Hawaii

As we flew over the jagged peaks and deep valleys I thought about the ancient Hawaiians who had lived in small settlements sprinkled through the area. They used outrigger canoes to travel along the coast and carved trails through and across the mountains. The trails were rudimentary, but some of them still exist. Nineteenth century visitors told of seeing pairs of men running abreast along trails that today we creep over single file in great trepidation. Some of the ancient celebrations were pretty spectacular even by today's standards. Young men would carry wood to the top of one of the cliffs facing the ocean, light it on fire and hurl the burning embers into the wind. The sparks would swirl and twist for some time before they hit the water below. Apparently, it was dramatic enough that even King Kamehameha the Great canoed over to see the show.