Monday, August 10, 2009

FreeDive

As I wait for a possible hurricane, or at least a tempest, to strike, I made this video of a little snorkeling at Shark's Cove. Check it out.




Saturday, August 08, 2009

Ka'ena


We all make mistakes. I made one yesterday afternoon that led to a series of unfortunate events that ultimately turned into an epic adventure.

Jess P and I were riding our mountain bikes out at Ka'ena Point shortly after school ended. The sun was beaming and the wind was at our backs. I decided to try a new route, and I blazed down a trail that just got rockier and rockier. It got to the point that I was simply hopping over sharp lava rocks. Needless to say I wasn't too surprised when my back wheel started to drag. It was completely flat.

We were about to the end of the park, a couple miles from the road. I started walking my bike back towards civilization and called Greg to come pick me up in his Jeep. I intended to meet him at the gate, but he insisted on doing a little 4 wheeling and driving out to get me.

Within about 15 minutes I saw his Jeep screaming down the bumpy hill towards me. He was driving more like he was on I-90 than on a rugged 4X4 trail. We threw my bike in the back, tied it down, and headed back out towards home.

We were caught behind another Jeep, a rental that was going nice and slow. Greg trailed behind them as we maneuvered around all sorts of ruts and bumps. Then suddenly it happened. While trying to get around a pothole, our front wheel slipped into a large ditch and the entire Jeep tipped. Not completely, but the right two wheels were leaning high out in the air. There we were, hanging in limbo like a seesaw.

Greg calmly told me to get out. I thought my weight might be the reason that we weren't completely tipped over, so i was a little hesitant to even move. But if I could get out quickly, at least I'd be safe. Didn't know if I could say the same for Greg. I hopped out watched in suspense. The Jeep remained partially tipped and did not roll completely. Greg managed to climb out from his side.

The Jeep in front of us turned around and came back to help. It was clear that we were very, very stuck. Only two of the four wheels were touching the ground, and one was wedged strongly against the bank of the ditch. Greg got back in and tried to back it out, with no success. I discovered that the couple driving the other Jeep was Italian, from Milan. I tried to show off my linguistic skills, but I had never learned any phrases like "Can you help us pull our Jeep out of this ditch?" We tried to push and rock the car out, but even with four people, it was no use. We sent the couple on their way and they told us in broken English that they would send for help if they saw any trucks ahead. Grazie mille.

Neither of us said it, but our situation was pretty bad. Actually, I did say it. So did Greg. We agreed that we were pretty much hosed. But then we began to brainstorm. I tried rocking it while Greg pushed. No luck. We tried pushing it backwards and out. Way too stuck. Greg suggested we carry a large rock and put it underneath the airborn tire to give it some traction. Way too heavy.

Desperately I suggested that we simply try to dig the ditch out. The dry dirt fell apart easily, and if we could take down the bank, we could level out the surface and free the Jeep. Hopefully it wouldn't tip over us in the process. We were so desperate that we started digging away. I chipped away at the dry dirt with a rock until the skin on my fingers was raw. It would take forever. But then I noticed that all the dirt we had sent loose could be used to give the upward tire some traction. We started pushing dirt and rocks under the wheel until it was back on solid ground. Greg put a big rock near the wheel to give the new ground more stability. Then I began pushing and he hopped in the car and put it in reverse.

I didn't think it would work, but miraculously the Jeep started moving backwards. And then upwards. And then back onto four wheels! We were out! Greg was so excited that he forgot to put on the brake. The car started rolling back towards the ditch. "STOP THE CAR!" I yelled. We celebrated our triumph and then got out of Ka'ena Point.