Capturing the Moment

  The humpback whales are here in force right now. Maui is the epicenter of the humpback migration. It where many of the North Pacific humpback population comes to mate and have their babies. My kayak team got an amazing look at this surfacing whale. I've had some pretty amazing weeks aboard the Safari Explorer, here in the Hawaiian Islands, but this past week may have taken the cake. We had manta rays show up during our night snorkel on the Big Island, we had sunrise humpback whales swimming under our small boats at Maui, we discovered rare nudibranchs while snorkeling in Lana'i, and hiked to secret waterfall pools through the rainforest of Molokai. Our guests were able to meet interesting and passionate locals on the different islands, helping to immerse into these amazing locations. We are only expedition ship that sails between the Hawaiian Islands, so we are able to provide a very unique adventure. Most people stay in Waikiki, and don't make it far from the hotel pool....

  Enjoying beautiful views, 6000ft up the side of Hualalai Volcano. This is a high ridgeline next to a massive volcanic fissure. In 1800 the land split apart and lava came fountaining out, creating this ridge we are on. Hawaii is filled with amazing hikes. There are hikes to waterfalls and up steep hills to WWII bunker relics. But some of my favorite hikes are well off the beaten path. That definitely describes the hike we went on today. Way up the side of the Big Island's Hualalai Volcano, behind closed gates, is a wonderful hike that passes interesting volcanic geology, through pristine native Hawaiian forest, all while being serenaded by endemic honeycreeper birds. All of these things are seldom seen by locals, and almost never seen by tourist visiting the islands. You need special permission to access these ancient royal lands, but that is why I wanted to take you with me through photos and stories into this wonderful, wild, place. Known as the 'Hidden Craters' hike, on...

  The Safari Explorer loads up guests for a week long adventure through the islands at the Kona Pier in downtown Kona. Before I meet my expedition cruise ship, the Safari Explorer, and sail out between the Hawaiian Islands, I wanted to take in our cute starting town of Kona, on Hawaii's southernmost island, the Big Island. Being on the most isolated island chain on earth, it does mean that it takes a long flight to get here...from pretty much anywhere. The closest large landmass is 2,400miles away. But as I walked out of the Kailua-Kona airport, I was greeted with a beautiful rainbow, swaying palm trees, and that fresh salty air. I felt invigorated to walk the town and really take it all in. So come along with me and check it out! The town of Kona used to be the capitol of the Hawaiian Kingdom back in the early 1800's. After Kamehameha, a chief from this island, conquered all the islands, he returned here to live out the rest of his life. His personal temple can still be seen h...

  The mountain has been amazing this winter. Snowy conditions have prevailed through December and the New Years. 2026 will hopefully continue to astound! This has been a winter to remember, and it has really just been the month of December so far here in Stowe, Vermont. The temps dropped early, and stayed low, and the snow kept coming. Nothing too big and crazy, like Juneau is having at the moment. But outside of two rain events, it has stayed under freezing for the entire month of December. I've been trying to get as many days in at the mountain as I can, and then get the kids up there as many times as I can. There have been some really cold days, some fluffy powder days, and some really amazing runs through the glades. There are certain moments that make me so pleased that our phones have such good cameras now. I never would have been able to take this shot before. This year I have been heading off piste for a lot of exploring through the trees. There are some spots that get pret...