Day 2 at Limahuli and Hanalei Canoe Club— after hiking back in to our work site, we found ourselves back on our hands and knees clearing out invasive sand preparing room to plant. This time, we hiked carrying bags and bags of over 100 native plant seedlings that have been carefully grown by Limahuli’s horticulture team. With invasive cleared, our team began digging holes and creating new homes for these young plants, filling each with fertilizer and wishes of aloha. With luck, these plants will grow and create a thriving, diverse, and healthy ecosystem on ‘ulu island (so-names for the breadfruit trees that are the focus species in the area). 

That afternoon we returned to the canoe club and students began their training on what it takes to steer an outrigger canoe. These large vessels have a lot of inertia and momentum, making them slow to respond to redirection but deeply committed when they do. The students picked it up quickly, though, and some even began to prefer it to the work of providing propulsion. 

Back at Camp Naue, the team regrouped with journals to share out some homework from early in the project— each participant had chosen a plant species to research and create a one-pager for. One at a time, we each introduced the group to our plant and shared what we had learned, deepening and supporting the hands-on learning we had done thus far in Limahuli. 

After another Hanalei dinner, our team laid under the stars and connected by sharing stories of loved ones and aloha. 

Our last day at Limahuli— our friends and mentors took us on a hike through the preserve to visit the worksite of the Dawson winterim group from 2022. There we visited a special tree that was planted with the ashes of beloved teacher Nate Lord, who first connected Dawson to this community. We shared stories and saw the immense growth of plants that had been planted as seedlings three years ago just like the ones we introduced the day prior. They were healthy and tall (many over 6 feet)! Such a sense of connection and hope, with many intentions set to return in the future and check on our young friends planted this week. 

We then got a tour of the public-facing gardens, filled with stories of plants and their importance in Hawaiian life. The tour ended at the hale of the garden’s team, where we reflected on the learnings we were taking away from our week— learnings about conservation and preservation, about aloha and how it doesn’t mean “all good, all the time,” about how a relationship built out of reciprocity is healthy for all, and about the role our human ohana (family) plays in stewarding the ‘āina (land) and the resources it provides. 

To end our time, our mentors taught us how to make beautiful lei from the leaves of the tī plant. 

Our final training session at the canoe club brought us back into the double-hulled canoe with the full team. A few exercises (particularly the silent paddle and the blind paddle) helped us solidify our growing knowledge of mindset and technique as we glided along the river, tuned to each other’s movement and locked as one moving body. 

We wrapped up our time with dinner in Princeville and a final sunset car-ride to the airport, where cellphones we returned but not immediately welcomed by students who had grown accustomed to feeling present together and were not ready for the outside world to interrupt. 

A red eye to Seattle left our team with a lengthy layover in which students completed a reflective post-assessment— alone at first, but then together with Ms. Scheer and Mr. Alcala to discuss the week and how they felt they developed within the spheres of our focus values. Each student brought so much to the success of the project, and this conversation helped them see that and identify strengths to carry with them on future journeys. 

Mahalo nui to all those who made this project possible, particularly the students and families who opted to sign on! Aloha until next time!