I know I’ll be labeled a psychotic heretic for saying that I really wasn’t excited about going to Hawaii. It’s a beautiful, relaxing paradise where time slows down and there’s no reason to exert yourself. Or in my terms, Boring.
I was invited, along with my brother, to spend a week in Oahu for my best friend’s father’s 60th. We had no goals or expectations other than to have fun, catch up, and celebrate. This was always accomplished in the evenings with great food and spirits.
But what was I to do with the days when I was vibrating with pent up energy and the thought of an upcoming climbing trip that I should be training for? Luckily my brother goes to Oahu almost every year, is a big surfer, and knows of loads of fun ways to occupy our days.
We were staying in a house on the North Shore within walking distance to all the iconic breaks; Waimea, Pipeline, and Sunset. Fortunately the first few days were small which meant we could get in the water without significantly risking death or serious injury. Body surfing, body boarding and surfing were possible for us mortals and we played in the water like otters to exhaustion.
Then the surf got big! Really big. Big wave surfers were washing up with half their faces torn off after being bounced and scraped across the reef. Anything to do with going in the water was out. Now what?
I was waking before the sun came up and laying in bed waiting for enough light to go for a run where I would stop and take a break to watch body boarders’ acrobatics.
After runs we would go for a hike in the mountains, oohing and aahing at all the incredible plant life and geologic structures. We wandered through the Waimea Valley botanical gardens to get to a swim at a waterfall. We explored the remains of a sacred structure supposedly used for sacrifice. High above the beaches we could watch all the breaks simultaneously.
On Waimea beach we could boulder on surprisingly good rock while 30ft waves crashed in the background. There were so many interesting and beautiful places on the North Shore that we didn’t get much chance to explore other areas.
Before we knew it the week was over and I was packing for Skiing in Tahoe. To my own surprise I found myself promising to return next year for a repeat. I’ll practice my surfing before returning.
-Ryan Kleman