Do You Dream or Do You Plan?
The sun was beating down on us and we were aching all over. Our packs were weighing us down and our blisters were on fire. I held my breath around the dodgy corners so I wouldn’t slip and tumble to my death. We completely underestimated how tough this hike would be.
After two nights of camping on the remote Kalalau Beach, my boyfriend and I were heading back to civilization along the Kalalau Trail, a rugged 11-mile hike hugging the cliffs of Hawaii’s Na Pali Coast.
We had a running joke, “How much money would it take for you to walk allllllll the way back to camp and then walk alllllllll the way back?!” my boyfriend asked.
“There’s no way… I physically couldn’t do it. I would die,” was my response.
A young couple from Germany caught up with us for a snack break. We throw our packs down and perch ourselves on the side of the rocky cliff overlooking the vibrant blue and green tropical coastline. The view is so stunning it looks fake. Aside from the occasional tourist helicopter buzzing overhead, we are the only 4 spectators watching the waves crash violently into the rocks down below. We sit completely exhausted in our Clif bar eating trances and wait for a cool ocean breeze to come by and slap us back to life.
Breaking the silence I asked them, “What part of Germany are you from?”
“Bavaria…where are you from?” the tall young German guy asked as the sweat dripped into his face.
“Southern California…so what brings you to Hawaii?” I asked.
“We’re 6 months into our year long round-the-world trip.”
I gasped then responded, “Really?? We’re dying to plan an around-the-world trip one day.”
Without hesitation he looked me dead in the eye and in his German accent he simply responded, “Do you dream or do you plan?”
I shuddered as it sunk in instantaneously. “One day” doesn’t exist on the calendar. This guy was right. Maybe it was the sweltering heat, maybe it was because I was chewed up and spit out by this 22-mile trek, but his simple, straightforward, no BS response has resonated with me ever since.
While stretching out my sore knees, I looked at my boyfriend and asked, “So… what would it take for you to go allllllllll the way around the world and back?
Do you dream? Or do you plan? Make it happen.
About the Author:Leah Sakellarides lives in southern California and writes about adventure and travel on her lifestyle blog, Velokova. Read more at velokova.com..
Tagged Hawaii, Napali Coast
