I never had to spend a summer planting trees. I never worked my way through a forest inch by inch doubled over on my hands and knees.

I was explaining to Rachel that my favorite job thus far has been collecting Ohia tree babies. They grow in special places, on mossy Hupu'u trunks, which are these tree ferns that fall over and rot. You have to lay down in the dirt and carefully cut them out, and draw the roots out without breaking them. They are these tiny little things. Then you take them to the greenhouse and set them in soil. Also, there are very few bugs.

I've heard all that stuff about nature being interconnected but seeing it first hand is eye opening. See, when cattle were brought here they gobbled up Koa tree babies. Koa is the other powerhouse tree. They don't live long, so without new plants to replenish, the forest dies out. Koas suck tons of nitrogen into the soil, as well as keep radiant heat from escaping. This is important because the Ohia tree seeds cannot germinate if they have been hit by frost. So the health of the forest floor is important for Hupu'u, which are important for Ohia, as well as are Koas important for the soil on the floor, and Ohia. Here the seedlings will grow big enough to be outplanted. We have roughly 30 different species that are important to cultivate in order to ensure the health of the forest system. So the work is a lot more than just putting trees in the ground, you have to link together the inter-dependent organisms so they can survive.
Once things get rolling again, the land acts as a water purifier.

This is the sunrise in Kailua-Kona, where I wait at what I think is a bus stop. Turns out it isn't a bus stop and I'll end up coming back to my hostel and posting these pictures. I complain about the CTA but here you wait 8 hours between buses. I'll make sure I'm in the right spot next time!