When Nick isn’t guiding a Hike Maui tour, there’s still a good chance he’s out hiking somewhere on the island. “It’s honestly my favorite thing to do here, even on my days off,” he says. Ask him about the time he trekked twenty miles uphill along Haleakala National Park’s “sea to summit” hike.
Originally from upstate New York, Nick has logged countless miles traversing the Adirondack Mountains where he spent summers leading day hikes, overnight trips and canoe excursions. Before his first guided trip here on the Valley Isle, he went through Hike Maui’s naturalist training program, which includes classes on local history and botany.
His eyes grow wide as he describes his favorite plants (like the wonderfully wacky hala tree) and shares fun facts about Maui (the island’s sugar plantation past is an endless source of fascination). “Hawai‘i isn’t just nice beaches and palm trees,” he points out. “The history and culture are really what make this place special.”
For Nick, the line between work and play is blurry—and he wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s amazing to have a job that doesn’t actually feel like one.”
