31-by-31

Last year I had a 30-by-30 list of goals which got me moving and doing new things (check out how I did here). I'm continuing it this year with a 31-by-31. It's 31 things to accomplish by the time I turn 31 years old. The list is different, and so is the timeframe. Last year I made the 30-by-30 list about 4 and a half months before my 30th birthday. Not a whole lot of time. This time I'm giving myself a whole year.

1. Get my book, Hunters - Rising, published in print. Currently it's a free ebook available here
2. ePublish another book. Not necessarily Hunters 2 (although it would be awesome if I finish it that quickly) but any book.
3. Enhance my book, Hunters - Rising. I know there's quite a few edits to be made regarding spelling, grammar, etc. I may want to add some more content to expand more on the characters. But mostly I want to add some visuals like pics of characters, monsters, and most importantly a map of Arlynd.
4. Donate to charity...on my own, not through work
5. Get involved with a group, whether it be online or in person.
6. Contribute to Wikipedia
7. Adopt a tsunami siren
8. Read “Aspects of a Novel” by E.M. Forster. It's a book recommended by James Franco, yes the same James Franco from the movies. He recommended it on a radio show I heard.
9. Create and print a business card for myself
10. Teach somebody a skill
11. Volunteer. On my own, not through work
12. Drink something from the top shelf (hey, it wouldn't be me if there wasn't a liquor related goal would it?)
13. Read a classic (Moby Dick, Mark Twain, Shakespeare, and the like)
14. Read an author recommended book. It'd be interesting to see what my favorite authors read.
15. Read a book about somebody great. Biography, autobiography...either works
16. Surf a wave. I've tried...and failed...many times...I think I should try again
17. Mix a tropical fruit inspired cocktail (hey, another liquor-related goal!)
18. Win a medal in a jiu-jitsu competition
19. Set a personal record in this year's Great Aloha Run
20. Go star gazing, find the Southern Cross or some other constellation
21. Win a jiu-jitsu match in competition by submission
22. Write for a magazine or newspaper
23. Do an obstacle run (Warrior Dash, Spartan Race, or similar) for time. Preferably I'd like to have a friendly race against somebody...maybe there could be a wager to make it interesting
24. See a 20+ foot wave. I know this was on my previous list but the waves didn't get big before my birthday and I still want to see it
25. Eat pancakes from Boots and Kimo. I've been hearing about this place for years but have never been there...the line is always ridiculously long. I figure it's time to finally see what it's all about.
26. Cook a seafood dish. For those who don't know, I'm not a fan of seafood so accomplishing this goal will require me to expand my horizons a bit.
27. Read a book by William Faulkner. This guy gets mentioned a lot, figure I should give him a look.
28. Read a book of poetry by Billy Collins. Heard him on a radio show, sounds pretty interesting and worth a look. I don't read enough poetry anyway...that's probably true for most of us.
29. Decorate my place with at least 3 pieces of art. I'm surrounded by white walls...the place could be livened up a bit
30. Read a grammar handbook. Yes, I'm well aware that I'm a C- at best when it comes to grammar
31. Draft Hunters 2. Those who read the first know there's a 2^nd coming ;)

30 by 30 - How'd I do?

In a word...eh

 

I didn't get to everything on the list but it was fun trying to. Considering I had about 4 months to get everything done, I think I did all right. Here's how it went:

1. Publish my book - Did it! It's an eBook published through Smashwords. I haven't posted about it on Facebook or blogged about it yet because I noticed some bugs with the file and I'm in the process of correcting them. I want it to look nice before telling everybody about it. But happy to say that as of now it has been downloaded over 100 times.

The cover of my book

2. Win a jiu-jitsu match in competition - No go. There weren't any competitions I could enter since I made this list. But!! It just so happens that there is a competition this Saturday (10/19/2013) that I am entering.

3. Shoot a desert eagle…the gun, not a bird - did it, it was awesome!

4. Go rock climbing - Check! My good friend Biggs took me rock climbing by Lake Tahoe. It was a lot of fun...kinda scary, but fun. Now it's time to see if I can find a way to go climbing here in Hawaii.

5. See a professional sports game - No go here. No professional sports games were hosted in Hawaii since I made this list and I didn't come across any during my trip to Cali.

6. Watch a meteor shower - Yep! I caught the Leonids, saw one meteor. Note to self: An off shore hurricane does not foster good star-gazing weather.

Shooting a Desert Eagle. Watch the video

7. See a 20+ foot wave - No go, haven't had a large swell since making this list. Or at least I didn't hear about any.

8. Go to a concert…with a good band playing - Check! I caught Coheed and Cambria! Good show. Check out a video clip

9. Be part of a triathlon relay team - No go. I didn't get myself into the triathlon loop with my triathlete friends in time.

10. Play Hotel California all the way through…the acoustic version…on the guitar - Playing this song in its entirety continues to elude me. I'll keep working at it though.

11. Win a Texas Holdem poker tournament - No go. But I did place in the top 10 in two tournaments. Top ten out of how many people, you ask? That's beside the point...

12. Complete a Tough Mudder - No Tough Mudders. It hasn't come to Hawaii yet and I didn't have a way to do one on the mainland. I did complete a Spartan Race though if that's any consolation.

13. Shoot a medieval style longbow - No go. I found some archery ranges but didn't find the time to go check them out.

14. See a great-white shark…preferably from inside a steel cage - Nope. I looked into it, I was in Cali at the right time to cage dive in the bay area or near San Diego, but the cost was near $1000. Yeah...never mind on that one.

15. Swim with a turtle...again - I made it to the beach a few times. Even saw a few turtles from the beach but I wasn't able to actually swim with one.

16. Cliff dive - Not yet. I learned of some good spots to go but didn't make it out to any of them. Although I intend to check them out still.
 

17. Begin writing my second book - Check! I started on the prologue and outlining chapter 1.

18. Dip my fingers in the chocolate business - Kinda but not really. It may still yet happen though.

19. Bake a cake…I wonder if I can make it with whiskey...yeah, whiskey cake!! - Did it! And it was rather tasty!

20. Hike olomana…all 3 peaks - Check! It was a great hike. Check out my Olomana Blog

21. Scuba dive - Nope. I learned of a few places I could dive without being certified but didn't make the time to go.

Whiskey Cake

22. Start a bon fire - Nope, didn't have an occasion or a crowd to do this.

23. Draw a gracie triangle in my facial stubble - Attempted (a few times) but failed. I tried a couple times but I can't draw for beans on paper, it's much harder on stubble. It just looked like a hairy patch.
 

24. Jump out of a plane…and land safely - Nope. There are several places to go sky diving here but didn't make the time to check any out.

25. Earn some $$ by writing - Nope. If you're wondering why not since I've published a book, it's because my book is free. The side gigs I've tried to do never panned out.



Whiskey Mint drink. It's a tasty one!

26. Create a video that gets 1000+ hits on YouTube - I've gotten several hundred hits, but haven't hit the 1000 mark.
 

27. Mix a whiskey mint cocktail…that tastes awesome - Check! Ginger Ale, whiskey, and fresh mint leaves. It was good!
 

28. Ride a Harley across a desert - Nope. No desert, no Harley. It's a cool thought though.

30.  Participate in Run for your Lives...as a Zombie! Check! It was fun so much fun being a zombie and scaring the hell outta people.

I learned that 4 months just wasn't enough time to get to everything. But I also learned that having this list got me up and going places and doing things, whether I could check an item off the list or not. There was more hiking, more trips to the beach, more exploring new things, trying new activities, feeling fear rush through me and overcoming it, and more whiskey sipping.

I was able to check off one third of the things on the list. Not too shabby, I think. Let's see how I do on the next one. Coming soon: 31-by-31!

Spartan Race

SPARTANS!! What is your profession!!

Well it wasn't quite that amped up but it was still pretty fun. The Spartan Race made it to Hawaii for the first time. For those who may not know, the Spartan Race is a 5k run with a little over 20 obstacles along the way. It sounded awesome so some friends and I signed up as soon as registration opened. We had months to train for it and condition our bodies to conquer each obstacle. So naturally, we took it easy, got lazy, didn't train, and some even forgot about the race altogether and needed to be reminded. Good thing our plan was to take it easy!

Sheri, Jen, Myself, and Sterling. Game-faces!

The Course & Obstacles

The course wound through beautiful Kualoa Ranch. For those familiar with the Xterra run, it's the same area. It's tucked within a lush valley right next to a pristine beach, it's about as scenic of a running venue you could ever have. We started at a steady jog and soon came to the first obstacle: Over-Under-Over. Hop over a 4 foot wall, crawl under a 2 foot barrier, then over a 4 foot wall again. Simple right? It was. Next we trudged through a steady stream. The water came up to my chest. The course wasted no time getting us soaked.

The next obstacle was climbing over a 5 foot wall. No problem for me but my friend Sheri, who is about five feet tall, had some issues. She forgot to jump and basically ran into the wall. On her second attempt she remembered to jump and made it over with no embarrassing collisions.

We jogged through some jungle terrain for a while and came to the net climb. It wasn't your typical cargo net, it was made of thinner material. I had to be a little more mindful of where I put my feet and made it up no problem.

Then we had to climb up a 6 foot wall. A bit harder this time. I couldn't simply hop up and over but had to pull myself up high enough to swing my leg over. Sheri and Jen got a boost from Sterling, who being 6'4 or something like that became the designated boost-guy.

Next we came to a 7 foot wall...hmm, I'm noticing a pattern here. This one was hard. Sterling boosted Jen and Sheri over. I wanted to try it on my own but Sterling was there to spot me if needed. I got a running start, jumped, and pulled my elbows over the top of the wall. Then I sort of wormed my way up the wall until I could bring my foot up to the lip. I swung myself up and over only to realize I had flung myself into a 7 foot drop. My weight was a little too far forward and when I hit the ground I damn near rolled forward as a result of the impact but instead I stumbled with my arms out in front of me like a klutz. I managed not to fall but I think rolling would've been a less stressful way to deal with the landing...it would've looked cooler too.

We continued along the course at a brisk walking pace joking about how the obstacles just seem to be walls that get progressively higher. So what could the next obstacle be? An 8 foot wall? Yep, that's exactly right! Ok, this one was a challenge. With a running start I jumped, reached, and managed to get my elbows over the lip of the wall. Just like the last wall, I wormed my way up until I could swing my leg up. However instead of just flinging myself over I sat on top of the wall first, steadily got my other leg up and over, and lowered myself down the other side facing the wall. It was a much gentler way to get myself down.

Sterling got over the wall with the help of a fellow Spartan Racer. The two of us then went back to help boost Jen and Sheri over. Sterling provided a foothold while I lifted them up so they could reach the lip. They got up and over no problem, now that's freakin teamwork!

Eventually we came to the tire pull, which was pretty cool. Pick up a tire, which is tied to a stake in the ground, carry it until the rope is taught, then go back and use the rope to pull the tire back. Another cool obstacle was the transverse wall climb. Instead of going up and over, you scale along the side of the wall like a ninja. Wood pegs provide small hand and footholds. For me, the key to this one was to keep calm, spot where your foot was going to land, and move at your own pace. Don't rush or stall, keep moving but move at your own rate. I watched several people try to go too fast and slip off the wall while others stalled out and fell because their grips fatigued.

There were a few obstacles that were just loops. Drag some concrete blocks in a loop. Carry a bag of sand in a loop. Carry a concrete block from point A to point B then back to point A. These obstacles weren't all that fun. It's just going in a loop. You don't get anywhere or progress along the course so meh.

Crawling under barbed wire wasn't fun either, which is what several obstacle had us do. For starters, the wires sag a lot so we had to lift them up in order to get under them without getting snagged. Then the ground is made to be wet and muddy which slows things down and we always got jammed up. But the worst part is that the ground is really rocky and we got all scraped and cut up, which didn't feel too great because each cut was instantly filled with mud.

Towards the end of the race we came to one of the most challenging obstacles of the day: a muddy rope climb. Picture a large pit filled with about 4 feet of muddy water with 9 ropes hanging into it. At the top of each rope is a bell you have to ring to signal success. We watched person after person climb, slip, and splash down in the muddy pit. A few made it to the top. The crowd would rally behind those who got close to the top but stalled out just barely out of reach of the bell. Some were able to make the final surge to the bell while some valiantly tried but came up short.



The rope climb. I climbed the rope on the far right

I closely watched those who made it to the bell and noticed they utilized their legs a lot for the climb. Those who couldn't quite get their legs in place slipped. All the mud was making the ropes slick and hand grip alone didn't seem to be enough to hang on.

Ok, having noted that it was my turn. Before I started to climb I fished around in the muddy water with my leg to find the bottom part of the rope. I got my legs around it then began to climb. Surprisingly, the rope wasn't as slippery as I thought it would be and I pulled my self up. The knots in the rope provided good footholds too. I got to the section where there wasn't much mud on the rope and thought I was golden. There should be enough grip to pull with my arms alone. I was wrong. The rope was actually slicker, what the heck! I slid down a few inches and had to catch myself before I slid all the way. Ok, gut-check time. Figure out a way to make it to the bell or slide back down. I made it pretty high, no shame in backing out and sliding back down right? Nah, I wanted to get to that bell!

There were no more knots for me to utilize in the top section of the rope so it would be a bit tricky to climb the last couple of feet. I remembered about how other people used their legs so I gripped tight with my hands, squeezed with my legs, and wormed my way up. The legs gave the extra grip I needed. I got up a little bit and felt that was as far as I could go. I looked up to see how far away the bell was and to my surprise it was right there in front of me. I reached up, rang it, and carefully slid back down into the mud. A quick note for the guys, when sliding down, don't squeeze too much with your legs because your crotch might slide over a knot. Trust me, it doesn't feel good...

The next obstacle required us to use a rope to scale over a steeply angled wooden wall. It wouldn't be hard at all if it was dry but it was muddy as hell. Several people lost their footing and slid down the wall. One guy fell so hard he twisted his ankle. Ok, this one could be dangerous so mind your footing. I told the others the goal is not to get hurt so if they feel their feet slipping just focus on controlling the fall and slide down easily.

Sterling went first. He scaled the wall to the top but as he reach the lip his feet slipped. He no longer had his hands on the rope but had his fingers over the lip of the wall. He tried but couldn't pull himself up and slid back down. It was just too slippery.

Jen went next. She scaled the rope to the top and a fellow Spartan Racer helped pull her up and over the top. The same guy helped Sheri up and over.

My turn. The rope and wall was slippery as hell but I got to the top. I reached for the lip of the wall expecting to be able to grab onto something and have enough grip to pull myself up the rest of the way but it didn't happen quite like I imagined. All I felt was slippery mud on a flat surface. There was barely anything to grip onto. I almost lost it and slid back down the wall but I still had my other hand on the rope. I dug my fingers into the muddy surface of the wall and strained to use what little rope I had left to pull myself up a little more. I didn't let go of the rope until I got my weight over the top of the wall. I made my way over nice and steady. It was really slick and I knew I wasn't safe from slipping until I was completely over the wall.



The final challenge: Spartans with padded sticks!

The final obstacle involved jumping over a low fire and then running through a gauntlet of “Spartans” wielding padded staffs who try to whack you, ala American Gladiator style, as you run to the finish line. I jumped over the fire and began to charge the Spartans. The first one locked onto me and got ready to swing. I sped up and feinted charging right at him only to stop right as he began his swing. The dude whiffed and lost his balance a little. I got a kick out of that. I casually jogged through the rest of the gauntlet taking gentle whacks from Spartans. I made the last guy miss using the same feint maneuver as the first guy and then easily jogged across the finish. Good run!

Critique and the Crowd

Ok, time to let the inner critic out. Logistically, the event was messed up. We had to park 1.5 miles away from the race event. It wasn't really fun trekking back along a narrow highway when tired and worn out from the race. The event area was really spread out. It took 10 to 15 minutes to walk from one side to the other. They should have done what Xterra does and let us park on the valley floor and consolidate all the tents in one area. There's still enough space to fit everything else.

Kualoa Ranch. Beautiful venue but notice
how spread out everything is.

They had music playing to set the tone of the event, which was cool. The problem was there were two tents playing different music. Then there were Taiko drummers playing too. It was just too many different sounds clashing against each other.

The finisher shirt they gave away is pretty cool except for the ridiculously large “Rebok” printed on it. But even more annoying is that they give you the shirt at the finish line while you're still covered in mud. I don't want to put my muddy hand prints all over a brand new shirt. Couldn't they put them in a plastic bag or let us pick them up after we've cleaned up a bit?

I liked that they had changing tents we could use. Other mud runs I've been to don't offer these so this was a very nice touch.

The beach turned brown by the time we left

The cleaning station was pretty well set up. It was a network of hoses so individuals could wash off after the race. Much better than the community-style wash stations other runs have used. However, it's so crowded and there's so much mud to clean off that the wait is ridiculously long. My friends and I didn't want to wait in that line so we walked to the beach right across the street and jumped in the ocean. It was so relaxing to get in the salt water. It even helped to clean out our cuts. I'm just glad we were one of the first people to do this because it didn't take long for others to catch on and by the time we left the ranch that section of beach was brown from all the mud.

Most of the people we met along the course were friendly and cool. However, there was the occasional runner that believed they really were a Spartan. They wanted to go, go, go and got annoyed at everybody when there was a delay. Here's some of the things we heard:

“No rest, get running!”

“what's wrong, you afraid of a little mud?”
“do you want to live forever?” - seriously, this doesn't make sense
“I feel like I'm stuck in traffic, green means go people!” - I don't know what this guy saw but there weren't any traffic lights along the course.
“I'm pretty sure that's cheating.” a guy said when seeing us help each other through the barbed wire. Hello?? Spartans were all about teamwork. Doesn't he know how a phalanx works??



Victory shot of Sterling

I know some people want to push themselves but they have to realize there are thousands of people participating and only so many people at a time can go through an obstacle. Chill out and run by when the course opens up. And if you really are that serious about blazing through the course, sign up for the very first wave so there won't be anybody in front of you to hold things up.

The event staff was awesome. The guy at the start line had a good speech to amp up the crowd in good Spartan fashion. The volunteers along the way were enthusiastically encouraging. They gave advice on how to get through the obstacles when needed and had their own Spartan like lines to pump us up. Some of them even understood my cheesy comments about getting those pesky Persians. They made the event more enjoyable for sure.

Victory shot of Jen

 

 

 

In The End

 

I had fun cruising through the course. The obstacles were fun and challenging. Just be ready to get covered in mud, there's simply no way around it. I recommend bringing a change of clothes, slippers, and a water bottle for after the race. I also recommend having an awesome group of friends to have fun along the course with. Hopefully the Spartan Race comes back again so we can cruise through it once more. Or maybe I'll get in the first wave and see how fast I can get through the whole thing...we'll see :)

Victory shot of yours truly

30-by-30 Update

I have 2 months minus one day to check off the items on my list. Here's how it's going so far

1. Publish my book - Not yet, still doing some editing but I've found a place where I can publish it as an ebook at any time and even set my own price. I feel good that this will be done by my Bday.

2. Win a jiu-jitsu match in competition - Nope, and it likely won't happen mainly because the tournament I want to enter is a couple week after my birthday.

3. Shoot a desert eagle…the gun, not a bird - Check! Such a cool gun to fire. See it on my YouTube channel: D. Eagle

4. Go rock climbing - Not yet but in late September I'll be on the mainland and, weather permitting, I'll be rock climbing with my buddy Biggs.

5. See a professional sports game - I forgot this was on the list...not many professional sports come to Hawaii so this one's kind of tough...probably why I forgot about it

6. Watch a meteor shower - Check! Last Sunday was the peak of the Perseid Meteor shower. I almost didn't see anything because it was cloudy but patience paid off with a meteor that streaked across half the sky.

7. See a 20+ foot wave - Not yet, the waves should be getting big in the next month or so.

8. Go to a concert…with a good band playing - Check! I watched Coheed & Cambria. I hope they come back again! Check out my YouTube to see a couple shaky clips of Claudio's awesome hair with crappy sound quality :) Number City and A Favor House Atlantic

9. Be part of a triathlon relay team - Nope. Haven't been keeping my eye on triathlons that are going on. I'm not really in triathlon shape either at the moment.

10. Play Hotel California all the way through…the acoustic version…on the guitar - Working on it. I've been practicing and need to practice more. I'll get it though!

11. Win a Texas Holdem poker tournament - Nope. I've played in a few poker tournaments but didn't come out on top. I'm not sure how many more I'll get to play in from now until my birthday but I may get another chance.

12. Complete a Tough Mudder - Nope. It hasn't come to Hawaii yet despite of years of rumor. I'll be in a Spartan Race this weekend though, it's pretty similar.

13. Shoot a medieval style longbow - Not yet. I need to look into archery ranges around here and hope somebody has a traditional bow I can shoot.

14. See a great-white shark…preferably from inside a steel cage - Not gonna happen. I'll be in California at the perfect time of year to do this but it costs about $1000...can't scrape that together.

15. Swim with a turtle...again - Will do. Anybody want to go to Hanauma Bay?

16. Cliff dive - Not yet. I can venture to Waialua Falls or discover another spot to safely jump.

17. Begin writing my second book - technically not yet. I've began outlining the beginning but haven't started actually writing it yet. Focusing more on finishing the first book.

18. Dip my fingers in the chocolate business - Other than sending the occasional customer to Kauai, I haven't done this one. In the long term, this goal along with goals #1 and #17 are the most important. Even if I don't get it by my birthday it's still going to remain a goal.

19. Bake a cake…I wonder if I can make it with whiskey...yeah, whiskey cake!! - Not yet, I need to research a recipe. Does anybody have one?

20. Hike olomana…all 3 peaks - Check! Awesome hike with a few risky spots. Check out my blog about it: Olomana

21. Scuba dive - Forgot about this one. There has to be someplace around here that will let me dive without being certified...

22. Start a bon fire - Nope. Need a place, an occasion, and a good group of people...and a bunch of junk to burn. Are bon fires illegal?

23. Draw a gracie triangle in my facial stubble - I tried and was reminded how utterly hopeless my drawing skills are. I need help with this one.

24. Jump out of a plane…and land safely - Not yet. There's a few places here I could hop out of a plane for around $150. Just need to save a day for it.

25. Earn some $$ by writing - Tried and not yet. I've responded to a few job ads on Craigslist but didn't get any replies. I'll keep trying though.

26. Create a video that gets 1000+ hits on YouTube - Not yet. I've broken the 100 mark, just need to add another digit.

27. Mix a whiskey mint cocktail…that tastes awesome - Kind of. I created a mix and I think it tastes good but I need some others to try it. Anybody interested?

28. Ride a Harley across a desert - This one is kind of tough because Hawaii doesn't have a desert...and I don't have a Harley. Does anybody have a Harley with a desert I could borrow?

30.  Participate in Run for your Lives...as a Zombie! - Will do. A bunch of friends and I will be running as Zombies in late September. It's going to be so much fun, stay tuned for a blog and pics!

Olomana Hike

6/11/2013

With the day off I took the opportunity to tackle the Olomana hike. The Olomana trail treks up to the peak of a mountain then follows a connecting ridge to two other mountain peaks. There are three peaks in total. The trail has a reputation of being one of the most dangerous and challenging trails on the island. Most people hike to the first mountain peak and then turn back. I've hiked to the first peak once before but this time I was determined to make it to all 3 peaks.

 

This was the first hike of this level of difficulty that I've done solo. Getting to the top of the first peak took less than an hour and wasn't too difficult since I was familiar with the trail up to that point. For the most part it's standard “walking through the forest” type of hiking but there are a few climbing sections. There are ropes to help get through these areas. One thing to remember on this hike: trust the ropes, they're you're friend.

 

The wall before peak 1

Right before the 1^st peak there's a vertical rock wall, about 20 feet high, that you have to climb up. This is the first test for those who are iffy about climbing. Some play it safe and go no further (nothing wrong with that), some need a little extra motivation and help to get up the wall, while others simply go for it and climb up. When I first climbed the wall I took it slow and steady, making sure to find good grips in the rocks before climbing. There's also a rope, which I always kept a hand on. Having scaled this wall once before, it was no problem the second time and I just scurried up the thing, still with a firm grip on the rope though.

 

Once over the wall the trail narrows because it now follows the ridge at the top of the mountain. There's still plenty of room to walk but it's a good idea to keep an eye on where you're going. If you want to take in the view, stop and then look. There is some brief rock climbing in order to reach the first peak. Nothing vertical though. The climbing wasn't tough climb I was careful to maintain solid contact with the rock. If I slipped there's a good chance I'd catch myself but there's also a chance I could go over the mountainside. If that happened the fall would definitely result in death.

 

I stopped at the first peak to take a breather, have sip from my camelbak, and to take some pictures. Since I was hiking solo I text messaged a friend to say where I was and posted a picture on Instagram. I let several people know I was hiking that day and posting pictures was a way to show how I was doing and to prove I was still alive and hadn't fallen off the mountain.

 

Notice the ropes disappear over the edge

After a few moments at the top of peak 1, it was off to peak 2. I was venturing into unknown territory so I kept reminding myself to take my time and keep my eyes on the trail. The descent from peak 1 wasn't very tricky. I just followed the trail and the climb to peak 2 wasn't much of a climb but more like walking uphill. No problem. It felt like less than 20 minutes to go from peak 1 to peak 2.

 

However, the descent from peak 2 will certainly test your nerve. Definitely not for the faint at heart. When I reached the peak and spotted where to go to reach peak 3, I was greeted by the sight of ropes going over the edge of the mountain. Trust the rope, I kept telling myself. I grabbed a rope, faced the mountain, and began making my way down. It wasn't quite vertical so I could spot where to put my feet. The rope was sturdy and held my weight just fine. I made it through the first part of the descent okay but the next part was a different story.

 

The next rope section got tricky. At one point things went nearly vertical and I couldn't spot where my feet were going. I really had to rely on the rope, lean away from the mountainside, and full on repel down. Trust the rope, trust the rope. I moved real slow and careful and inched my way down. At one point I even had to stop to settle my nerves. Not being able to see where I was going and knowing that a slip could result in death was freaking me out a bit. But I took a few breaths and kept going. I probably spent 10-15 minutes on that section alone because I moved so slow but I made it safely to the next section of the descent.

The view of peak 3 from
the top of peak 2

 

The next section wasn't vertical, thank god, but there's still a rope. I kept a hand on the rope but for the most part I climbed down the rock without using it much. That was it for the descent, I took a deep breath relieved that I made it okay and continued along the trail toward peak 3.

 

When looking at peak 3 from a distance the trail looks extremely narrow but once on it I found it wasn't all that bad. I would have to purposely walk off the trail or completely not pay attention to where I was going to fall off...and yes falling off would result in death. But I had plenty of room to walk as long I stayed on the trail. However, I did find myself slipping around on the dirt in the section immediately following the descent. Mental note: get actual hiking shoes or trail running shoes...old running shoes just don't have enough grip sometimes.

One of the final rope climbs
leading tothe top of peak 3

 

The climb to the third peak isn't a walk in the park but after descending the 2^nd peak it wasn't all that bad. There were a few rope sections, which helped with the climbs, and the rocks offer plenty of places to get a good grip for climbing. There were some very cool rock formations along the way too. It took about 25 minutes to reach the top of peak 3.

 

The view from the 3^rd peak is pretty awesome. To be honest it isn't much different from the view from the other two peaks but because of the work done to get there, it's just that much more satisfying. I relaxed at the top for a few minutes, ate an apple, took some pictures, and posted a pic onto Instagram. Had to prove I made it...and hadn't died. Then it was time to head back. I was looking forward to heading back because I had experienced the trail and I was excited to climb back up to the 2^nd peak. I find it's always easier to climb up than it is to go down.

Cool looking rocks

I was still careful along the trail, used the ropes, and took my time to get a good grip on the rocks when needed. When I reached the climb back up to the 2^nd peak, it felt like I was looking straight up...couldn't believe I scaled down the thing. But going up, it looked like fun. I grabbed the rope and hauled my way back up. Descending from the 2^nd peak took a long time but climbing up only took about 5 minutes. Trust the ropes, their your friends, and they held up just fine. I was back on top of peak 2 and heading back to peak 1 in no time.

Celebration Apple!

When I reached peak 1 I noticed there were more people on the trail. It was around noon. I made it to the first rock wall and scaled down it with no problem. Again, after descending the 2^nd peak, a 20 foot wall is no problem. The rest of the way back down was easy going. I passed several people. All were friendly and some asked how the trail was up ahead. Most were going to the first peak and only a few were going to brave the triple peak trek. Kudos to those people.


The climb back up to the top of peak 2
descending this kinda freaked me out

The entire hike took me about 4 hours. My 1.5 liter camelbak was plenty of water for me. I had a few snacks in my pack but I only ate an apple. The hike would have been much smoother if I had some actual trail shoes and some gloves. I definitely thickened up a few callouses from climbing all the ropes and rocks. After the hike I drove into Kailua and got a bacon avocado burger and a vanilla shake from Teddy's. Good eating after conquering Olomana...felt like victory!

Panoramic from the top of peak 3 with peaks 1 & 2 in the distance

Taste of Hawaii Weekend

It's that time again! Time to sample dozens of dishes put out by some of the best restaurants and chefs around Kauai while meandering through a lush botanical garden at the annual Taste of Hawaii. I flew into Kauai on Friday night ready for a Sunday of delicious gluttony. Little did I know that my family was planning a barbeque on Saturday. And the way we do barbeques is to prepare more food than know what to do with, and then somehow make room on the table for the dishes our friends and relatives bring. So now my entire weekend became about eating and eating some more. No complaints here!



Happy Hour!

Saturday's feasting began at breakfast. My aunty and uncle flew in from Oahu that morning, so my parents and I picked them up at the airport and went to Danny's, a local spot where everyone knows my parents. Another uncle met us there so we had a nicely sized group. When it came time to decide on breakfast I was torn. I really wanted eggs but one of their specials was chocolate chip pancakes. Which one to get?? So I did the only sensible thing one can do in that situation and got both. A kalua pig omelet with hash browns and a side of chocolate chip pancakes. It was fantastic and I didn't let any of it go to waste.

Later that morning I asked my dad what time the barbeque started and he answered with, “happy hour starts at 4:30!” as he eyed a bottle of scotch. Sure enough, when 4:30 came along he was pouring himself a glass of Glenlivet 12 year...so naturally, I followed suit. Cheers!



Grilled Opihi and Chili Pepper Water

When the actual barbeque began we served up chicken, kalbi beef, three types of brats, some salads, and there was a Bloody Mary bar. I stuck to scotch. There were about a dozen of us, all family and friends, and one of the big food highlights was my mom's bag of freshly caught opihi. For those who don't know, an opihi is a limpet found on shoreline rocks. It's considered a real local treat. It's also the inspiration behind the name of our family's chocolate opihi. Now I'm not a big seafood fan, but my mom grilled them up with a splash of chili-pepper water so I figured I'd give it a try. Not sure how to describe it. It's not like a shrimp or an oyster, it's like an opihi. Kind of chewy with a definite taste of the sea. Wasn't my thing, it tasted too, umm...I don't know it just didn't jive with my palate.



Roasting Marshmallows

After dinner it was dessert time. Among our choices we had Coco Puffs from Liliha Bakery, homemade pistachio cake, and fresh lychee. I had some of each but I was most excited for roasted marshmallows and s'mores. Oh yeah, that's right! I saw a bag of jumbo sized marshmallows earlier in the day and decided that was going to be my dessert and I made sure we had everything needed to make s'mores too. We got graham crackers and my brother brought some chunks of chocolate from the shop, which my dad grated into chocolate shavings. Forget Hershey's we got the good stuff! Dang, those white fluffs of heaven roasted up perfectly over the grill, oozed over the cracker, melted the chocolate, and fit perfectly on my taste buds. So good. Afterward, I was thoroughly stuffed, and looking forward to having another feast the next day at the Taste of Hawaii.

Roasted Pig with Flat-Bread

We got to Smith's Tropical Garden on Sunday soon after the doors opened. We were greeted by live music and peacocks followed by dozens of food vendors. The crowd wasn't too bad and I commenced stuffing my face, one sample at a time. There were various steak dishes, seldom pork offerings, a couple chicken plates, lots of seafood, a few desserts, some salads, and plenty of drinks. I tried just about everything and even though I'm not a huge seafood fan I still sampled it...hey gotta at least try it out right?

Bacon wrapped scallop



My favorite dish of the day was a simple one: roasted pig served with a piece of flat-bread. The pig was tender, juicy, and flavorful and the flat-bread complimented in nicely. One of the more refreshing dishes was a kale salad. It had bits of tomato, pineapple, and bacon in it. Hey, bacon makes everything better. Of the seafood I sampled I liked the grilled shrimp with a chipotle sauce on top of some kind of polenta thing. There were also a couple vendors serving scallops. One was a simple pan fried scallop with corn on some kind of sauce. Wasn't all that great. When I came to the next scallop vendor I thought about skipping it until I noticed it was grilled and wrapped in bacon. That one was awesome! Bacon really does make everything better.



Kale Salad with Bacon

Of the desserts, a couple stood out. One was a bread pudding with whiskey sauce. If you know anything about me, you know that anything whiskey automatically gets bumped a few notches higher on my list. The bread pudding itself was pretty good and the whiskey sauce might as well have just been whiskey because that's what it tasted like...and there's nothing wrong with that at all. Then there was Kawaii Cupcakes (I like the name). FYI, Kawaii, which sounds just like Kauai, is Japanese for cute. They offered mini-cupcakes in five different flavors: red velvet, lychee, lilikoi, smores, and key lime. I tried all of them and the lychee was my favorite.

Thai Iced Tea

The drink options were plentiful. The beers were good but honestly, when is beer not good? The most refreshing spirited drink of the day goes to the sangria. As for non-spirited drinks, there was a nice Thai iced tea. The people at Nani Moon were offering mead, which got me excited. When I hear mead I think of a strong, honey-flavored drink had by the Vikings...totally awesome. However, their mead wasn't like that. It was mixed with other flavors and fruits and things. Although not a Viking drink, there still was really good.

 

All and all it was a delicious day. I only managed one lap around the event and I was thoroughly stuffed. I had no room for seconds of anything. What a great weekend! Food, family, more food, and even more food. Eating epically, it's good from time to time :)

 

 

Taste of Hawaii

30 by 30

30 by 30

1. Publish my book
2. Win a jiu-jitsu match in competition
3. Shoot a desert eagle…the gun, not a bird
4. Go rock climbing
5. See a professional sports game
6. Watch a meteor shower
7. See a 20+ foot wave
8. Go to a concert…with a good band playing
9. Be part of a triathlon relay team
10. Play Hotel California all the way through…the acoustic version…on the guitar
11. Win a Texas Holdem poker tournament
12. Complete a Tough Mudder
13. Shoot a medieval style longbow
14. See a great-white shark…preferably from inside a steel cage
15. Swim with a turtle...again
16. Cliff dive
17. Begin writing my second book
18. Dip my fingers in the chocolate business
19. Bake a cake…I wonder if I can make it with whiskey...yeah, whiskey cake!!
20. Hike olomana…all 3 peaks
21. Scuba dive
22. Start a bon fire
23. Draw a gracie triangle in my facial stubble
24. Jump out of a plane…and land safely
25. Earn some $$ by writing
26. Create a video that gets 1000+ hits on YouTube
27. Mix a whiskey mint cocktail…that tastes awesome
28. Ride a Harley across a desert
30.  Participate in Run for your Lives...as a Zombie!

Red Hill Ridge Hike

Nice size group heading off

Group hike time again! It's been a while since my hiking buddies got together to actually hike and we had one heck of a group. 15 people!! And we had one heck of a hike. About 10 miles along mountain ridges starting at Moanalua Valley going up to the summit at the back of the valley, and then loop around another ridge back to the start.

Knowing how challenging this hike would be (10 miles is nothing to shrug at), I got me some new gear. First I got myself a camel back. Dang that thing made carrying and drinking water so much easier. Plus the pack had plenty of room for food and a jacket in case the weather turned bad. Next I got some pants. I always hiked in shorts and my legs always ended up all cut up from shrubs and thorns and I don't want that anymore. Good thing too because some of the ferns scratched up a lot of people and my legs were fine. The best part about the pants is they can convert to shorts too. Win win!

Camel back, good people!

 

We got started at Moanalua Valley Park and were immediately greeted by some steep inclines. The legs got to burning pretty quickly. Those familiar with the trail assured us that the first portion of the hike was the steepest. I'm glad they were right.

 

After a mile or so we got through the steep section and the view told us just how much we climbed. We were well above the valley floor and could see the ocean in the distance. Nice view, and nice sunny weather. Onto the ridge trail!

 

We followed the trail up...and up...and up some more. It wasn't really steep but it was all uphill. The trail wound through tunnels of trees and around lush hillsides. We came through one area that felt like a tree nursery. Young trees were growing, their trunks were no thicker than my arm, among older mature trees. It was like the parent trees were raising their young. It was a cool sight.

 

During a break she busted out her hiking food: pizza...Brilliant!!

There were a few rope sections. I like climbing up ropes. But it wasn't a vertical climb, more like a steeper than usual section with questionable footing. The rope helps to keep stable. There were a couple rope sections where the ropes served as handrails because the trail went across an open ridge. The kind of ridge where there's nothing on either side to hold onto and death awaits if you lose your footing and fall. The handrail ropes are a great idea.

 

The sun was growing hot and the question came up, would you rather have it hot and sunny or cloudy and rainy? Everybody I asked chose sunny because rain meant muddy trails...and mud sucks. It felt like the sky was listening to us because soon after that conversation some clouds rolled in and it started to rain. It was a “light shower” as the weatherman would say. I thought it was refreshing.

 

View from the top

We made it to the summit and enjoyed a nice view of the opposite side of the island. We hung out there for a while, relaxed, ate, took some pictures. My camel back was more than half full so I was feeling good about not running out of water. I ate an apple, some li hing mui mangoes, and beef jerky. Good lunch!

 

When it was time to continue on we went back the way we came for a bit then turned onto another trail that led down a different ridge. The rain had stopped and the sun was back out. The weather held for the rest of the hike. The trail led us down the ridge which offered some nice views of the valley. It took a while but we eventually hit the valley floor and followed a stream. A while later we hooked up with a road that led us back to where we started at Moanalua Valley Park.

 

Heading down the ridge

While following the road we spotted a rescue helicopter airlifting somebody out. It was crazy to see the helicopter fly off with somebody dangling from a rope. I kept thinking two things: 1) I hope whoever was rescued would be okay, and 2) how fun it would be to be attached to that rope and fly over the valley and city...ya know, unhurt. Towards the end of the road we ran into some pig hunters that had just hunted down a wild boar. After talking with them a bit we learned that one of their friends was the guy airlifted out. Apparently he was trying to kill the boar and somehow he and the boar fell off a 30 foot cliff. Again, I hope the guy is okay and heals up quickly.

We made it back to Moanalua Valley Park mid afternoon. We were hiking for a little over 6 hours. It was time to relax at the park's playground and have a mini celebration. Some brought out snacks, some brought out beer. I brought some coconut water and red wine. Cheers!

Good hiking everybody, looking forward to the next one!

Check out some video from the hike on my YouTube Channel: Click here

 

When a Pedestal Falls

Usually I try to keep my blogs positive, or at least introspectively neutral, but I fear this one may break that trend. Earlier today I was forwarded a news article about a guy I went to high school with. He was a senior when I was freshman. The guy, let's call him Bill (not his real name), was my brother's classmate and teammate on the soccer team. Bill barely knew me. If he knew me at all it was as “Pat's little brother.” But he was a guy I looked up to back then, first as a soccer player and then as a person. Somebody an intimidated little freshman wanted to be like. And today I learned that just last week Bill turned a gun on himself...he's gone.

In high school he was a role model. A scholar athlete, honor role student, respected by the teachers, respected by his classmates (probably the most remarkable thing I saw in him - let's face it in high school people barely respected one another), and he was a genuinely nice guy. Never saw him pick on an underclassmen even during the whole varsity hazing period at the start of the soccer season, which I as a junior-varsity newbie soccer player was grateful for. Bill had a good head on his shoulders. The guy was going places. What the hell happened??

Bill had joined the military, not sure which branch, and served in Iraq. The article alluded to him suffering from PTSD and depression as a result of his time abroad. Police responded to calls of him threatening suicide, Bill wanted to speak to a veteran and when negotiations didn't pan out he ended it. A single moment, and the young man I remember, a person to be looked up to, left us.

I've always admired those who serve in the military. Despite the person, the character it takes to put yourself on the line for the sake of the country or to defend what you believe in is an admirable quality. So I guess it was no surprise to learn Bill served. But dang...

We all suffer through dark times and low points. Some more than others. To reach a point so low, a place so dark that leaving life becomes a viable option is...well I don't even know how to describe it. Torturous maybe?

But to think, that standup guy is gone. A guy I admired even more than my big brother – ok well maybe not. I'll drop the anti-family facade, I've looked up to and admired my brother my entire life. Even still to this day whether he realizes it or not. Maybe that's the silver lining? A sobering reaction to a devastating tragedy. A sense of thankfulness to those who've ventured to those dark places and found their way back. I've found that those who do make it back shine brighter than others. And the world is better for it. I'm glad you stuck around, seriously.

My sincere condolences to Bill's family. And to Bill, I hope the torment has ended and that you have found peace.

St Paddy's Day 2013

Clovers, whiskey, and green, green, green everywhere. Surefire signs that St. Patrick's Day was upon us. This year presented an interesting challenge in that this sacred day fell on a Sunday...meaning I had to work the next day. Couldn't make it a full on late, epic night like last year. But it was pretty awesome nonetheless.

Totally Epic


The first solution to my Sunday dilema was rather simple: begin the festivities on Saturday. And so I did! I met up with Jen, Sterling, Laura at Jen's house to try out a new game. The game is called Drunk Quest. Yep, it's that kind of game. We had everything needed to play in the spirit of St. Paddy's Day: people, Irish music, corned beef, shepherds pie, awesome Guiness cupcakes, whiskey, and booze. Game on!



Drunk Quest is a card game. Kind of felt like some sort of Dungeons and Dragons kind of thing. We each had a character, cards that did things, and there were monsters that could only be killed by drinking. Does it make sense? It didn't for us. The directions didn't help for squat so things were pretty confusing and frustration at the start. But we had a spark of inspiration. The more we drink, the more it will make sense. Surprisingly that's exactly what happened. We went from scratching our heads about what the different numbers on the cards meant to being legendary heroes from the lands of Vodkarthage, Rumblood, and Highbottle on a quest to slay the beasts that threaten our kingdoms. The game turned out to be pure awesome. More must join us next time.


Tullamore Dew,
Optimus approved


On Sunday, the actuall St. Paddy's Day, the plan was to hit up the block party downtown. But of course I had to keep in mind that it was Sunday...work tomorrow. The plan was to get to the party before 6pm, check it out, and be out of there before 10pm.



Guess what's in the box!!

I met up with Kim, my partner in crime for all things intoxicated, and we started things off with a shot of whiskey. Tullamore Dew to be precise. St. Paddy's calls for a quality spirit. Then we hit up the block party. The first thing of note to happen was the guy who puked in the middle of the street. A surefire way to make a clearing at any party. And it wasn't even 6pm yet. Guy must have been having a rough day...or a really good one depending how you look at it. But the puke isn't what made it noteworthy, it was the fact that the street vendors "cleaned" it up by covering it with a cardboard box. I can hear the guys from the Guiness commercials screaming BRILLIANT!! Eventually the puke was washed away but we avoided that area for the rest of the night.


We met up with Marlon, who turns out to have a knack for getting lost. He disappeared a number of times and we kept having to find the guy. Anyway, we kept up a constant, but moderate, flow of whiskey and beer. Kim and I got some fake Jameson Whiskey tattoos. We strolled in and out of Murphys, meandered through the alley next to O'Toole's, and checked out all the green people were wearing. My favorites were the guy dressed as the riddler, and a big burly dude who dyed his beard bright green.





Rockin the fake Jameson tats

There were two stages set up. One had a live band, the other a DJ. I didn't feel like watching a leprauchan rave so to the live band we went! They were pretty good. They played classic rock like Pink Floyd, CCR, and they even had their own rendition of Hotel California called Hotel Honolulu. It was about how Hawaii weather is perfect, the cops are lazy, and white people lounge around an "inherited" paradise. Funny song.





A shot of the stage and the band

Downtown was crowded all night but it was the good kind of crowded. Everything was jovial and pleseant...and green. But as time went on more people spilled onto the road and as it was starting to feel more packed we felt it was time to leave. It was a little before 10pm, perfect timing! A good Irish-themed weekend with good people, good whiskey, and good times! Now if this fake Jameson tattoo will just wash off...good thing I didn't put it somewhere ridiculous like my neck. 


Myself, Marlon, and Kim
Cheers!!