The Back Country

Hello Friends!

Time for another update…this week I went into the back country for the first time. It was amazing, but also one of the most difficult hiking trips I’ve done. We ended up hiking twice as much as normal because of an meeting that we had to come out of the field for so it was especially difficult this time, but totally worth it!
The first day we hiked our gear into Apua Point, about 6 miles over lava. It was a rough hike because of the heat and the weight of the packs, but really not bad. The beach was great and we had it all to ourselves! Unfortunately we didn’t see any turtles this time, just tracks and some possible nesting sites one morning (she must have come up after 2am which is when we quite doing checks at night). We were there for 3 nights and then hiked out for the meeting. The next day we hiked into Halape…this one was rough. It was only 8 miles but the way there is all down hill and the way back is….you guessed it… all uphill. I was definitely hurting in places that I didn’t know I had after that hike ! Such an amazing feeling though when you finally make it to the top. Not to mention the fact that this beach is a freaking paradise and it’s so far out that no one was there either! You literally hike through lava and barren fields for miles until you see about 15 palm trees way in the distance and then suddenly you arrive at clear water, white sandy beaches and snorkeling coves that you have all to yourself.
Unfortunately, even though we camped out by a nest that was expected to start hatching, we didn’t see any hatchlings this trip (a little early for them anyways). We did get to do some snorkeling and swimming though, in the ocean and in a really neat fresh water area called “the crack” that’s near by which contains an indigenous species of shrimp! You can’t wear any deodorant or sunscreen in the crack, however, because the ecosystem is so fragile.
Overall it was a challenging, but worth it trip. Turtle activity is slow and I think I was spoiled on my last trip because I saw and did so much which apparently is not common. Hawksbills are critically endangered after all, not like the Honu (green sea turtles) which are everywhere. But babies should be hatching soon which will be incredibly exciting. Mostly on my days off I’ve been hanging out at the park, which is beautiful, lush and cool (a nice relief from hiking in the field), and going to the farmers market either in Volcano Village or Hilo to stock up on cheap fruits and veggies (6 papayas for $1!!). It’s really the only way to afford to eat around here. I did get to go to Kona for a day this time however, which was really great. We found a good snorkeling spot where we actually saw Greens in the water and I also discovered Kona coffee with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or as I refer to it, heaven in a cup. So things are wonderful, although I miss you all! Please write to me when you get a chance, it’d be great to hear from each of you!

Sunset at Kona :)

It's hard to judge the distance, but this was about halfway on our hike from Halape, our site was just across from that small island you can see in the distance at the base of the large hill.

Kamehame

Ok, I'm new at this so bear with me as I attempt to keep this blog so you guys can all stay updated! It's going to be difficult because my access to the internet is pretty limited, but I'll do my best. I'm not even sure where to begin, I've done so many amazing things in this first week and a half that I've been on the Big Island. Let's just start with the park...

So housing is in a rain forest in the volcanoes national park.

It's amazing. Lush green plants that are found no where else in the world, smoldering craters, steaming vents...really unbelievable that it's all in the same place. It is chilly here and rains quite a bit (a very very thin misty rain most of the time) which is expected, but it also gets nice and sunny. I've explored the park a bit (lava tubes, caldera, hiking around the crater..) but there is much more to explore and tons of paths to hike. The people here are amazing and have dinners/karaoke at the Lava Lounge on Thursday nights (I've yet to witness that, but I'm sure it's entertaining). So when I arrived in Hilo I went to the grocery store and stocked up on some food (actually a bit of a story there because I got picked up by the wrong person on mistake, but I'll save that for another time) and then went to the park. I explored and rested for a few days and then got to go into my first field camping on Sunday. I was at Kamehame (a private black sand beach) for 6 nights. Basically our schedule is 6 nights in the field and 3 nights off. It kind of messes up the week for doing any weekend travel, but it's nice to have 3 nights off to sleep after you've been getting 2-4 hours of sleep a night for 6 nights. Now for my turtles tales :)
I've now tagged, restrained, wrestled, and rode a sea turtle down the beach..no joke. I've also seen (and smelled...) a sea turtle laying her nest, translocated a nest that was in a bad location, and probed for a possible nest on a beach. It is so incredible I'm not even sure how to describe it. Basically we do beach checks started at 5pm and watch for turtle tracks in the sand leading up to the naupaka (a native plant that they like to nest in). When we see a turtle or tracks, we get out of site and watch her and record data (weather conditions, time of emergence from water, lunar conditions, etc.). She'll usually either start to nest or false nest (dig but then move and dig again before laying any eggs). This can go on for 3 or more hours. We had a turtle false nest 7 times in one night and we were watching her for 5 hours...it's gets very exhausting and when it's 3am and you're watching a turtle false nest in the pitch black with the lull of the ocean waves behind you it can be quite hard to stay awake! Anyways, I'll try not to make this ridiculously long and boring and just hit the highlights :). The turtles are amazing and I'm so lucky to get to experience such prehistoric creatures. Watching a sea turtle start to nest and counting the eggs as they drop is truly incredible.

There are a few things that I'm having to adjust to however. First of all, the bugs here get REALLY big. They have giant cockroaches and centipedes (which luckily I have not encountered yet) that actually bite at night. Also at Kamehame, it is off road about an hour over rugged lava terrain so you are literal confined to your small campsite. And there is a cow pasture on the land so you'll wake up in the middle of the night with a cow over your cot or get up to go to the bathroom and here three or four of them take off in the distance. We actually got attacked by one of them on a hike to another beach....she was a very weak female though and was just startled...still freaky. Also, there is a bird here called the Shearwater (I think) that has a cry that sounds exactly like a baby crying. And when i say sounds like a baby crying...I mean literally EXACTLY like a baby crying. It was so freaky when I first heard it and then saw this looming shadow flying above us! Ok I could go on for days about how amazing and crazy everything is here, but I will save some more for another time. I'll leave you with a couple of photos (check out facebook to see more) and hopefully everyone is doing well! Write to me when you get a chance I'll be at housing until Tuesday and then I go back into backcountry!!