First stop...Akaka Falls! Who knew this wonder was practically in the back door of our hotel room? Of course anything worthwhile involves a little bit of pain as our thighs found out as we hiked up the steep incline of the Circle Trail. Up and up and up and around...bend by bend....step by step...up, up, up until finally we reached the top. Words cannot express and pictures cannot convey the beauty and majesty of this waterfall. We stood amazed by the glory and power of nature at its best...and then... we walked all the way back down.
How many teachers does it take to take the top off of a Jeep Wrangler? Apparently more than four...we gave it an awesome try but had to dash our dreams of riding through Hilo with the top down. It's just as fun with the top up and the AC on.
Next stop...Rainbow Falls, an equally beautiful yet not as grueling to access waterfall in the small town of Hilo. Rainbow Falls had a nondescript path that led us through a forest of banyan trees...a place that was very awesome and eerie at the same time. At times it felt as if we needed machetes to find our way through the thicket of plants and shrubs blocking our way. Finally we reached our destination and amazed ourselves once again at a natural phenomenon we were blessed to have the opportunity to view.
Tonight we met Dr. Charles Blay, our eager and laid back seminar leader. Although we don't know everyone in our group of 16, we went to dinner at a great Thai restaurant and spent the evening getting better acquainted. We are not the only ones who traveled great distances to participate in this program. Our group members come from Oklahoma, New York, Minnesota, Connecticut and of course Louisiana. One gentleman came all the way from Sao Paulo, Brasil. We are anticipating quite an interesting time with this group!
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