By Editor In Chief, Editor-in-chief
"My grandma can do this." The comic graffiti etched on the step in front of me helps to numb the burn in my legs and the solar blast radiating around me. I can taste the thickness of the air and I suddenly wish I had consumed a little more water that day. "Oh well, I'm almost there," I think to myself. I take one last look at the message left by a previous hiker before continuing to the top. I smile out of the corner of my mouth and sigh, "Yeah, I'd like to see that."
The deserted railroad tracks that climb Koko Head on the island of Oahu are misleading. At first glance, one would consider a Hawaiian hike consisting of 1,008 nearly vertical steps to be nothing more than a sunny afternoon on a Stairmaster. But take note, my friends, this was not the case. It was far more challenging than we had anticipated, but the treasure waiting at the top made it worth every moment.
I've never seen anything quite like that view. I've been atop many peaks in my adventures, but nothing compares to the vibrant and utterly captivating shorelines that dazzled my vision that day. The harmonious combinations of aquamarine and emerald waters were like a visual melody to me; like music to the eyes.
It's in moments like these that I am reminded of how the wonder of God's creation never ceases to amaze me. My mind drifts back to what was written on that rock: "My grandma can do this." And although I doubt the hiker before me was literal in his engraving, I cannot help but hope that she too climbed her way to the top and immersed herself in the beauty that is Mother Nature.
