The forbidden trail

by Delfina Gimenez (Australia)

I didn't expect to find USA

My friend Maria and I had booked our flights to Hawaii on a flash sale before easter. I always knew it would be an emotional trip for me, as I had been there with my ex fiancé, and there were lots of memories attached to every corner of Oahu. I had everything carefully planned for the days we were going to spend there as there was a lot for Maria to see. We left Sydney on a Friday evening and landed in Honolulu on that same day. No matter where you go, leaving Australia is always painful in terms of jet lag. That night, we went for dinner and got served by this curious girl from Massachusetts. She was so interested in knowing where we were from, and was asking all sort of questions about our plans for the week. Sydney inhabitants are well known for being fitness fanatics, so she mentioned her and her group of friends were going to attempt the Stairway to heaven trail the following morning, and asked if we were keen. I had been doing research on this path for years. But as Maria is not a big fan of sports, it never crossed my mind mentioning it. But there we were, talking about it with our new friend Hilary and making plans to join them. I immediately knew that meeting her was a sign, and that I had to do that hike no matter what. It took me no time to convince Maria, after not mentioning this hike was forbidden, and that the fine for getting caught could be up to $1000 USD. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have done it. Maria is my conscious side. People like me, always need a Maria in their lives, just to get that right balance. The following morning, we met our new friends at the designated spot. Jose was our guide for the day. He had lived in Oahu for more than 15 years, and dedicated his life to explore every corner of the island. He knew that if we did it through the back, we wouldn't get caught. By 7am we were on our way. It seemed like an easy walk with no challenges at all. As we were going up, the path started getting more and more challenging. In Hawaii rain is a common thing at some point during the day, which is why the soil is always wet and slippery, which doesn’t make it any easier. Climbing our way through the deep green jungle felt amazing. At times, Maria and I would look at each other thinking we wouldn’t make it, especially because we knew that the real challenge would be coming down through the steep slippery jungle. At all times we encouraged each other to keep going, we were a true dream team. I can’t describe the feeling of reaching the summit 5 hours later. We were above the clouds, we could see helicopters flying below us, the ocean, mountains, motorway and all the tiny Hawaiian houses. It was a dream come true, an item ticked off my personal bucket list. We stayed up there for a good hour, went down a few steps and breathed life. I always think how amazing it is to be able to share such a highlight in your life with people that go from strangers to friends for life overnight. The way down was harder than expected. Suddenly hanging from a rope that could easily break, made me question many things and certainly appreciate life in a different way. I was thankful for Jose at all times, as he had to put up with some tears but managed to persuade me to keep going, and always believe in myself. 3 hours later, we were finally back at the start point. It was a huge celebration. It´s been almost 2 years now since that day, and we are all still friends. No matter where we end up, or how many years go by, we will always remember that trip. Hawaii will always remember me to the trip where I healed, overachieved a personal mark, and made one of the best memories of my 2018.