So today we finally made the 13-mile hike to and from the "President Fokon'tany" (local government guy); left at 4am and got back just in time for lunch! Which was good, because man was I worn out! I'm sure it was also good my headman, Papan'moana, walked the hike with me. Even he lost the path while it was still dark and we spent a lot of time zig-zagging in the bushes and thorns! Who knows where I would have ended up if it was just me.

After the challenge of walking over large ocean rocks for the last few kilometers to get there (which really slowed me down, but not Papan'moana), I told Papan'moana we should hike over the hills on the way back. It was good and bad. At one point I got stuck in a mud pit with the mud above my knees and I had to pull and squelch my way out of it. That was the worst mud I've ever been stuck in! It took over 15 min just to figure out how to get out of the mud and get moving forward again! But the rest of the overland path was better than the ocean rocks, and we made decent time. And we got the paperwork we needed (though I had to hand-copy several of the forms, because they had run out), so the trip was a success! I think I might've preferred to wait around at the DMV instead though, haha! -Adam ... See MoreSee Less

1 month ago