By Krista Jennings '19

First stop for the softball team on Thursday, March 2nd: Phoenix, Arizona! After landing in Phoenix and an entertaining two-hour van ride to Tuscon, we played a solid four games over the weekend. We left the Grand Canyon State bright and early at 5 am Sunday morning, itching to get to Hawaii. After what seemed to be the longest 7-hour flight, we finally landed in Honolulu and walked off the plane to a sunny afternoon- Aloha Hawaii!!! Drained from the time change (which we're all still adjusting to) we spent the rest of the day by the hotel pool and called it an early night.

On our first day off, we rallied early to get some breakfast before we set off on a hike on the Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail. Over the course of this 2-mile track, we took part in some whale watching, breath taking views, and almost a million pictures to make sure we could revisit the incredible scenes along the way. A little winded from the uphill hike, we gathered at the vans and adventured off to Kailua beach! The cool white sand and crystal blue water didn't seem real. We threw together some sand castles, rode some gnarly waves and got a little more sun than we should have. Leaving with feet that were still sandy and hair still salty, we set off on another journey to the shops at Waikiki! Excited to wander around and shop for souvenirs, we picked up some Hawaiian shirts, key chains, and lei's. After some dinner and long showers to make sure we were all sand-free, we were exhausted from the day's festivities…ready to get some sleep and get ready for game day!

Click Here to view a photo gallery of our experiences on our first day in Hawaii.