MUSCATINE, Iowa — When Josh Hanna learned he had been selected to take a free trip to a worldwide destination of his choice, he didn’t have to think too long about where he would go.

At last, he would have the opportunity to walk the same Pacific island shores and beaches where Charles Darwin completed some of his most compelling research on natural selection.

And all the numbers added up.

Hanna 27, is the same age Darwin was when he returned from his research in the Galapagos Islands in the 1830s.

In addition, this year also marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Charles Darwin Foundation.

 The Foundation and the Galapagos National Park work together to protect the unique ecosystem and natural wonders of the Galapagos Islands.

Hanna, a science teacher at Muscatine High School, has been fascinated with Darwin’s ideas and life of research since childhood.

Darwin did some of his most important research on  the Galapagos Islands, a chain of small land masses that are home to an array of unusual and rare animals.

Hanna’s trip took place from June 26-July 5 and was paid for through Muscatine’s Stanley Foundation as part of that organization’s annual Catherine Miller Explorer Awards for local teachers.

The  program invites teachers from the Muscatine Community School District and Bishop Hayes Catholic School to vie for an opportunity to take an educational tour of a place they’ve always wanted to visit.

“To journey to the Galapagos and walk the same shores as Charles Darwin did, study the same habitats and relive the same history he created is a dream come true that, with the help of the Stanley Foundation, has come true for me,” Hanna says in a video that can be viewed on the Web site YouTube.

 Hanna intends to make further use of YouTube, as he edits video clips from his trip which he will then craft into mini-lessons to be posted on the site.

Amazing research

Hanna had the opportunity to participate in scientific research himself during his journey.

“I feel like I just joined the 21st century,” said Hanna after returning from the Galapagos. “I have many, many, hours of lectures and lessons from the trip highlighting the Islands’ geology and biological diversity.”

Hanna will be featured in some photos that are part of an upcoming book by scientist Theofilos Toulkeridis on the geology of the Galapagos.

Hanna worked as Theofilos’ field assistant during the Galapagos trip and it provided him with a once-in-a-lifetime vantage point.

“I got to see some behind-the-scenes, off-the-trail, geological formations that were absolutely amazing,” said Hanna. “I have a totally new view on those crazy rock lovers we call geologists.”

There were also some difficult moments.

Hanna was charged at but not harmed by a territorial male sea lion.

He photographed one sad scene wherein he had to watch helplessly as a mocking bird destroyed an albatross egg.

“It took three years to make that egg,” lamented Hanna, referring to the fact that albatrosses, which have one partner for life, mate once every three years. “And this mocking bird comes along and eats this egg.”

Guests to the Galapagos are told not to disturb any of the natural processes, no matter how difficult it is to see them occur, said Hanna, because preserving the environment in its natural state is an important part of continuing the study of Darwin’s theory of natural selection.

Delicate diversity

During his visit, Hanna got a close-up view of the delicate formations of lava rock called hornitos.

“The professor told me that you will not find this anywhere else,” said Hanna. “Not even in Hawaii.”

The diverse range of  animal species also fascinated Hanna.

Hanna learned a new species of pink iguana was discovered in the islands just last year.

He was also able to experience the animals of Galapagos close up because most of them have minimal fear of humans. Penguins came alongside him as he swam, he heard his guide speak to sea lions and got close to enormous, aged tortoises.

“It’s so hard for me to put into words how beautiful everything is,” said Hanna.