Well it's back to real classes and 9:30am lectures. I miss diving a lot already, but we're conducting research projects that include diving as part of this class, so hopefully I'll be back in the water soon.
The research project is largely open ended as far as what we want to study. We were paired up into teams of two, and my partner Elliott and I messed around with some ideas we were interested in pursuing. These included invasive species, applications of citizen science, and managing stakeholder interests.
After lecture, lunch, and a nap, I was feeling a little antsy so I went on a little solo exploration. I started out at the junkyard, which is located just behind our main campus.
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| A junkyard boat that's outlived its days on the water
After poking around for a bit, I discovered a trail that didn't look familiar, so I naturally started following it. I ended up meandering my way up Mt. Wrigley (the slope that we hiked in my earlier posts), picking my way through loose rock and attempting not to impale myself on the cacti.
On my way up, I ran into several foxes, one of which jumped on the trail and started trotting directly toward me. He eventually skirted around me at the last minute, but it's just one more example of how comfortable the animals here are around humans. Even the fish in the water have no qualms about inquisitive divers- my hands will often be barely a couple of inches away from them before they'll swim away.
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| The inquisitive fox |
Before I got all the way to the top of the slope, it began getting pretty dark, and I realized I was in danger of missing dinner. With the threat of an empty stomach looming ahead of me, I made good time back down the slope, resolving to come back and finish my hike tomorrow.
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| From a distance, the junkyard where I started my hike looks miniscule |
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