When I reminisce about my three summers in the field, I get a nice, content feeling. Like I just ate something with a lot of substance like mashed potatoes and gravy. Going out the first time, I was really nervous. Having never even camped out before, I had no idea what to expect once we got there. I know that people have gone farther than this, for longer periods of time and in the worst of conditions. But for me, going off like this was a huge thing. It wasn't like walking down the road and looking at the hills way off in the distance. You were no longer admiring nature from the outside but became a part of it. It was just the ocean, a few islands, and the crew. We were completely alone, but never lonely. For a time, we were a world unto ourselves. A world I always came back from revitalized, refreshed and ready to take on the challenges in this one. When you are standing on the edge of a cliff, and everything as far as you can see is absolutely perfect and beautiful, it is impossible to obsess over every little thing. Whether or not I chose the right college, moving into my own place, having to leave home. It didn't matter on the island. I always felt very present and aware. I think that feeling is what brought me back for three years, that and the sense of community. People you may have never talked to or gotten to know become intimate friends. And by intimate I mean the person you work in a one metre by one metre square with all day is the same one that sleeps a foot away from you at night . You depend on each other, you come to accept and appreciate what everybody has to offer. And when that person who shares your square and your tent has to go into town for a night or two, it doesn't feel right until they come back "home".
Photo courtesy Dr. Stephen Loring.
