Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Inconceivable!


You might recall our very first blog post 
about working in the most remote place within the lower 48 United States; areas of the Teton Wilderness during Summer of 2009 working with moose.  Now we can truly say we are headed to one of the most remote places in the world....

Starting in March, we're off to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to work 
with the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal for 6 months! 


 Photo Credit - Wikepedia.  We'll have our own pictures soon enough!
 
As Monk Seals inhabit multiple NW Hawiaiian islands, 
we will be living and working on separate (tiny!) islands;  
Ben at French Frigate Shoals and Carrie at Laysan Island. 

On Laysan Island, Carrie, living in a tent, will have no contact with the "outside world" other than a few minutes on a satellite phone each month.  This means Ben will be getting a crash course in blogging and tend to the upkeep and updates from life on French Frigate Shoals :)



Laysan Island - photo credit google map

French Frigate Shoals - Photo credit google map



We are absolutely elated and can't wait to share 
our newest adventure with all of you...
- we're ready to leave stat!
 When March rolls around, then we'll be off to Honolulu for the first 3 weeks for training before we set sail to our islands. 
(3 Day Boat Trip to French Frigate Shoals and 5 to Laysan)

But first, we're headed back to Rocky Mountain National Park's 
wintry wonderland for some fun in the snow.  

The main goal of the project is the recovery of the seal's population. For more information on the Hawaiian Monk Seal check out the following links:



NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center

36 comments:

Backcountry Brodie said...

That crittercam takes the Shawnee Cam to a whole new level! Sounds like an exciting trip and can't wait to hear all about it.

Unknown said...

Just found your blog through Twitter. I really like what I see so far and am excited to hear of your cool adventures in Hawaii...need an assistant? Thanks for sharing!

BigD said...

Cool assignment--I think.
I loved Hawaii the one time I was there. But, I have to say, it rained so much, I'm not sure how tent-dwelling would be.
Good luck!
I'll be checking in!
Those seals are adorable!

jo said...

Can't help wishing that you two were on the same island. Look forward to reading your experiences.

houndstooth said...

Oh wow! That sounds like one exciting adventure! I'm really going to look forward to seeing what you guys see when you get there!

If you want wintry weather, feel free to stop here! We're in the middle of Snowmageddon here with a possible two feet of snow due to arrive overnight and tomorrow!

ForPetsSake said...

What an exciting adventure! Something exciting, a new experience in paradise and the opportunity to help animals? It doesn't get better than that. I can't wait to see the amazing pictures ;)

biobabbler said...

Wow. That is SO many kinds of awesome, I don't even know what to say. Very psyched for you guys and the seals re: your impending adventure/endeavor. I cannot imagine future-Carrie-levels of isolation. Going to be a trippy time and I hope you guys keep diaries (or, of course, the blog). Hope it's wonderful! Bon voyage!!! =) Will be GLUED to this blog...

George The Lad said...

Wow, that's different, looking forward to the up dates on how it is going. Will you be building a raft so you can at least see each other some times!!!
See yea George xxx

Rich said...

Sounds like a great adventure. I had no idea there were islands there off of Hawaii!

Michael Figueiredo said...

Very interesting! I didn't even know there were other Hawaiian islands besides the "windward" ones. It sounds like a very worthwhile cause. Good luck! :)

Andrea said...

How wonderful! Can't wait to read all about it! What a worthy cause...

Laurel said...

Congrats on landing such an interesting and remote project! I look forward to hearing more about it, especially what it's like to live so remotely.

Cathy Sweeney said...

How exciting! I'll be eager to hear all about your adventure. The pics are awesome, too.

Have a great time enjoying winter in the Rockies!

Bess V. said...

Sounds like an amazing experience. I look forward to reading more!

Matt Hope said...

Sounds really great! Good luck in your time there and I'm looking forward to your posts!

Liesl said...

Do you need a cook or something?

I Must Be Off said...

What a fantastic job you have. I'm really looking forward to keeping up with you guys.

Golden Woofs! SUGAR said...

Woof! Woof! GREAT! My family is from the islands n just got back. Looking forward to more. Happy Great Adventure. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar

Ignacio Santana said...

Hola!!!...muchas gracias por visitar mi blog, es un gran honor para mi, y por darme la oportunidad de conocer el interesante trabajo que hacen.

Un abrazo!!! ;)

Erin said...

That is awesome - congrats! I can't wait to see photos and read all about it!

Amy said...

What an exciting adventure!

F Nando said...

Fantastic!

Seagull Steve said...

Congrats guys. As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing like the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (I lived on Midway for a while). Laysan Island is legendary...

Ben and Carrie Tracks said...

@ Shawnee the Shep: We must say, the Shawnee cam is one of our favorite cams mounted on any animal on the internet and it's a treat to see the world threw Shawnee's eyes!

@John S Mead: We are not big tweeters, but happy to someone is, and that you found us through twitter! As far as needing an assistant, I think our tiny islands are at capacity ;)

@BigD: It rained almost every afternoon when we visited Kauai a few years back as well.... we will just have to wait and see how the weather acts further out at sea!

@houndstooth: We actually escpaed to the Rockies just before that very same snow storm hit Missouri and dumped a foot of snow and ice... They even closed a lot of I-70 not 24 hours after we out ran the "Snowmeggedon" - looks like you guys really enjoyed yourselves in the snow!

@George the Lad: I will have to figure out an ingenious way to create a raft out of something other than wood, as Laysan Island is quite barren - However, with the unfortunate amount of trash from all over the world that accumulates along the shoreline, I just might be able to fashion something substantial that floats ;)

@Liesl: Hmmm, don't need a cook, but we are always in the market for some great "back country" recipes!

@Seagull Steve Small world isn't it? From the stories we've heard and people we've had opportunities to chat with, we have heard nothing but incredible things about the NW Hawaiian Islands. What brought you to Midway?

@ Thanks everyone for the kind words and encouragement - we are counting down the days and looking forward to sharing this new experience with you all!

violett said...

Thank you for visit on Mishka's blog.
I am impressed by your beautiful ways to explore the nature around the world. Excellent photos and videos!
I think, I'll come here many times over. I look forward to more reports. Your work interests me greatly.
Lots of love
Violett and the Airedale-bears

Angela Häring-Christen said...

I wish you an interesting and good time on the island.
Greetings from Switzerland
Angela

leslie said...

Really cool. I didn't even know those islands existed and I've been to Hawaii dozens of times. Good luck and good luck to those beautiful seals.

Unknown said...

Now this sounds amazing!! Congratulations on landing this killer position. I can think of worse ways to spend 6 months. I can't wait to see all the updates from paradise.
-stephanie

Unknown said...

fantastic! I hope these beautiful animals can be saved.

Elly said...

Your work is very intereting and exciting.
I am going to follow your updates.
Elly

Johnny Nutcase said...

ohhhh congrats - so jealous! You guys will have a blast!

gemini said...

Just found you from other blog links. Beautiful, exciting work with the Hawaiian Monk Seal. Best of days for your work.

Jan Samuel said...

Beautiful pictures!
I really enjoyed reading the posts on your blog. I would like to invite you to come over to my blog and check it out. God bless.
Jan Samuel
from Norway.

KaHolly said...

Thought I'd stop by and check in with you and WOW! What an utterly fanstastic opportunity. I am truly looking forward to updates! Stay safe and enjoy, karen

KaHolly said...

Just checking back to see if you've posted. I'll just have to be more patient! ~karen

Colleen said...

I'm looking so forward to the stories and pictures!

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