LEDGER COLUMNIST

This might be the last column you ever read from me.

There is no guarantee I’m coming back once I board an airplane on Friday the 13th for a 14-hour plane flight to Hawaii. This marks the completion of the main item on a “kick the bucket list” of lifelong goals I compiled in the days following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.

This national tragedy caused a great deal of soul-searching and examination in everyone‘s hearts. It shattered the image that America existed in a protective cocoon, exempt from the evils of the world.

The message was violence can and does happen everywhere in the world. There is no guarantee we will be here tomorrow.

In the backdrop of these morbid thoughts, I spent time in the fall of 2001 thinking about the things I still wanted to do before I leave this earth.

I thought about all the great places I have seen in America ... hiking along the rim of the Grand Canyon, playing cards at 2 a.m. around a campfire in Alaska, family reunions in California and Oklahoma, and camping in the Colorado Rockies.

I get my travel bug naturally. I grew up in a family which traveled around the country frequently during school breaks.

A close look at a map showed I had already visited 42 of the 50 states. Five of my missing states were in New England so my goal to see all of America was well within reach.

Hawaii has been the last state on my list for the past couple of years. This was a dream which seemed quite far off because of distance and finances.

My parents asked last month if I could get time off around Thanksgiving for an extended vacation. The original plan involved going skiing out west for a week.

After carefully looking at weather reports, my dad became concerned there might not be enough snow. He looked at plane prices and realized it would not cost a whole lot more to go to Hawaii rather than going skiing.

The trip to Hawaii was finalized when I returned home late Friday evening from covering a Blacksburg High football game. I will be in the Hawaiian Islands for 10 days, returning home before the Thanksgiving holidays.

I have spent the past two weeks reading a couple of guidebooks for suggestions on ways to experience this island adventure.

One thing on the list is the Pua Po`o Lava Tube Tour, a ranger-led hike through a tropical rain forest and a fragile lava tube.

My attention was caught when the guidebook talked about how hikers will need to climb down a 15-foot ladder into the tube, scramble over slippery/sharp rocks, and walk about 25 feet in a crouched position over uneven surfaces. The tube exit also requires a fairly tough climb and scramble.

There was a brief thought about accepting a double dog dare challenge to take a helicopter ride over a volcano. The $250 price tag for a 45-minute ride on Hilo’s Fire and Falls Adventure is out of my league.

Consider the following description from a guidebook:

“Feel the heat radiated from the lava as you experience the volcanic activity first hand ... with no doors in the way. Then view the waterfalls above our historic Hilo town. This is an adventure of a lifetime for those looking for an exciting alternative.

(We double dog dare you to try this one).”

I will found out soon if there’s any truth to the superstitions surrounding Friday the 13th. If I do return home, I will bring back pictures and a “bucket list” with a big check mark beside it.

Scott Powell (spowell@gaffneyledger.com) covers education issues for The Gaffney Ledger.