The Gingey WILD Heart

This morning I hiked Waihe'e Ridge Trail, which is a 5 mile out & back trail in West Maui Forest Reserve with a 1,610 elevation gain. The hike is rated as difficult and most of the hike is actually a pretty steep grade, but you are met with some great scenery and ridge-line hiking. The weather was nice with a breeze, but the humidity is on a different level. I was drenched and not even from heat. I saw a man running up the mountain, came back down and then as I was coming down I saw him running up again. I stopped and asked him if he was doubling up and he said he goes up and down twice a couple times a week. Remarkable. Absolutely remarkable.  He was also probably 10-15 years older than me too. That's some dedication right there. These pictures don't even do this hike justice, but enjoy all it's beauty!

Today was Baby Beach in Lahaina. It's an interesting beach, nicknamed for its gentle waters. As you walk down the street towards the beach, locals surround the entrance hanging out, playing music and their surf boards are all lined up from short to long. There's a cemetery right before the entrance to the right hand side and on the left side there is the Lahaina Jodo Buddhist Mission. I've yet to find any information on this cemetery in the sand.. The sand is golden and today super hot. The water is shallow and the reef is pushed further out. It's a quiet beach. No matter how often or how early I put sunscreen on, my feet are on fire and my ankles are literally swollen from all the salt, but it sure is beautiful. I spent majority of the day in and out of the water, trying to cool off from the heat. It's funny because it's literally probably only 83-86° but the UV index isn't even 1-10, it's Extreme (in bold letters).

Sometimes slowing down and doing nothing is the best medicine and that's what I did today. I sat on a beach in Kihei all day. The tide came in and the tide went out and then came back in again. The wind swept up and the umbrella flipped inside out and then all was right side again. These patterns continued throughout the day. The water was beautiful and felt just the same. It was a measly 85°, shucks. I can see the attraction of everyone coming here. The water is so blue, the sand is perfectly soft. This trip has really played an important role in my life. What it is, I'm not sure of yet, but there is a transition taking place internally. Maybe its just weeks away from another annual reflection, I'm not sure, but more will be revealed. After the beach I had a pineapple, strawberry and coconut shaved ice and let me tell you it was absolutely delicious. It could have been a result of being in the sun all day, but I'm not g

Monday, Monday... We headed down to the water with 2 paddle boards, a single canoe and some snorkel gear and made it a beautiful morning in the water. Kyle and I were on the paddle boards and Lauren in the canoe, we made our way through the water. Paddle boarding in the ocean is a whole lot different than in the ocean, but what a joy it was! We came across some turtles coming up for air. They weren't even phased at how close we were to them in the water. What remarkable creatures. I came up for air after snorkeling to see more of the turtles and jumped on my board just in time for Lauren to capture me in my true essence Wading in the water, I was in disbelief of how calm the water was and how beautiful this island really is. I thought about life and love and all I have learned along my journey. I thought about my friendships and what goes into them. Today I can show up; today I can be present; today I can show those around me they and their time are impo

Sunday morning began with a daily reflection on natural faith. A discussion deep down in every man, woman and child, is the fundamental idea of God. Whether obscured, misguided, or powerful, it's there. I sat thinking about my own path with finding, building and maintaining my belief and faith. What a beautiful journey it has been. I have learned the most when I've done what don't normally do and when I don't do what I want to do, God is in the experience. I took a walk down the beach sidewalk surrounding all the major hotels on the island. People were lining up for surf lessons, I must have seen 5 different groups with 5 different rash guards on promoting the surf company. After passing 3 hotels I came across a smoothie shop and ordered some juices to go and made my way back to the Maui club before heading back to the house. Lauren came and picked me up shortly after and we made our way to the beach for a 4th of July BBQ where we spent the rem

I'm waiting to board and the Denver flight to the left of me fully boarded and they called for 2 passengers. The boarding time ended and they closed the gate. 10 minutes later this man pulls up and he's irate that they won't let him on the Denver flight that's currently pulling out of the gate. He's throwing his bags and being dramatic making scene most likely because he has an audience. The airport police walk in per usual and the gate attendant is trying to get him to put a mask on. Then i hear her recommend he take San Francisco to Denver and I think omg you've got to be kidding me, with my luck they'll put him in the seat next to me. Thankfully, that's not how this story ends. However, I did get the privilege of sitting across the row from a man who had decided to use his phone to entertain the people around him with his music, until the flight attendant finally asked him to use headphones mid take off. It's not even 6:3