Happy Trails Hawaii
USA | Tuesday, 5 May 2015 | Views [123] | Scholarship Entry
To most, “Waimea Bay” stirs images of surfers gliding across jeweled colored water with waves crashing loudly on the beaches of Hawaii’s North Shore. I, however, am instantly brought back to the seat of a leather saddle, weaving through the trees on horseback along the mountains above Waimea Bay.
Out of all of the experiences that I had in Hawaii, the trail rides provided a connection to the island that I still crave years later.
If your starting point is in Waikiki, then the further you drive away from the high energy of Kalakaua Avenue, the finer tuned you will become to the natural beauty of Hawaii. From the rainforests and delicious tasting air by the waterfalls, to the prickly fields of pineapples, the islands are indisputably beautiful.
But there high above Waimea Bay, is a quiet and soulful kind of beauty.
You turn off Kam Highway and further off the beaten path, you trade your car for a horse. (No actual trading; it’s just a tour.)
At the trail’s start, you are hugged by trees that are much more substantial than the typical palm tree often associate with Hawaii. Someone once asked me what I loved most about Hawaii, and my answer came quickly with absolute certainty; I loved the trees. These trees have been sculpted by years of wind twisting their branches in a way that seems as if someone had choreographed each and every dramatic turn. If a hyper lapsed video existed of these beauties from sapling to current day, it would rival any prima ballerina’s best performance.
That is the kind of untouched beauty that you discover throughout the trails, stopping to taste fresh and tart passion fruit growing along the way. Every once in a while, the dirt trail opens up wide, offering you a panoramic view of the North Shore and the Pacific Ocean stretching out into oblivion.
Perhaps some of the connection has to do with the horses themselves. This is an excursion that you experience with another living, breathing, creature as your companion. You are in control of your horse, but the partnership between you both is simply about trust. Sometimes the beauty along the trail steals your attention away, and you allow yourself to be guided by this magnificent creature. This experience between you, your horse and the land is what creates this long lasting connection, as if the island itself left a beautiful red dirt stain upon your memories. Well, at least it did in my case.
Tags: 2015 Writing Scholarship
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