in maui

So I'm back in hawaii for the second time this summer. Yes I know, I've been doing a lot of travelling this year but I started to stick with a theme of all domestic travel only. Not sure how that came about but I've been hitting most of the major US cities this year.

Anyhow, now I'm in Maui for a family trip (my dad's 60th birthday). We're staying in South Kihei in this pretty big 2 bedroom condo which would be perfect except for the family upstairs with the little children who run around endlessly. We arrived yesterday and didn't do much except eat and walk around in Wailea. I tried to take them up a small hike up a hill to a viewpoint but trailheads in Maui seem obscure at best and I didn't have the desire to go trail finding.

Today I went off for an outrigger canoe paddle with a local club and watched one canoe huli (tip over). That was a bit exciting since I think half of the people in that canoe where visitors/newbies. What a way to try the sport... After the paddling, we drove up to Haleakala national park which is basically the volcanic crater in the middle of the island. A bit nippier at top (elevation 10000 feet) and we started to hike down into the crater. After about 45 minutes, I had us turn around since it would all be uphill on the way back so I didn't want to go too far. Then I had the most stressful moment in my life it felt like. Basically on the start of the uphill, the elevation and dehydration got to my mom and she felt lightheaded. Her knees then buckled and she fell over in a slump. That was exceptionally freaky. This was just the start of the uphill so for the next hour, my dad and I hauled her up the mountain slowly taking lots of breaks and pouring water down her throat constantly. My parents are pretty fit usually so I didn't even think this could have happened (and it was very sudden) but we didn't think about the heat/dehydration/elevation factors. Anyhow, it was a fairly stressful few hours.

So maybe I won't take them hiking in the heat any more this week...