Camping illegally with mice

The last 24 hours have been fabulous! I went camping with Sarah, Isaac, Josh, and this other guy Jason on a beach on the west side. We didn't actually set up tents, just stuck fishing poles in the sand (because if you're technically camping, you have to have a permit; if you're fishing, they'll let you stay without one) and slept in the beds of Isaac and Josh's trucks (because the beach was plagued by mice). Then this morning we hiked in the mountains; it was crazy hot and dry, and I got really burned without even realizing it. I have yet to admit to myself that I am white. I ignore sunscreen and think I'll come away as tan as my Asian and Hawaiian friends.

Instead of writing poetry recently, I've been focusing on short observational pieces so I can capture as much detail of life in Maui as possible without stressing about making it pretty. Here's one from last night (not because I think it's great, just because it might add some variety to my usual blogging style):

We are finally camping, at the second turnout past the tunnel on the way to Lahaina, close to the road, so we still have traffic, headlights breaking in our darkness and making the vivid stars fade into the sky. Isaac, Josh, and Jason stand around the truck, laughing, trying to attach glowsticks to their shorts before bodyboarding in the black surf. Sarah and I lie on our boards under the silver kiawe trees, journaling in companionable silence by lantern light. The fire smoulders and our late night dinner is scattered around--marshmallows, cookies, animal crackers. I can hardly wait for those few moments between waking and sleeping, when I can stare at the moonless sky, listening to the waves, resting in the presence of friends. Tonight I asked them where they'd live if they could choose one place and were never able to leave. "Go with your gut," I said, stopping myself from analyzing the corners of the world I've explored. I went with mine, and to my surprise I chose Maui.