This morning, we awoke with the pū at 4a.m. The stars were amazing! I’d never seen a sky so clear and an assortment of stars so vivid and gossamer. I couldn’t even discern constellations because I could see so many stars!
We began hiking after E Ala Ē with the sunrise and cultural observations. Haleakalā looked just like Mt. Fuji from Kahoʻolawe. As the sun rose, we chanted E Ala Ē, and it was profound; the view was perfect. The sun peaked right at the apex of the beast, and its rays dissipated along the base. It was the second most beautiful sunrise I’ve seen. I prayed during my cultural observation. I missed my family dearly.
Our hike was mellow before the sun finally rose; but after it did, our hike became very hot and strenuous. We looked over cliffs and saw pristine, untouched reefs below, and we laughed about C.J. and his tree of life, We saw owls, and Josh made a funny joke about the distinction between American barn owls and Hawaiian owls (“hooo” vs. “huui!”).
We arrived at the Pāpāka Nui camp and we were so exhausted! We ate lunch and took power naps upon arrival. I organized with Mark (a very sweet older guy) and Daniel (the guy with the long, fancy Spanish name) to snorkel. When we finally got around to it after a laborious work period, it was THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY TRIP! I’ve only seen a place so beautiful in my dreams of the ocean, and it was truly surreal. I did see what I think was an unexploded ordnance at the bottom of a coral shelf! I floated motionless and stared at it for just a moment. It was definitely inorganic, and was rusted and looked like an elongated sphere. I swam the other way. I was scared of traversing so far from shore at first, and I know I couldn’t have done it without Mark and Daniel. It’s something I will never forget!
That night, we had chicken lau lau which was so good! We had kūkākūkā again and people really spilled their hearts out. Tears were shed and it was all very emotional.
Uncle Kelvin lent me hammock and I slept with the moon watching over me between the trees. Forgot to mention: had a funny photo moment with Hye Jung and Molly. Allison accidentally took a picture of Hye Jung and Molly! (Interjection: I also played Rummy with the other youth later that night!).
Mahalo Saltchuk for your generous support of our huakaʻi!