58FR+5W

Hey Strat, I’m spending the next 4 days camped out on this beach and it’s hot as balls. Mosquitos are rippin so I drowned myself in permethrin and am hoping for the best. We’re foraging oranges and false almonds and mamaki leaves, and one of our crew even speared a fish this morning on the swim back from another beach. There’s some insane caves that are only explorable during low tide this time of year, and seemingly endless waterfalls tucked into the jungle. The trees here are old. I backpacked in with one of my childhood best friends and her whole nerd squad of friends (they’re all marine biologists on Oahu). I think I’m the only one here without a phd. Enjoying the marine and terrestrial environments with people who have devoted their lives to studying them is overwhelmingly powerful. Initially, I put your stone in my pack with the intention of carrying you around a while until I found a spot that felt right, and honestly I didn’t last all that long: this view is pretty insane. They filmed Jurassic park with these spires in the background. The water’s warm here and everything. I can’t see you anymore, but I see you everywhere. I didn’t know you well, yet I feel like I know glimmers of you in the people I love. I don’t keep your stone anymore, but I still carry you with me. I hope I get to move through the world with even just a little of the joy and awe that you did. Rest here in joy and power and peace. Nat