Log 72: TBI + The Gathering Place
Breathtakingly vast. That's how I would describe Hawaii’s big island. Lucas and I set aside a few days at the end of our time here to visit our old high school teacher, Adam Ruderman. Mr. Ruderman lives in a town called Waimea, which is a midpoint between the two major (“major”) cities on the island - Kona and Hilo. If I wandered into Waimea without knowing any better, I might mistake it for a small town in Minnesota.
There are no palm trees in sight, just basic coniferous and deciduous varieties. Nearly everyone drives a pickup truck or some other breed of all terrain vehicle. There are acres and acres of farming and cattle land. Thanks to Hong Kong’s introduction of deer to the island as a gift to King Kamehameha V in the 1800s, they even have a big hunting scene!
Lucas and I met Ruderman for dinner at a brewery the evening we arrived on TBI, and for breakfast the following morning. He took us on a tour of the K-12 school that he now works at - Parker School.
It's small. Like, 20 kids per class small. Mr. Ruderman's room is full of all kinds of student made projects, gifts, and works of art. One wall is dedicated to displaying what he calls a “web of voices” - basically a discussion map. It all looked so different, yet so similar to his old classroom at Breck. Sitting in that empty room, it was clear to see that Adam was just as important to this school’s ecosystem as he was to Breck’s. He makes a real impact on students, everywhere he goes. Maybe I'd like to do that.
Our last day on the island was spent exploring Hilo. We visited a few waterfalls, as well as the Kaumana Caves, a series of underground lava tubes formed by Mauna Loa’s last eruption in 1881. Inside, it was quiet, and pitch black, save for the occasional natural skylight overhead. Driving back across the island at night, the stars looked incredible.
The following morning, Lucas and I packed up our things once more, and flew from Hilo to Honolulu for the final leg of our journey. I spent the first two days with my mom’s high school best friend and her family, touring around Oahu, visiting beautiful beaches, and even getting a little surfing in. After that, I moved into a hostel with Lucas for two nights.
Our flight back to Minneapolis leaves in a few hours. I can't wait to be home, back amongst family and friends. But at the same time, I can't quite believe I'm leaving. “Bittersweet” has never been a more appropriate descriptor.
Highlight: Our final evening on the big island, Lucas and I drove out to the middle of the countryside, climbed up one of the many vibrant, green hills to watch the sunset, Mauna Loa on our left, Mauna Kea on our right, and nothing but ocean ahead. I pride myself on having a brutally well scaled sunset ranking system, but this one was a 10/10 - no question. We sat in silence for a while, taking in the sky.
As I gazed ahead, my eyes were drawn to a light gray/blue spot in the sky just to the left of Mauna Kea. With the colors of the sunset at full strength, even squinting, I couldn't quite tell what it was. But the longer I looked at it, the more it bothered me. Something about that little splotch just looked so… familiar? Then my chest tightened.
“It's Haleakala,” I breathed.
A quick check with Google Maps confirmed that we were just far enough west of Mauna Kea to be able to see Maui’s highest peak in the distance, 100 miles away.
