Palm trees and the JMT
Maui still seems like a dream. Unreal after 113-degree days in Fresno. The breezes make the palms sway like a commercial, and tourism flourishes here. But nature won't always cooperate. The Pacific Ocean on this day arouses moist bands of renegades, puffy clouds that refuse to give tourists a good view of the volcanic hilltops. It even sprinkles on shoppers and sunbathers.
I'm thousands of miles from the John Muir Trail. At sea level, no less. I will have quite an adjustment when I return just a few days before I embark on my part of the JMT backpack. I will take precautions to make sure the elevation change does not hamper me. Much.
Why would I plan a vacation in Maui before climbing into an alpine wonderland and working on the story of my dreams? I'm not here in Maui primarily as a tourist. My parents have lived here 18 years. My father has been battling cancer for the past few months. I'm here to see him.
So in pain and paradise, I train for the trail. I won't give up on the dream to write about the JMT. And I won't give up on my father.
I run far past the Maui Dive Shop in Kihei and back in the morning. I lift borrowed weights in the afternoon. I hardly notice the gorgeous beach right in front of my parents' condominium. But I am certain I will pull out the snorkle mask and fins and swim in the ocean. I will look again at the magnificent canyons below the surface. They scare me silly.
Some people have marveled at the way the JMT backpack story and my father's illness have come together. What an odd and unfortunate intersection, they say. Not me. As I walk the sand at sunset, I know it is no coincidence that the story of a lifetime is happening while one of life's most emotional times unfolds for my family.
For reasons I may never understand, the time has come for both. But there is one thing that's very clear to me: I'm not backing away from either one. I'll be ready in August. I generally respect what my father says. And he's telling me that I need to be on this backpack and writing this story.