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Most people get to Oahu by air. These paddlers cross 41 miles of open ocean to get there. 🌊

Same destination. A very different arrival.

The 2026 Molokai Hoe is scheduled for Sunday, October 11, taking crews from Hale O Lono Harbor on Molokai across the Kaiwi Channel to Waikiki on Oahu.

🛶 This isn’t a casual paddle along the beach

The Molokai Hoe is the men’s world championship of outrigger canoe racing.

Strength alone won’t get a crew across. It takes teamwork, ocean knowledge and the ability to navigate changing conditions over a long crossing.

The race includes junior paddlers ages 15 to 18, open crews and age-group divisions through 65 and older. Different generations, sharing the same challenge.

📍 It started with three canoes

On October 12, 1952, three koa outrigger canoes launched from Kawakiu Bay on Molokai, headed for Oahu.

Eight hours and 55 minutes later, Kukui O Lanikaula reached Waikiki in front of the Moana Hotel.

That first course covered more than 38 miles. Today’s published route is 41 miles and starts at a different location.

The event now draws crews from Hawaii, Tahiti, the mainland, Japan, Australia and other Pacific nations. It also carries forward Hawaiian and Polynesian canoe traditions.

That’s what I don’t want lost behind the mileage.

If you’re watching from Waikiki, you might see a canoe approaching shore and think it’s an interesting photo.

Knowing it started on another island changes the picture.

We spend plenty of time talking about Hawaii’s hotels, restaurants and beaches. But this is another part of Hawaii worth paying attention to: the paddlers and communities keeping this tradition going.

If you watch the finish, give crews room to land and follow event staff directions. Their finish line isn’t just our photo opportunity.

Mahalo to the paddlers, organizers and support crews. 🤙

Have you watched the finish or paddled in this race?

Sources: Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association; official Molokai Hoe website and 2026 race registration

FREE EVENT: ✅ Help for ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, SPD Register now for this free class before tickets are gone.

“Put a heat pad on your back, it will certainly reduce your pain.” But what if heat actually makes you feel worse? 💜🔥

Christina Applegate once explained her experience with multiple sclerosis by saying, “People don't understand that heat makes us sicker.” Her words highlight something important about chronic illness: what feels soothing to one person can sometimes aggravate another person’s symptoms.

Heat is often suggested for muscle aches and chronic pain because warmth may relax muscles and feel soothing. But there is no universal rule that heat will reduce fibromyalgia symptoms for everyone. Some people with fibromyalgia may find warmth comforting, while others may feel worse with higher temperatures, especially when fatigue, dizziness, sweating, or temperature sensitivity are already part of the picture.

That is why your own response matters. 💜 If a heating pad makes your pain, fatigue, dizziness, or overall symptoms worse, you do not have to keep using it simply because someone says it “should” help. Pain management is not one-size-fits-all, and your body’s response is important information to discuss with your healthcare professional.

Christina’s experience also reminds us why assumptions can be frustrating for people with chronic illness. Someone may confidently recommend a solution that works beautifully for them while having no idea what another person’s nervous system, symptoms, or underlying condition can tolerate.

Fibromyalgia is associated with altered pain processing and sensory sensitivity, so symptom triggers can vary greatly between individuals. That does not mean every heat-related reaction is caused by fibromyalgia, and significant temperature intolerance or new symptoms deserve medical evaluation.

You know your body better than a generic piece of advice does.

Sometimes the most helpful thing is not finding the “perfect” treatment everyone recommends — it is learning what actually helps your own body and respecting the signals it gives you.

The OUUC's online Book Nook used book store is hosting another in-person sale this week to benefit Thurston County Food Bank!

📚Book Nook Garage Sale📚
When: Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15, 9am-1pm
Where: 818 McCormick St SE, Olympia, WA 98501

Fill up your bags with great reads, then decide how much you'd like to donate (suggested donation: $2/book)

Please car pool and bring your own bags if you can. Cash or checks only (or, they can show you how you can donate by card - online in the Book Nook store)

Funds raised will benefit the Food Bank, so stop by and check it out! The last in-person sale in May raised nearly $1500!

FREE EVENT: ✅ Fatigue, Fibro, & Chronic Disease Register now for this free class before tickets are gone.

FREE EVENT: ✅ Help for ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, SPD Register now for this free class before tickets are gone.