There were no picnics, no fireworks, and in general, no mention of July 4th (I guess that’s what happens when you spend the holiday with people from Germany, Switzerland, England, and Canada), but I will say that it was one of the most memorable Independence day’s I’ve had.

Jessica and I piled into a van with 14 other people bound for the dormant volcano Haleakala on Tuesday. We were supposedly going to be going on a twelve- mile hike into and back out of the main volcanic crater. Looking in on the van though, you might not have thought hiking trip, maybe mall trip instead. Our group seemed a little less than prepared, which sort of baffled Jess and I. Who hikes 12 miles in converse shoes with a beer in hand?? I kept wanting to tell them, “you know that’s not really the best way to hydrate”….seriously people. Apparently that didn’t stop them though from kicking our butts in the hiking department, as Jess likes to point out. Most of them beat us by a good 25 minutes to the top…although I’m sticking to my, “it wasn’t a race story.” You know if it were a competition we would have won :) even if I had to carry Jessica on my back…who was such a trooper by the way, considering the fact that on the sleeping giant hike she had actually said, “I don’t think I’d ever want to go on an all-day hike” Sorry Jessica, did I not mention the 12 mile part?? Woops :).

So the hike was long, but pretty amazing. The views were spectacular, and it was just neat to be able to say I hiked into a volcano. The tour guide was super nice, although I don’t know if I would call him a guide…..He put on his headset and charged ahead like a mountain goat…stopping for cigarettes along the way…speaking in a heavy, although very sexy, accent that I couldn’t ever understand…..so the education part was a bit limited, but he did show me a rare “volcano only” plant called the silversword which was kind of cool, and he gave me a piece of chocolate which helped him score some good bonus points.

We spent a good bit of the trip talking with a guy named Daniel from Manchester England. He currently lives in Paris, and had some interesting things to say about Americans, politics, music, and his crazy life style (I’m constantly amazed at how different peoples’ views are from mine…..it was, to say the least, eye opening conversation…. at times, completely hilarious. The guy was so witty.

The hike out of the volcano was the most strenuous. It was the last 4 miles, mostly uphill, and with the altitude (9,000 ft), it was kind of difficult, but we were literally in the clouds! The cloud mist tickled my nose, a sensation I can’t say I’ve ever had before. After the hike we drove another couple hundred feet to the summit to watch the sunset in the clouds. It was beautiful and freezing. I felt close to my dad there…almost thought he would walk across the clouds to come say hi….

I tried to carry a rock out of the park as a souvenir, but got yelled out (I had already put a small one in my backpack though which I conveniently forgot about…I do feel a bit guilty now….do you think security will hold me in Hawaii?? That may not be a bad thing, come to think about it:).) I did get some good pics, and my calves have never been so sore….a constant reminder of the “fun” I had. Can’t really complain though, it was quite an experience. As I type this I’m drinking a hot chocolate from the “Bad Ass” coffee company, and I can’t help but think it’s kind of appropriate for this post. I think hiking through a volcano 12 miles is pretty “Bad Ass”, and it made for one heck of a memorable Independence Day!