Stranded: Day 24

Things are deteriorating quickly here on the island.  No aircraft movement to the island in almost a month, since the carrier disappeared from the face of the earth.  Latest rumor is no plane until August.  We may have resorted to cannibalism by then.

Cast away on a tropical island.

We're scheduled to get the G-2 flight out here every 2-3 weeks for crew change out, mail and perishable foods.  Last week the flight was cancelled the day of without any explanation.  Now we're told the contract with the company has been cancelled and there isn't an opportunity to get another company/flight out here until August ... or later.
I was supposed to leave in two weeks.

Hopefully my 'message in a bottle' will reach the right hands.  In the mean time, I've made my own Wilson with a soccer ball I found last week on the beach.

Summer solstice

Sunrise at 'Sunrise Cross' at the East end

Sunset from Rusty Bucket at the West end

Close encounters

This morning on a beach stroll I saw the local Spinner dolphin pod moving through the shallows.  I grabbed the radio out of my pack and waded out about 100 yards into the chest deep water.  When I got close to the pod, they turned and came towards me for an inspection.  Eventually they came close enough that I could hear their ultrasonic squeaking while they were circling.
It was absolutely amazing - though also terrifying when I initially saw a bunch of fins coming straight at me.

$15 / gallon gasoline

Today was the day to take the golf cart/ ambulance over to the 'gas station'.  The pump is staffed on Fridays from 9-10am every week for the fleet of island golf carts.
I've heard tell that after the fuel is purchased in Honolulu and barged the 2,000 km out here on special trips, it ends up being around $15 a gallon.

Weekend adventures

Last Saturday a couple of us went for another snorkel adventure under the pier.  I was desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of the small shark that lives under a piece of rubble.  When my partner started squealing through his snorkel, I knew I was in luck and quickly dove down underneath him to catch a glimpse of this rather large white tipped reef shark

After catching my breath at the surface, I went down to the bottom [~40'] to try to find him again, and instead found him and a friend cruising along one of the large pilings. I followed along behind them for a minute until I realized it was probably really stupid to 'follow' two reef sharks at depth.

Curiosity got the better of me and I went down to the bottom one last time to try and find my shark friends, but instead found a 5' sea turtle slowly paddling along the pier pilings.  At that depth the light was pretty marginal, so the picture didn't turn out great.  But it's still a fantastic memory.  Though all the old trash/debris in the background certainly takes a bit away from it.

Nosy neighbors

Monk seal 'checking out' some paddlers

Midway Atoll swimming pool

Enjoying a 'lap swim' last weekend during a break in the storm

Private lookout

The 2.9 square mile island can get a bit small after several months.

Recently I began eyeing the 4.2 million gallon fuel tanks that have been decommissioned as potential hide-aways.

After struggling barefoot up the chopped stairs, I was greeted with a delightful view looking out to the West.  Though it isn't quite tall enough 'to see my house from here' it was a delightful sight none the less.  Even with the hum of the diesel generators being carried across the island.

Eastern Island on the horizon with Spit Island on the right

Decommissioned fuel pier and cargo pier

Monsoon season

The heat certainly ended last night, though the humidity is now 100%.  In the middle of the night the sky ripped open and began a melodic downpour onto the roof just overhead.

Pathetic looking 'Gooney' bird chick

Torrential run-off

Tryin to reason with Hurricane season

There's been an unseasonable change in weather over the last few days.  The jet stream has given us a belt of muggy, hot, steamy weather that's been blowing over the island.  I feel like the air here could be cut with a machete - it's that thick.

Hopefully it'll change soon.  The temperatures been oscillating between 74' at night and 82' during the day, but with >90% humidity and I'm already starting to wilt.

Friends at the beach

Monk seal pup at Rusty Bucket

Adolescent seal on North Beach

Sea turtle at Cargo Pier

Then & now

While browsing through the visitor center recently I came upon an old chart of the area made around the turn of the last century [below].  It was a treat to see the areas marked out for the Commercial Pacific Cable Co Station [top of island] and Pan American Airways Station [right side of island].
What is most striking though is to look at the current satellite photos and appreciate that the entire SE [bottom right] corner of the island didn't exist in the 1930's.  It wasn't until the military needed more island that the area was filled in with sand and coral that was dredged up from the newly created shipping channels.

Of course the huge engineering project completed 80 years ago will likely be washed away in another 80 years if the expected sea level rise comes to fruition.  The average height of the island is only a few feet above sea level and many suspect the island will soon be underwater.

Battle of Midway

Last week was the 72nd anniversary of the Battle of Midway.  In honor of the thousands of fallen heroes, I spent last Sunday cleaning the grave sites at the Doctors Cemetery.

 

A brillo pad and some nevr-dull

After extensive 'elbow grease' and polish

Extensive corrosion, before cleaning

Working vacation

FWS personnel making a technical water entrance

Last weekend I was asked to help FWS collect some coral samples ahead of planned work on the decaying seawall.  We got to swim around as the surf sloshed against the seawall and 'harvest' some coral heads.  They were then glued onto bricks and placed out at hotel reef until the project is completed.
















After spending several hours in the water, we were all a bit chilled.  Fortunately one of the long-timers told me about the 'secret' outdoor shower with piping hot water.  It was delightful.

Daily trash service

Thanks to the Great pacific garbage patch, Midway gets a huge daily dose of plastic, fishing nets and line on the beach.

I've taken to picking up trash while walking the beaches.  It provides a nice opportunity to slow down and look around.  Fortunately I always carry around a section of line that I can use to make a 'trash train'.

















A few weeks ago we had huge ball of plastic detritus wash up on the beach.  I actually got to watch it surge across the shallows before docking on the beach.  Several of us tried to pull it up, but quickly found that the combined weight was well over several tons.  They ended up using a telescoping forklift to take it to the 'trash pile'. The FWS folks here say the ginormous commercial fishing boats will lash together all their scrap nets and rope and set them adrift in an attempt to bait in fish.  Sometimes the trash balls are even found with GPS locator beacons on them.

Nature vs blacktop

On the way back from a beach debris rescue mission [2,000 lbs ball of rope] I was struck by the asymmetric distribution of Albatross on each side of the bike path out by the airfield.  One of the old time volunteers said it was because the adults return and lay eggs where they were born.
Up until a few years ago, everything on the right side of the picture was blacktop and historically no birds have been raised there.
As with much of the development on the island, nature is quickly taking back the landscape one concrete crack and split at a time.

Memorial Day celebration

Last Monday we celebrated Memorial Day out here on Midway Atoll with a nice ceremony at the Navy Memorial.  The current Refuge Manager is also a Coast Guard Reserve Commander, so he and I dressed up in our military duds for the occasion.

Later this week is a ceremony to recognize the Battle of Midway [June 4-7, 1942]  The largest naval battle in history and the turning point for the Japanese in WWII.

True cost of 'progress'

Sea turtle entangled in milk crate on cargo beach