Maui in the winter can be hot and sunny, windy, have torrential rain for days, is sometimes buggy, but is rarely cold. We will be traveling to several locations during the course, so I am packing lightly for easy setup and breakdown.
I am welcome to stay at the site and take day trips on our days off, but if I venture out on my own I will need to take all my gear with me, so I’ll plan accordingly and bring a backpack.
We will be camping for 90% of the program, and every site will have an indoor classroom, kitchen, toilets, showers, a place to charge a device, and all the essentials.
Maui has no snakes, no predators to speak of (well sharks), very few plants with thorns, and almost nothing that is poisonous. Mosquitoes, bees, wasps, and centipedes are the insects to watch out for, but that’s about it.
We aren’t going to the remote wilderness, and there will be opportunities to get to stores every few days.
Spending a winter quarter on Maui studying permaculture design, between all the diving and surfing I’m sure to do, does sound like an excellent way to wait out the ugly winter weather in the Pacific Northwest. Truthfully, the amount of prepping that is required for the trip was greatly underestimated by this student.
Maui temperatures tend to range between nighttime lows in the 60’s and daytime highs in the 80’s, often time spanning those 20 degree shifts in one day. The sunlight is much more direct in Hawaii than in Washington, which increases the risk of sunburn. Special sunblock, containing zinc oxide, has been packed with no intention of being used. These temperature shifts are also going to require a different type of layering than I’m use to. Instead of my thermals, I will be taking lightweight long sleeves, which are better suited for the warmer climate.
I have packed a solar charger with a battery capacity of 10,000 mah, as well as a USB chargeable 40,000 lumen lantern which also contains a 30,000 mah battery. Continue reading Preparing for Maui