Did you ever just melt into your bed after even a short day of work? Well, that’s exactly what happened to me today. On my first day back to the daily grind waiting tables, I was lucky enough to get off early…only to find time to work on a new project (which I’ll be introducing to you guys very soon!), and then order an entire pizza just for me, myself and I. It’s only after pounding away on the keyboard for hours (and maybe one or two too many slices), that my eyes finally hit “go the eff to sleep” mode. So, into the bedroom I came to get some shuteye, only to then find my brain in overdrive getting what it finally needed most…time to think.

Vacationing in Nature Adventures

You see, that’s what I love most of all about getting away. About vacationing in nature and getting a full dose of sunshine, rain, mud, and adventure each and every day. It’s the time when I can finally shut off “work” brain and focus on what I love most, creation.

As the clouds roll away from my mind, the time approaches when I can finally jot down things that come to me that I have had no time previously to do so. This (and the middle of the night) are when my best ideas come through from the other side.

Why don’t we schedule more time to be unscheduled? What is it that makes us so involved in the daily routine that we forget to immerse ourselves in being human?

So I write to you today not from my laptop, but from my phone, in the dark, on my bed. You know, away from the big light. Neurodivergents where you attttt.

“The big light” is a term used by neurodivergent individuals to describe overly bright or harsh lighting, which can often cause significant discomfort, anxiety, and sensory overload due to heightened sensitivity to light that many neurodivergent people experience; essentially, it refers to a major trigger related to lighting that can negatively impact their daily lives. -Thanks for explaining, AI Overview of the big light on Google

I don’t know why my brain works in this way, but it just does. I live for these moments, I thrive in being outdoors and breathing earth’s beauty, it’s when I think my best and most clearly. Where do those feelings come for you? Do you have a special place or setting or room that comes to mind? Go ahead. Close your eyes and envision that feeling you get when you’re there.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

 

Related:  How Traveling and Adventure Changed My Attitude Toward Life

 

Our Escape to Kauai

As you may have noticed, I took a teeny tiny sabbatical from writing the last two weeks. And I freaking missed you guys.

That’s because we were blessed to be able to have not only spent some time with the family away from our jobs for a few days, but also to have gotten to spend 9 days (including a whole lot of travel time) in the most amazing island of Hawaii.

I’m talking about “The Garden Island,” Kauai. If you haven’t heard of it or you’re too busy talking about going to the more popular islands such as O’ahu and Maui, I promise you, Kauai takes the cake.

It’s one of the prettiest places I’ve ever been, including one of the most inspiring, and epic adventures I’ve ever been on. Yes we did do the whole resort thing for a handful of days at the tail end of our trip, but we spent many more nights before that camping along the coast on beaches and in its badass rainforest.

If you’ve never camped in a jungle with pigs behind your tent…guys, go get yourself some gear.

(Check out places like REI or Public Lands for some perfect first time gear sets! We even hit up Dick’s Sporting Goods for last minute athletic wear on sale).

And if you decided to not fly with a ton of extra weight from dehydrated meals, I recommend checking out Pitch-A-Tent for a local online reservation backpacking and camping equipment rental service. It’s amazing! No, seriously. Not only were we able to quickly choose what we needed on their website, but got the items shortly after in their pickup box labeled with our name. We just needed some one-time use dehydrated food packets, but they have a plethora of other products to choose from if you want to pack less and rent more! Trust me, cleaning backpacks is NOT fun…just ask my mom. 🙂

Below is the instructions straight from Osprey themselves on how to properly clean your backpack. Thank me later when you see all the gunk washed off!

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Hawaii or Costa Rica

Not able to decide on Costa Rica or Hawaii 4 months ago, we pondered which would be the best bet. As we were in Hawaii many years ago, we were leaning on Costa Rica…that is until we learned about backpacking the Na Pali Coast.

Clearly, that won. And I’m so glad it did. Because it was life changing.

You may have heard me say that about a hike previously, but I challenge you to go on any of the ones mentioned in this blog and not feel the same. Each forces you to take a new outlook on life, to embrace your being in a whole new light. It makes you uncomfortable in ways you never thought possible and realize that you CAN do the hard things your brain keeps tricking you into thinking you cannot.

Every so often we get those incredible moments to cherish, and on this trip, I can truly say I had many. Not only did I have ample time to think and create and live freely to be myself, but I learned about my partner and he learned more about me.

Related: How Traveling and Adventure Changed My Attitude Toward Life

Sketchy mud area near the cliff looking over the beautiful ocean!

The Kalalau Trail

The Kalalau Trail is no joke. I thought that before I went and now that I’ve conquered it? I believe it even more. It was epic, awe-inspiring, scary as hell, thought-provoking, mentally exhausting and physically harder than I anticipated as an experienced hiker an okay backpacker.

Not thinking that it would be as hard as it was, I didn’t focus much on training this time around. We got a few mediocre hikes in during the months leading up to it, but if I’d have known that it would have kicked my ass so much, I definitely would have made more time to gear up and get on the trail.

You’ve probably heard stories of Crawlers Ledge (see the short attached below for a quick glimpse) and how sketchy it can be, especially given unpredictable weather at different times of the year. We went in the winter months, which means we essentially visited the 3rd hardest hike in the US, in the wettest place on earth…in the rainiest season of the year…

…and then it rained some more. As in, they closed the trail AFTER we went in.

Talk about committed, right?

(If you visit the last link embedded in the previous paragraph, you’ll see the top 7 hardest hikes in the US. While this doesn’t include Angel’s Landing in Utah which we conquered a few years ago, it does include the Grand Canyon hike that we did last spring. As well as the Presidential Traverse which is next up on our list and Half Dome in Yosemite that we’ll get to in the future! Check it out to see if any spark your interest and read up on how to obtain permits if they’re required!) OH! And be sure to hit that subscribe button to ensure you’re a part of those future journeys of ours as well! I’d love to keep you in the loop. <3

Not only did we nearly turn around before mile 6/7 once we ran into a pile of sliding mud on the side of the cliff, (we didn’t grab pics of this since we were focused on like, surviving and thriving, so just take that trail pic above the video x10 buckets of water), but we also faced much more rain than expected and less than ideal conditions for the multiple creek crossings that we encountered. At times, we needed to take off our packs entirely and toss them from one to another and then to the side of the creek. This was NOT a part of the trek I anticipated needing to be careful on. I was incredibly humbled by water, yet again.

…I also briefly lost a flip flop, only to find it the next morning! Mother Nature had my back. Be jelly.

Related: We Backpacked Rim-River-Rim Of The Grand Canyon In 2 Days: Here’s A Few Things We Learned

My Journey to Becoming Self Aware

However you decide to cross, do what feels best for you. For Ben (the hubs), he felt good in flip flops. I decided to make my way across the rocks barefoot and only slipped once on the very last crossing. Figures. Stay focused though! This hike (and all of its obstacles people don’t talk about nearly enough) is a serious task and should not be effed with. Stay on your game and don’t let your mind wander too far. Just your feeties…those can wander of course.

It’s amazing how you think you’ll feel at the end of a hike, as opposed to how you actually feel. You see, I thought when I got to Kalalau Beach, that I’d be completely relaxed and comfortable. I’m not exaggerating when I say I was everything but. This is why I deemed this hike my “journey to becoming self-aware.” It pretty much slapped me in the face of what I thought bothered me and what I realized actually did not. I’ll talk about what that means more in depth in the next post!

So for now, stay tuned the rest of this month for more Kalalau Trail talk and which campgrounds were our favorite around the island! I’ll also shout out the hotel we liked best and which places, restaurants and trails we’d like to visit when we go back someday. (We definitely will be).

I’ll also be highlighting the best items (in our opinions) that we made sure to travel with (with easy peasy links attached!), and will also be setting you up for success with a handy dandy travel checklist! Yay for planning!

Thanks for reading Part 1 today! Hope to see you guys soon! <3
Aloha!