Mountains on both sides so high you had to crane your neck to see where the mountain met the misty sky. Fog and clouds swirled around the wetter portions of the mountain like cotton sticking to Velcro. Tai and Tao led us through the Valley until we were directly in the middle, and they stopped. Each of us turned off our personal ATV and hopped off to look around. Everything in Hawaii was beautiful, but this, this felt like a hidden gem that we’d just uncovered. Seeing God’s Earth undeveloped from mankind stole a piece of your soul, making an imprint that would only ever be filled by this experience. Tao sat on his ATV, pulled out a small ukulele from his backpack and started to strum a tune. He hummed along for a while until his rich, baritone voice smoothed over my senses like a cool breeze fluttering through the valley. He sang a song I recognized Tai playing in his room called Drop, Baby, Drop by Manao Company. Maddy sat on her ATV and swayed from side to side, entranced by his song.
