After returning home from my expedition to start my school year I have been greatly inspired by the team I have come to know as my research family:Caleb, Darrell, Heidi, Chris, and Eric. These devoted people and others who we interacted with along the way are much more than typical working colleagues . They live and work together 24-7 with common, demanding goals. They have data to collect on a tight time-frame in uncontrollable weather and other demanding environmental conditions. Problem-solving is a way of life for the team and critical thinking and training in a variety of science and life skills are basic requirements. This team does not work out of a field station. The Arctic tundra is their laboratory during the field season. They are tent and boat builders, equipment assemblers,...
Caleb, Eric, and I pose for a team picture at 6 am on the way to the airport.
No official weather report today, although it rained on the way to the airport and we passed a building that listed the temperature as 67 F. Caleb, Eric, Robin, and I left for the airport at 6:30 am. We said our goodbyes for now and they headed down the road while Robin and I headed into the Anchorage airport. Our flight was on time. I purchased a few books about Alaska for my collection and Robin and I said goodbye to Alaska. We were going home.
Al met Robin and me at the Fresno airport at 5:30 pm and brought us home. It was good to see him and discuss the adventures. It had been 4 weeks since I had been home. We pass grapes drying into raisins on our way home. The SunMaid raisin plant is in...
Peggy's Weather Report from Mica Lake:
Time: 11:15 am
Temperature: 19.7 C 67.4 F
Humidity: 70.7%
Wind: none
Clouds: Nimbostratus, raining Cloud Cover: 100% overcast
Light level: 1480 X 10 Lux
Woke up and felt great. I slept well and didn't have the sore throat and had my energy back. We had our last breakfast in the kitchen tent and discussed our plan for the day. The weather was sunny, a great day. Caleb called via sat phone to be sure Trail Ridge Air was coming to pick us up. They were coming at 3 pm. So we decided to take a hike up the hill to see if we could get to the rim and look down at Prince William Sound. The other goal was to see if there was any evidence that the area had glacier activity...
Peggy's Weather Report from Mica Lake
Time: 10:16 am
Temperature: 23.1 C 73.7 F
Humidity: 55%
Wind: none Clouds: none Cloud Cover: none
Light level: off scale
Peggy's Weather Report from Mica Lake:
Time: 3:30 pm
Temperature: 26.7 C 80 F
Humidity: 50%
Wind: 5 km/hr from West Clouds: none
Cloud Cover: none
Light level: off scale
I usually sleep very well wherever I am. But...
Peggy's Weather Report from Mica Lake:
*Time: 4:45 pm Temperature: 26.7 C 80.0 F
Humidity: 45.0%
Wind: area blocked from wind Clouds: Altostratus
Cloud Cover: 100% overcast
Light level: off scale *
GPS: Mica Lake:
Latitude: 60.68268 N
Longitude: 148.14483 W
Elevation: 95 m
Water conditions of Mica Lake:
pH: 6.19
Temperature: 15.9 C
Conductivity: 3 microSiemens
I awakened before the others but since my watch quit working, I didn't know what time it was. So I got up and went down to the kitchen tent and decided to work on my journal entries until Caleb...
Peggy's Weather Report from Trail Ridge Air, Anchorage:
*Time: 12:00 noon Temperature: 19.6 C 66.9 F
Humidity: 62.0%
Wind: 7 km/hr from South
Clouds: Cirrus Cirrostratus
Cloud Cover: 80% broken
Light level: 1485 X 10 Lux *
GPS: Trail Ridge Air, Anchorage
Latitude: 61.18413 N
Longitude: 149.96829 W
Elevation: 18 m
Both teams brought their gear down to the truck at 7 am so we could have Kaladi Brothers coffee and said goodbye.
We took a few group photos, one with Dr. Kaufman, Caleb, me, the official PolarTREC team, and
one with the team I had just been working with: Chris, Dr. Kaufman, Caleb, Heidi, and me. This morning the new teams head different directions; new scientific information will...
Peggy's Weather Report from University of Alaska dorms:
Time: 12:50 pm
Temperature: 23 C 73.4 F
Humidity: 51.4%
Wind: 2 km/hr from south
Clouds: Cumulus
Cloud Cover: 15% isolated
Light level: off scale
This was a day of reorganization. Tomorrow Chris and Heidi will be going with Dr. Kaufman to Chris' project lake, Mother Goose out of Dillingham. I will be joining Caleb and newcomer Eric to go to Caleb's Masters project lake, Mica in the Prince William Sound. The equipment we brought back and other equipment stored will have to be distributed to the two teams. Since I had not been able to work on my journaling, I stayed at the University of Alaska dorms where the team stays when we come to Anchorage, to work on photo processing and journaling. The rest of the team went to...
Peggy's Weather Report from Ptarmigan Lake:
*Time: 7:03 am
Temperature: 12.4 C 54.3 F
Humidity: 80.0%
Wind: slight
Clouds: Nimbostratus, raining and foggy
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*Cloud Cover: 100% overcast
Light level: 891 X10 Lux
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Rain, lightening, and thunder continued through the night but did not bother us in our well-sealed tents. We got up early because we knew it would be a long day. Today we were going to set up the coring platform, collect a long sediment core from Ptarmigan Lake, take the platform and boat apart and carry the pieces up the hill, load the truck, and drive 4-5 hours to Anchorage. So we got up at 5:30 am, had breakfast and then packed up our tents and personal items loading them and the cooking equipment into the car to head to Ptarmigan Lake where Heidi and Caleb had camped...
Peggy's Weather Report from Blueberry Campground:
*Time: 7:41 am
Temperature: 10.4 C 50.7 F
Humidity: 76.5%
Wind: in protected area
Clouds: Stratocumulus
Cloud Cover: 75% broken
Light level: 391 X10 Lux
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We got up at 6:00 am for breakfast. The plan for the day was to go to two lakes in the area, Robe Lake and Ptarmigan Lake, chosen because they had characteristics the team was looking for and to return to the campground tonight and do long cores tomorrow. This plan was the alternative to flying to Allison Lake to take long and short sediment cores. So we set off for Robe Lake near Valdez and not far from our campground. There the team set up the boat, and prepared all the equipment for taking bathymetry readings and collecting short sediment cores.
Chris and I took...
Peggy's Weather Report from Tolsona Lodge:
Time: 9:40 am
Temperature: 20.8 C 69.4 F
Humidity: 42%
Wind: 14 km/hr from South
Clouds: Cumulus, altocumulus
Cloud Cover: 55% broken
Light level: off scale
Tolsona Lake water:
Temperature 15.5 C
pH 7.81
Conductivity 294 microSiemens/cm
I woke up and could not find my wallet with ID. This was about 4:45 am. Usually I kept at the foot of my sleeping bag, but I could not find it there. I retraced what I had done since I had seen it last, which was at dinner. I must have left it at the lodge. So I got up to ask Caleb and Heidi to check at the lodge on their way to see Jerry about the likelihood of a Hallet Lake run to retrieve our gear today. The lodge was not yet open. But, the good news was that Jerry was able to get...
Peggy's Weather Report from Tolsona Lodge:
*Time: 9:40 am
Temperature: 13.9 C 56.8 F
Humidity: 74.5%
Wind: 4.3 km/hr from South
Clouds: Stratocumulus
Cloud Cover: 80% broken
Light level: 1779 X 10 Lux *
GPS: Tolsona Lodge
Latitude: 61.10862 N
Longitude: 146.03854 W
Elevation: 637 m
I woke up before 5 am to steady rain on the roof of my tent. I really appreciate this great tent VECO (the company that outfits Arctic expeditions) provided me. I felt very comfortable, but I knew Caleb and Heidi were leaving to talk with Jerry about the possibility of getting the gear from Hallet Lake this morning so we can head to Valdez to join Dr. Darrell Kaufman, their advisor and head of the project. The next lake, Allison, is the one we will be coring. My job this early...
Peggy's Weather Report from Hallet Lake Camp:
Time: 6:05 amTemperature: 11.3 C or 52.3 FHumidity: 66.5%Wind: .6 km/hr from SouthClouds: Cirrus Cumulus StratocumulusCloud Cover: 30% scatteredLight level: 1932 Lux Peggy's Weather Report from Tolsona Wilderness Campground Office:
Time: 5:30 pm
Temperature: 21.5 C 71.0 F
Humidity: 55%
Wind: .15 km/hr from North
Clouds: Cirrus Cumulus Stratocumulus
Cloud Cover: 90% overcast
Light level: 1360 Lux
We met at the kitchen tent for a quick breakfast at 5 am. Chris and I were to fly out from Hallet Lake first at 6 am when Jerry arrived. Hallet Lake can be very, very windy, so it was possible that we wouldn’t go. I packed my bags and tent before breakfast so I would not have to rush. The equipment had been prepared for...
Peggy's Weather Report from Hallet Lake Camp:
Time: 2:40 pm Temperature: 11.7 C 52.7 F Humidity: 60% Wind: 12 km/hr from South Clouds: Nimbostratus Cloud Cover: 100% overcast Light level: off scale of 2000 X 10 Lux At breakfast Heidi succumbed to wiping her face with a Huggie wipe. She appreciated the brown film deposited on it; it made her feel like she had earned that dirt from all the work she had been doing. I took my biodegradable soap down to the lake and washed. The temperature of the water was 12 C, invigorating! It felt great to cut through a few layers of dirt. Next time, my hair! It’s been 8 days since I’ve had a shower. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe because the dirt creeps up on you slowly as it builds and you have time to adjust, and...
Peggy's Weather Report from Hallet Lake Camp:
Time: 8:30 am Temperature: 12.4 C or 54.5 F Humidity: 57.0% Wind: 12.0 km/hr from South Clouds: Cumulus and stratocumulus Cloud Cover: 90% overcast Light level: off scale (above 2000 X 10 Lux) At 6 am it was time to head to the kitchen tent for breakfast of a variety of cereal, fruit, and great coffee. Then out to finish business. We trolled for an hour on the lake conducting a plankton tow.
During that time, a grizzly on the shore opposite where we are camped came lumbering down the hill and eventually noticed us out on the lake. He was a beautiful golden bear who continued down and across the mountain. It was steep and he often slipped on the rocky slopes sliding down until he caught himself and continued on. He eventually saw...
Peggy's Weather Report from Hallet Lake Camp:
Time: 11:20 am Temperature: 16.6 C or 62.4 F Humidity: 61.0% Wind: 1.8 km/hr from South Clouds: Cumulus Cloud Cover: 25% scattered Light level: off scale (above 2000 X 10 Lux) We were finally flying to Hallet Lake! Since the Webinar (see 8/1/07 journal entry) was to be at 6 am our time and 9 am San Antonio time, and Jerry, our pilot, was planning to pick us up at 7:30 or 8 am, Heidi volunteered to fix us cornmeal pancakes and blueberries and coffee for breakfast at 5 am. We packed up again except tents and gear was ready to go before the presentation started. So, using two satellite phones in the tent we called to present from field to the conference. Sat phones have a tendency to cut out more than cell phones do, and we had that...
Peggy's Weather Report from Greyling Lake:
Time: 7:30 am Temperature: 11.2 C or 51.9 F Humidity: 58.8% Wind: 6.8 km/hr from West Clouds: Cumulus and stratocumulus Cloud Cover: 90% overcast Light level: 655 X 10 Lux Water temperature 9,6 C at edge Got up at 5:45 am and took down the tents and packed again, ready to go by 7 am. At 7:06 am a plane flew by and disappeared, never to return. While waiting we skipped rocks on the lake, then Chris made rock sculptures. This day a call on the satellite phone indicated that the pilot considered the conditions too windy to fly a loaded plane safely both yesterday and today. What I have learned here is that you can have a schedule but it will probably change for various reasons, but weather is the major one. We are at the mercy of the...
Peggy's Weather Report from Greyling Lake:
Time: 9:45 am Temperature: 15.7 C or 60.6 F Humidity: 53.4% Wind: 6 km/hr from West Clouds: Cumulus and stratus Cloud Cover: 30% scattered Light level: off scale which is 2000 X 10 Lux We got up at 5:45 am for a possible flight to Hallet Lake. We packed up boat, tents, and all gear for flight to Hallet Lake, except one tent and food for the two remaining, in case the pilot can’t get back or there is a storm to avoid. Chris and I were to go first. A plane flew by and we waited for it to land. We waited, and waited. Mintues became hours. I worked on my photos, Chris started reading the one book he brought, and after awhile Caleb and Heidi went for a hike to return when they heard the plane arrive.
I stayed out by the lake in my...
Peggy's Weather Report from Greyling Lake:
warm to hot in afternoon Time: 1:15 pm Temperature: 26.1 C or 78.9 F Humidity: 41.2% Wind: .5 km/hr Clouds: Cumulus Cloud Cover: 25% Light level: slightly off scale which is 2000 X 10 Lux Temperature at 3:45 pm: 87 F WATER CONDITIONS:
Temperature: 13 degrees C pH: 7.67 Conductivity: 56.7 microSiemens Transparency with Secchi disk: 1 meter Color: aqua Today was actually bordering on hot: I recorded 87 F in shade at 3:45 pm! I left California thinking I was going to freeze!
Up at 7 am and to the food tent for breakfast. Caleb makes great coffee, strong the way I like it. Breakfast was mostly cereal and fruit and coffee to get us going. Someone takes charge and organizes the food for each meal and some else will wash the dishes. The team has...
Peggy's Weather Report from Greyling Lake:
Time: 5:26 pm Temperature: 23.4 C or 74.4 F Humidity: 40.1% Wind: 2.4 km/hr Clouds: Cumulus Cloud Cover: 50% Light level: slightly off scale which is 2000 X 10 Lux So we packed up from camp and set out to the lake in Tolsona where we were to fly out from. The float plane, a Beaver, was not there. It arrived a few minutes later bringing back two bear hunters who had been successful. Robin watches it come in. He’s excited about flying in this beautiful country!
Robin greets the float plane as it arrives to take us to Greyling Lake.
Packed float plane
After loading half our gear, Caleb and Heidi took off with the pilot. Chris and I waited until the pilot returned. Then we loaded and took off. Another beautiful day but this...
Peggy's Weather Report from Tolsona Campground:
Time: 4:45 pm Temperature: 20.3 C Humidity: 51.0 % Wind: 10 km/hr from S Clouds: Cumulus Cloud Cover: overcast Light level: 2121 Lux Water temperature: 16.7 C
Today we left for the field.
At breakfast, Caleb discovered the local newspaper was giving mixed messages. Could both these headlines be true? Discuss among yourselves.
Caleb contemplates the newspaper
Caleb reads the paper. One headline says "Alaska temperature on the rise" while the other says, "July readings a tad lower than ussual."
It was time to get started on the research. Greyling Lake here we come. Of course it did not turn out exactly as planned! We took off from Anchorage headed for Tolsona which is a four hour drive north.
The truck is...
Robin and I visited Kristi Wallace of the USGS lab that we met yesterday. She gave us a tour of her facility and explained all aspects of her research. Kristi does analysis on tephra, which is material ejected from volcanoes. I interviewed her for half an hour and have several photos from that interview. Later, I will edit the interview and have it on the polartrec.com web site as a podcast for all of you to see.
Kristi Wallace from USGS explains projects from the lab.
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Kristy Wallace talks about her research at USGS.
Scope used for viewing minerals.
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Petrographic Scope.
Map of most active Aleutian Island volcanoes
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*Map of Volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands. *
Scanning scope images of rock fragments from tephra.
*
Images from Pertrographic Scope.
bog samples...
Today my vacation ended and the research expedition part of my trip began. I said goodbye to my husband, Al, who is heading home, and I was picked up at my hotel by the NAU team, consisting of members Caleb Schiff, Heidi Roop, and Chris Kassel. I will meet Darrell Kaufman and the others along the way at different lakes.
Here is a little bit about each of the team members I met today:
Caleb Schiff
Caleb Schiff
During his formative years as a Boy Scout, Caleb Schiff spent countless weekends camping in the Midwest and backpacking in the Rocky Mountains. He was always fascinated by the contrast between these two regions and awed by the grandeur of alpine regions. During these trips, he always asked himself questions such as: "How were these mountains formed? What was this area...
I found out today that Anchorage is the starting location of the famous but grueling sled dog race called the Iditerod. The race began back in 1973 and a man or woman with a sled and a team of 16 sled dogs race from 4th Street in Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.
Here is an image of 4th Street. Of course, the race is in winter and this picture was taken today.
Downtown Anchorage where Iditerod begins
Al and I were very entertained at Wildride Sled Dog Show about sled dogs and racing. Sled dogs are huskies and I had an opportunity to play with the pup of an Iditerod champion.
Peggy with huskey pup
The Iditerod places men and women on equal footing. In fact women have won the Iditerod many times. The race requires that only the driver of the sled can feed and take care of the dogs...
Today we traveled down the Seward Highway again in the same direction as yesterday, however, this time we stopped at Whittier.
Southern Alaska Map showing Kenai Peninsula.
In order to get from the Cook Inlet side of the Kenai Peninsula to the Prince William Sound side on the east where Whittier is located, we had to travel through the longest highway tunnel in North America, dug through a mountain. It was 2 and a half miles long and had one narrow lane which was also a railroad track, so cars and trains had to take turns going each direction.
This is a photo from inside of Whittier Tunnel.
Inside the Whittier Tunnel.
On the way there we stopped to view some dall sheep on the hill.
Mountain goats on Seward Road
Landscape near windy point on Seward Highway.
In Whittier it was...
Today we decided to drive to Seward down the Kenai peninsula to see a little of the area. We started down the Seward Highway along the Cook Inlet and then the Turnagain Arm to gorgeous views of the Chugach mountain range.
Very windy area between Anchorage and Whittier on Cook Inlet.
The Turnagain Arm is the finger of water between Anchorage and Whittier on the map.
Southern Alaska Map showing Kenai Peninsula.
We stopped along the way between Anchorage and Whittier and we noticed how much silt has built up in the inlet. It appears as if some day this area will fill in and become a valley. I took a wind measurement to see just how strong the wind was blowing. You can see the temperature and wind speed, 32 km/hr!
Anemometer wind instrument.
When we got to a small town named...
