Location: Moorea
The morning of our last watch on program was upon us, watch team 3 (Harrison, Caro, Paloma, Maya L, Emma, Sam, and I) engaged in a DMC, which is where each person asks a Deep and Meaningful question. Each person answers while the lights of Tahiti and Moorea get brighter and brighter. Once we arrived in Opunohu Bay, the sights and smells were a fresh relief from our 2-day passage over the Pacific. Our crew got right to work putting Vela to bed so we could start the activities that were planned for us. A majority of the group banded together for a hike to the Trois Cocos lookout. We walked up a long, winding road and stopped for some delicious ice cream and sorbet. At the point right before the trailhead, I joined a group of MMA fighters who were working on their cardio, running up and down the road. We originally went down the wrong path and had to quickly turn around to make sure we had enough time to do the correct hike. Despite the slight inconvenience, everyones spirits were high as we walked through streams, rocky passes, and bamboo forests.
After about an hour and passing a barefoot hiker, we made it to the top of the lookout and had to decide if we trusted the path that supposedly loops back, or to just take the path we came (LAME!!). So obviously we chose the path we were unsure about after Paloma got out of the bush she fell into. The path we followed was super sketchy and didnt seem like a path at all, but we held faith that it would lead us back. Time continued to pass, and we worried we might not make it back in time for dinner at a restaurant that reopened specifically for us, and we did NOT want to disappoint them. As we trekked through the poorly kept path, it became harder and harder to tell whether we would be able to make it back or if we would get lost. If I had a nickel for every time I got lost on a Sea|mester hike, I would have two nickels. Which isnt a lot, but its weird that it happened twice. Eventually, we got to a fork in the path, and neither side looked promising, but I chose a path and went for it. This may not have been the smartest idea, but it led us down the right path until it opened up to a long grass/mud road. I waited until Harrison pooped out of the trail and I took off running down the road to see where it led. After nearly a mile of running, I stopped to call Maisy and see where the rest of the group was, until a couple of minutes later when I saw the rest of the group bolting down the grass road after me, blasting music and yelling wildly. We continued running until we finally made it to the road we started on and cheered, but we only had a little bit of time until dinner, so the running didnt stop. We made it back to the dinghy pickup spot with 15 minutes to spare. The ocean shower after a total of 11.3 miles, 3 of them while running, was one of the best feelings yet. We made it to the beachside restaurant in time, and we were all starving. Everyone downed their food, and multiple people even ordered a second meal. The day started with early reminiscence, which turned to awe of the island, to absolute chaos, and resolved into deep satisfaction. After over 80 days of living on this boat, today might just be the best day Ive ever had. Im sad to know that the trip is almost over, but I cant wait to see all my friends and family, and never stop talking about these once-in-a-lifetime adventures.