Circumnavigating Hawaii Big Island by Bicycle

The Circumnavigator

Part 1:
A 400 Mile Race Against Time and Mechanical Failure

My transportation.

"Ya taking ya life in ya hands ma boy!"
--Shouted from the car next to me at a red light

When I found out that I was going to Hawaii to help with some research and explore I knew I would need a way to get around. I couldn't afford to rent a car and there were things all over the island that I wanted to see. Despite getting told I was crazy an idea began to form; take the time I would need to circumnavigate the entire island and use a bicycle. The plan was simple, as soon as I got there I would purchase an inexpensive bicycle and trailer and sell them when I had completed the journey.

When I arrived across the pacific ocean I found myself in Hilo, the largest city on the island. Taking a taxi to the local shopping emporiums I acquired my transporation and provisions. Finding a trailer proved to be difficult, they were out of stock at the first two suppliers. At the third a large two-child carrier was on display but I was told that none were in stock. In desperation I explained myself to the manager, who approved my purchase of display model. The journey could begin.

It was a sunny morning I set out to ascend 4000 feet from sea level to the Kilauea volcano caldera where I would camp. As I pulled slowly away from the sanctuary of town, dark clouds gathered ominously on the horizon. Within the hour huge drops of cold rain began to fall and the wind gusting down from the hills ahead threatened to push me backwards.

During my second night there, as the rain poured down, my bivy sack developed a leak. Quickly soaking my sleeping bag and warm clothes I carefully made my way from my campsite to a park bathroom. Curling up on the damp concrete floor I cursed everything that had brought me to this point.

I suffered terribly in my first days. For a while I began to feel that Hawai'i, a place many call paradise, had finally beaten me. In time I began to learn to deal with the weather here but in those early days I regretted every step that took me further into the unknown.