It's about noon and the sun is in full swing, the blazing heat beating against my skin as sweat runs down my face. My family and I are on an island adventure in Hawaii exploring the bamboo forest on the island of Maui. 
The backpack weighs down my shoulders with every step I take. The bamboo's thickness is like a castle's walls towering over you with slippery mud beneath your feet. It's almost as if it has its own climate from the outside world, with no gentle breeze from the calm ocean to blow away the sweat on a hot day. Just hot muggy humid weather and a narrow path to walk on. 
But then I see the light at the end of the tunnel with gushing water all around. We made it out, the cool breeze from the river upstream hitting my skin and the first of many waterfalls I was supposed to see on this adventure; It’s beauty restoring my faith in this hike.
But I didn't come for no small waterfall, I came for the big one like the pot of gold at the end of a Rambow, that was my goal, that was the reason for me being here. As we followed my dad upstream along the raging river we were met with a sizable roadblock. There was no more path, just a strangely large pond that we were supposed to swim. 
So that's exactly what we did, the cold water throwing the heat away from my body as I entered the lagoon trying to navigate toward the little waterfall at the end of the swim. But it was much more difficult than it looked because of the current that was constantly pulling your body back as you struggled to inch forward, reaching out with all your might just for you to realize you hadn't moved at all.
Eventually, we made it, and my eyes opened. It was like an oasis that was hidden away, and I discovered it. An oasis that was so perfect it looked like it belonged on tv, that someone had CGI'd it into existence. The lush vegetation that surrounded the waterfall with towering trees on all sides. The crystal clear water that reflected the sun's rays at the bottom and the enormous rock walls that hid it away from the outside world. This wasn't just some hike, this was an adventure.