Hut Hoe!

I woke up this morning at 4:30, just before the sprinklers are set to go on. I feel about 90 years old as I attempt to get out of bed…rocking back and forth to get enough momentum to thrust myself onto my feet. My armpits ache, by butt is practically numb; I have a blister in the middle of my back from a bathing suit malfunction. My hands are all cut up and my jaw feels like I’ve crunched my way through a Costco sized bag of mini carrots. I’VE NEVER FELT BETTER!
Molly, Tracey and I took the plunge and joined the Canoe Club at the beginning of May and have been faithfully paddling 4 days a week… what I described above is the hard part... the rest is absolutely amazing.. toes in the sand pushing a 400 pound, 6-man canoe out onto the moonlit water…there’s nothing better. Living in Maui has put a ceiling on many aspects of my life so it is this very type of activity that makes Maui such an incredible place to live. Watching the sunrise while swimming besides the Honu (giant sea turtles) and humpback whales isn’t a bad way to start each morning. For now, our regattas are short distance sprints, but after regatta season, long distance paddling begins and we will be able to do long crossings from island to island. This picture shows a typical 6-man canoe; I found this photo on the internet but Mike happens to be sitting in the 4th seat. Our first official race is this Saturday so more pictures to come! Send victorious thoughts my way and a little Ben-Gay!