Know Your Islanders Talk
Posted September 28, 2015 at 5:47 am by Tim Dustrude
Click to enlarge – Contributed photo
The Trails Committee on San Juan Island begins its Know Your Islanders Talks season with Boyd Pratt relating the story of his harrowing hike of Kalaupapa, with its 26 switchbacks and 2000 foot elevation change.
Beginning in 1866, the isolated Kalaupapa Peninsula on the island of Molokai was the site for isolation of victims of Hanson’s Disease (leprosy) in the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Today, Kalaupapa is a National Historical Park; you can only visit by permit and with a guided tour. On February 5th, 2015 Boyd hiked the steep 3.5 mile trail down (and, more arduously, up) the pali cliff that separates Kalaupapa from the outside world. Come sweat out his pilgrimage with him and see what he saw. Monday, October 5th, 7:00 pm at the San Juan Library. Refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the San Juan Library and the Trails Committee.
Boyd C. Pratt was born in the (then) Territory of Hawaii at Kapiolani Hospital—the birthplace of President Obama! He went to St. John’s College in Santa Fe and graduate school at UNM in Albuquerque, NM. After moving to San Juan Island in 1991, in addition to farming he has done historic preservation consulting work on as many as he can of the 418 islands (at high tide) of the San Juan Archipelago. Go ahead, ask him about the historic barns or lime kilns or why lomi lomi salmon is part of a traditional Hawaiian luau…
The San Juan Island Trails Committee was created in 1999 by the San Juan Island Park & Recreation District (Island Rec). We are currently a sub-committee of Island Rec, which has been our primary source of financial resources and support since our inception. We also assist with trail building, maintenance, and stewardship. Meetings are held at Heritage Bank in Friday Harbor, beginning at 12 noon on the first Tuesday of every month, and all interested persons are welcome to attend.
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Categories: Around Here
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