At this point I began looking at flights. Realizing that with one stop outbound and non-stop return I could use saved miles on Delta to get a relatively good value fare for free. This is the moment I knew I was going to camp on Maui alone and explore for a week so I locked it in. Next was the rental car which was also free because of points. Now, accommodation. So the thought process going into the trip was I wanted to get advice and a shower on the island day 1 and for sure would need a shower on Day 7. I proceeded to book an Air BnB shared room (purposely so I can talk to the owners) for the first day and left the last day open in case the owners were crazy and I needed to switch. The room was booked, car was booked, flights were booked and now I had to pack. Luckily Maui is a place where you dont need many clothes. It was hiking shorts, tanks, all my quick dry gear, sandals and my Vans shoes. All this and my camera gear went in a carry on with my tripod. Now it was time to pack the camping gear. I remembered I had this old rarely used (HUGE) High Sierra bag in my attic that was just too big for anyone in my opinion. I broke this think out and realized it was perfect for my need. In went the tent, axe, lantern, chair, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, head lamp and any cold weather clothes for when I camped on Haleakala just below the cloud line. The bag surely had a weight over 50 lbs but luckily since I fly Delta so much they didn't care. Free over 50 lb checked bag.
Now I was ready to take off as the excitement began to set in. As we were preparing to land I remember looking out the plane window and seeing so much awesome landscape and gorgeous waves which made me so anxious to start exploring. Stepping off the plane was an intense sensation as the heat just smacked me in the face. When I got to the rental car counter they wanted to upgrade me to a jeep but I knew it would have been a gas gusler and probably not ideal to protect my camera gear and camping equipment so I opted to stay with a car. They made sure to mention I was not allowed to drive over one section of the island which is rocky dirt road and dangerous for cars. As you would imagine I needed to test this for myself.
Off I went and my first stop was the town of Paia where I stopped for a fish sandwich that my friend Jeddy bragged about. It did not disappoint as I went back here numerous times. As I was walking to the car finally ready to get to my Air BnB I saw "Kona Coffee" in a window. Now being an obsessive coffee snob I was easily lured in. At this point I was late according to plan as I only had half a day left to form a relationship and learn about the island to create my journey and plan. As I arrived at my Air BnB the hosts were amazing. They invited me to eat cabbage soup that the lady made from this vegan cookbook "Oh She Glows". It was so good I immediately flipped through the book, went onto Amazon on my phone and had the book delivered home before I was even half way through my vacation. That book by the way changed the way eat.
Next step was Maui education for me. The hosts went over everything from when to get on the road, what app to download as a guide, where to eat, where to avoid, and everything you cant read about online. So far the plan went exactly as I wanted. I enjoyed my time so much we made an arrangement for me to stay there on Day 7 before I leave so now this was secured. Additionally, they introduced me to their old neighbor who was a coconut farmer. They said he would probably be interested in getting pictures taken for his website in exchange for a tour on the farm and some education. We started texting and locked in a day at the end of my trip.
The next morning it was off on the road to Hana. I left before sunrise for a few reasons. For one, the best light is just before, after and during sunset and sunrise. Second, I beat the tour buses and tourist and set the pace on the one lane road. Throughout the drive I knew I had a few hikes I wanted to do and but also had to leave myself an hour or so of sunlight to set up my tent for first night of camping. The drive was amazing and exceeded my expectations. I stopped numerous times to get fresh fruit and coconuts for drinking. As I approached Hana town I saw the sign I was hoping for. "Waianapanapa Campground and Park". I pulled in and it was so quiet. Not many tourists and only 3 or 4 other tents. I was on the most desolate part of Maui alone setting up camp. That night I drove 2 min down the road after my tent was up and found this outside Bar and Pizza place. It was all locals parking was essentially anywhere you wanted on the side of the road. I proceeded up to the bar telling the bartender my story. She kindly helped me make friends by walking up to a group of locals she knew and putting a 6-pack on the table while saying "...everyone, this is Matt. He is visiting by himself and these beers are on him". Instantly I was a local too. The night proceeded to go on and I needed to get back for some rest.
The next morning I woke before sunrise and walked down the path to one of the most gorgeous scenes ever. I was alone on a black sand beach for sunrise. It really was an epic moment. I jumped in the ocean, took all the photos I wanted and just soaked in the experience of being alive.
Almost got the "I" in there
After a few days here doing day hikes I was ready to move onto Haleakala Volcano. After experiencing the drive to Hana I did not want to retrace my steps. It was time to decide, do I keep going and break the rental agreement and risk the car OR do I turn back and take a very long detour. Well it was obvious if you know me, keep going. About an hour into the drive I arrived to the "dirt road" At first I was nervous as hell not knowing what to expect. The bumps were big but nothing that going slow could not fix. Once I made it past the supposedly dangerous section it was a short drive to my new campsite. I started to head up the mountain and quickly the temperature dropped. When I arrived to the camp site it was getting dark quick and the temperature was moving even lower. I was able to get about half the tent up before needing a headlamp. As I went to bed I realized I did not have a pillow. I was using a jacket that folds into its own pocket which by the 4th night was miserable. In the middle of the night nature called and I had to take a leak. I knew it was cold and dreaded getting out of my sleeping back. As I opened the tent and stepped outside I was in awe at all the starts. It was insane seeing the galaxy with no light pollution or clouds. I was amazed, just peeing with a smile.
The next morning I woke up at 4 AM. I had to because the main point of going here was to watch the sunrise on top of the Volcano. It was misty, freezing cold, windy as heck and miserable to change settings on the camera because I had no gloves. Not to mention tourists everywhere which I was not expecting. However I was blessed with another experience to jot down in the books.
This trip afforded me so many diff adventures, hikes, interactions with strangers, challenges, etc. I could write forever about this one week alone but it would then become a book and not a blog. My day learning about coconuts and everything they offer was so cool I decided i will write a separate blog on just this experience. When planning this trip I had no idea it could be this great. I really wish I had my wife there to experience it but she had been to Hawaii so it wasn't so bad. I never once felt weird or nervous taking on this adventure alone and my intuition guided me the right way. I ended up getting that much needed shower on day 7 and now have many great pictures to remind me of the experience. If you want to see more you can visit my website at www.mattricciophoto.com and just search for my Maui album.
No comments:
Post a Comment