My Hawaii Trip Part 3

I didn't get to go camping in Hawaii like I'd hoped, but that didn't stop me from playing with the local flora and fauna. There were so many plants with long blade-like leaves. Every time I looked at them I wanted to make cordage. You can see how I did this in my previous post about making cordage from yucca leaves. I tested a few different types of leaves. Some were definitely too weak to be much good, but I was able to make a decent piece of cordage from one type I found at the beach.

While I was in Hawaii, I finished the bow I made for Jon. It was a little difficult to get it down to it's final weight because I didn't have a scale to determine the draw weight. My target weight was between 50-55 lbs and the only way I could really tell was from comparing it to what I remember my bow feeling like. That and I also shot the 50-55 lbs spined arrows to see how they flew. I think the bow may be a little heavy, but it shot pretty well. I put 4 of 6 arrows through a beer can from 15 yards. The bow is made from Osage wood. I finished the handle by wrapping it in leather and adding an arrow rest.


We set up a little range on the side of Jon's house. It was fun to shoot unopened Diet Pepsi cans. They had a case of them and no one at the house drinks diet.


Before I left for Hawaii, I made earrings and a necklace for Carrie. All three pieces of jewelry had a knapped piece of colored glass as the focal point. Here you can see the earrings with light blue arrow heads. I don't have a picture of the necklace, but it has an orange arrow head that matches Carrie's hair.


This was a cat trap Uncle Sam had in his front yard. There are lots of wild cats on Maui. I'm not sure what he does with them when he catches them. I don't think I want to know.


My last night there Uncle Moe came by after hunting that morning. He showed us the crazy guns he has. One was a cross between a rifle and a hand gun if you can picture that. He also showed us the mountain goat he killed that morning. He said he took it down from 173 yards. It's pretty big for the area.


Sunday I will start my 7th class at the Tracker School. This time it will be the Urban Scout class. I'm not totally sure what to expect since the class has never been taught before. I'll be sure to post something when I get back.

My Hawaii Trip Part 2

The day before the wedding (my birthday) we went to Iao Valley for the rehearsal dinner. We had a picnic there with all kinds of delicious food including sushi, Teriyaki beef, pineapple and ribs. The scenery was beautiful. In the picture below is the Iao Needle. There were several locals jumping into the pool below the bridge. There were a few young girls who stood on the outside of the fence on the bridge for at least 20 minutes as if they were going to jump. I got sick of waiting, but when I came back later some guy jumped onto the top of the rail and then over the edge without hesitation.


The wedding took place on Thursday the 8th of June. It was at Jon's friend Kerith's parents' house up in the hills. The view was great because you could see both the ocean and mountains. Jon's brother Chris performed the wedding. As you can see by the attire it was a somewhat casual wedding. The wedding party was all barefoot. Jon's uncles hiked into the hills to get the plants used to make the traditional leis the men wore.


The wedding party from left to right (Chris, Carrie's brother Andy, Me, Jon, Carrie, Jon's sister Kimmy, Jon's cousin Melissa)


Here is the whole group. We were worried that it was going to rain, but luckily it didn't. The clouds did provide for a dramatic backdrop.


My last night there we went to a traditional dancing celebration. I was kind of like line dancing, but using Hawaiian dance moves. The trick was to find an old lady who knew the moves and mimic her.


After the ceremony we went back to Jon's house and had a few shots.


My last day we went to the beach again. A few of us went snorkeling by the rocks you can see in the background. It was cool to see so many species of fish in their natural habitat. It's interesting to think that anyone can go snorkeling at the beach for free.


In a few days I'm going to write one more blog about Hawaii from a survival perspective. Stay tuned.

My Hawaii Trip Part 1

I've been in Hawaii now for over a week for my friend Jon's wedding. The first few days I spent at various beaches getting tan and sunburnt. I still have a big red spot on the center of my back where I can't reach. The waves at this beach could get over ten feet high. They broke right on the shore though so when I tried to ride them I got tossed around a bit.


We did a lot of partying at Jon and Carrie's house at night. Here we are taking a shot at Jon's bachelor party. From left to right: Jon, Chris (Jon's brother), Bob (Jon's dad), me and Joe (Jon's brother-in-law).


We went to a Luau one night. Here I am with Jon's friend Kerith and Carrie's brother's friend Eric. There was a lot of hula dancing and a buffet.


This is the sunset at the Luau.


I'll post more pictures including the wedding in a few days.