Hiking Up Memories



Taken the last time we went hiking.
March 31, 2007



About three months ago, I was doing some summer cleaning when I came across a paper: an old college assignment. 

During my freshmen year of college, I had to write about a family tradition for my English 100 class.  I thought it would be awesome to write about hiking with my family.  After pondering over why I loved hiking with my famiy, I wrote something simple yet meaningful:

Hiking Up Memories

Written on January 29, 2008

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I will always remember going on long hikes with my family.  I was in the first grade when we first discovered the hiking trail on Schofield near Kolekole Pass.  Since then, we have climbed to the top countless times.  I have probably hiked up that trail more than the number of times I have done my own laundry.



There are many things that make hiking a family activity that I will always remember.  Racing my older brother to the top, enjoying snacks with my family, and making sure wild pigs don't attack us are some of them.  Most importantly, it helps bring me closer to my family.  Reaching the top is something we accomplish together.



Reaching the top is always the best part of the hike.  Butterflies and dragonflies flutter about and the clouds roll along in the blue sky above.  All around, the bushes and wild grass swing side to side with the calm breeze.  Looking down one side of the mountain you see the town of Wahiawa and the pineapple fields.  On the other side, you can see the beach and the ocean.  I feel like the king of the world up there; yet at the same time, it is humbling to see how small you are compared to everything else.

Once when we went hiking, my aunt Remy followed along.  She brought along a video camcorder and recorded us hiking to the top.  I remember thinking to myself that I will probably watch that video someday and laugh at myself. 

I was right.



When I look back and watch the video, it makes me laugh to see how silly me and my siblings were as we hiked up the mountain that day.  I hope that my future is filled with fun adventures, just like when I go hiking with my family.

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My little brother walked into my room and saw the paper on my bed.  He asked if he could read it.  I said sure and he eagerly grabbed the paper and went into the living room.  I heard my little brother, sister, and my dad laughing as they read my paper. 

A few weeks later, my sister read the paper again.  I could see the smile on her face as she read it.  She told me afterwards that she enjoys reading it. 

I know why.  It's the same reason why I enjoy reading it:  We had fun going on those family hikes.

I miss going hiking up there.  The last time I went hiking there was when I about to graduate from high school (around the time that I came out to my dad).  I have a feeling that we'll be going hiking up there sometime soon.  I'll keep my fingers crossed.



Me dancing while eating a corndog.
I look so silly haha.
Taken from the video that my aunt Remy took.



P.S.  This is the same hike that I mentioned in A Memorable Graduation. 

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The Sketch of Another Tree

I'm feeling the sleepiness setting in but I want to post this before going to bed. 

As a result, I am here on my laptop and drinking hot cocoa again (just like this). 
Mmmm.




I feel the same way as the yellow M&M.
But before I go to bed, here is the story of what happened...

 

I was surprised earlier when my mom told me that she's leaving in a few hours to fly to the Philippines.  She said she'll be there for thirty days.  I was a little taken back; I knew that she likes to go on vacations, but I had no clue that she would be leaving for one so soon.  I'm pretty sure she hasn't told anyone else in the family.

After she told me this, I helped her tape up the cardboard box that she'll be taking with her on her trip.  After we were done taping it up, she said she was going to go to bed and she left the living room.

I stared at the box. 

I was thinking about how I hope my mom has a safe trip and also about how plain the box looked.  I took a marker from my art supply box and began to make a sketch on her box.  I remembered how special the drawing from The Sketch of a Tree was to me so I drew a tree again.  It took me about three minutes to complete and I felt better afterwards.

Now my mom's box didn't look so plain. 

My younger brother walked into the living room a couple minutes later and saw the box.  He must have realized that mom was going on another one of her spontaneous vacations.  Then he saw the sketch.

"Did you draw that?"

I told him yes.

"I like it.  It's really nice."

I couldn't help but smile.  Not only was I ecstatic to suddenly not feel annoyed by him - as I had been for the whole day - but I had also been thinking the same thing. 

My mom's going to love seeing that sketch on her box.




The sketch I made on my mom's cardboard box.





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The Sketch of a Tree

I was about to go to sleep, but something just happened that made me smile. 
As a result, I am here on my laptop writing about it 
and drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows.  Mmmm.

I really want to post this before going to bed.
Here's what happened...


Earlier yesterday I saw my younger brother's white board lying around.  Written on it were a couple of words that nearly took up all the space.  I saw - however - that there was just enough space in the upper right-hand corner for me to make a quick sketch.  In less than two minutes I had sketched a tree. 

I stared at it for a while.  "Not bad for a sketch," I thought to myself.  I left the white board lying around and forgot all about it.

Throughout the rest of the day, my younger brother dished out a couple mildly-mean remarks at me.  He does that sometimes.  Apparently I'm a fat person, lazy and ugly, etc.  Maybe he just enjoys kidding around and means nothing by his criticisms, but it is difficult to tell sometimes.  It bothers me, because I want him to look up to me, not look down on me. 

I was just about to go to sleep when I saw the white board next to my younger brother's bed.  He had erased everything on it...

Except for my sketch.

A smile spread across my face when I saw that.  I quickly found my camera and snapped a picture of it.  This sketch is worth remembering.

Maybe my little brother looks up to me after all.



The little sketch I made on my younger brother's white board.

 
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The Giant Wave

My dad is a veteran fisherman and enjoys going on day-long fishing trips to his favorite beaches.  When me and my siblings were kids - I have an older brother, an older sister, and a younger brother - he would often bring us along.   These fishing trips were simply fun.  No stress involved.  Just pack a cooler full of snacks and drinks and we were good to go.  This is the story of what happened at the beach one day...


Our troubles were melting away.

My dad was leisurely fishing on the beach as us kids played to our hearts' content.  The four of us ran lightly through the sand, carefree and wild with jubilation.  We had conquered the deserted stretch of beach and we ruled the land. 

The waves were particularly strong on this day.  They roared and taunted us, daring us to get a little wet and a little messy.  We graciously accepted the challenge and began to build a wall of sand near the water's edge.  Our wish was to shut out the waves, hold them hostage in the sea, and prevent them from reaching beyond our barricade.

The waves, however, were enraged by our intentions and refused to be held by prison walls. They began to unleash unforgiving power on to our wall.  The water boiled in the ocean, shot like fireballs onto the shore, and hurdled into our blockade.  We felt the ground shaking beneath our feet.  I used to be scared of the waters at times like these; they looked ready to eat me alive.

The four of us became comrades in this battle against the sea.  We frantically assembled a much-needed defense.  My older brother and I vigorously threw sand into heaping piles.  My sister and younger brother swiftly patted down the sand and shaped the blockade into a solid, shielding C-shape.  We had to hurry; the tide was quickly rising.

The waves had rapidly evolved into ghastly, terrorizing monsters.  They lurked in the sea before rushing forward to swallow our wall.  The waves devoured chunks at a time and greedily came back to gobble more.  The blockade was hopelessly falling victim to the brutality.

My siblings and I were struggling to keep the wall up. 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw my dad walking toward us, carrying his fishing gear and smiling.  I thought he would laugh at us and keep walking in search of fish.  Suddenly - to our shock and delight! - my dad abandoned his fishing gear, ran over, and started to help us build the wall. 

A smile spread across my face.

The five of us did our best to keep the wall up, but eventually a giant wave came and demolished the whole thing.  Our clothes were soaked with water and covered with sand.  The battle had been fun and entertaining though and we laughed like hyenas afterwards.  The five of us had lost the fight, but we had each other and that was all that seemed to matter in the world.

"C'mon guys!  Let's go home," my dad said with a smile.
Together we headed home as the sleepy sun began to set.

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