Mostly Homeless: DAY 39- Touching the Sky

Me in my hammock late-night

I spent the night in my hammock. Alone, and surrounded by darkness but full of light. I had arrived at the gate later than I would have liked, after waiting for the bus alongside a cursing Puerto Rican man. By the time I arrived it was dark, and a boy on a unicycle pointed me in the direction of the trail. I navigated my way through some sketchy late folk and their business, hiked in a few miles and made my small footed camp.

After a dinner of sausage and crackers and a breakfast of peanut butter and jelly and some fruit. I made my way up the mountain through the morning light, happy to have the trail all to myself.

The dominating Norfolk Pines

I was hiking the Hau'ula Loop Trail, and I had gotten my permit earlier that same day. Its clear that permits are very loosely enforced in these wilderness areas; not like Washington. I made my way through an invasive grove of towering Norfolk pines. I crossed the Waipilopilo gulch and travelled makai along the ridge. At some point I arrived at a sign that attempted to direct me in course, the which I did not want make. It herded the general hiker off the ridge and back to the beginning in a loop. I wanted to forge on onwards, so thats what I did.

And it was clear that other hikers had done the same, as I followed their somewhat narrower trail. I wanted to touch the sky. This new trail started off in a gradual climb through groves of a pine tree I did not recognize, and then through something which looked like a relative to the Madrona tree. As i climbed higher I noticed a distinct taper in the trail. Eventually I wove through beautifully architected gatherings of what am told was paper eucalyptus trees. All I know is they were beautiful and I felt love radiating forth from their insides.

Near the end I came upon a great tree that, only a few feet from the ground branched out in all directions, leaving a nice bowl shaped opening in the middle. There I stopped for a time to nibble on some fruit cake and partake of the word of God, which I had in my bag. Here I believe is where most people stopped.

The end trail view of Hau'ula and the bay

But it was not the end. To reach the end I had to leave behind my bag, and use a little walking stick for leverage. Pushed up a muddy slope, and through ever thickening brush. Crouched under overhanging bushes and waded through dense ferns, trekking along a narrow chute of firm ground at the top of the ridge only as wide as a few of my shoulders. Up one wore slope. And then, I finally turned around, and there it was the world to behold.

The ocean and the land and the mountains and their valleys. I little farther ahead was the end. I white flag clung to a stick blowing in the wind. After, the ridge stopped and fell in to a steep decline. I had reached it, the end of the trail, and the beginning of the sky.