On the slopes of Haleakalā: Polipoli

Night is still cold at 6,200 feet, even in Maui. After sleeping on the beach on Christmas, I camped at Polipoli, an area the elevation of Stanley, ID, halfway up Haleakalā.

A thick, misty forest covers the volcano, which sprawls over eastern Maui and cordons off civilization to the central island and western shoreline. At our camp, we had a panorama of the towns a mile below, the West Mauis rising in the distance, and the Pacific Ocean on both shores disappearing into the horizon. After the sun went down, we donned headlamps and explored a nearby lava tube, running for around 150 yards and often high enough to stand up in.



Disc golf may be catching on in Boise, but the sport is a way of life for some hardcore Maui residents. Polipoli hosts a private 27 hole course, where golfers must clear trees, underbrush and navigate the mountainside. Our crew played 2 partial rounds and camped nearby.



Paragliders were also catching the winds.


Although I didn't make it to the summit this trip, I intend to return soon, but this time with my tent and cold weather sleeping bag...which are unfortunately back in Idaho.

Marinating in Upcountry

What began as an afternoon in the upcountry, the region of Maui in the shadow of 10,023 ft. volcano Haleakalā, ended up as a multi-day excursion. Time flows different in Maui -- the best way to take in a place is to marinate there for a while.

In upcountry and the north shore, the nights are cooler, the tourists are fewer, the place less tame. Here's a synopsis of the weekend's adventures:


Abandoned Sugar Plantation

Mudbogging red dirt roads took us to an abandoned sugar plantation. A massive banyan tree is steadily devouring the building and what remains of the walls are covered in intricate graffiti.




Sunset at Ho'okipa Beach

Ho'okipa sees enormous waves, especially now with the winter storms rolling through. This area of the north shore is home to the world famous wave Jaws, and some of the best surfers from across the globe come here to compete. A wipeout means getting buried under 25 ft. waves and dashed on the rocks.






Christmas Spirit at Pa'ia Bay

Some ingenuity created a sandman on the beach.





Baldwin Beach





Driving Range

$5 buckets of golf balls was a great way to spend a Sunday morning.






For now I'm back in Lahaina, but am aiming to return to the other side of the island soon on a more permanent basis.

Hawaiian Lingo: Vog

Lately the sky has been choked up from Kīlauea, the volcano on the big island. Locals call this Vog. According to wikipedia:

Vog is a form of air pollution that results when sulfur dioxide and other gases and particles emitted by an erupting volcano react with oxygen and moisture in the presence of sunlight. The word is a portmanteau of the words "volcanic" and "smog". The term is in common use in the Hawaiian islands, where the Kīlauea volcano, on the island of Hawaiʻi, has been erupting continuously since 1983. Based on June 2008 measurements, Kīlauea emits 2,000 - 4,000 tons of sulfur dioxide every day.

Aloha from Lahaina

Two days ago I landed on Maui. The weather is about 80 degrees F. I'm living with friends in a beach house in Lahaina. Needless to say, it's been wild.

Internet access requires a jaunt to Barnes and Noble so updates will be hit or miss for awhile, but here are some pics of what I've been up to so far..




Honolua Bay, Northwest Maui. Whales were breaching in the distance.


The Stallcup bros and Scotty V

We found a G.I. Joe somebody left as improv art.

The Legend beneath Captain Cook's pine trees. He planted them for ship masts.


Keep in touch friends. I won't be checking my email/facebook/blog as often as I'd like, but if you contact me, I'll get back to you as soon as I'm able. And I'm only a phone call/text message away. Peace and aloha.

Bodhi Day in Boise

No one saves us but ourselves, no one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path but Buddhas clearly show the way.
-Dhammapada Ch. 165

Today is Bodhi Day, the 8th of December, which some Mahayana schools of Buddhist thought celebrate as the day Siddhartha Gautauma achieved enlightenment. Bodhi Day is big news in Japan under Zen traditions. Not so much in Boise, ID.

I doubt Siddhartha Gautauma would have minded that much though.

Today is also the coldest day of the year so far in Boise, with 3" of snow, temperatures below 0° F, and less than a week before I leave for Maui. Apart from year round warm temperatures, beaches, and volcanoes, Hawaii also has the largest demographic of Buddhists in the United States. Bodhi Day in Maui? Probably more likely than Bodhi day in Boise.