obey the signs

bamboo forest, Canon Digital Rebel

This is where we ran for our lives last year. {Read second section of this post}

So when we went to the bamboo forest this year, I made sure to tell the people we hiked with that we HAD to obey the signs. (The ones that said, "Danger falling rocks") As big as that sign is, there is something unconvincing about it. Most of the people who hiked there that day were past the sign. I sent them my silent prayer and stayed in safe terrain with my friends.
....
Cut to: Laughing hysterically in the bar that night at the Hana Maui resort. We are drinking froofy cocktails with a trio of ladies we just met who are telling us some of the funniest stories we have ever heard. They are from Boston, have thick accents and are a mother, aunt and 30-something-year-old daughter team. They are really, really funny.

Matt and I share our story of the lost ring in Virgin Gorda but forget to mention our harrowing falling rock story of right there in Hana, Maui. Even as we kiss them goodbye at the bar and they tell us they are going to hike the bamboo forest the next morning, we still forget to tell them. We only say, "See you at the beach in the afternoon!"

That next night, when we hadn't seen them at the beach or heard from them we got a little nervous. Then the phone rang and we heard the news. They had been hit by falling rocks at the waterfall. They were beaten up, but okay and had spent the afternoon in the ER. They were also shaken up and invited us over for strong cocktails at their cottage.

We thought about its appropriateness for only a few seconds and then came up with a plan for what we would bring over. We arrived with this photo framed up and gift-wrapped.

falling rocks, Canon Digital Rebel

They laughed so hard when they saw it, we thought they would topple over. They were all bandaged and bruised and black-eyed and still they thought it was the funniest thing ever. They taught me something about using laughter to heal...

We met up with them at the end of our trip for more adventures-A cheesy luau in Lahaina and a 4am voyage up to the summit of the volcano Haleakala to see the sun rise. We were higher than the clouds and it was majestic and beautiful...

Sunrise at Haleakala, Canon Digital Rebel

The photo above is of the folks in the observation room watching the sunrise (which you can see in the reflection of the window) It was about 20 degrees with the windchill up there, and it was truly painful to be outside taking photos. I wore socks on my hands in addition to all of my other layers and could barely operate my camera. Hardly the Maui we imagined!

Posted on January 31, 2006 05:31 PM