Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 6, 1 June 1994 — Take a walk in the forest [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Take a walk in the forest

K e ao nani Naturally Hawaiian

by Patrick Ching artist/ environmentalist

Highrises, traffic, deadlines and noise. That's what many folks in Hawai'i face as a part of everyday life. When there's some free time, many head for the beach to get away from the rat race. In fact, I recommend it highly, but often the beach is more crowded than the highways. I'd like to suggest a fresh alternative — a walk in the forest. For those who hike regularly, the riches of the forest are pleasantly

familiar. For those who haven't been in a Hawaiian forest, a world of treasure awaits you. The scent of laua'e fern, the sound of singing birds, the rumble of a waterfall, these things are available to us all. Wherever you live in Hawai'i, they're only minutes away. Nothing clears a mind better than lots of open space, so go ahead, take a walk in the forest. Even on a crowded island like O'ahu, you ean hike through miles of open trails without encountering a soul except, of course, your own.