THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Paths

Life is a fight. As one egg in a clutch of 100-plus, the loggerhead topples the odds to avoid predation from a fox or raccoon. Once hatched, the turtle, no bigger than an Oreo, makes the arduous climb out of the nest and onto the beach, in plain sight of crabs and gulls that would happily end its struggle. Inch by inch, foot by foot, the hatchling shuffles through the sand, pushing toward the ambient light that glistens off the surf until it unites with the sea. Thirty-five years from this moment, if the turtle’s luck holds, it will find its way back to this very beach, where it will lay its own eggs and start the battle anew. —tony

rehagen