The next couple of days will be full of hiking and trekking through lakes, green mountains,
huge cedar trees, stunning waterfalls and forests, and whether you are a passionate hiker or a newbie you don't have to worry about your level of experience.
It's dark when I get up at 6 am, the first hint of a new day on the horizon; the forest floor has turned gold and green as the
cedars shed their summer cloak; honeysuckle leaves litter the boardwalks and garden ground; bright red honeysuckle berries are being plucked by tiny wrens; jays are sitting in the apple
tree, feasting on the fruit we imagined as apple pie; the last roses are fading; fronds of great bull kelp are landing on the beach, food for next year's garden; the sudden daybreak howl of sporty boats heading to the hot fishing spots where we have our hydrophones has gone; sea lions are beginning to heave their
huge bodies onto haul - out rocks along the way; most of our assistants have left, heading back to school or home; and in their absence we are spending more time in the lab at night, recording the voices of the orcas, who are still here.