My wife and I visited Hawai’i for the first time last February and found a nice difficult backpacking trip to get away from all the hustle and bustle. We left our campsite a day early because it was looking stormy and since the trail was sketchy while dry, it would be really bad while wet.
On the way back we got absolutely crushed by a rainstorm. For a few moments the rain went from a complete deluge to a nice sprinkle. I looked up and saw this really nice scene here so I took out my camera, put on a rain cover, somehow fired off a couple of long exposures without the leaves moving, and packed up and kept going right as the deluge started again. At this point we had another 7 strenuous miles to civilization so we stayed at a man-made wooden shelter with a roof that we knew was along the trail. It kept pouring all day and all night. In the morning it was dry and we hiked back the rest of the way.
One of my favorite things about backpacking is how a smooth wood floor with a roof can feel downright luxurious. Being grateful is one of my favorite states of mind, so by removing the normal comforts of life, you can find a lot more moments of gratitude while roughing it. This was a rough adventure but I also look back on it as some of the best days of my life.
