Stray Dog Island

This video is awful, but you can kinda hear White Lady barking...

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:40:00 -0400

This video is awful, but you can kinda hear White Lady barking (this Killed me) every time I turn to wade further into the reef and away from the island, away from the pups who will now have to yet again scavenge by themselves on Stray Dog Island.

Sometime it’s very hard to just walk away…...

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:26:34 -0400

Sometime it’s very hard to just walk away… especially when your babies are barking for you to come back :((

The guardian of the island, Brown Boy running around while we...

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:56:08 -0400

The guardian of the island, Brown Boy running around while we wait for low tide.

Just waiting for the tide, more last cute moments with White...

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:52:00 -0400

Just waiting for the tide, more last cute moments with White Lady.

My island, my babies #2

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:17:00 -0400

My island, my babies #2

Nowhere to go

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:14:39 -0400

Nowhere to go

Not quite Low Tide, um, ok, Shit When we got to the point of the...

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:58:00 -0400

Not quite Low Tide, um, ok, Shit

When we got to the point of the island, I was instantly hit by a wave of panic. I had planned out this entire trip somewhat foolishly and had to get back to the main island to catch a flight that afternoon to go to the actual main island to catch a flight back to New Zealand to pick up all my belongings from the Antarctica Center and then catch a morning flight back home to Portland. If any thing got delayed along this way my whole plan would be screwed and I’d face real versions of getting stranded. And this all started and depended on crossing the reef at low tide, something I had planned for with my hand written tide chart.

Well, it wasn’t completely accurate. There I stood at the point of the island looking across the reef and unable to see the sand bars which were exposed at low tide. Did I miss low tide? Was it receding? I had heard stories of people drowning in the strong currents and getting dragged along the reef when attempting to cross at high tide. I had no choice except to just sit and wait a while to figure out what was going on and where the water was going and if I was going anywhere. The dogs definitely weren’t going anywhere.

I hadn’t been walking more then 10 minutes, just long...

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:39:32 -0400

I hadn’t been walking more then 10 minutes, just long enough to be out of sight of the resort, when I heard them running. I turned around to see Brown Boy and White Lady chasing after me, they hadn’t understood our goodbye. I gotta admit that it made me happy to see them again, but I also knew I was about to lead them on a 45 minute walk away from the resort and then have to strand them on the beach.

Ciao-chow

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:31:00 -0400

When the moment came to say goodbye it was definitely real. I had found a nice little home in paradise and a couple of really loyal and sweet dogs. I actually can’t imagine how lonely/scary that time would have been out there if it weren’t for them. Plus there wouldn’t have been anyone to share the coconuts. So yeah, I had saved a bunch of crackers for the dogs, to give them one last feast, which I told myself was the best I could do for them. They ate so fast that the moment was over before it could even seem special. And then they heard some noise in the woods and ran off to chase it. I looked around and took that as my natural cue to leave. And like Tangata had 6 days earlier, I just walked away.

Day 6 A final morning, couldn’t have asked for a better...

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 10:00:00 -0400

Day 6

A final morning, couldn’t have asked for a better one. White Lady sat by the hammock, we worshiped our Sun god.

Night Dogs

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:48:39 -0400

Night Dogs

White Lady tending fire Look at that stance!!!!!!

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:47:18 -0400

White Lady tending fire

Look at that stance!!!!!!

Since it was my last night on the island, I decided to make a...

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:42:00 -0400

White Lady in bottom left corner

First Victim

Another Cast Away moment

Since it was my last night on the island, I decided to make a fire. I gathered some palm fronds, sticks, dried coconut husks, the kerosene lamp, and a book called First Victim. I didn’t want to burn a book, but I needed some paper to start the fire and plus how could you ignore an ironical name like that!! Anyway, I dug a pit in the sand right next to the waves and got the puppy going. I mean the fire, not the dogs!! I didn’t burn the dogs I swear!! In fact, if anything, they loved it. We all sat there tending the fire, feeling easy/lucky/free, perhaps even reflecting on our life wandering off some map somewhere in the South Pacific. Just a man, 2 dogs, and an island.

Who am I kidding, the dogs were just hoping I had more food for them.

Sunset Night #5 - Subtle

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:35:00 -0400

Sunset Night #5 - Subtle

Sunset Night #5 - Moon offering

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:32:00 -0400

Sunset Night #5 - Moon offering

Sunset Night #5

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:26:00 -0400

Sunset Night #5

Walking around the entire island, about 5 miles of beach, still...

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:39:51 -0400

Walking around the entire island, about 5 miles of beach, still just us.

Hey, what you doing?

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 18:44:00 -0400

Hey, what you doing?

C’mon dude, open another

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:55:00 -0400

C’mon dude, open another

No seriously, White Lady was a freak for coconuts // a starving...

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:20:00 -0400

No seriously, White Lady was a freak for coconuts // a starving freak.