Lion Face

Lemon Face

Finding a shady spot.

Hard at play.

Happy 4th of July.

I took this on Waikiki Beach after the epic 4th weekend. After posting it on Facebook, some folks really seemed to “like” it (pun intended), but I actually thought it was kind of simple. Either way, it was a nice cap off to a weekend I won’t forget. Until next year that is. Happy Fourth everyone!

We were only able to hike four miles in, but we enjoyed every second of it. Thank you for checking out the video, I hope it gives you some incentive to visit the amazing island of Kaua’i.

(I’m not sure what this post is about really. It might be a journal entry that turned into a blog update I suppose. Regardless, I wrote it after a heavier surf session than I was used too. I surfed a break that attracts a large crowd of high quality surfers, on a day that brought in waves that were bigger than I was used too. It took my breath away.)

It’s bigger out here tonight. All the good surfers that make you wish you were better are out, don’t get in there way. You ran out of work to beat the traffic and then continued running to the beach, don’t waste the effort. Breathe.

Paddling out felt like a blur. I just kept watching these bomb sets roll in again and again. I watched these amazing surfers ride these giant waves to perfection. No hesitation, just reaction. Once I found a place in the lineup I realized the crowd was big, bigger than usual. I look around and remind myself to breathe.

First set rolls in and it’s big. Let it pass. Look around. Watch what the wave does. Watch what the forty or so surfers do. Get in position. Find your spot. Breathe.

Second set rolls in, it’s bigger. Don’t rush it, a lot of people have been out here waiting longer than you. Don’t worry about the Sun setting, you have plenty of time to catch your wave. Focus on your position. The wind picks up. Stop shivering, you live in Hawaii. Breathe.

A few more sets roll in, they’re not as big so you paddle for them. Nine other surfers have a similar idea. You don’t catch anything except for maybe a little spray to the face. Turn around and get back in position. You paddle for a few others but you’re out of position again. This is sloppy, get back to your spot. Wait for your wave, stop thinking so much. Breathe.

Forty-five minutes have passed and no rides. There were opportunities but they were missed. Some because of hesitation, others because of fear. I’m starting to wonder if I belong at this break or not. Stop wondering and surf.

There’s an opening, swell coming my way. It’s overhead for sure but I can’t tell by how much. Go. Breathe, but go. Look to your left, nobody, this is your wave. Look to the right, three surfers thinking the same thing. Dig. Paddle harder. Pop up, and ride.

Quiet. All I can hear is my own breathing. This wave is perfect, the ride feels like forever. I can’t stop smiling, so I remind myself to breathe…

For those of you who are not familiar with the Hōkūle’a mission, it is to sail around the world in a canoe that is free of any modern technical advancements. This means the success of the mission relies on the crew and its knowledge of navigation via the stars. No easy task to say the least.

I was fortunate enough to be a guest upon the canoe they call the Hōkūle’a, to understand better what their mission and goals are as an awareness campaign. What I learned is that the crew is made up of passionate and impressive lovers of the ocean and the history and culture of Hawaii. I learned that the Hōkūle’a is fueled by the passion of sustainability, not just for Hawaii but the entire world. “If we view our Earth as an island, our only voyaging canoe in the sea of space, it becomes apparent that we must change course to ensure a healthy, sustainable world.”

The group of people I met on the canoe carried the true spirit of what I interpret to be the spirit of Aloha. They were warm, receptive, and happy to share their knowledge and passion of the Hōkūle’a and its mission. They were truly genuine, and when you encounter that it becomes contagious.
Although warm and receptive, the crew was also very quick to put the new crew members to work. This is me trying to master the art of steering the Hōkūle’a, while at the same time pretend that my arms weren’t tired. I don’t believe I’m doing a very good job at either of the tasks.

We learned a little of what it takes to make the Hōkūle’a sail, how to navigate by the stars and what stories are associated with certain constellations based on Hawaii beliefs. I’ll be honest, some of the Hawaii stories are more entertaining than their Greek counterparts, and so are the storytellers who shared them.
Although this post is not as timely as it should have been (I really need to get better about that) the subject matter could not be more perfect for what is happening today. At the release of this post, an oil slick covering 2,500 square miles of ocean (and growing) is the nerve shattering reminder that our Earth is continually being endangered by its population. To truly be amazed at the magnitude of this spill, compare the spill to the size of your local town by using the application called the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Map, which I found on the Hawaii Blog.

The Hōkūle’a message could not be more critical of a movement, in a more critical point in time. After all, we’re all in this one canoe called Earth together.

To stay up to date with the Hōkūle’a and its powerful message, please visit their site, their Twitter page, and their Facebook page. Mahalo.

My personal favorite was the line about how Apple needed to get angry at the right people. For instance, AT&T. A company synonymous for ruining the iPhone in one critical way, having it work as a phone.

Enjoy.

Disclosure, I love my Mac. No seriously, this post was written on one.

Also, good on Droid for buying the media space after this segment. Genius (but not the Apple kind).

One day maybe, but unfortunately I haven’t made a strong enough commitment to pursue climbing in Hawaii (other than the black rocks at Waimea) but that’s something I’m planning on changing really soon.

On this one day we got a chance to climb with some sizable swell to our backs. Mark and Suzi were visiting us from Colorado and although Mark wanted to surf, Suzi wanted Mark to live. Being that the three of us were all climbing guides in the Adirondacks, some bouldering at Waimea turned out to be a great (and safe) alternative.
Pipeline in all its glory, firing barrel after wicked barrel.

Waimea wasn’t so glorious that day, but it was big. So big that most of the beach was closed to the public and almost nobody was in the water. Except of course for the crazies that enjoy getting pounded into the sand by some 20+ foot beach break. Somehow, you can’t help but appreciate it.

Mark OPT trying to get a better look at the waves (while simultaneously trying to show off his bouldering skills).

Things can get pretty competitive when you pin ex-teammates back together again.

Some others joined in the fun, and some climbed too high and needed our help to get down.

We had a blast with Mark and Suzi… wish you were still, here.

The South by Southwest Interactive, Film, and Music Festival is absolutely nutty to say the least. In a single melting pot of geeks, film nuts, and music Gods, I stood in the center overwhelmed by both visual and audio overload. This event moves hard and fast (keep the minds out of the gutter shall we?) and “…if you don’t stop and take a look around every once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Beuller.

The event has something for everyone, I myself was torn between the interactive panels and the ones that incorporated elements of film. For every slot I found myself interested in 4-6 different topics and having to narrow it down to one. There was a nice mix of panel presentations, keynotes, and group discussion events to attend. The topics covered social media, design and development, digital marketing and promotion, and your basic inspirational, “get off your ass and do it” type of keynotes. I’ll admit that some of the panels lacked some technical knowledge (a common complaint that you’ll find from some SXSW haters out there) but there were always concepts or inspiration to take away from the lesson.

Photo by Bill Oriani

The people were awesome. At a conference full of cell phones and laptops, not once did I hear a phone go off during a session. It shows the respect for the conference by the attendees in many ways. The people were friendly, knowledgeable, and always willing to talk shop and strategy on a variety of topics. Although I don’t consider myself the best of networkers, I did leave the conference with a ton of new contacts, and even some new friends (awww).

Photo by iheartsewing

The SXSW nightlife. What can I say? Take SXSW out of the equation and Austin is still a entertaining place to visit. The food, the music, the people, all great reasons to go. Thanks to the generous folks over at the Rubicon Project, I was lucky enough to party at Lance Armstrong’s Bike Shop in Austin called Mellow Johnny’s. Other than being slapped on the wrist for touching Lance’s bike a couple of times, the party was good fun. Buffalo Billiards was a bar I dug because it had foosball tables, pool tables, and good beer. It was lacking the live music which you can get at about thirty other bars down 6th. As for the food, Ironworks blew me away. A pound of ribs, half pound of sausage, two potato salads, a corn cob, and some beer. Night, night.

I leave Austin with inspiration. I have the opportunity to share all I’ve learned with Anthology Marketing and rally our team to do even more amazing work in 2010. I’m looking forward to it. And hopefully… I’ll look forward to SXSW 2011.

Going.

Going.

Still going.

Gone.

Honeymooning.

Stoked.

Some surf, n’ sunsets.

This peak was no picnic. After two moderate peaks, this one takes it to the next level. After completing the second peak you have to rappel down a rocky path using a rope that someone (I hope they were good at tying things) tied onto a tree. The decent from Peak 2 to Peak 3 is the greatest elevation drop of all the ones you have to take. Then of course you have to climb Peak 3, which is the steepest and most difficult of them all. It’s steep, rugged, and definitely not for the beginner hiker. My only tip is to bring lots of extra water, and make sure you save some energy for the way back.  Also…  it’s one of the most fun hikes I’ve done on Oahu so go train, and go kill it!

The decent begins.

Jack going down.

After a tricky decent, the real challenge begins.

What goes down, must come up.

Sick photo op.

David Chat, deep in thought, and stuff.

A fellow hiker offered to take a shot of the Olomana Crew, we accepted.

Captain Jack.

Chat thinking twice about another risky drop.

Ropes make these drops a little less scary. A little.

A view along the way.

The Beast itself.

That’s all folks!

5:00 am. We got up and packed. Kim was barely awake when we jumped into the car. I was too excited to notice if I was tired or not. The day before was big, bigger than it had been in years, but still not big enough. Some people thought that the event should have went off the day before, but they decided to wait one more day. I was happy that they did.

We picked up Neal who was packed to the brim with camera equipment and food, and we headed out. Although we agreed to drive up either way, I was really hoping for the chance to see one of the most unique and memorable sporting competitions to go live. We lucked out.
We parked 3 miles away from Waimea, grabbed our coolers and some bags, and started walking.
Some folks rode bikes.
It was crowded when we got there, at 5:45am. It stayed crowded until about 5:45pm.
It was crowded in the water too. At this point, none of the Eddie competitors were out there yet. Nuts.
Some guys caught some waves. I caught some photos.
A rare single surfer on a good size wave.
Some of these waves were not meant to be ridden.
A room with a view.
A view.
Our view of Wiamea Beach Park below. We were up on the ridge. The mezzanine section, if you will.
More waves.

Dicey closeout potential.
More crowds.
And some more.
Down at base camp.
I wonder if he’s any good? (That’s Greg Long, he ended up catching the event winning wave).
Neal watching another bomb go off.
Another bomb going off.
More rides.

Kelly Slater riding in a 98 point wave! Nearly a perfect ride, all the way into shore.

@NealKido got some video of the memorable ride.

Some more footage captured by our friends over at the Surfboard Shack.

Amazing experience… mahalo.