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 during the last 10,000 years. Caleb's evidence so far showed no indication of glaciers.
So with rifle and bear spray we took off up the hill. What's different about hiking at these lakes where few people have ever been is that there are no trails except those created by animals. We had to decide our own route; we were trail blazers. We hiked up the hill and the views of the lake and area were so clear, crisp, and colorful. The rocks were granite and reminded me of Yosemite, but there was no evidence of scratches that glaciers leave behind, or evidence of moraines. It did not appear to have had any glacial activity.
As we got closer to the rim, the going became impossible. We were hiking on rocks which dropped off precipitously and we found no way to get across the gaps. So after taking in the views we headed back. There were many flowers, berries, lichens, mosses, club mosses, ferns, sedges, and hemlock forests. The place was alive with plantlife, but we saw only a couple of types of birds, a duck I could not recognize and finch-like birds, and the black bear.
We came back to camp, packed up our tents and personal belongings and stacked them for the trip back. We left the kitchen tent up and the boat. They would be last, especially the tent, because you never know when it might rain. And, it started to rain and clouds appeared on the tops of the ridges around us. Caleb had been unable to collect rain since we arrived and he wanted to do oxygen isotope analysis of rain water so he put out a funnel and bottle. We began to think we may not get out today after all. We went in the tent to have lunch and it started raining harder.
We packed up the tent contents and put on our rain gear. As we were finishing lunch we heard a plane flying by. We went out and sure enough a float plane was coming in for a landing. They came at 1:30 not 3:00, which was fortunate. We were going to fly out today.
We quickly disassembled the boat and tent as the rain and wind picked up. A second plane came. Loading the planes was rushed and wet and slippery. It was a tough situation, but we got everything in. Eric and Caleb loaded the planes bare-footed because they had low boots which would overflow and with the rocks and heavy lifting it was quite rough on their feet. I had my waders and this time I did not let them fill with water.
I went in the Beaver with the equipment and Caleb and Eric went in the Piper. They took off first. It was a rainy take-off and flight.
There were clouds and fog with the rain. I overheard the other pilot talking with my pilot saying he couldn't see anything in the Whittier area ahead of us. When we got to Whittier it was not so bad. I could see the opening to the tunnel at Whittier that I had traveled through with my husband a few weeks ago.
The weather got better as we approached Anchorage along the Seward Highway. Rain or shine this area is picturesque. I will miss these float plane rides. Our landings were smooth.
After unloading the plane and loading the truck we set out to the U-Haul to store some items and pick up my extra items. We returned the boat to the USGS who we borrowed it from.
We checked into the Super 8 hotel, took showers, and then we headed to the Bear's Tooth for dinner. This was our last dinner together. I working with this team of three. We worked together well and enjoyed each other's company and the places we visited. These scientists are talented and hard-working and passionate about their work. They love what they do and they enjoy the remote places that their work takes them to. It may be hard work, but the fringe benefits of being in beautiful remote Alaska is priceless. I will miss these guys and all the researchers I worked with.
Caleb, Eric, Dr. Kaufman, Heidi, Chris, and I have discussed a variety of projects and activities that will illustrate to students the meaning of the work this team has carried out here in the lakes of southern Alaska. They will share the data they collected with me so I can have my students discuss and analyze it. We are planning to have some of my students visit their labs at Northern Arizona University this school year so they can see what is done with the data we collected. Another collaboration planned is to connect with the GLOBE schools in southern Alaska and ask them to collect rain and temperature data for the Arizona team and also to learn about why this data is important.
This last night we turned the lights out after 11 pm. Caleb was still working on getting as much moisture out of the core as possible.
My flight is at 8 am and we are getting up at 6. Caleb and Eric will fly or drive to lakes down the Kenai peninsula toward Seward taking water measurements and looking for new lakes to study after they drop me off at the airport. Lights out!