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| Hawaiian Archipelago. Main Hawaiian Islands on the right with a chain of atolls extending to the northwest from Kauai, Tern Is roughly midway from Midway in French Frigate Shoals. |
After a rather painful two hour delay at LAX, and a
relatively brief five hour flight halfway across the Pacific, I now sit on
standby at the Fish & Wildlife Service bunkhouse (recently changed to the
more friendly sounding ‘guest house’) in Honolulu on the Hawaiian Island of
Oahu. I share the house with the refuge manager of Tern Island (my soon to be
home), fellow Tern Island volunteer, and four other volunteers that will be
working on Laysan Island, another atoll further down the Northwest Hawaiian
Island chain. We’re essentially going to be marooned on Tern for six months,
with no visitation from any boats during our stay (aside from a possible visit
from the US Coast Guard). To prepare for our adventure, we’ve been sorting out how
much of what kinds of food six people require for 180 days with no fresh
provisions; a daunting task to say the least. On top of this is our limited
budget, forcing us to omit luxury items like bacon, lunch meat, and candy for
essential items like canned chicken, butter, and a whole lot of flour. So far
we’ve spent around 2,500 dollars with a remaining 1,500 to spare. Not much when
you think about the price of food these days, especially on a remote island. This
will be a huge difference from the food we received on the Farallones; where we
would spend roughly 1,500 dollars every two weeks on fresh, tasty, healthy
food. Eating at Tern will be all about protein and survival rather than
splurging on quinoa and pecan pie.
The past few days have are filled with packing food,
drinking coffee, and getting in a morning and evening surf at Waikiki when I
can. The water here is so amazingly warm and beautiful, if it wasn’t for the sheen
of coconut sunscreen from all the tourists (literally it burns your eyes) this
place truly would be paradise. Thanks to a hurricane off Mexico and the south
swell it’s throwing at the islands, Waikiki has been producing clean chest to
head high long rides; and thanks to Illana ( a former Farallon volunteer who
lives in Honolulu) generously offering me her surfboard, I can enjoy these
waves until my flight to Midway in a couple weeks. This morning’s surf was
particularly scenic, with white lofty tropic birds buoyantly cruising overhead,
green sea turtles raising their heads for a breath, and a golden sunrise
beaming through a morning shower on the jagged volcanic cliffs of the interior.
I won’t be allowed to surf on Tern, so I’m trying to fit in as much board time
as I can, while still helping with all the necessary work of packing.  |
| Shipping containers containing our food. |
