Settling in Kir'nu

From: Haywood Walton

To: Ivy Hickman, Terrance Freeman, Emily Damson

Hey everyone -

I just wanted to email you this evening to remind you of a few things that you need to bring along for the trip. As you may remember, we will only have intermittent access to grocery stores, so it is essential for you to bring your own toiletries, especially to start out. This means shampoo, soap, razors and razor blades, any products that are distinctly feminine in nature, contact solution, replacement contacts, glasses, glasses cleaners, glasses repair kits... I think you get the point. Although we may be able to find most of this stuff on the mainland, the fact remains that it will not be immediately available to us when we arrive. We will be leaving the airport and boarding the ferry to the island directly after, leaving no time for sightseeing.

On that note, let me remind you that you should bring enough cash for sightseeing, tourism purchases, Christmas presents, and the like. Again, although I'm sure there are ATMs on the mainland, but they may charge you a convenience fee because I doubt that your bank will be present in large quantities there. Also, bring your camera, a beach towel, your bathing suit -- stuff like that.

I realize your suitcase space is limited, but you should have enough clothing for about a week's worth of work in the field. You do not need to bring "nice" clothes for presentations. Other than informal meetings, our interactions with both the rangers and the public will be few and far between. In general, you should probably have three to five pairs of field pants and/or shorts, a good number of shirts, at least one warmer piece of clothing for cold nights, plenty of socks and underwear, and a hat to help you keep the bugs away.

I think that's all I had to say. Remember, we are meeting at the airport at 5 in the morning. We do not have to go through customs, but we will go through security together. Our flight out that way leaves at 7, which means that we should have plenty of time to grab breakfast after making it to our gate. You may want to pack a lot of snack food for tomorrow and for the first few days in the field, as it will be a long couple of days.

I look forward to the time that we will spend together. As we discussed, if any one of you has a personal problem, feel free to come to me. Our discussions will be kept confidential. I want this experience to be useful for everyone. Obviously, Ivy and I are focused on the research, but we know there will be a learning curve for handling unfamiliar species; and especially for you, Terrance and Emily, with performing basic ecological tasks in the field. But, experience is the best teacher, and I'm sure you both will catch on quickly.

I'll see you all in the morning.

Sleep well,

Haywood Walton

Ivy glanced over the email that was sitting in her inbox. She was just packing now. She had notoriously delayed it, claiming to work on other stuff, but in actuality, she just was too lazy to round up all of her clothing. His summarized packing list was useful, and it made Ivy smile, the way he referenced female hygiene products as "any products that are distinctly feminine in nature." He would do that. Haywood had no problem saying the words "tampon" or "pad," but he would be greatly amused with himself for the way he had phrased the email.

Speaking of, she had indeed forgotten to pack both her birth control medicines and her tampons. Although she rarely needed them, it was much better to be safe than sorry. Nothing quite screamed embarrassment like having to remove blood stains in a public bathroom. No, she would spare Terrance and Haywood that sight over the summer.

She rubbed her cat's ears absently as she surveyed her bedroom, looking for any other items she may have missed in her packing frenzy. She let the cat resume his nap as she began systematically opening and closing clothing drawers, searching for the elusive, "Oh crap, I should've brought that along" piece of clothing. She never did find it, and after a while, she gave up and sat on her bed, looking at her desolate room and neatly packed bags.

It would be a good trip. She liked the undergraduates, she couldn't wait to work on a new project, and she couldn't wait to get away from the place she had called home for the last four years. She would be back, of course, but an extended vacation was exactly what she needed. Especially in the name of science.

#

It was early in the morning when Ivy's friend dropped her and her two large bags at the airport. Way too early. Ivy gave the thank you hug, and watched as her friend drove away. Her stomach was at her knees, she was so excited to get on that plane and fly off to distant lands. Haywood and Emily were also at the airport, waiting by the cafe for the others, tickets in hand. Ivy waved to them, then made her way to the ticketing counter to check her bags.

After a brief but friendly conversation with the bag attendant, Ivy made her way to her friends and coworkers. Haywood was nursing a coffee, and Emily, a Coke, and Ivy eyed the cafe. She decided though, that she would wait until they got through security to make her morning beverage purchase.

Terrance came soon after, and all four of them moved through security with ease. Haywood had hastily reminded them all before entering the security line that knives -- especially field knives -- were not allowed through security. When Ivy rolled her eyes at him, he assured her that he had seen it happen, once, on a trip to the tropics with a class full of undergraduates. But, of course, it wasn't a knife belonging to one of the undergraduates: it was a knife that belonged to one of the instructors.

Through security, Ivy and Terrance made their breakfast purchases, and the group found their way to their gate with little trouble. They didn't have long to wait, before the boarding process began, and with that, they were on their way to a land of adventure.

The first flight went smoothly. Haywood napped, and Emily and Terrance dozed as well, but Ivy wrote. She was writing out ideas, and hopes, and dreams, in a private journal she had brought along just for that reason. She wasn't really leaving anything behind in Wisconsin, but still, she felt a pang in her heart. She already missed Mr. Kitty and her bed. She knew that the first few days would be rough. Even today was a long, long day.

The flight attendant coming around with drinks very nearly missed Ivy, who was tucked into a window seat, curled up under her travel blanket, writing away. But Ivy heard the cart and popped out of her writing cocoon to ask for some water. The attendant obliged, and then Ivy was back to writing.

After a while, Ivy felt the sleep bug take her and her eyes drooped heavy. Images of bloodshed raced behind her eyes, wolves, all over, tearing apart... what? Demons? She tried to scream out to the wolves, to warn them of a much larger demon coming up behind them, and she woke with a start. Ashamed of herself, and weirded out by her brief dream stint into a world of fantasy, Ivy emerged from her cocoon to be presently surprised by sunlight flooding the airplane cabin. They must be close to the mainland, although she supposed that they could just be flying above the clouds.

Haywood was up, browsing on his tablet through some sort of book or journal article. Emily was up, too, watching the in flight movie, headphones blasting out the suspenseful music. Haywood was blocking Ivy's view of Terrance, who had the inside seat on the other side of the aisle, but Ivy guess that he was napping, as she did not see any movement from over there.

Emily smiled at her from the middle seat, gently, when she noticed Ivy's movement. Ivy smiled back at her then turned her attention to the serene view of ocean water outside the window. Yes, they must be close, if they were flying over the ocean. Just how long had she been asleep?

Hours, she realized as she glanced down at the sports watch adorning her wrist. She would have to turn it to the correct time zone when they landed, but she had been out for at least two hours. And she had been so determined... so stoic, in her ability to stay awake. Ah, well. It was probably a good thing that she slept some, for it would be a very long day. They expected to be awake well into the Kir'nu night, which was several hours behind their own night.

As the plane began its descent, and Emily removed her headphones to return to the real world, they talked, gently, about what they would do next. First, obviously, gather their things and get off the plane. And then, they would get their bags, and a Ranger would meet them to take them to the ferry. The plane was on time, and so, they should have enough time to make it to the evening ferry. Plenty of time, in fact. The emergency plan had been to take a hotel for a night if the planes were delayed at all, but the flight was actually about forty five minutes early. Great. Plenty of time to wait around at the airport. Maybe Ivy would be able to send a postcard out to her parents.

#

The ferry ride was short, the water clear, and the breeze warm on their skins. They were all exhausted, jumping through three time zones, but the day was long from over. It was only early afternoon on Kir'nu, and they were to be oriented to the island, then allowed to move in for the next three months. They had all tried to pack light, and shipped the science tools they needed well in advance, but they each still had 2 bulging suitcases and their allotted two carry-ons.

Ivy was nursing a small headache, and Haywood was in his element, sharing with his brand new undergraduate researchers the beauties of the water. Haywood was determined to instill a love of science into these young folks, and currently, shell shocked by the change in scenery, they were eating it up. Currently, Haywood was discussing the formation of the island, which, like many other islands, was formed by a volcanic eruption. He then moved onto discussing Darwin's finches, and how island species were usually a little different from their mainland counterparts because of geographic isolation.

Ivy was more focused on the fantastic view. Kir'nu loomed in the foreground, its three "mountains" far off in the distance. It was a rocky, mountainous place, covered with dense trees and hiking trails winding around its perimeter. It was wild, it was unearthly beautiful. It was paradise.

Ivy's mind was flooding with questions about the species they would see and how they would interact with each other? Would there be brand new species that they would find? Or would they find secret invasions of mainland species, taking out all of the genetic diversity of the island? There were so many things that were unknown about Kir'nu.

What about the Kir'nu library at the field station? Would it have interesting documents that shared historical perspectives of the island, before it was settled by humans? She knew that much of the knowledge about Kir'nu was indeed in that library, which had not yet been shared with the public via the internet or some sort of digital archive. What if there was a fire? They would lose all of their historical and important documents.

Ivy was brought back to reality as the island neared closer and closer to the ferry. She could see a banner over the dock, a faded wooden sign proclaiming "Welcome to Kir'nu" in fanciful, 1980's cursive. That sign had seen many a storm, and was still standing. That made Ivy feel a little safer, being stuck on a volcanic rock for three months. She must be still tired, she realized, if she was referred to her dream job as a desolate death trap.

"Okay, guys, are you ready?" Ranger Phelps grabbed their attention, and they all nodded and smiled. "I said, are you ready?" Ranger Phelps laughed at himself, before they felt obligated to respond again. "Sorry. Its so rarely I get to do orientations like this. The hikers that come don't get the special treatment."

"So, welcome to Kir'nu. This island has been around quite a long time -- the historical records and geology say a couple of thousand years. As a result, it does have a lot of endemic species. Most of these species are very similar to mainland species, but have odd characteristics because of genetic isolation and drift. The island is unique because it has so many features that are distinctive, almost like its a patchwork representative of the whole nation. The ranger station and the field station that you'll be staying at are on the south side of the island. Southwest, really. The western portion of the reserve has the Red Rock Caves, which is a network of caves that to this day, remains completely unexplored. The trails run through the caves, but only qualified cavers are allowed down there, and with disease spreading through bat caves in the Eastern United States, we are now hesitant to let anyone down there at all." The Ranger sighed, regret etched across his face.

"It's a real shame. To the north, we have our three mountain peaks -- not technically mountains, of course, but they're the three highest points in the reserve. They're also where the Kir'nu River begins to form. Three small creeks begin at each of the peaks, respectively, and make their way down into the delta grande, which winds through the ravines and down into the Kir'nu River Valley, which is subject to flooding more often than we'd like. That area, in the center of the island, is off limits to hikers during the wet season, to prevent accidents with flash floods."

"Finally, where we'll dock, and where you'll be stationed, is very close to the federally restricted preserve area. There is a large floodplain in that area, as well, and we have it blocked off to prevent human disturbance of our rarer flora and fauna, including a small wolf pack. Unfortunately, you don't have permission to access that area, and we'll ask that you stay clear. It is fenced, all the way around, and most of the fence has an electric component to it, to prevent the wolf pack from causing too much trouble outside of the preserve area. Each year, we capture some prey items for the wolves on the mainland, and release them into the preserve to maintain their food supply. So far, it has worked."

"These wolves are the sources of the strange occurrences on the island that you may hear about from time to time. You'll see some mentions of them in the historical records. It was actually these wolves that seemed to have prevented human conquering of this island until in recent history."

With those words, the ferry shuddered to a halt against the pier, and the Ranger let them get their feet and their bags before the continued.

"You don't need to worry about your checked bags." The Ranger said, "We'll have someone bring your bags out to the field station, so that we can all take a hike. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded, relieved. It would be good to take a walk after spending so much time sitting. They followed the ranger obediently off of the boat and shouldered their daypacks and carry-ons with poorly contained glee. That glee was cut short, however, when the ranger motioned for them to get in a jeep.

"It's just a short drive." He promised. "We have to get into the actual park, which is a few miles down the road. The road here, it winds around the whole of the island. Took years to build, with erosion being a major problem in some parts. The wolves also took a few workers..." The ranger laughed, but no one followed. They couldn't tell if he was joking.

"Anyway." He continued, "There are five ways into the forest, which means there are five ways for hikers to get help if something happens to them. Forest road one is the road that you will live on. It has the main ranger station and the field station. We also have a helipad, which gets used in emergencies only. It's part of the deal we struck with the state government to open the reserve to hikers. Forest road two is in the west, just north of the Red Rock Caves. Forest road three approaches the reserve from the northern side of the three mountains. Then, there's forest road east, which drops you at the trail near the flood plains, and forest road south, which is in the southeast corner of the island, near the restricted area's second floodplain. I only tell you this because if you need to work in areas that aren't in walking distance, which are areas pretty much near forest road east and forest road three -- that's the one near the mountains -- you'll need to take one of our jeeps, or backpack out. Also, sometimes, hikers get turned around, and you can at least tell them which forest road they're close to."

The ranger started the jeep after they were all buckled in, and it was indeed a short drive. Probably walkable. But, moments later, they were at the field research station.

"We'll drop your bags inside, use the facilities if we need, then we'll take a short hike. How does that sound?" Ranger Phelps asked, and they all gave their assent.

"So just a real quick tour," Ranger Phelps began, "This is your living room and kitchen area. Male's quarters are to the left, female's quarters to the right. Straight back is the library, and behind that, extra food storage and the laundry room. This building is certified safe for strong winds, but if you ever feel unsafe, there is a storm shelter through that trap door." Ranger Phelps motioned to a decorative door in the side wall. "It leads down to a crawl space underground. It's creepy and you probably won't need it, but I want you to know its there."

They laughed at that. It certainly did look creepy, a dog-sized door in an otherwise human sized house. They had all seen the strange box attached to the field station from outside, but no one had bothered to ask about it.

"So just join me up here when you're ready for your brief tour of the trails and the areas around this field station. And, I forgot to mention it, but the ranger facilities are right across the street. So if you ever need us in an emergency, just come grab us. We'll give you each a two-way radio that you should keep on you at all times, in case something happens out in the field. We are the island police, so if you call 911, it goes directly to us. Sound good? Good. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Ranger Phelps took a seat on the couch and shooed them all away. Emily followed Ivy dutifully into their room, where two bunked beds awaited them.

"Left or right half of the room?" Ivy asked, and Emily shrugged. Ivy walked to the right side, which was closest to the bathroom. "I'll take this one. I wake up a lot in the night."

"Cool." Emily agreed, and dropped her bag gratefully onto the bed. She was sick of carrying so much... stuff for the day. Back home, it was close to seven o'clock at night, but here, it was mid afternoon. Emily was starving. She dug through her pack for a granola bar and opened the wrapper quickly, chewing as fast as she could. Ivy took her break to use the bathroom, and emerged as Emily was having her final bites.

"Shit." Ivy remarked. "You sure at that fast."

"I was hungry." Emily said shamefully.

"You ready to join the boys?" Ivy asked, and Emily nodded, groaning slightly as she got off the bed. "That was your first mistake..." Ivy laughed. "Sitting down on a bed, I mean."

"I know. I know. But it felt so good!" Emily sighed remorsefully and followed Ivy out of the room, ready for another adventure.

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