SUP and hiking

As I stated before in an earlier post that I would learn how to Stand Up Paddle board (SUP), I actually got around to doing that this weekend. This weekend was actually a really nice weekend to learn on the south side of the island. There was relatively little wind when we started and barely any waves. Later on in the morning, the wind started to pick up. You don't really realize it that much, but the wind does play a big role when you are trying to balance on a board. So, if you have good balance, SUP is much easier that if you don't have any balance. Obvious you say, and to some people it is, some just think they can jump on and be off in a matter of minutes. Granted, depending on the board you pick and the design of the board, you might be able to do that, but if you pick a board that is more challenging, well lets just say that you will be getting wet really fast.

So board length, width, and thickness all play a role in the balance of the board. You say that is obvious (mostly obvious to engineers) but there are some that this is a revelation. Anyways, the longer thicker and wider the board, the more stable (in general) it will be. The length plays a role, but I think the other two play a bigger role. The length of the paddle also matters. Well this is just to not hurt yourself while you are paddling. Now, when paddling, you can either be standing up, on your knees, or just sitting on the board. The lower your center of gravity, the easier it is to stay balanced.

I will admit that I did fall in a few times. Probably has to do with using a less stable board which was more challenging, but I still made it work. I also fell in once when someone ran into me on their board. That was pretty exciting. I also fell in a few times when the wind started picking up and threw off my balance. Like I mentioned before, you underestimate the power of the wind. I know I did and fell in a few times because of that. Overall SUP is really nice and relaxing. I will definitely do it again and work on turning and just paddling technique. I didn't get any pictures this time, but hopefully next time I can get some pictures.

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I also went hiking afterwards in the afternoon, although I should pick a hike that isn't as muddy next time. The hike in general wasn't that bad. I hiked the Upper Waimano Trail and the Lower Waimano Trail. Well technically it is a loop in a way. I hiked the Upper Waimano Trail going in and came back on the Lower Waimano Trail.

The Upper Waimano Trail is dry and has more red dirt than its lower counterpart. One reason is because of the stream that is at the bottom of the "valley". Back to the upper trail. Some of the views from the upper trail were pretty amazing. You could just see the wonderful green in the valley contrasting also with the dry red dirt. Over all, the climate in this part of the hike was nice. The view from the "top" of the trail was pretty nice. You could see the out to Kapolei and parts of Ewa. You could also see parts of Mililani. 

As you transition from the upper trail to the lower trail, there is a big change in the scenery, the temperature, and the climate on the trail. As you start descending it becomes more of a jungle or rainforest feel. The humidity goes way up and unfortunately the mosquitoes come out and start feasting on you, the hiker. I found this out first hand by all the mosquito bites I now have all over my legs and legs. The trail also got quite muddy the further down in elevation that I went. Along the way though, the plants started to get much greener and more dense.

At the bottom of the trail, there was a stream and a nice pond that was formed because of strategic placement of rocks. It actually was quite peaceful down there, minus the mud and the mosquitoes. I almost got through this hike without getting mud on me, but I failed again in that. Maybe next time. I guess walking through chest high grasses and narrow trails gives ample opportunity to get mud on yourself. I also forgot to mention that I saw some hunters with their hunting dogs. They were out to try to find some wild pigs. I feel that there is a trend starting in that a lot of the "hiking" trails double as hunting areas on the island. Not that it is bad, I just hope I don't run into a wild pig....well a wild pig that is pissed off and starts charging me. Although, that would make a great story.

I was quite lazy on Sunday though. I pretty didn't do much except go to church, to Costco, and then read some books. I did actually go and get something for my cousin though. Granted, I originally went out to get some Scotch tape. I went out to get Scotch tape because when i was preparing to send out some letter, the envelopes that I got about 2 months ago, well the adhesive self sealed. Yes, humidity......I didn't have to worry about this while I lived in Colorado. We don't have enough humidity to worry about that. So yeah, I went to get some tape so I could make sure the enveloped stayed sealed when it was mailed. I also decided to get something for my cousin which she requested.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most of you don't know what a musubi maker is or what spam musubi is. Anyways she wanted a mold that would help make spam musubi easier. So spam musubi is basically a slice of spam sandwiched between rice and rapped with nori (seaweed). It actually isn't really hard to make at all. You of course don't have to use spam with this mold, you can place pretty much anything you want between the layers of rice. I now challenge you to try some spam. (I would suggest to try it with something instead of just cold turkey.)