Fear and Darkness 5.0, A Hawaiian adventure

   Dressed in dollar store flip flops, swap meet shorts and t-shirt, I trudged through the mist, drizzle and darkness of a tropical rain forest. In the late afternoon shade, the sun would occasionally show itself in full glory bringing a richness to the Hawaiian landscape. Every few minutes I would catch a glimpse of my 4 year old daughter Journey perched on the shoulders of my friend Ric. Each time my son, on my shoulders, a year younger and 20 lbs heavier would  whisper "Journey all right, daddy?" "Yes A', I patiently replied Journey's OK! We should be near the end of this trail soon. Journey and Ric will be there when we get there".  But each time we spotted them they were further and further ahead. I was slipping and sliding on the damp, muddy forest floor. Ric confidently ahead in his hiking boots.
  I'm not an outdoors person. Except for an occasional round of golf and walking the dog I don't go outside unless its to and from my car. As a child in the suburban wilds of Cleveland I loved being outdoors until mid August, when the heat and allergies drove me back in to the comfort of my books and the television. Oh, I had done the obligatory few years in the Boys Scouts where I had learned some rudimentary woodscraft. All of this promply forgotten when my family moved back to LA in 1968. In the suburbs of Los Angeles I didn't have much chance to practice those skills honed through years of disuse and neglect. So what the hell was I doing in a tropical rain forest following Ric and Journey into a deepening twilight? I was following Ric! Mary, Ric's wife, once told me that the reason she loved Ric was that she never knew what would happen next. Ric made everthing an adventure. I wasn't in love with the guy but I followed along because he was always confident in his ability to get through. No matter what.

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    So on a beatuiful Hawaiian afternoon I suggested we have a picnic up at Keaiwa Heinau State Park north of Honolulu. The women demurred preferring to stay at home with Maire, Mary and Ric's first born, just a little bit more than a year old. Ric and I decided to take my two kids to play up at the park. All was well, we let the kids romp for awhile then headed back toward the car. Ric spotted a hiking trails sign and lush, green misty, beautiful hell broke loose. "Lets go on one of these trails" I looked at the sign, I looked at my flip flop clad feet. I looked at the sign, and I said "Well this one is 7 miles. Thats too far, the kids will never make it. So he suggested the short two mile trail . I looked at the sign I looked at my feet, looked at my watch and said "Okay! I don't think that will be a problem but be prepared to carry the kids for awhile"

 A couple of hours later dressed in rapidly failing flip-flops, slipping and sliding through the forest with Aidan on my shoulders I am cursing the day I met Ric. I knew we had gotten off the short trail. My flip flops finally broke leaving me barefoot in the mud, the drizzle and the vanishing daylight. Ric and Journey soon vanished into the distance Ric confidently marching along. A' started to cry "Where's Journey Daddy?"  I consoled him as much as possible and kept trudging onward.  Finally I broke out from underneath the forest canopy, still just enough light to see. I knew I was completely off the trail. Lost on the ridges somewhere. One thing gave me some hope. I have a good sense of direction and knew I was roughly headed back toward the park I just wasn't sure where in the park. I thought of going back, That scared me more than going onward.
A short time later, frightened as I could be, poor little Aidan up on my shoulders being brave for the both us as we made our way through the brush at the top of the ridge. Just the occasional "Daddy, we're lost"  through the sniffles and the tears". "Don't worry A'we will will be okay. Just a little farther". Suddenly from above "Daddy I see lights", I did too. We were in a new housing development on the periphery of the park. I knew exactly where we were. A short time later, the four of us were reunited. Aidan and I soaking wet, Ric and Journey safe and dry. A few minutes later we were home to a great meal  and a few cold ones.
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