Iao Valley

How does a family who loves the outdoors spend an afternoon on Maui (other than the beach)?

A hike through a deep lush, deep green valley, of course.

There was only one, or rather two problems; Amara and Havana. Both girls were bitten by the grump bug on the short drive to the trail head. Despite my mama interventions (snacks, music on the radio, threats!), the girls were reluctant to get on board with the idea of a hike.

Which annoyed the heck out of me; really....a hike; being out in nature; exploring; it would be fun.....none of that prevented them from complaining, threatening to not get out of the car, or from poking each other. But all that ended once we parked the car and saw chickens.

'Lord have mercy', was my thought when the kids scrambled out of the car to see them. 'Really?' yes really; the chickens in the parking lots, especially the baby ones were all it took to entice them to get of out the car. Which worked for me. Havana refused to put on good walking shoes but I didn't care. I handed them snacks and off we went!

Iao Valley plays an important role in Maui history. Iao Valley was a burial ground in the 15th century, the scene of a bloody battle in the late 1700's and has always been home to Kane, one of the Hawaiian gods. In more modern times, the valley has served Hollywood for filming movies. It's rich rain forest  and streams provide for breathtaking views and an energy of peace. Sadly, we couldn't hike far into the valley (trails were blocked off) but there was a paved path that lead us both up and down throughout the valley. Once the girls got going up the path, they were taken in by the exquisite landscape as were Don and I.

 

Havana eventually got bored however. When I tried to reason with, "Really? Bored Havana? Look around you," my attempts fell on deaf ears. She eventually pulled our her chapter book and started to read (I have to give her credit though; Baby Girl read her first chapter book on Maui; she was very focused on reading throughout the entire trip). But for the rest of us, it was a great outing. Nature is our families version of a candy store and were like little kids exploring the rocks, blessing ourselves with river water, making up stories as we explored this sacred valley. 

One day, it would be fun if we could get off the trail and really explore the rain forest valley but even for a short visit, we felt grateful, refreshed and restored.