By Joey Noszek ’20

Today was our first scheduled moving day. Although, due to the government shutdown, it was actually our second moving day. This morning saw us packing everything up and getting out of our house before the 10:30am checkout time. We were then on our way to the north side of the island.

Waipi’o Valley from above

On the way, we stopped at Waipi’o Valley. We saw a spectacular view from the lookout and decided to hike to the beach in the valley. The beach was beautiful, but the return trip was a hefty yet fair price to pay. We had to walk up a constantly steep road. I do not know quite how high we had to climb, but somewhere along the way a sign marked the boundary of a tsunami evacuation zone.

The beach in Waipi’o Valley

I do not know what the requirements are for a place to be a deemed a tsunami evacuation zone, but I do know that I walked from sea level to such a high elevation that I was considered safe from a massive, destructive wave. Honestly, I probably would have found this to be a rather enjoyable challenge if I had brought water. Unfortunately, my error made the walk more arduous than I would like.

Afterward, we continued to our new home. We now are living in A-frame cabins on Hapuna Beach. They do not have many amenities, but they are quite livable. Happily, this location is warmer and dryer than our previous one. Also, we have a great ocean view.

Sunset from the cabins.

Every year, a group of MIT students and professors travel to the Big Island of Hawaii to gain fieldwork experience through TREX (Traveling Research Environmental EXperiences). The first TREX trip was held in 2000, and since launching has taken students on research activities in domestic and international settings. For more undergraduate opportunities, click here.