This is a TRUE story as accurately as I can remember, which wasn't too hard because I journaled about what was going on every day. It was meant to be a book on it's own but at only 25 pages, it wasn't enough. So rather than hang onto this as part of what I wanted to write about Intuition, I'm putting it our here because it's TIME. It's important that people know that we had a major energetic shift on the 21st and I was there to help make it happen. Enjoy, there will be more to come a little later as I'm feeling more inspired to write! YAY! I have SO much to share!
This is a true story about a particular
adventure in Kalalau Valley while I was there in December of 2012.
It was a journey of healing and remembering that intertwined with a
drama that unfolded while I was there. I have done my best to
remember things the way they happened without exaggerating too much;
using my journal that I wrote in while I was there. I have used
everyone’s real name as I remember it.
I don’t
remember what time I finally did start hiking but I took my time and
stopped at mile 6 sometime in the late afternoon to camp for the
night. All I had to eat were the bars that I had bought and it
definitely was not enough to satisfy the hunger I felt as I was
afraid to eat too much and not have enough for the rest of my stay.
There were a couple of guys that had also stopped to camp at 6 mile
and they had a little camp stove and camp food to eat. I was afraid
to ask for any kind of help even though I was starving! I didn’t
want to be seen as the amateur that I was and hear any shit about how
stupid I was to hike in with just energy bars to eat. It had been a
long day and I rolled myself inside the tarp taco style to get some
sleep. I don’t remember sleeping very well and felt my energy was
very low. I was starting to doubt that I had enough of the right
kind of food with me.
The next day, I hung out until around noon trying to build up my energy for the rest of the hike. I didn’t have far to go but I also had some of the most treacherous parts of the trail yet to hike.
He hiked with me all the way to Red
Hill and we parted at the bottom. I only saw him one other time
after that. Red Hill is the last obstacle as you descend into the
valley. It’s a beautiful view from the top looking out over the
bluff at the bottom that is the edge of the pali. You can also see
the beach in the distance.
It had been 2.5 years that I had been in there last and I wondered if I would remember how to get to the camp spot I was at last and if anyone else would be there. I had passed Brook on my way in at 2 mile. He was there the first time I went to Kalalau. He and another guy lived in Haena and would hike in and stay for months at a time. He happened to tell me how great it was that Alakai (a native Hawai'ian) wasn’t doing boat drops anymore, that a guy named Burt was doing it and wasn’t charging people as much to bring their stuff in. A good little tidbit of information that was useful to me later. He also told me that there was a new main camp called Edge Camp. The rangers had come in not long before and completely torn apart the camp I remember from the first hike that was really cool. They cut down all the trees so no one could use the spot again. I was really glad to have run into him. I was happy knowing that he was still in there and there was someone I could trust. I liked Brook.
areas with some of the outer trees taken down by the rangers and
their branches stacked at the northern most edge of the whole area.
I had a large tree that would cover my tarp and provided me with
lots of shade and make it lots harder for the rangers to see me from
their helicopter. The area to my northeast was completely open while
the one to my north had partial coverage with trees and brush. This
area was also slightly lower than the other two. I realized that I
could have everything I needed under one tarp and it would work well
to have the fire pit under the tarp. I never had a fire except to
cook and I got good at only making the fire big enough for the job
that I needed to not waste any fire wood and also keep a low profile
while I was there.
tidied my camp the best I could. I
still needed a few things to make myself comfortable and thought
about what that might be. I knew I wanted a pillow. I had been
using my clothes wrapped in a sarong to use for my head and that just
wasn’t doing it for me. I remembered what Aaron had taught me
about burying my poop so I thought a shovel might be in order. I
also needed a hat. It gets very cold in the valley at night and I
knew that having a hat would help keep me warm while I slept. I
decided to go on a little journey to scout around and see what I
could find.
started on
the trail to the beach. When I got there, I was greeted by
destruction. There was food strewn everywhere and tents with huge
slashes in them. The rangers had been here and made some trash. I
saved a wooden Koa bowl and on my way back to the Heiau, walked through the “legal” campground looking for any signs of life. I called out. No one answered. I was starting to realize that I was the only one there.
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| Me, Ima and Ariel |
I want to express my gratitude to my
Mom whose help I received that made this journey possible, my friend
Joshua who encouraged me to make the journey, my former partner Aaron
who took me on my first trip to Kalalau and taught me what I needed
to know about being in the valley and of course to my own source of
being that guided me all throughout this journey and beyond.
Kalalau is a magical place, however,
it’s no picnic. It is 11 miles from anything we think of as
“civilization”. You have to bring everything in that you think
you will need except water and then make sure you have something to
purify your water with. It is recommended to “keep it light”
when backpacking in general but especially when going out there.
There is lots of trash that ends up getting left by almost everyone.
Trash has to be either boated out or hiked out. I don’t think they
use helicopters for that. I made sure I kept it to what I really
needed, even to the point of weeding a few things out right before I
left. I kept my food packaging light as well.
It is a lush, beautiful, rugged,
adventurous valley. It has some of the biggest Mango trees and old
growth forest I’ve ever seen. I’ve heard from others that Kaua’i
is 500 million nears old while the Big Island (the newest) is (only)
250 million years. (eye-roll lol) I’ve also been told it is the
top of Lemuria, the continent that sunk and is now covered by miles
of water on top of her. * I could believe that, it resonates.
That would explain why I felt like I was coming home the first time
I stepped foot into this most sacred valley.
I’m no veteran of this special place.
I barely got to explore the valley either time I was in there,
however, there is no doubt in my mind that had lived there before. I
could feel it! I felt very “at home” while I was there.
When I look back on both of my
experiences in Kalalau, I realize the first time I went in was to
anchor my energy there for the next time I went in. The first time I
went in was on the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year in 2010. We
took 2 days going in, mainly because of me. Aaron, my partner at
that time, was very patient with me. The trail is 11 miles (to the
beach) of up and down winding, switchbacks that weave in and out of
the coast before coming to the last obstacle; a hill called “Red
Hill” that has a sign at the top saying something to the affect of
Welcome to Kalalau and to treat it with respect etc, etc; in
Hawai’ian and English.
The trail is mostly good with the first
2 or so miles maintained by Hawai’ian volunteers. They go out
there once a year (I think) and camp for a whole week and do
maintenance on the trail and cull overpopulating wildlife (pigs and
goats) There are several areas, after 2 miles, that are dangerously
narrow and if you don’t keep moving, you could lose your balance
and fall off the trail into who-knows-what and have a good chance of
dying. It’s literally just wide enough for one foot and on a
downward slope. Parts of the trail are lush with greenery ranging
from the tallest Ti trees I’ve ever seen to fruit trees such as
Avocado, numerous and prolific guava, and Kukui Nut trees. Lots of
grassy clumps, ground cover plants, and other indigenous species that
I don’t remember are along the side of the trail where the trail is
in the open.
The trail is rugged in places, can be very slippery and there are 3 rivers that you have to get across to get to the valley. Most of the trail is exposed to the sun and the elements except where the trail goes in toward the many valleys that are on the way to Kalalau. The views are staggeringly beautiful and it’s hard not to want to stop and absorb the breath-taking beauty that constitutes the Napali Coast. At 2 miles in the Hanakapiai* valley. This is the valley I believe Drunvalo hiked to barefoot and naked in his book, “Serpent of Light 2012 and Beyond”. He went out there to perform a ceremony with the spirit of the island in 4D for the “transfer of power” from the Masculine to the Feminine and to signify the end of one 26,000 year cycle the beginning of a new one.
At approximately mile 3 is a big boulder that has been dubbed, Space Rock. You can’t miss it because it sits right on the edge of the trail overlooking the ocean. It’s said to be the highest point on the trail. You can climb up to the top and have a bird’s eye view of life on the sea. It’s a great rest stop. There isn’t really anything too significant about anything between 3 and 6 miles. At 6 mile is a rest area with a covered picnic table, which has frequently doubled as a bed and camp space, and 2 outdoor “potties”. Just after this area are the last 2 big river crossings.
I found it much easier to have a big stick to help steady me as I cross the rocks in the river. 7 mile is what is, in my humble opinion, the most difficult part of the trail. Everything after that is easier than what was just done. You can stand at the top of the valley and look out over it’s shallow but rocky indent where, at the bottom, sit massive boulders and the ocean laps forcefully and see the whole next part of the trail meandering across the steep slope until it gets to the next point over the ocean and wraps around the next corner. It’s almost a mile of steep hard-packed dirt, sometimes with a little loose dirt on top which makes is treacherous. In the summer, it’s barren of any green whatsoever. It’s a mélange of soft tan and golden brown speckled through out the valley. In winter, it’s that hard, varying brown dirt softened by the bright green of huge Yucca plants that look like large, green sea urchins that send out a lengthy stalk that hosts hundreds of little babies that fall off when mature. They litter the walkway and you have to be careful when walking through them because they roll under your feet. There are patches of green in other places as well that help to give the valley a more lively look and make it less intimidating.
The trail is a little wetter also so the loose dirt is much less. 8 mile is another great rest stop. There used to be a man who lived there that people called 8 mile Bill. He was the self-proclaimed maintenance man for that stretch of trail. There are lots of “Elephant Ear” plants and the trail is right next to an old-growth forest. There is also a heli-pad nearby and a small creek crossing. The last 2 miles are pretty easy compared to the rest of it. A lot of the trail is next to the ocean so the views are spectacular. After descending the dry, dusty, Red Hill, you come to the Bluff, an expansive area dotted with boulders of varying sizes with trails meandering between them overlooking the ocean from a height of at least 100 feet. As you face the ocean, there is a trail across the bluff that leads through some boulders and down to what is called “New Beach”. It’s not always there and disappears depending on the season and the tide.
The trail is rugged in places, can be very slippery and there are 3 rivers that you have to get across to get to the valley. Most of the trail is exposed to the sun and the elements except where the trail goes in toward the many valleys that are on the way to Kalalau. The views are staggeringly beautiful and it’s hard not to want to stop and absorb the breath-taking beauty that constitutes the Napali Coast. At 2 miles in the Hanakapiai* valley. This is the valley I believe Drunvalo hiked to barefoot and naked in his book, “Serpent of Light 2012 and Beyond”. He went out there to perform a ceremony with the spirit of the island in 4D for the “transfer of power” from the Masculine to the Feminine and to signify the end of one 26,000 year cycle the beginning of a new one.
At approximately mile 3 is a big boulder that has been dubbed, Space Rock. You can’t miss it because it sits right on the edge of the trail overlooking the ocean. It’s said to be the highest point on the trail. You can climb up to the top and have a bird’s eye view of life on the sea. It’s a great rest stop. There isn’t really anything too significant about anything between 3 and 6 miles. At 6 mile is a rest area with a covered picnic table, which has frequently doubled as a bed and camp space, and 2 outdoor “potties”. Just after this area are the last 2 big river crossings.
I found it much easier to have a big stick to help steady me as I cross the rocks in the river. 7 mile is what is, in my humble opinion, the most difficult part of the trail. Everything after that is easier than what was just done. You can stand at the top of the valley and look out over it’s shallow but rocky indent where, at the bottom, sit massive boulders and the ocean laps forcefully and see the whole next part of the trail meandering across the steep slope until it gets to the next point over the ocean and wraps around the next corner. It’s almost a mile of steep hard-packed dirt, sometimes with a little loose dirt on top which makes is treacherous. In the summer, it’s barren of any green whatsoever. It’s a mélange of soft tan and golden brown speckled through out the valley. In winter, it’s that hard, varying brown dirt softened by the bright green of huge Yucca plants that look like large, green sea urchins that send out a lengthy stalk that hosts hundreds of little babies that fall off when mature. They litter the walkway and you have to be careful when walking through them because they roll under your feet. There are patches of green in other places as well that help to give the valley a more lively look and make it less intimidating.
The trail is a little wetter also so the loose dirt is much less. 8 mile is another great rest stop. There used to be a man who lived there that people called 8 mile Bill. He was the self-proclaimed maintenance man for that stretch of trail. There are lots of “Elephant Ear” plants and the trail is right next to an old-growth forest. There is also a heli-pad nearby and a small creek crossing. The last 2 miles are pretty easy compared to the rest of it. A lot of the trail is next to the ocean so the views are spectacular. After descending the dry, dusty, Red Hill, you come to the Bluff, an expansive area dotted with boulders of varying sizes with trails meandering between them overlooking the ocean from a height of at least 100 feet. As you face the ocean, there is a trail across the bluff that leads through some boulders and down to what is called “New Beach”. It’s not always there and disappears depending on the season and the tide.
I walked this trail the first time in
Chaco sandals. The second time I walked it; I did it in flip-flops.
I know, call me crazy but I watched how easy it was for Aaron to hike
in there with nothing but locals flip flops and after doing it
myself, I realize it’s not about covering your feet to stay
protected or have the best tread on the bottom of your shoe. It’s
about being able to feel the earth under your feet and trusting what
you feel. Many people do that trail barefoot. I think it’s
actually better than wearing these heavy hiking boots I see people
with. I could feel more through thin sandals and I trusted the grip
that the rubber had on the rock. I also trusted my feet to find the
best footing.
Staying in the valley itself is a
challenge if you are used to having all the “modern” conveniences
around to take care of you. Kalalau demands that you take care of
yourself. You gotta have some survival skills and you never know
what’s going to happen until you’re in the moment. At least I
had done some camping and lots of hiking that had prepared me for living in there for a
couple of weeks. I had to admit though, to Aaron, that someone else
had always built the fire and cooked the food. I probably could have
figured things out on my own but having his help the first time in
there was something that left me with enough confidence that I could
do it again on my own. I know, in my core, I am a survivalist and a
leader. I’ve been through lots of training in the military and I’m
not afraid of challenges.
I had been living with my “Sister
from another Mister”, Ima, my best friend in the whole world and
her partner, Bobby. Another girlfriend, Ariel, had spent the night
with me and the morning I left, I decided that it was going to shave
my head to have one less thing to deal with while in the valley. It
was bad enough that I was going to have to bathe in the river that
was very cold. I don’t like being cold. I had also never shaved
my head before and I thought it would be cool to do it at least once.
Of course, I was a little hesitant to do so, so I waited until the
last minute. I was really glad I did even though it was such a shock
to see myself without any hair! It was so different not having any
hair to wash, comb or deal with. It felt really good feeling the
breeze blow across my scalp. It was just perfect having my two best
friends with me to send me off on my journey.
Of course, the fact that I even got to
go is part of the story too. I was going through some kind of
emotional transmutation of energy and I had never felt so heavy in
all my life. It was worse than feeling depressed. It had completely
sapped my energy and my friend Joshua helped me clear a lot of it and
encouraged me to go on my journey.
It was a Friday and I was talking to my Mom on the phone about needing to go on this journey but only having $25 to my name. It had always been difficult for me to ask for what I want, especially money and I wasn’t asking my Mom for help, just expressing my need to do this for myself and wondering out loud how this was going to happen. She called me the next day and even that itself, is a surprise. She hardly ever calls me. Unbeknownst to me, my stepfather Ralph, had a death in the family and he inherited enough money that my Mom said that they wanted to help me with my trip! I felt my eyes bulge in my head. It’s almost incredible how the universe calls forth the cooperative components to fulfill one’s desires! She told me that they knew I needed to go and they were willing to help me out.
It was a Friday and I was talking to my Mom on the phone about needing to go on this journey but only having $25 to my name. It had always been difficult for me to ask for what I want, especially money and I wasn’t asking my Mom for help, just expressing my need to do this for myself and wondering out loud how this was going to happen. She called me the next day and even that itself, is a surprise. She hardly ever calls me. Unbeknownst to me, my stepfather Ralph, had a death in the family and he inherited enough money that my Mom said that they wanted to help me with my trip! I felt my eyes bulge in my head. It’s almost incredible how the universe calls forth the cooperative components to fulfill one’s desires! She told me that they knew I needed to go and they were willing to help me out.
On December 5th 2012 and I
stepped off the plane in Lihue, Kaua’i, Hawai’i around 10 AM or
so. At least I’d been there before and I knew my way around a bit.
I started heading for my hitching spot on the highway so I could get
to Kapa’a and do my shopping for my trip. I started to walk across
the grass to shortcut the road and I happened to look down and I saw
something glint in the grass. I bent down to look and picked up a
glass chillum! OMG, I thought. I guess I’m supposed to have this.
It even had a little bit of ganja in it left to smoke. I did a
quiet celebration in my mind for myself as I resumed my trek to the
roadside. I had decided to leave all my ganja and pipe back on the
Big Island where I lived to avoid any hassles with the airline on my
trip so this was a pleasant surprise for me.
It didn’t take me long to get a ride
and get dropped off in Kapa’a at the market place where Papaya’s
health food store is. I took my time wandering through the store
looking at everything and contemplating what I wanted to buy for this
time that I was going to be in Kalalau. I had no idea really, how
long I was going to be in there. I decided, after looking around at
the prices, that I should go to Hoku market and see what kind of
deals they had there. I ate some lunch from the salad bar and then
headed to Hoku.
Hoku market, I found, had the best deals on most everything but could not be reliable for always having what I wanted as far as fresh produce was concerned. I decided that energy bars were going to be my best buy for food and weight to carry in. 😑I bought what I thought I would need and almost maxed out my EBT card (food stamps) and decided that I needed to get up to Hanalei for dinner. It never takes me very long to get a ride and before I knew it, I was in Hanalei and headed for the beach.
I get to the beach and sit at a picnic table and bust out my new chillum with the weed still in it and light it up. Just as I’m doing this, a guy who introduced himself as Theo, walks up to me and asks if he can sit down with me and tells me I’m nice to look at. We chat for a bit and I tell him why I’m there and about finding the chillum in the grass at the airport and he offers to give me some weed! Wow! First a chillum and now some smoke to go with it! Yippee!
I walk over to his truck with him and he gives me like over an 1/8th of an ounce to take with me and tells me he just likes to share with people. I thanked him and headed out to the Papayas there in Hanalei for some dinner. I ate my dinner and decide I need to get to Haena so that I could camp out and be at the trailhead as early as possible. It’s dark but I get a ride that gets me pretty close and I walk to the park and go to the big cave that’s right across the way.
In Hawai’i, only the locals (native Hawai’ians) have permission to camp out on the beaches without permits and the rest of us have to buy permits to camp in parks designated for camping. I have never bought a permit for anything in Hawai’i. ;-) I found a place in the cave, in the dark and unrolled my mattress and sleeping bag and tried to sleep. I didn’t sleep too well but I did get some. Early in the morning, before first light, I realized I hadn’t gotten up early enough to avoid the rangers when they cruise the beach parks looking for people without permits. I got awakened by a ranger’s flashlight and I played innocent giving him my Colorado license and told him that I didn’t know where else to sleep because I didn’t realize that I needed a permit to camp. It wasn’t entirely untrue... He took pity on me and let me go without giving me a ticket and told me that next time I would need to get a permit and use the park as it is illegal to camp anywhere else and without one. I thanked him and he was on his way.
I packed up my stuff and headed across the street to the beach park and sat under the pavilion at a picnic table to eat my bananas, use the bathroom and talk with the other people there. I talked with a couple that were talking about hiking into Kalalau also but the guy had a really bad cut on his foot and I told him he was better off waiting until it healed to go in. I used some of my essential oils to help him with his boo boo.
There were quite a few people camped there at the park and a lot of them were planning on hiking into Kalalau. This did not set well with me. After being in there a couple of times before, I had come to realize that this place is magical, pristine, and definitely was not comfortable with all the people that made Kalalau their journey. Not that I could really control anything but I am one of these people that is very sensitive to energy so I don’t like being around a lot of people and I also didn’t want to see a lot of people in there. Most people that go into Kalalau are called to be there and give the valley it’s proper respect, however, there are always some people that go there that are clueless that they need to pack out whatever they bring in and end up leaving all their trash and crap in there because they don’t take responsibility for their shit!
I realized that I had WAY too much stuff with me that added a lot of weight to my pack so I spent some time going through my pack weeding stuff out that I didn’t really need. In the back of my mind, part of the reason why I was going when I was, was to meet up with my former partner, Aaron. I thought for sure that I was going to see him in there and have the chance to talk with him and clear the air between us. I had brought stuff in to share with him like 2 decks of cards and pictures of us. I ended up leaving the cards, tossing the pics and some other “weighty” items after I went through them and took my favorite ones.
The guy that I had helped with his nasty cut talked with his girlfriend and they decided to give me their tarp to use in the valley, as I had not purchased one on the way in. It was a good trade and I don’t know why I didn’t just get my own because I had all this money with me that my mom had sent to me for my trip. It had been raining this whole time and I was waiting for the rain to stop so I could start my journey into the valley. I really wanted to do the 10 mile hike in one day but the longer I waited, the more I realized I was going to have to camp at 6 mile and hope for the best without a tent.
Hoku market, I found, had the best deals on most everything but could not be reliable for always having what I wanted as far as fresh produce was concerned. I decided that energy bars were going to be my best buy for food and weight to carry in. 😑I bought what I thought I would need and almost maxed out my EBT card (food stamps) and decided that I needed to get up to Hanalei for dinner. It never takes me very long to get a ride and before I knew it, I was in Hanalei and headed for the beach.
I get to the beach and sit at a picnic table and bust out my new chillum with the weed still in it and light it up. Just as I’m doing this, a guy who introduced himself as Theo, walks up to me and asks if he can sit down with me and tells me I’m nice to look at. We chat for a bit and I tell him why I’m there and about finding the chillum in the grass at the airport and he offers to give me some weed! Wow! First a chillum and now some smoke to go with it! Yippee!
I walk over to his truck with him and he gives me like over an 1/8th of an ounce to take with me and tells me he just likes to share with people. I thanked him and headed out to the Papayas there in Hanalei for some dinner. I ate my dinner and decide I need to get to Haena so that I could camp out and be at the trailhead as early as possible. It’s dark but I get a ride that gets me pretty close and I walk to the park and go to the big cave that’s right across the way.
In Hawai’i, only the locals (native Hawai’ians) have permission to camp out on the beaches without permits and the rest of us have to buy permits to camp in parks designated for camping. I have never bought a permit for anything in Hawai’i. ;-) I found a place in the cave, in the dark and unrolled my mattress and sleeping bag and tried to sleep. I didn’t sleep too well but I did get some. Early in the morning, before first light, I realized I hadn’t gotten up early enough to avoid the rangers when they cruise the beach parks looking for people without permits. I got awakened by a ranger’s flashlight and I played innocent giving him my Colorado license and told him that I didn’t know where else to sleep because I didn’t realize that I needed a permit to camp. It wasn’t entirely untrue... He took pity on me and let me go without giving me a ticket and told me that next time I would need to get a permit and use the park as it is illegal to camp anywhere else and without one. I thanked him and he was on his way.
I packed up my stuff and headed across the street to the beach park and sat under the pavilion at a picnic table to eat my bananas, use the bathroom and talk with the other people there. I talked with a couple that were talking about hiking into Kalalau also but the guy had a really bad cut on his foot and I told him he was better off waiting until it healed to go in. I used some of my essential oils to help him with his boo boo.
There were quite a few people camped there at the park and a lot of them were planning on hiking into Kalalau. This did not set well with me. After being in there a couple of times before, I had come to realize that this place is magical, pristine, and definitely was not comfortable with all the people that made Kalalau their journey. Not that I could really control anything but I am one of these people that is very sensitive to energy so I don’t like being around a lot of people and I also didn’t want to see a lot of people in there. Most people that go into Kalalau are called to be there and give the valley it’s proper respect, however, there are always some people that go there that are clueless that they need to pack out whatever they bring in and end up leaving all their trash and crap in there because they don’t take responsibility for their shit!
I realized that I had WAY too much stuff with me that added a lot of weight to my pack so I spent some time going through my pack weeding stuff out that I didn’t really need. In the back of my mind, part of the reason why I was going when I was, was to meet up with my former partner, Aaron. I thought for sure that I was going to see him in there and have the chance to talk with him and clear the air between us. I had brought stuff in to share with him like 2 decks of cards and pictures of us. I ended up leaving the cards, tossing the pics and some other “weighty” items after I went through them and took my favorite ones.
The guy that I had helped with his nasty cut talked with his girlfriend and they decided to give me their tarp to use in the valley, as I had not purchased one on the way in. It was a good trade and I don’t know why I didn’t just get my own because I had all this money with me that my mom had sent to me for my trip. It had been raining this whole time and I was waiting for the rain to stop so I could start my journey into the valley. I really wanted to do the 10 mile hike in one day but the longer I waited, the more I realized I was going to have to camp at 6 mile and hope for the best without a tent.
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| The lush beauty of the Napali Coast |
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| My own pic of a cloud "heart" |
The next day, I hung out until around noon trying to build up my energy for the rest of the hike. I didn’t have far to go but I also had some of the most treacherous parts of the trail yet to hike.
I got across the river at 6 mile OK.
It had been a very dry winter so the rivers were still crossable. I
hadn’t even thought of that when I decided to go on my trip. Thank
goodness the weather cooperated for me! During the rainy season (winter) the rivers can expand very quickly and make it impossible to cross.
Mile 7 is known as the most difficult and dangerous part of the hike. When I did it the first time it had been very dry and dusty. Seven mile is a long stretch of switchback on dry, packed trail with a lot of loose dirt on the top and no vegetation to grab onto if you fall off the trail and go over the edge. It was a long way down and a certain death if I fell. This time, however, it was still packed but it was also slightly wet from recent rain and no loose dirt to slip on. It was also a little greener and all of the yucca plants had sent out their stalks and were blooming. It was a beautiful sight to behold. I found 7 mile to be a little easier this time. I was excited and went through periods of fear also. I only lost my footing a couple of times all the times I hiked out there but cringed slightly at the sight of 7 mile.
Mile 7 is known as the most difficult and dangerous part of the hike. When I did it the first time it had been very dry and dusty. Seven mile is a long stretch of switchback on dry, packed trail with a lot of loose dirt on the top and no vegetation to grab onto if you fall off the trail and go over the edge. It was a long way down and a certain death if I fell. This time, however, it was still packed but it was also slightly wet from recent rain and no loose dirt to slip on. It was also a little greener and all of the yucca plants had sent out their stalks and were blooming. It was a beautiful sight to behold. I found 7 mile to be a little easier this time. I was excited and went through periods of fear also. I only lost my footing a couple of times all the times I hiked out there but cringed slightly at the sight of 7 mile.
At the end of this stretch it gets very
rocky and the trail hugs the stone face of the Pali (cliff) and wraps
around a point that is often very windy. This is another dangerous
part of the trail, as the wind gets so strong that it can throw you
over the edge. You end up right over the water almost and for me it
was a big step up to the dirt to continue the trail. After that, though, it’s pretty much
an easy hike after that. When I got to the stream at 8 mile, I
caught up to a German guy who had passed me a long time ago. I think
he saw how tired I was and offered to help me by taking the bags of
bars I was carrying in each hand. After a night of not enough sleep
or food, I was grateful for the help. It’s pretty funny too; I
remember the first time in, I was carrying all my food in bags in
each hand because I only had a day pack for the rest of my stuff and
I remember telling myself that I would never do that again, that is
carry a bag in each hand because then I didn’t have my hands to use
when I needed to climb. Here I was again, doing the same thing! Too
funny!
 |
| This sign at the top of Red Hill |
It had been 2.5 years that I had been in there last and I wondered if I would remember how to get to the camp spot I was at last and if anyone else would be there. I had passed Brook on my way in at 2 mile. He was there the first time I went to Kalalau. He and another guy lived in Haena and would hike in and stay for months at a time. He happened to tell me how great it was that Alakai (a native Hawai'ian) wasn’t doing boat drops anymore, that a guy named Burt was doing it and wasn’t charging people as much to bring their stuff in. A good little tidbit of information that was useful to me later. He also told me that there was a new main camp called Edge Camp. The rangers had come in not long before and completely torn apart the camp I remember from the first hike that was really cool. They cut down all the trees so no one could use the spot again. I was really glad to have run into him. I was happy knowing that he was still in there and there was someone I could trust. I liked Brook.
I headed for Edge Camp as soon as I was
at the bottom of Red Hill. The main camp is there for people to stop
at when they first come in. Anyone can show up at any time and get
something to eat and rest. When I got there, a young woman named
Autumn was there and had just made some food. I was so happy to have
a place to eat and rest. It was so late when I got there, I didn’t
feel like picking up all my stuff and going to the camp spot I had
chosen to go to even though it wasn’t far away.
I ended up sleeping in the big tent
with a couple of other girls that first night after meeting a bunch
of other people. I met another Theo there; a young man that I hit it
off with right away. There was lots of talk that night about the
Solstice and the shift we are all going through and what they all
thought would happen. I was dismayed that I was too tired to
participate because these are the kinds of conversations that I LOVE!
It was still fun to listen in and hear what they were saying.
Later on, Theo told me about going on a
hike in the valley and finding a crystal skull. He had picked it up
and then decided to put it back where he had found it. I never did
find out where he had found it. I think he thought better of telling
people where it was. I agree. I relayed to him my own story of
being in there the first time with Aaron and looking at the mountains
across a ridge and another valley and seeing a HUGE arrow pointing at
a narrow space in between two mountains and getting the intuition
that it was an entrance to Inner Earth. I had thought that I wanted
to go explore that area the next time I went in and after thinking
about it, I realized it was not only very far away but it was going
to be a lot of bushwhacking to get there and I did not have a machete
with me. I also wanted someone to go with. At night when I looked
in that direction, I could see a glow behind the mountains. Someone
told me that there is a military base on the other side. The Kalalau
Lookout and Waimea Canyon are also on the other side.
The next morning, I met Jeremiah and
mentioned to him that I needed some rope to tie my tarp with. He just happened to have
some with him that he had brought in and didn’t need it himself so
he gave it to me. I asked him if he would help me put my tarp up
since I was by myself. He seemed trustworthy enough. One thing that
I learned when I was there last was that you don’t tell people
where you’re camping because they might come and steal your stuff.
I heard a few stories of that happening but thank God the people that
were doing it weren’t in the valley anymore. He was very happy to
help me.
I gathered my stuff and headed for the spot that Aaron and I had stayed at the last time I was there. It was a sweet spot that Aaron had chosen when I was there before that was right up the cliff from the river with a trail going to the river that was hard to see and crossed over another trail that went up into the valley.
I gathered my stuff and headed for the spot that Aaron and I had stayed at the last time I was there. It was a sweet spot that Aaron had chosen when I was there before that was right up the cliff from the river with a trail going to the river that was hard to see and crossed over another trail that went up into the valley.
The campsite was situated not too far
from the main trail, “Hippie Highway”. The trail to my campsite
meandered a couple of different ways, one trail took you through some ground cover, over some boulders, over some dead trees
and through (David’s) campsite, and the other took you in another
direction to the right and traversed along the ridge for a bit before
dropping down amongst the short, tangled trees just up from the river
before crossing through another camp spot and coming back up the
“hidden” stone trail going back up the steep slope the back way
into my camp. It was distant enough that someone might not find me
and close enough to the river to get water easily although I had to
get used to the steep staircase that was there made of rocks. I did
it barefoot because it was actually easier navigating that trail than
wearing the flip-flops I had.
The camp itself was nestled in between
some huge boulders, two on the river side (south) of my camp that
served as protection from eyes that might be looking and another on
the east side of the camp where the “front door” if you will
would have been. If I was lying down, I couldn’t see anyone coming
but if I stood up, I could see some one coming easily. Another
boulder on the west side also shielded me from the river and the
“back door” to the camp. It is such a sweet spot! The first
time I was there, Aaron had been staying there and had taken over two
other adjacent areas that had been cleared of all vegetation. The
three areas were kind of round/ovalish that met in the middle and
formed a triangle of sorts with a medium size Java Plumb tree in the
middle. I was on the southern most section of the triangle and by
the time I had come back, vegetation had overtaken the other two
 |
| My camp when I first got there |
Yippee! No one was there! I pulled
out the tarp I had been given and in just a few minutes, Jeremiah and
I had it up and tied after I figured out how I wanted it. I thanked
him and he said something about being happy to share and help me. I
tried to remember how Aaron had put up the tarp we stayed under. He
called it “tarpology 101”. Lol I fiddled with it a little while
longer, trying to get it just right where it covered the area where I
would be sleeping and low enough to keep out the rain. I scouted
around to see if anyone had hidden anything that might be useful to
me while I was there. People frequently have “hidey spots” where
they stash food and supplies to hide stuff from other people as well
to save having to go out again and again to get stuff. All I came in
with was food and personal things. I needed a pot and maybe a fry
pan to cook with. I checked a couple of spots where I had seen Aaron
stash things but I found nothing. When I was on my way to this spot, I
had gone through another camp to get to this one but I was unsure if
anyone was there.
When I was done with that, I went back
to Edge Camp to see what was going on and if anyone was cooking food.
All I remember thinking was that I didn’t feel like eating any of
the bars that I had after eating a couple for breakfast. I don’t
remember all who were there but I do think this is where I first met
Justin. He was with a young woman named Kaylee. They showed up at
edge camp with stuff to make pancakes with. There was no syrup for
the pancakes so I volunteered to go get a huge bottle of agave that I
had brought in to use for tea. I remember when I told him to use it
sparingly, I felt his energy shift and I quickly added that it was
because it’s 25% sweeter than sugar and it would make it too sweet
if he used too much. “Oh boy!” I thought. “I have to be
careful around this guy!” I could feel the anger he was
suppressing at what he was thinking; maybe that I didn’t really
want to share what I had. It’s not that I didn’t want to share
really, however, I was concerned with having enough for myself for
what I wanted. I didn’t go in there to be with other people and
share everything. I was there for myself, period. I was also
dealing (still) with a sugar addiction and so it was a big deal for
me to share my sweets. I decided I didn’t like his energy,
especially when he gave me a hug and he touched me. It felt like he
was testing me to see if I liked him.
It was December 7th. I
originally had only planned on being in the valley a week or so but
after hearing the conversations the night before, I knew I had to
stay for the Solstice. I also knew that if I was going to stay that
long, I would need to go back out and get some real food. Bars were
not enough to sustain me.
I decided to wait a few days to let my body recuperate, hike out and use the money that my mom had sent me to get food, a new tarp, a couple of buckets and some contractor bags to do a boat drop. I mean I had the money I might as well spend it, right? That was another thing I was dealing with, lack mentality. I didn’t want to continue to empower that in my life so I had a talk with myself about just spending it and not worrying about it. It was going to be so nice to hike out and back in without a huge load! I spent the next 2 days resting and met Leigh who made herself “in charge” of edge camp. I also met Rachel on my first night there. Sweet hippy chick that was camping up by the ginger pools that Theo liked hanging out with. And “T” who was Elise’s squeeze and had become a kind of “protector” of sorts for people in the valley.
He had a Ham Radio and was the only one as far as I knew that had contact with the outside world in the valley. Elise is an Asian woman that had lived in the valley a long time and was my closest neighbor, living downriver from me a little ways and right next to it. My camp was a little ways up the river from hers and also at the top of the cliff overlooking the river. I had met T the first time I was in there. I felt he was OK and that I didn’t need to worry about him. He told me that David was staying above me but that he was on the mainland visiting family and he wouldn’t be back until after the holidays. David was also there the first time I was in the valley and I was glad he was away. I didn’t like his energy the first time I met him. Aaron and I had seen him at Larson's beach in between our trips to the valley and seen him smoking meth with someone else.
I decided to wait a few days to let my body recuperate, hike out and use the money that my mom had sent me to get food, a new tarp, a couple of buckets and some contractor bags to do a boat drop. I mean I had the money I might as well spend it, right? That was another thing I was dealing with, lack mentality. I didn’t want to continue to empower that in my life so I had a talk with myself about just spending it and not worrying about it. It was going to be so nice to hike out and back in without a huge load! I spent the next 2 days resting and met Leigh who made herself “in charge” of edge camp. I also met Rachel on my first night there. Sweet hippy chick that was camping up by the ginger pools that Theo liked hanging out with. And “T” who was Elise’s squeeze and had become a kind of “protector” of sorts for people in the valley.
He had a Ham Radio and was the only one as far as I knew that had contact with the outside world in the valley. Elise is an Asian woman that had lived in the valley a long time and was my closest neighbor, living downriver from me a little ways and right next to it. My camp was a little ways up the river from hers and also at the top of the cliff overlooking the river. I had met T the first time I was in there. I felt he was OK and that I didn’t need to worry about him. He told me that David was staying above me but that he was on the mainland visiting family and he wouldn’t be back until after the holidays. David was also there the first time I was in the valley and I was glad he was away. I didn’t like his energy the first time I met him. Aaron and I had seen him at Larson's beach in between our trips to the valley and seen him smoking meth with someone else.
I hiked out on December 9th
with most of my stuff. I left the tarp strung up with my bags of
food hanging from a tree under the tarp and hoped for the best that
no one would find my camp or know that I hiked out. I didn’t tell
anyone I was leaving.
I made it out and to Kapa’a in time
to reserve a room in the hostel and get a bite to eat from a sandwich
shop not too far down the road. Autumn was there when I arrived. I
didn’t even know that she had hiked out! She was there to get more
of her stuff that she had brought with her and had stored. I asked
her if she had Burt’s phone number and told her my plan. I don’t
remember if she or someone else gave me the number but she was
determined that she was going to hike in with all her stuff. She had
a huge pack and was bringing in things like cast iron skillets, baby
ones that she could make cookies in and musical instruments. lol I thought it
was kind of silly to hike in with all that weight when it would be so
much easier to give it to Burt to carry in on the boat. She said
something it giving her more satisfaction to know she did it herself.
Whatever floats your boat, I thought. lol.
I spent a restful night at the hostel
and got up the next morning thinking that I was going to have to go
to Home Depot in Lihue to get what I needed and wondering how I was
going to get there and back with a bunch of stuff. I had forgotten
that there was an Ace Hardware in town. I found it on my way out to
re-acquaint myself with Kapa’a town. I spent most of the day
visiting Ace, the two health food stores and a thrift store. I got 2
camouflage buckets with lids, fresh vegetables and bananas, a new
camouflage tarp that was much bigger than the blue one I had, a
couple of cheap knives for cutting my food and some plastic plates
and a bowl. I spent the rest of the day packing everything into the
buckets and securing them in multiple layers of heavy contractor bags
to ensure they would survive being dropped into the ocean. It was
dark by the time I got finished creatively packing my buckets. It
was going to be my first time hitch hiking in the dark. I had always
avoided it, making sure I was where I wanted to be by the time it was
dark. I was ecstatic when I got a ride all the way to Kilauea, where
Burt lived. I explained my situation to the guy who gave me a ride
and he brought me all the way to Burt’s house and waited while I
dropped my 2 bags off and brought me back out to the main road. I
didn’t have to wait very long to get a ride back down to Kapa’a
and dropped off right in front of the hostel. I had found everything
I thought I would need to be in the valley 10 or so more days and it
all had fit into the 2 buckets perfectly! It was exciting to watch
everything come together without really having to try very hard.
I spent another restful night at the
hostel and was up super early to get a head start on the trail. It
was December 11th and I expected Burt to do the boat drop
that day and I wanted to be there on the beach when he got there. I
waited less than 5 minutes for a ride and I got it from a couple who
were going to the same place I was! What luck! They dropped me off
at Ke’e beach and I looked at the time when I was starting the
trail and it was 7:14AM, my favorite numbers. I hiked the trail in
record time for myself, getting into the valley around 1:30. I had
watched from the trail when I was next to the ocean and I never saw
the boat coming in. Sure, it could have come by while I was in the
interior part of the hike but I had a feeling that it wasn’t going
to be that day. The water had looked a little choppy and Burt had
told me that it would depend on the weather and the surf when he
would be in. I went to my camp and found everything as I left it. I
hoped if Burt didn’t come in this day that he would be in the next
day. At least I had bars to eat until he got there. I reset my
camp, unpacking my bedroll and
 |
| My camp after the new set up looking toward to river that's over the edge. |
 |
| Inside under the tarp |
Something told me to go by Edge Camp
first. When I got there, I discovered that there had been a raid.
Leigh was there, trying her best to tidy and gather useful items that
hadn’t been destroyed. The Rangers leave things a mess. They
slash tents, destroy food caches, and generally do their best to make
the camp uninhabitable. They do this to discourage people from
living in there for many reasons, one of which is the trash that
people leave behind. What is ironic is that they make more trash
destroying campsites than the people do leaving their garbage behind.
I was surprised to find that they had left the 4-man tent in one
piece. They had also left the small garden alone. I made a mental note to myself to come back later and
scavenge whatever might be left behind.
After I got across the river, I
followed the trail to the beach. When I was there the first time in
the valley, I had learned that is where all of the legal camping is.
You’re also supposed to buy a permit to get into the valley to
reserve a camping spot. To be honest with you, I don’t follow any
of these rules because in my mind, nature is for everyone to enjoy
and not for the state to regulate who goes in and when. Kalalau is a
“State Park” that is regulated by the DLNR and they use “Rangers”
to legally terrorize the people like me who come in and camp
“illegally” by using whiny helicopters to fly in low and harass
people. I’d also heard that they were using infrared filters to
find people in the valley so when they had a raid, they knew where to
find them. Then there are the tourist helicopters that start around
8AM and fly around all day until about 4PM, flying over the valley
and down by the beach so they can take their pictures. Kalalau is
anything but quiet!
The beach is also where the less than savory characters hang out and use binoculars to spy on people down at the beach. The only time Aaron and I went to the beach, he pointed this out to me. Sure enough, I could see a few guys at what they called “Aloha Camp” looking at us through binoculars. He told me a story about one of his friends in the valley that was invited to Aloha Camp and got raped by one of the men. I love the beach and the water so it was disappointing to me that this was going on and made me afraid to even go there. Kalalau beach is not the best swimming beach anyway as the current comes in very close to shore and makes it dangerous for swimming. It’s easy to get swept away in the current.
The beach is also where the less than savory characters hang out and use binoculars to spy on people down at the beach. The only time Aaron and I went to the beach, he pointed this out to me. Sure enough, I could see a few guys at what they called “Aloha Camp” looking at us through binoculars. He told me a story about one of his friends in the valley that was invited to Aloha Camp and got raped by one of the men. I love the beach and the water so it was disappointing to me that this was going on and made me afraid to even go there. Kalalau beach is not the best swimming beach anyway as the current comes in very close to shore and makes it dangerous for swimming. It’s easy to get swept away in the current.
I decided to take my chances seeing as
it had been a couple of years since I had been in there and there was
a good chance that maybe they had left. There had been multiple
raids I was hoping had driven them out. I figured also, this would
allow me to be in the area if Burt decided to come in today. There
weren’t that many campsites that I could see that were occupied. I
found a campsite where there was no one staying and looked around for
spots where people might have hidden things. I was not just looking
for the 3 things I decided I needed, but also anything that would
help make my journey more comfortable, easy and fun.
It didn’t take me long to find the hat and shovel. I really don’t know how I found them except to say that I just allowed myself to be guided. When I think about this journey in retrospect, I have to say that this whole journey was guided! From the first thought that I had about going until the day I left the valley, I had been guided the whole way. The shovel was just the metal head with a short piece of wood attached at the bottom where it had broken off. It was small enough to carry that way and I didn’t need the handle. The hat was small, slightly stretchy and black, perfect for my little head. I gave it the sniff test and it seemed fine. I was going to wash it anyway before I wore it. I continued on, looking through all the different campsites that were empty of people. I didn’t really find anything else that would be useful to me except some lilikois (passion fruit) that I thought would be a nice addition to something. I continued on, determined to find me a pillow.
I came out of the camping area onto the beach and headed for the huge cave that is right there at the beach. I would be able to see Burt if he arrived. I went into the cave, grateful that no one was living in there like I had seen the last time. I had never really explored the cave too well, having avoided the beach in the past. I was sure that I wasn’t going to find anything when I went in a little further where the light was dim. I didn’t have my headlamp with me but there was just enough light that when my eyes adjusted; I could see there was a ledge at the very back of the cave. I used the lava rock to step up slightly so that I could reach the ledge and felt something that felt like cloth. It was black shade cloth that people use here in Hawai’i to wrap around structures to create “walls” that doubles as mosquito netting. I started to pull it down off the ledge and a pillow fell out! OMG! I was shocked and amazed that I actually found a pillow out here in the valley! It was slightly damp and had started to get moldy. I was a little afraid that someone would see me with my new found treasure and try to take it from me. I bravely walked out of the cave and headed back to my camp with my new-to-me things. No one bothered me as I made my way back to camp.
It didn’t take me long to find the hat and shovel. I really don’t know how I found them except to say that I just allowed myself to be guided. When I think about this journey in retrospect, I have to say that this whole journey was guided! From the first thought that I had about going until the day I left the valley, I had been guided the whole way. The shovel was just the metal head with a short piece of wood attached at the bottom where it had broken off. It was small enough to carry that way and I didn’t need the handle. The hat was small, slightly stretchy and black, perfect for my little head. I gave it the sniff test and it seemed fine. I was going to wash it anyway before I wore it. I continued on, looking through all the different campsites that were empty of people. I didn’t really find anything else that would be useful to me except some lilikois (passion fruit) that I thought would be a nice addition to something. I continued on, determined to find me a pillow.
I came out of the camping area onto the beach and headed for the huge cave that is right there at the beach. I would be able to see Burt if he arrived. I went into the cave, grateful that no one was living in there like I had seen the last time. I had never really explored the cave too well, having avoided the beach in the past. I was sure that I wasn’t going to find anything when I went in a little further where the light was dim. I didn’t have my headlamp with me but there was just enough light that when my eyes adjusted; I could see there was a ledge at the very back of the cave. I used the lava rock to step up slightly so that I could reach the ledge and felt something that felt like cloth. It was black shade cloth that people use here in Hawai’i to wrap around structures to create “walls” that doubles as mosquito netting. I started to pull it down off the ledge and a pillow fell out! OMG! I was shocked and amazed that I actually found a pillow out here in the valley! It was slightly damp and had started to get moldy. I was a little afraid that someone would see me with my new found treasure and try to take it from me. I bravely walked out of the cave and headed back to my camp with my new-to-me things. No one bothered me as I made my way back to camp.
When I got back to camp, I set the
pillow out on a nice hot rock in the sun to dry out and kill the
mold. I took a few moments to celebrate my finds and contemplate
just how cool it was that I found EVERYTHING that I had set out to
find. I also took some time to contemplate just how this had
happened. I realized that there was a difference between the
thoughts that my mind came up with and the “inspired” thoughts
that came from spirit or my “higher self” which is our connection
to intuition. My thoughts were more like me talking to myself in my
head while the inspired thoughts were very fleeting and often
accompanied by a mental picture. I found that I was operating on
intuitive guidance most of the time without even realizing it. I
didn’t always get thoughts or pictures about something. Sometimes
I would just do something or head off in a direction without knowing
why; just trusting that it was right and it would always work out.
The times it didn’t work out were when I would have to push or
“make” something happen.
I had previously gone up to David’s
camp above me and found a medium size pot with a cover I could use as
well as a little saucepan. I had brought tea in with me as well as a
quart size mason jar that I used to make sun tea. I had bought 2 new
gallon size plastic jugs before on my first trip in. I filled them
at the river down below like Aaron had showed me; under a clump of
moss and algae that cleaned the water as it flowed over. Previously,
we had added GSE (grapefruit seed extract) to our water before
drinking it. Unfortunately, sometimes hunters come in and “cull”
the wild goats that are in there and they don’t always get a clean
kill so the goats go to water to die and contaminate the river.
I had tried drinking the GSE water and it was disgusting so I was taking a chance drinking the water without filtering it or adding anything that would kill any of the many pathogens and “critters” that might be found in it. I was very fortunate that I never got sick drinking the water. I also knew that leaving water in the sun in a glass jar; the UV rays from the sun would kill anything that could make me sick and I don’t really drink water by itself anyway. I always make tea or lemonade out of it. Boiling it worked also. Before I got there, the rangers had been in and cut a bunch of trees down so wood was plentiful. Wood and water: that’s what Aaron taught me that I needed plenty of every day. I gathered wood from around the campsite and made separate piles of big stuff, medium branches and starter twigs. I found a place that was under my tarp that was dry for storage. I didn’t need to make a fire yet because I didn’t have any food to cook. I knew Burt wouldn’t wait too long before he came in so I was planning on going to the beach the next day. So far, everything seemed to be working out. I was getting everything I wanted.
I had tried drinking the GSE water and it was disgusting so I was taking a chance drinking the water without filtering it or adding anything that would kill any of the many pathogens and “critters” that might be found in it. I was very fortunate that I never got sick drinking the water. I also knew that leaving water in the sun in a glass jar; the UV rays from the sun would kill anything that could make me sick and I don’t really drink water by itself anyway. I always make tea or lemonade out of it. Boiling it worked also. Before I got there, the rangers had been in and cut a bunch of trees down so wood was plentiful. Wood and water: that’s what Aaron taught me that I needed plenty of every day. I gathered wood from around the campsite and made separate piles of big stuff, medium branches and starter twigs. I found a place that was under my tarp that was dry for storage. I didn’t need to make a fire yet because I didn’t have any food to cook. I knew Burt wouldn’t wait too long before he came in so I was planning on going to the beach the next day. So far, everything seemed to be working out. I was getting everything I wanted.
The next day was 12-12-12 and I’d
heard there was going to be a party at the Heiau to celebrate Grizz’s
birthday. Grizz is an old man that was living in the valley for many
years. There were a few people like him that have chosen to live in
the valley. Some are there to escape arrest; some are tired of the
“system” and “the man” and live a simpler lifestyle. Aaron
lived in there for 2 years coming out every so often for food and
supplies. He was on his way in one time when he was interviewed by
someone who wrote for National Geographic and told the guy he was
going to live in a cave that he had found at the back of the valley.
I was there because I was called by spirit to be there.
On my way out the last time I was there, it was Aaron’s Birthday and he had hiked out ahead of me to go to the Big Island to help out a friend with some work. As I left the valley, I had decided to hike out barefoot and had only gone a mile when a (big) square rock rolled under my foot and caught the little toe on my right foot and sprained it. I had to hike out the last 9 miles like that. My intuition told me that I hadn’t finished what I had come to do and I had sprained my toe to keep me in the valley. I had made a promise to come back and this was that time.
On my way out the last time I was there, it was Aaron’s Birthday and he had hiked out ahead of me to go to the Big Island to help out a friend with some work. As I left the valley, I had decided to hike out barefoot and had only gone a mile when a (big) square rock rolled under my foot and caught the little toe on my right foot and sprained it. I had to hike out the last 9 miles like that. My intuition told me that I hadn’t finished what I had come to do and I had sprained my toe to keep me in the valley. I had made a promise to come back and this was that time.
I was up early the next day excited
about receiving the goodies that I was having boated in. I stayed at
my camp, making my sun tea, gathering more wood and topping off my
jugs with water. I felt as though things were flowing quite
smoothly; even better than the last time I was there. I think this
is when T showed up at my camp and informed me that there had been a
raid while I was gone. Even though he was friendly, I could sense
that he was unsure if he should trust me or not. I would find out
why later. I think he was floating around that valley keeping tabs on
everyone and keeping the peace as well as warning people of a coming
raid. WOW, I thought, I had avoided my first raid without even
trying! Raids were frequent in the valley to keep everyone on their
toes, in fear and to make everyone think twice about staying in the
valley. Legal terrorism is what it really is.
Somewhere around 1PM I decided it was
time to go down to the beach and wait for Burt to arrive. I thought
I might catch some rays while I waited. Pretty much as soon as I got
there, I noticed the boat making it’s way down the coast toward the
beach. I watched as several people and bags went overboard. Kaylee
and a couple of Japanese women were the first to hop off and swim to
shore. Then the men on the boat started throwing the bags overboard.
I stripped of my clothes to help bring them in, keeping my eyes
peeled for the two bags that I had. I had no idea that there were
going to be other bags coming in much less people coming in on the
boat. I was glad that I had taped my bags in a way that made them
discernible from the rest because all of them were in those black
contractor bags. I felt a pang of resentment come up because these
people had not hiked in. It was kind of like cheating to be in the
valley without doing the hike. At least, that’s what some people
think. In that moment, I agreed.
I saw one of my bags floating in the water and made a beeline for it. One of the Japanese girls got to it before me and I felt some fear come up thinking that I was going to have to convince these people that two of these bags were mine. I approached her and told her she had my bag. She let me take it, telling me sorry in her Japanese accent. Ok, no worries, I told myself. It’s going to be OK. I helped Kaylee carry a bag in that had taken on water and made it very heavy. She thanked me for helping. I waited for my second bag but it was one of the last to be thrown in. I watched as two men jumped in, a Hawai’ian and a Ha’ole (white man). Justin was on the boat too and I saw him throw a 5-gallon tank of propane in the water. Crazy, I thought, this is how the valley gets littered with all kinds of crap. What was going to happen to it when it was empty? Would he have it refilled or leave it to rust away?
I didn’t see any more bags in the water so I started searching the bags that had been brought in. I found it with some others and grabbed it, ready to defend myself if anyone asked. No one paid me any attention and I was grateful for that. I solicited help from Kerry, a young man I had met some time earlier and he helped me carry my bags to the big boulder that marked the trail. I was so full of gratitude because it was a mile from the beach to this boulder and my buckets were heavy. I thanked him profusely and hung around until he had left, making sure he was gone before I started back to my camp. I had learned to trust no one with the whereabouts of my camp.
I saw one of my bags floating in the water and made a beeline for it. One of the Japanese girls got to it before me and I felt some fear come up thinking that I was going to have to convince these people that two of these bags were mine. I approached her and told her she had my bag. She let me take it, telling me sorry in her Japanese accent. Ok, no worries, I told myself. It’s going to be OK. I helped Kaylee carry a bag in that had taken on water and made it very heavy. She thanked me for helping. I waited for my second bag but it was one of the last to be thrown in. I watched as two men jumped in, a Hawai’ian and a Ha’ole (white man). Justin was on the boat too and I saw him throw a 5-gallon tank of propane in the water. Crazy, I thought, this is how the valley gets littered with all kinds of crap. What was going to happen to it when it was empty? Would he have it refilled or leave it to rust away?
I didn’t see any more bags in the water so I started searching the bags that had been brought in. I found it with some others and grabbed it, ready to defend myself if anyone asked. No one paid me any attention and I was grateful for that. I solicited help from Kerry, a young man I had met some time earlier and he helped me carry my bags to the big boulder that marked the trail. I was so full of gratitude because it was a mile from the beach to this boulder and my buckets were heavy. I thanked him profusely and hung around until he had left, making sure he was gone before I started back to my camp. I had learned to trust no one with the whereabouts of my camp.
I had read that 12-12-12 was a day that
a grand portal was to open up. I didn’t know what that really
meant. I just knew it was a special time. I was very grateful to be
in the valley at that time to serve whatever purpose I was to serve.
There had to be 35-40 people that showed up for this party. I didn’t
know most of the people that showed up and I was surprised at how
many people were living in there that up until now had stayed hidden.
I was amazed at the food that people had made to bring to the
celebration. One woman brought a vegan chocolate cake that she had
made and carried over a mile to the Heiau. I was impressed by how
good it was. Everything that people had brought had been made in the
valley. Brooke was there and had made a tasty ganja concoction with
chocolate and coconut and other yummy stuff. I had fun but I didn’t
really connect with too many people. It was slightly scary to cross
the river a little stoned afterward but I made it across OK going
home. I went to bed feeling satisfied with my day even though
nothing “special” had happened.
I got up the next morning excited to
unpack my buckets and put my new tarp up. It had rained the
overnight but it looked as though it would be a sunny day. Oh good,
I thought, I could do some laundry too. It felt like Christmas
unpacking everything from the buckets that had made the perilous
journey to my camp. I had bought purple cabbage, carrots, bananas,
purple sweet potatoes, tuna in a bag, powdered coconut milk, onion
and garlic powder, rice and some munchy stuff, chips and chocolate.
I had enough food for a couple of weeks. I put everything in its
place, set up my new tarp and then took an empty bucket with my dirty
clothes and headed for the river crossing. That was the best place
in the river to do laundry and take a bath. I had brought in my Eco
Nuts, a neat little bag with soap berries that have been used in many
Asian countries for centuries; an economical and convenient way to do
laundry. I had been to the original camp that had been destroyed and
poked around looking for anything that I could use and had found a
stick that looked perfect for use as an agitator for my laundry. It
was flat, smooth and a perfect “stir stick”. I got my laundry
done and put everything out on the hot rocks to dry in the sun and
then took a bath. The river is notoriously cold and I did not relish
taking a bath in it. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t
seem that cold. I dried myself on a rock by lying in the sun while I
waited for my clothes to dry. When I felt ready, I got dressed,
gathered my clothes and headed back to camp. Not everything had
dried thoroughly so I used the extra twine I had to string up a
makeshift clothesline between the trees to hang my items on.
Over the next couple of days I spent
time adjusting my tarp, experimenting with different ways and angles
to see what worked best. I needed it to be angled enough to keep out
the rain while I slept but open enough to allow the smoke out when I
made a fire. I also took a little time to cut the seems on the
contractor bags that my buckets had been in and attach them with duct
tape to the top of the tarp to create a wall on the river side of my
camp so that I could have a dry place for my firewood.
The woodpile sat across the corner on the south side up against the black plastic bags I had cut to keep wind and rain out on that end. I slept on the ground on top of a thin, blow-up camp mattress and my plastic-bottle (fleece) sleeping bag. I had to wear my clothes to bed at night to help keep me warm; not my favorite sleeping attire. My head pointed north and I slept somewhat in the middle but closer to the north end of the tarp because I had used more twine to create a “roof” kind of pitch for rain run-off. So the tarp pitched the lowest at the north end where most of the rain came in and I had the blue tarp directly north of that with some overlap to help extend my “roof” where I was keeping some musical instruments for a friend until I could meet up with her.
The rest of the camouflage tarp was angled up somewhat to allow for smoke to escape from the south-east end of the camp, where I had the fire pit. I had the two buckets on the south end just west of the woodpile helping to hold the black plastic bags in place. I kept all the food in the buckets, out of reach from the furry little critters that shared the spot with me. I would spend lots of time watching the mice run around on the boulders, skittering from one to the other, sometimes pausing to take a look at me and wonder what I would do. Mostly, they were looking for food. I love animals and I can’t help myself when it comes to cute, furry critters. Many times I let the mice find my bowl and clean it out of scraps. It was exciting to me to be living so close to nature and having animals come around and be near me. Often I found myself more comfortable with animals than people.
The woodpile sat across the corner on the south side up against the black plastic bags I had cut to keep wind and rain out on that end. I slept on the ground on top of a thin, blow-up camp mattress and my plastic-bottle (fleece) sleeping bag. I had to wear my clothes to bed at night to help keep me warm; not my favorite sleeping attire. My head pointed north and I slept somewhat in the middle but closer to the north end of the tarp because I had used more twine to create a “roof” kind of pitch for rain run-off. So the tarp pitched the lowest at the north end where most of the rain came in and I had the blue tarp directly north of that with some overlap to help extend my “roof” where I was keeping some musical instruments for a friend until I could meet up with her.
The rest of the camouflage tarp was angled up somewhat to allow for smoke to escape from the south-east end of the camp, where I had the fire pit. I had the two buckets on the south end just west of the woodpile helping to hold the black plastic bags in place. I kept all the food in the buckets, out of reach from the furry little critters that shared the spot with me. I would spend lots of time watching the mice run around on the boulders, skittering from one to the other, sometimes pausing to take a look at me and wonder what I would do. Mostly, they were looking for food. I love animals and I can’t help myself when it comes to cute, furry critters. Many times I let the mice find my bowl and clean it out of scraps. It was exciting to me to be living so close to nature and having animals come around and be near me. Often I found myself more comfortable with animals than people.
 |
| One of my furry critter friends! lol |
 |
| Another furry critter friend cleaning out my bowl. |
While I was searching for big branches
to hide my camp, I discovered a huge food cache. I had climbed up on
some branches that had been stacked on top of each other and was
curious what was on the other side. I saw about ten buckets covered
with a tarp and then a camouflage covering that the military uses to
hide their camps from eyes in the air. I decided to come back the
next day to check it out and see what was there. I figured that what
I had found belonged to Elise. It was close to where she was and a
few days after I went through it, T came by asking me if anyone had
been around. I guess he figured I was nothing to worry about because
he didn’t ask me directly if I had found anything. If he had
and I had said no, then that would have given it away that there was
something to find.
When I went through all the buckets, most of it was white flour and sugar, ramen noodles, and other stuff that I don’t eat. I went through it out of boredom and to see what someone else brought in. There's not a lot to do in the valley. I only found this hidey place because I was looking for large branches to hide my camp from being seen from the trail that I placed in such a way that they leaned on a tree in the right spot to hide the ropes that tied the tarps to trees. The branches still had all the leaves on them so they made perfect camouflage.
When I went through all the buckets, most of it was white flour and sugar, ramen noodles, and other stuff that I don’t eat. I went through it out of boredom and to see what someone else brought in. There's not a lot to do in the valley. I only found this hidey place because I was looking for large branches to hide my camp from being seen from the trail that I placed in such a way that they leaned on a tree in the right spot to hide the ropes that tied the tarps to trees. The branches still had all the leaves on them so they made perfect camouflage.
The next day was Sunday, December 16th.
I had decided to take a hike up into the valley to try and find
Brook’s camp. He had told me at the party that he was all the way
up in the back of the valley. I didn’t have any expectations of
finding it. I thought if I made it to Big Pool, I would be doing
well. It had been a long time since I had been there and it was only
once. I wasn’t sure I would find it again. I set off on my trek
with some lunch and sun tea, barefoot. I heard the sound of a
helicopter and realized it sounded different than the tourist
helicopters. I saw in my minds eye a red basket on the end of a
cable suspended from the helicopter. Someone’s getting airlifted
out? Nah, I thought, I’m just imagining this. As I found out
later, I had really seen this.
I was surprised that I remembered
certain landmarks; a group of 3 humongous mango trees, which trail to
take on the switchback, and a huge tuft of grass where I had to turn.
I was comforted to know I was on the right trail. I even remembered
where I had to cross the river several times. I must have started
kind of late because I didn’t get to Big Pool until about 2PM. I
sat and had my lunch, my over-heated body enticed by the cool touch
of the chilly water. I decided not to get in though, the sky looked
as though we could have gotten some rain. I saw a couple of other
people while I was there. A tall, tan bald guy with a thick beard
that didn’t seem to want to talk and a guy I had met earlier,
Larry. I continued my hike up into the valley until about 3PM when I
decided it was time to turn around. The sky was getting darker and I
didn’t want to hike in the rain. I didn’t get nearly close
enough to back of the valley to find Brook. It was a challenge that
would have to wait for another day.
The next day, I was on the path to the
beach hoping to see my friend Anna whose mandolin and drum I had at
my camp, and I could see someone at the crossing. I had taken off my
shirt because it was so hot but when I realized that the person was a
uniformed cop, I hurriedly put my shirt back on. I reached the cop,
unsure why he was there. I so hoped he didn’t ask me for my permit
because I didn’t have one.
He asked me how long I had been there. I lied to him, afraid that I was going to be kicked out. He asked me if I knew Justin Klein. I told him that I had met a Justin but was unsure of what his last name was. He then asked me if I knew of his whereabouts. I told him I didn’t know. He let me go on my way without asking me any more questions. I was curious as to what had happened that they would be looking for Justin.
I got to the beach and met Crystal who filled me in on what had gone down the day before. She told me that Justin had been on the Heiau with one of the Japanese girls and presumably Kaylee when something had triggered in him and he flipped out, beat up Japanese girl and then threw her off the cliff and left her for dead. I was incredulous, in shock and awe that someone had done something so cruel AND on the Heiau! My friend, Theo, told me later that he had had a conversation with Justin and discovered his “God complex”. Justin thought that the world was going to end on 12/21, he was going to be God and everyone was going to obey him. I laughed, yeah right, I thought. This was my confirmation that I had been right about my feelings about Justin.
I went back to my camp, grabbed some tea and went back toward the beach. Crystal had said everyone was gathering at Alakai’s camp, which was now the community camp. I wanted to hang out there and listen to what people were saying about what happened. I was dismayed at the judgment I heard and the negative attitudes that people displayed but that’s typical behavior. I was doing my best to stay out of judgment and to try to understand how this might have happened. I noticed that Kaylee didn’t seem too distraught over the whole thing. She played Ukulele like nothing had happened and didn’t seem upset at all.
Her energy just seemed way too nonchalant for what had gone down. I wondered if it had really been her that beat up the Japanese girl in a jealous rage over Justin. It was my thought and the thought of several other people that drugs might have been involved but no one is sure because no one else had seen what went on. I never talked to her nor did I ask any questions of anyone. I just listened and observed what went on and what was said to get the general consensus of the situation and to ascertain whom, if anyone was going to take some action.
There was lots of talk that he may have already hiked out of the valley via a path that started at the back of the waterfall at the beach. It was even more treacherous than the path coming in I was told. He could have died hiking out. There was also speculation that he had jumped in the water and swam around to the west end of the island on a surfboard. What we found out later is that he had hid in the valley, probably with help from someone, and hiked out later and turned himself in. Gabriel, whom I found out, was the other young man on the boat that swam in, told me a similar story that Crystal had told me. He said that Justin had banged her head on a rock before he had thrown her off and T had called for help on his radio. Gabriel was dating the other Japanese girl and the two had traveled here together from Japan. Daddy was a big shot so there would most definitely be an investigation and search for Justin. I was starting to think that I wasn’t just here for 12/21, somehow, I was involved in this whole Justin thing. I just knew it but I didn’t know in what capacity.
He asked me how long I had been there. I lied to him, afraid that I was going to be kicked out. He asked me if I knew Justin Klein. I told him that I had met a Justin but was unsure of what his last name was. He then asked me if I knew of his whereabouts. I told him I didn’t know. He let me go on my way without asking me any more questions. I was curious as to what had happened that they would be looking for Justin.
I got to the beach and met Crystal who filled me in on what had gone down the day before. She told me that Justin had been on the Heiau with one of the Japanese girls and presumably Kaylee when something had triggered in him and he flipped out, beat up Japanese girl and then threw her off the cliff and left her for dead. I was incredulous, in shock and awe that someone had done something so cruel AND on the Heiau! My friend, Theo, told me later that he had had a conversation with Justin and discovered his “God complex”. Justin thought that the world was going to end on 12/21, he was going to be God and everyone was going to obey him. I laughed, yeah right, I thought. This was my confirmation that I had been right about my feelings about Justin.
I went back to my camp, grabbed some tea and went back toward the beach. Crystal had said everyone was gathering at Alakai’s camp, which was now the community camp. I wanted to hang out there and listen to what people were saying about what happened. I was dismayed at the judgment I heard and the negative attitudes that people displayed but that’s typical behavior. I was doing my best to stay out of judgment and to try to understand how this might have happened. I noticed that Kaylee didn’t seem too distraught over the whole thing. She played Ukulele like nothing had happened and didn’t seem upset at all.
Her energy just seemed way too nonchalant for what had gone down. I wondered if it had really been her that beat up the Japanese girl in a jealous rage over Justin. It was my thought and the thought of several other people that drugs might have been involved but no one is sure because no one else had seen what went on. I never talked to her nor did I ask any questions of anyone. I just listened and observed what went on and what was said to get the general consensus of the situation and to ascertain whom, if anyone was going to take some action.
There was lots of talk that he may have already hiked out of the valley via a path that started at the back of the waterfall at the beach. It was even more treacherous than the path coming in I was told. He could have died hiking out. There was also speculation that he had jumped in the water and swam around to the west end of the island on a surfboard. What we found out later is that he had hid in the valley, probably with help from someone, and hiked out later and turned himself in. Gabriel, whom I found out, was the other young man on the boat that swam in, told me a similar story that Crystal had told me. He said that Justin had banged her head on a rock before he had thrown her off and T had called for help on his radio. Gabriel was dating the other Japanese girl and the two had traveled here together from Japan. Daddy was a big shot so there would most definitely be an investigation and search for Justin. I was starting to think that I wasn’t just here for 12/21, somehow, I was involved in this whole Justin thing. I just knew it but I didn’t know in what capacity.
On Tuesday the 18th, it
looked as though it was going to rain all day. I stayed at my camp
all day, knowing that it was not safe to go out. I heard copters all
day long going up into the valley to look for Justin. What a fool, I
thought, to think that he would be God all by himself and that he
would rule the world. He predicted the end of the world all right,
but just for him!
I spent some more time fortifying my
camp with dead branches to hide the blue of the tarp and the straight
lines. I thought I was doing a pretty good job. So far, the only
person to find me was this kid I ran into when I went up into the
valley 2 days ago who was looking for some ganja. He walked through
following a trail from up in the valley and wasn’t really looking
for me. He startled me as he came through. I was glad I was there
when he walked barefoot through my camp. I felt his energy and I
thought it would be OK to trust him.
Sometime around 3PM, I decided it was
OK to make a fire to cook. The copters were winding down and I felt
safe. I had a sudden urge to make a big meal and invite someone for
dinner. I made a lot of brown rice, purple sweet potatoes, carrots
and purple cabbage with coconut milk, onion, garlic, ginger and salt.
I walked up the trail that I had seen the kid come in on and found
Jeremiah’s camp where he told me he would be. He had packed up
everything and stashed his tent and most of his food and hiked out, I
guessed, to wait until everything cooled off. I looked around a bit
and grabbed a bottle of vinegar on my way out and back to my camp. I
had passed a couple on the way there and had contemplated inviting
them but they were already cooking their food. Something told me to
go the bluff and wait. I went back to my camp, grabbed my rain
poncho and put it on and headed for the bluff. The nice thing about
where my camp was that it was close to the river for water and close
to all the main trails so the furthest I had to go was to the beach
that I was avoiding anyway.
I got to the bluff and looked around.
It was starting to get dark and I didn’t see anyone around. I
snooped around a bit and found where the Frisbees were hidden and I
also found a tent that I thought I might pick up on the way out. It
looked like it had been there a while but was in pretty good shape.
I was about to leave when I looked up at the top of Red Hill and saw
two people on their way down. Oh my God, I thought. They must be
the reason I made so much food. I waited patiently for them to reach
the bottom, watching them slip and slide their way down. I had to
laugh when they reached the bottom and I got a good look at them; mud
from head to toe, literally!
Her name was Angel and his name was
Ace. They told me an incredible story of how they got in and what
had happened to them on their hike while we waited for their friend,
Yeshar to catch up. Ace said that they had to sneak in @ 5AM to
avoid the cop at the head of the trail who was turning people away.
Then while Angel was standing on a rock in the middle of the river at
6 mile, she was passing her pack to Ace when she dropped it and then
fell in. Ace jumped into the swift river and saved her and her pack!
Wow, I thought, that was pretty crazy! Lots of people were known to
have died trying to cross the river while it was raging and swollen
with rainwater. They were extremely lucky and it was a friggin
miracle that they even made it in.
They were so excited just to have survived the journey. They were there, of course, for the Solstice celebration. When Yeshar finally made it down, he rested for a bit, and then told me that he had a friend in the valley that was keeping his stuff for him. He wanted to go down to the beach right away to look for his friend. He was talking about Justin. I told them what had gone down and told Yeshar that he would be lucky if he found his stuff. If Justin had had it, it was gone. I convinced him to stick with us as I had food and a place where they could sleep for the night and he could go looking for his stuff in the morning.
They were so excited just to have survived the journey. They were there, of course, for the Solstice celebration. When Yeshar finally made it down, he rested for a bit, and then told me that he had a friend in the valley that was keeping his stuff for him. He wanted to go down to the beach right away to look for his friend. He was talking about Justin. I told them what had gone down and told Yeshar that he would be lucky if he found his stuff. If Justin had had it, it was gone. I convinced him to stick with us as I had food and a place where they could sleep for the night and he could go looking for his stuff in the morning.
I brought them to my camp and helped
them wash up a bit. The food I had made was still warm and I felt
excited to have company. I had brought Drunvalo’s book in, the
sequel to Serpent of Light, 2012 and Beyond. I read to them a little
bit from the book but it seemed to overwhelm them a little bit. I
shared my ganja with them after we ate and that calmed them down. I
talked with them about Aaron and my hope that he would be in there.
I realized that he wasn’t the reason I was there but part of me
really thought that he would be there. I think I was a little too
excited to be honest. I myself was overwhelmed that it had been so
easy to do what I had done, to find out in hindsight that I had been
guided the whole way. It was incredible to me!
We talked and laughed some more until
it was obvious that they needed rest. I told them about David’s
camp up above me. We went up there and I took a look inside the
tent. There was a queen size blow up mattress in there! I had only
been to David’s camp to find pots and pans and had not looked any
further. Wow, what a set-up! How cool and perfect was it that I had
known to make lots of food and go to the bluff to wait for people.
It still amazes me to this day. I went to bed feeling very
accomplished. I had helped people that needed help, shown them Aloha
and fulfilled a purpose.
When I got up in the morning, they were
already gone but had left some things behind to dry out. I took a
peak inside the tent. You could tell that someone had been in there,
but oh well. I knew that David wouldn’t be back in until after the
holidays and I would be gone already too. I didn’t feel too bad
letting them use his tent and sleep on his mattress. It’s not like
we stole anything. I figure, when you’re in a pinch, you use what
you have available even if it belongs to someone else.
The rain had swollen the river and
turned it slightly tan in color from all of the silt that had been
stirred into it. I was grateful I had enough water to last the day
so I could wait to fill my jugs again. I wouldn’t be doing any
laundry either. I was content to stay at my camp and watch the mice
clean out my bowl from the night before. They were coming to see me
frequently as I shared my scraps with them. There was one night also
where I caught a rat chewing through the netting on my pack while it
was right next to my head. Brave little shit! I shooed him away,
unafraid of him. There are plenty of feral cats out there too and I
had attracted one that came to visit most nights, on the prowl for
some dinner. Another really cool thing that happened while I was out
there was the Sharma bird that came to greet me every morning.
Sharma birds are found only on Kaua’i and they have the most
beautiful song! He would perch upon a big boulder and sing very
quietly to me. I remember the first time I saw him, I was traipsing
through David’s camp to get to mine and I had stopped to take
account of where I was and if I could see my camp below when the
Sharma bird landed on a tree branch not 2 feet away and started to
sing his song very softly. Usually, birds belt out their songs but
this one seemed to talk to me and every day after that, he showed up
to serenade me. It was as if he were there as part of my guidance,
to let me know that I was safe.
I took several photos with my phone
while I was there and took shots of my camp at various stages of
development, the mice playing in my bowl and the Sharma bird perched
on the rock. My body got very lean while I was there and I felt
somewhat primitive. This was me, getting over my fear of survival.
OK, so I had food boated in and I had some creature comforts; I
wasn’t stupid and I’ve always known how to use my resources. I
was feeling very good about myself and how things were synchronistically working out.
The next day, Thursday the 20th,
I had decided it was time to do laundry; the weather was warm and
sunny and the river had cleared up. On my way down to the river, I
saw Elise’s camp had been torn apart, her tarps slashed and stuff
strewn all over the place. I ran into T and he told me that there
were rangers everywhere and that they were making people leave the
valley as they found them. He told me that they were hanging out at
the river crossing, catching people going to the beach. I decided
that the only thing I really needed to wash were my leggings. I took
a quick PPA bath and washed my leggings in the river that was just
over the edge of my camp. When I got back up the little hill on my
stone stairs, I heard someone talking over a radio. I was hearing a
walkie-talkie.
I looked around carefully to see where it was coming from. All of a sudden, I see this guy dressed in cammies with a helmet and an automatic rifle. He was eye level with me but across the river on top of a ridge. I froze in fear that he would turn around and see me. If he had turned around, I’m not sure that he wouldn’t have seen me. I felt very fortunate that that was the closest I came to being found by the rangers. Obviously, Justin was proving to be very elusive or someone was hiding him to help him out. I actually felt sorry for this guy. I had visions of him stumbling into my camp asking for help. I wondered what I would have done if he had shown up. Part of me was ready to kick his ass if he tried any crap with me and the other part had such compassion for this misguided being.
I looked around carefully to see where it was coming from. All of a sudden, I see this guy dressed in cammies with a helmet and an automatic rifle. He was eye level with me but across the river on top of a ridge. I froze in fear that he would turn around and see me. If he had turned around, I’m not sure that he wouldn’t have seen me. I felt very fortunate that that was the closest I came to being found by the rangers. Obviously, Justin was proving to be very elusive or someone was hiding him to help him out. I actually felt sorry for this guy. I had visions of him stumbling into my camp asking for help. I wondered what I would have done if he had shown up. Part of me was ready to kick his ass if he tried any crap with me and the other part had such compassion for this misguided being.
 |
| One of the many rainbows I saw |
The next day was the solstice and I
wondered how many people were actually going to show up at the Heiau
for the celebration. I stayed at my camp most of the day, while I
listened to multiple helicopters come in with rangers, to scour the
valley looking for Justin. I ventured out around 3PM to the bluff
and Edge Camp that had been shut down by the rangers days before
where I knew there was a garden of greens growing. I thought fresh
greens would be a nice addition to the dish I was going to make for
the party.
By now, I felt like a pro at being invisible. I took my shortcut to the bluff that took me across the main trail coming into the valley that is affectionately called “hippie highway”. It took me through some old campsites that hadn’t been used in a while. It was the best way to stay hidden. I got to the camp and immediately, I heard a helicopter approaching. I went to the edge that overlooked the cliff and looked to my right. I could see straight down the coast from this vantage point and would be able to see any choppers coming before they got there. There was one coming and it had almost reached the bluff. I quickly looked around to find a better vantage point to view from as the trees got in the way of me seeing behind them and into the valley. I vaguely remembered a little hidey hole that was inside some bushes that was just on the other side of the trees and at the back of the camp. I quickly scooted through the camp and found the spot. It was completely enclosed around a rock where I could sit, crouched as I watched the helicopter land on the saddle at the top of Red Hill while four guys hopped in. I realized that I had made it to the camp just in time to avoid the rangers that would have been on the trails. I think that this was also the last pick-up for the day because after it took off, it didn’t return and no other showed up. Ahh, the valley felt safe again. Thank God the rangers weren’t camping overnight!
By now, I felt like a pro at being invisible. I took my shortcut to the bluff that took me across the main trail coming into the valley that is affectionately called “hippie highway”. It took me through some old campsites that hadn’t been used in a while. It was the best way to stay hidden. I got to the camp and immediately, I heard a helicopter approaching. I went to the edge that overlooked the cliff and looked to my right. I could see straight down the coast from this vantage point and would be able to see any choppers coming before they got there. There was one coming and it had almost reached the bluff. I quickly looked around to find a better vantage point to view from as the trees got in the way of me seeing behind them and into the valley. I vaguely remembered a little hidey hole that was inside some bushes that was just on the other side of the trees and at the back of the camp. I quickly scooted through the camp and found the spot. It was completely enclosed around a rock where I could sit, crouched as I watched the helicopter land on the saddle at the top of Red Hill while four guys hopped in. I realized that I had made it to the camp just in time to avoid the rangers that would have been on the trails. I think that this was also the last pick-up for the day because after it took off, it didn’t return and no other showed up. Ahh, the valley felt safe again. Thank God the rangers weren’t camping overnight!
I picked the arugula that was growing
in the garden and headed back toward my camp via my shortcut. I felt
confident that I wouldn’t run into any more cops or rangers. I was
excited for the party and commenced cooking the last of the sweet
potatoes I had with the last of the carrots also and piled it onto a
bed of greens and purple cabbage, tossed with my homemade lilikoi
garlic ginger dressing. I was so proud of myself! This was a big
deal for me. Cooking had always been a “chore” for me and not an
enjoyable one. This whole trip was a big deal for me! It was truly
amazing to me how I had managed to even be there.
By the time I got done making my dish
to share, the sun was getting low in the sky and the clouds were
rolling in. I dressed myself for the event, making sure that I would
be warm also, grabbed my dish, headlamp and hat and headed for the
Heiau. I didn’t see anyone on the trail and when I got there,
there was no one there! OK, I thought, maybe I’m early or maybe it
got moved to the beach. I waited a little bit to see if anyone else
would show up and no one did so I gathered my things and
 |
| My dish to share |
I got back to the Heiau and still, no
one. I was actually saddened that I would be celebrating by myself
when usually this is my preference. It was starting to get dark as I
sat on my poncho and sarong. It was really quite a beautiful night.
I wished I’d had someone to share it with. Here I had made all
this yummy food only to eat it all myself. I wasn’t alone…
across from me, out on the ocean; a Princess cruise liner was
floating past on a sunset cruise. I realized there were people on
the decks of the cruise ship taking pictures of the vista in front of
them as flash after flash went off on people’s cameras. I had to
chuckle to myself as I thought it would be pretty cool if people
zoomed in, they might actually see me waving to them. LMAO! 😆It was
a spectacular scene in front of me with the sunset on my left and a
humongous, brilliant rainbow on my right and the boat in front of me.
I finished eating my delicious meal and
it suddenly occurred to me that this is where Justin almost killed
that girl. I went to the edge and looked over, expecting to see
blood on the rocks or something. In an instant, I knew why I was
there, why it was me all alone and what I needed to do. As far as I
could tell, I was the only one that had any compassion for Justin so
I did the only thing I could have done and forgave him. I forgave
him on behalf of all the people that had been in the valley and heard
about what he’d done. I forgave him for thinking that he was God
all by himself and for forsaking the rest of us. I forgave him for
allowing his aggression to get out of hand and taking it out on that
young woman. I forgave him for desecrating the energy of the Heiau,
a place of worship for the Hawai’ian people.
When I felt I was done, I gathered what
I had brought and headed back toward my camp. It was dark now and I
knew what I had come to do was finished. I felt accomplished on so
many levels and it took a while to sink in of what I had actually
done for the valley and myself by clearing the energy at the Heiau.
I had already decided to leave early
the next day. There was no point in me staying any longer, having
done what I had come to do. I didn’t know why I had been called
back into the valley. I just knew that I needed to be there and now
it was clear to me what I had done for myself and what my role had
been in the Justin drama.
I got up @
4AM the next day, made my tea, finished packing my things and said
one last goodbye to the spirits in the valley. I left everything
intact. I left the tarps up, the rest of the food in the buckets,
the pillow and the pots and pans. I wanted to be out of there as
soon as possible to avoid the cops and rangers that were sure to be
there early. I figured someone would be grateful to find a camp
already set up, ready to use. I imagined Justin finding it and
having a least a little food to eat. The last thing I left before
leaving was a piece of lava stone that had been given to me. It was
a curious piece, twisted like taffy that fit perfectly in my hand. I
was told that it was my connection to Gaia and that regardless of
what happened to it, I would still have this connection to Mother
Earth. I held it one last time and thanked Momma for bringing me in
there and protecting me while I was there. I set it on top of the
pillow, took one last look around and left. It was still a little
dark @ 6AM and I was grateful to be leaving so early. I felt
empowered and confident that I had finally proven to myself that I
was completely taken care of as a Child of the Universe. I felt my
connection to everything and had lived like it for almost 2 weeks.
 |
| My muddy sandals @ 2 mile |
I hiked out of the valley on the trail
in record time for myself. I even spent a half an hour cleaning my
shoes and feet and petting the feral cats at 2 mile before I was off
the trail around 1PM.
I was hoping that the coconut guy would be at the beach park in Haena. He was and it was so good to have coconut water after not having it for over 2 weeks. I felt refreshed and finally made it to the hostel in Kapa’a at 3PM. The first thing I noticed was several people from the valley were there, planning their next hike in when things had cooled off somewhat.
First thing Autumn asked me was where I had been. I told her I had just hiked out of the valley and her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged in surprise. I told her about going to the Heiau and the beach looking for everyone and having the space and celebrating by myself. I didn’t tell her about forgiving Justin. I didn’t think she would understand. It’s been my experience with most people that when “others” do something that is perceived as “wrong”, these people are judged harshly, even demonized without trying to understand why they did what they did, especially when it hurts someone else. I had made a promise to correct that in myself. Of course I had done the same thing and it was very hard to remember not to judge other people for what I had done myself but to have compassion for them for not knowing any better. I had felt plenty of judgment in my life for just being me and I had often let it get the best of me. I had come to realize, with help from Abraham-Hicks, that judgment only hurts the one doing the judging. The judgment we project onto “others” is really a reflection of something we judge in ourselves. By accepting all the imperfections we see in ourselves, we free ourselves from ALL judgment.
I was hoping that the coconut guy would be at the beach park in Haena. He was and it was so good to have coconut water after not having it for over 2 weeks. I felt refreshed and finally made it to the hostel in Kapa’a at 3PM. The first thing I noticed was several people from the valley were there, planning their next hike in when things had cooled off somewhat.
First thing Autumn asked me was where I had been. I told her I had just hiked out of the valley and her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged in surprise. I told her about going to the Heiau and the beach looking for everyone and having the space and celebrating by myself. I didn’t tell her about forgiving Justin. I didn’t think she would understand. It’s been my experience with most people that when “others” do something that is perceived as “wrong”, these people are judged harshly, even demonized without trying to understand why they did what they did, especially when it hurts someone else. I had made a promise to correct that in myself. Of course I had done the same thing and it was very hard to remember not to judge other people for what I had done myself but to have compassion for them for not knowing any better. I had felt plenty of judgment in my life for just being me and I had often let it get the best of me. I had come to realize, with help from Abraham-Hicks, that judgment only hurts the one doing the judging. The judgment we project onto “others” is really a reflection of something we judge in ourselves. By accepting all the imperfections we see in ourselves, we free ourselves from ALL judgment.
This is the end of THIS story but not
the end of my self-realization. As I write this, it is early 2015
and close to the end of, at least, this part of my journey here in
Hawai’i. I thought, when I came here, that I never wanted to go
back to the mainland, having found paradise. I have come to realize
and accept that this was a necessary part of my growth to come here
and I have a son that I am excited to get back to, having made the
changes in myself I wanted to make to be a better Mom for him; my
daughter too, although she is grown and on her own. I have no doubt
that the courage I had to come back to the valley on my own is what
helped to build the strength, and confidence in following my OWN
guidance without the influence of “others” and to further guide
me toward my ultimate purpose this incarnation on Earth.
END NOTES 12/22/17
I just realized that yesterday was the anniversary of the culmination of my travels in Kalalau. I have gathered so much more information of our impending shift, how it's going to happen and details that I have come up with on my own (intuition) and have been corroborated by other sources including David Wilcock, whom I've met 3 different times now here in Boulder, Colorado. I'll be adding more content here so check back soon, subscribe if you wish and please leave any comments relevant to the content for me. Would love your feedback!
Blessings all and WE'VE ALREADY WON! Now to get through "the tribulations". lol
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