If you read yesterday's post you saw that I once again went to the beach. Now I know some of you are thinking, gosh she sure goes to the beach a lot. Well yes and no, you see my treks to the beach during the week are "work" related. I am a volunteer for NOAA and do weekly beach surveys to monitor the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal. So those adventures do not include a beach umbrella, towel, beach chair or a cooler full of drinks and snacks. The gear is a bit different. My goal yesterday was to cover 3 beaches on foot. I gathered my gear and hit the trail.
As I was watching the beautiful waves on the north shore of Kauai, I glanced down and realized I'm a walking advertisement for several industries. Items include: #1 Binoculars from Cabela's a must for identifying a seal from an appropriate distance, #2 a camera (Nikon) with a good zoom. See #1 for justification :) #3 Water bottle, this one is from HydroFlask (best water bottle ever) no warm water for me. #4 the day pack (Outdoor Products) Inside that pack is: cell phone, personal identification, pen, seal id book, seal cards, sunscreen, extra camera battery, money, car keys, snack, lip balm and bandaids!! Yes, that's all in that blue bag!!
Being a volunteer doesn't pay well (not paid one cent) but the benefit package sure is priceless. I get to see parts of Kauai that many folks only dream about. Take a look at what I captured and experienced yesterday.
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| Surfer headed to the waves |
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| cool rock cairn |
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| another surfer |
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| a freshly molted Hawaiian Monk Seal hiding in the bushes |
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| a honu basking in the sun |
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| Laysan Albatross over head |
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| opihi shell collection |
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| nesting albatross incubating her precious egg |
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| the waves |
I'd say I had a pretty good "Pay Day"!!
Disclaimer: I am not being compensated for endorsing any of the above products, they just happen to work for me.
LOL - I knew it was part of your "job" but I didn't realize that it was all volunteer. That's pretty neat!
ReplyDeleteMonty and Harlow
your pay is the satisfaction of making a difference to those critters out there. and all that beauty you get to see for free at the same time... that is a lot of pay to me... like that last shot of The Wave... wow and another wow on the Albatross... just seeing the seals is enough pay for me
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful hike!
ReplyDeleteWow, I would volunteer too!
ReplyDeleteYour Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
The benefit package seems very generous, great pictures! Looks like you've bonded well with your new Nikon.
ReplyDeleteI guess the only down side would be sunburn if you forget the sunscreen. Looks beautiful!
ReplyDelete