"Where the river is windin', big nuggets they're findin', north to Alaska go north the rush is on, north to Alaska go north the rush is on"
Being Selected For PolarTREC
The 1960 song by Johnny Horton was a favorite of my father and immediately sprang to my mind when I found out I was selected for an expedition with PolarTREC. I spent much of my youth loudly protesting this song whenever I heard it played, be it on our home stereo or on family road trips. I felt a surge of excitement when I realized this folksy song, that is one heck of an ear-worm to get rid of, sort of applied to me and maybe somehow those tortured moments of my youth were preparing me for this very moment. Unlike the character Sam McCord in Horton's ballad, I was not seeking gold and monetary gain, but a different kind of treasure and wealth. Since being selected, my knowledge and passion for the Arctic region and Arctic related issues has exponentially grown. My nuggets of gold have been the experiences, information, and my new cohort of fellow expeditioners that have already made me far richer than I was before. I hope to blaze a trail that will inspire my 6th graders that, they too, can do amazing acts of science where ever they are, even in Piedmont, Oklahoma. Maybe I should thank my dad for his foresight in preparing his daughter for a future of Arctic adventures beyond what she could have imagined or dreamed of for herself.
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