered how cheap it was to camp on that island and the stunningly beautiful Kalalau trail was calling me. I booked the flight and a few days later I was off.But now sitting on that airplane, it all felt like foolishness. Was I being selfish in taking this week long trip by myself only one month before I was planning on leaving home for 6 months? Was it selfish to ask people to support me on my mission trip while I was off camping and hiking in Hawaii?
I wrote in my journal:
Lord, a part of me doesn't want to leave. As I get older, Your love has filled my life ever more and it's harder to do these sort of trips alone, it feels selfish. But Lord, I pray that you'd bless this trip and teach me some things. Lord, show me direction, prepare my heart.
After the plane arrived and I picked up my pack from baggage claim, I walked out into the humid Kauai weather. Wanting to save money, I didn't bother renting a car but walked to the bus stop instead. I paid my ridiculously cheap 50 cents and was off. I took that bus to the end of the line, which was at a shopping center. I was a little stressed out, being in a new place, needing to spend the night at a hotel somewhere with no car and with a full pack that was hurting my shoulders, and with darkness approaching. Once again, I had the thoughts of "Why did I want to come here?" Eventually, I decided to walk into Lihue on the main highway, and got the last room at a hotel there. I walked to a Pizza Hut a mile away, walked back in the pouring rain, ate pizza, and crashed. A powerful thunderstorm rolled in and I prayed that God would stop the rain while I was out camping. That was my first day.
Day two was another stressful day of figuring out how to get my State park permits, my camping permits, and buying all the groceries I would need for the trail. I also needed to buy camp fuel which if you don't know where to look is no easy task. I bought the wrong fuel first at Wal Mart before figuring out the only fuel that would work with my stove was at Ace-Hardware, over a mile away. I walked all over Lihue and it wasn't until 3:00 when I finally had everything I needed and arrived at a bus stop. Everybody I talked to was worried about me going on the trail after the storm the night before, the rivers would be high and there was potential for more flash floods. I set up camp in the remaining daylight at a beach called Anahola. Stray dogs were trying to get inside my tent to get my food. That was my second day.
It wasn't until my third day that I began to actually enjoy myself. I had all the food I needed for at least 4 days, the sun came out a bit and I was optimistic that by the time I got on the trail, the rivers would be low and the conditions would be good. I took a bus to Hanalei and enjoyed a coffee. Hanalei is as far as the bus goes on the North Shore of Kauai, so I started walking on the road for six miles to the next campground. My pack weighed me down a lot and I was eager to begin eating my way to a lighter load. I only half heartedly tried to hitch hike because it was such a beautiful walk! Finally after three miles or so, a women felt bad for me and picked me up. I set up camp and explored a little bit before night fall. There are many locals that live on the campgrounds in Kauai. It is possible to live off the land here without money. I believe the indigenous can even use the campgrounds for free. So there is a camp culture that goes on. Many are involved with drugs and I was asked several times if I had weed or wanted weed. A boy was scamming me at one campground and I later talked to another guy who lived there who said that that boys brother committed suicide. It's sad to see this kind of culture springing out in a land with such natural abundance.
On day 4, I traveled into the wilderness. On my next post, I will write about my time on the Kalalau trail!
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