Survivor weekend

This weekend is a three day weekend. It's Nuclear Day so we get Monday off. We decided it would be a great time to go camping at Callalan. We all packed up and jumped on a boat for Eneko Friday afternoon. We had planned on returning on Monday at 2 pm, but at the last minute some of the girls wanted to come back on Sunday, so we booked two return boats. Once we got to Eneko we had a 6 mile hike between islands to Callalan. The boat dropped us off at 5:40 pm and the tide was dropping, but still a little high. We walked to the end of the island and looked at it. Damien and I thought it was a little high and so we sat down to wait. Mitch and John just started walking. Ben, Nicole, and Alise followed. Everyone else just relaxed on the beach. The water between the first islands, called Three Bag Islands, was about waste high and we were glad we didn't push it. I opened a bunch of coconuts and the girls drank the milk and ate the coconuts. Damien had taken his surfboard, but decided it would be too much work to carry, so he hid it really good on the island. In 30 minutes the tide had dropped to knee high and we set out. I walked on the ocean side on the shelf and the it was easy going. Kara and Katrina got stung by jelly fish and so they moved into the middle where there are piles of rock. This is much harder to walk on, but the water is shallow and they didn't want to be stung. Around dark we got to the first of the Three Bag Islands. We thought about stopping, but everyone wanted to push on. The moon was up so we walked in the moonlight. The tide kept dropping and it got easier to walk. We passed the Three Bag Islands and came to this one after that. It was a small island with a channel between it and the next big island. No one lived on it so we decided to camp for the night even though it was only 7:30 or 8:00. The first people to leave were no where in sight.

We started a fire and cooked over it. Rob we having trouble getting coconuts and he didn't bring water. He wanted to tough it out and so he didn't eat much. I gave him some of my rice and soup. He claimed there weren't any good coconuts, but it turned out the next day he was wrong. He was just bad at looking for them and worse at climbing coconut trees. We stayed up until midnight laying on the beach, talking. It was Rob, Damien, Kara, Charity, Katrina, Shari, the South African couple, and me.

In the middle of the night it started raining. I got up out of my hammock and wrapped my blanket up. There was this little tarp covered shelter. Small pigs were sleeping in it but Rob and I kicked them out and we went and stayed in it. The rain stopped after about 15 minutes. We weren't worried because it always blows over fast. We were to find out this was only the beginning. When we awoke the next day it was overcast. Every one of the girls had blisters. Since they were returning the next day anyway we decided there was no point in them walking all the way to Callalan with those bad blisters. Plus, Callalan had no shelter and we hadn't brought tarps. I brought one on the last camping trip and we didn't use it. No one felt like carrying the extra weight. It rained pretty hard a couple times. We piled into the small shelter. Some of the guys thought it was too small and so they propped up the back and took an old tarp and propped it up in front. The one in front turned out to have many, many holes in it. When the back got propped up the water didn't want to run off it anymore. We tried to reinforce it, but that night we just dropped it back down and huddled close.

During the day we went snorkelling. The channel between the islands was running fast at high tide so we float through and out into the lagoon. Rob and I saw a big sea turtle. It was so beautiful. It looked like it was flying in the water. The reef was really pretty and there were tons of fish. The South Africans took their spear fishing gear and went out to do that. Despite the on and off rain, it was a beautiful Sabbath day. That night we talked about what to do. Everyone wanted to leave on Sunday now because of the bad rain. We still had the five other people ahead of us who didn't know what the plan was. The girls, Rob and Damien wanted to hike back to one of the Three Bag Islands where there is a vacation house and shelter. They figured we could stay in the shelter if someone was at the house. I still wanted to see Callalan so I said I would hike to Callalan on the low tide that night and return with the five people the next morning. Damien and Rob decided to hike out there with me and return on the same tide with no gear. Right was it was getting dark it started raining really hard. We huddled in the shelter until 8 pm. By that time the tide was low and we started off at a fast pace. It took us about an hour to get to Callalan.

Mitch, Ben, Jon, Nicole and Alise were sitting around the fire when we came up. They were disappointed we hadn't made it that morning. They hadn't brought a machete and our group had four of them. It sucked because they couldn't get any coconuts. I climbed a coconut tree and cut several down for them. I cooked a meal over there fire and then they were getting ready to go to bed. They met this really nice Marshallese guy and he loaned them a tarp. Alise slept on the ground under the tarp and everyone else hung the hammocks up. About 1 am the first shower came. It rained pretty hard for a bit. We huddled under the tarp until it past and went back to our hammocks. A few minutes later it started raining again. This time it was a storm. The wind blew and the waves were crashing onto the beach. The rain was so hard we were all soaked in no time. The rain was going sideways right under our tarp. Ben and I were in the front and soaked first. My once damp blanket was now completely soaked and doing no good. The tarp started leaking all over and no one was dry. It didn't let up for an hour and a half. By that time we were cramped from crouching under the tarp. I sat with my back to Nicole. I think our shared body heat kept me from freezing. I cursed myself for not leaving with Damien and Rob to go back to the house. It was so miserable sitting there soaking wet in a storm. Rain in the day time neve bothered me because you are running around and it's not cold here. I found that rain at night while you are trying to sleep is hell.

The nice Marshallese guy had offered them his shelter and so when the rain let up we voted to go over there. We were worried because it was 3 am by this time, but he was sitting on his front porch watching the down pour. We asked if we could use his shelter and he offered us his house. We all went inside and laid down on the floor. It was the greatest feeling in the world to be dry and warm. I have never been so greatful for shelter in my entire life. We slept for a few hours and then got up at first light. The Marshallese guy told us to come anytime we needed shelter. We think he is the king that owns the island. (There are about 10 kings of the Marshall Island who own most of the land.) He is the nicest guy I've met since I've been here. When were returned to the camp site we found everythere wet and sandy. By the time we loaded our backpacks the tide was low enough and we set out. Not even Ben was arguing with us about going back early. It was the worst camping night of our lives and we were not interested in repeating it.

It only took us two hours to cover the 6 miles back to Eneko. The tide was super low and we were walking on dry land or ankle deep water the whole way. It was 10:30 am when we arrived and we found there was a Tsunami warning for 11:30. We were freaked out at first and drying to get a boat back before then. But we couldn't and nothing happened. I wish I could say we lived out a Tsunami on an outer island, but the truth is I didn't even see the surges they got in New Zealand. It was a super low tide and so if their were surges it didn't make much difference. This weekend is suppose to be the most extreme tides ever recorded in the Marshall Islands. In the end, if there aren't big waves, it doesn't make much difference. It's only about a foot higher than normal. If there are big waves at the same time, then it can flood low places. My students told me it flooded Small Island last year. Extreme tides always come around this time of year.

I got back, ate some good cooked food, and crashed. I slept from 4 in the afternoon until midnight. I'm not sure if I'll be able to sleep more. I hope so.