Team Squirrel usually works long hours, but this week we took some time off (one day on purpose and one day because of bad weather). So, what do you do in Toolik when you have free time? (Besides clean the lab, do paperwork, manage e-mail, and do data entry, of course!)
Hiking
In the dining hall, there is a white board where people write hikes that they have planned on any given day (usually Sundays, when many groups take the day off) and invite others to join. Typically, Team Squirrel is working during these hikes and can’t participate, so Cory agreed to go hiking with Kate and me this past Friday instead. We drove to the opposite side of the river from our typical research site and hiked for about 2 hours up the mountain and across squishy tundra (watch this video to learn more about walking in the Tundra) to Atigun Gorge/waterfall. It felt a little strange to be walking without carrying squirrel traps! Check out some of our views.
View on the hike to Atigun Gorge
We were excited to see sheep high on the mountain and took turns looking at them through binoculars, marveling at their ability to balance on such steep mountainsides. The tiny white spots toward the top of the mountain are three sheep. Cory was also excited to see them and took a few pictures with his fancy camera.
Another view on the hike to Atigun Gorge
Atigun Gorge/Waterfall was interesting, but required a rather sketchy walk across rocks from a previous avalanche and snow to get very close, so we enjoyed it from a distance.
One last view of the hike to Atigun Gorge
Biking
After raining all day today, the sun finally peaked out from behind the clouds after dinner tonight. Kate and Kaitlyn (another undergraduate student) wanted to take a bike ride and I decided to join them, although I have not been on a bike for more than a decade. We traipsed into the Toolik office to sign out mountain bikes for a few hours, then picked up our bikes and helmets from the bike tent. After adjusting my helmet and significantly lowering the bike seat (yes, I know I’m short!), I boarded the bike, hoping that I would not immediately topple into the mud. I breathed a sigh of relief as the bike moved forward with me on top of it. I still remember how to ride a bike! We took off for our ride and I realized after about 15 minutes that I was going to slow Kate and Kaitlyn down quite a bit, so I sent them on and I tooled around roads near camp for a bit, getting used to riding a bike again, enjoying the sunshine, and spraying mud on myself as I rode through puddles. I will probably attempt another bike ride during my time at Toolik.
Alicia on a brief bike ride in Toolik (first time on a bike in more than a decade!)
A few other pastimes
Reading- It seems that most of the people that I talk to here at Toolik are pretty voracious readers. They don’t just read science journals and science nonfiction either. Many of them rave about their favorite fiction books. I walked into the dining hall a few minutes ago and a group of about 15 people were gathered around a table knitting, snacking, and listening to one person read a novel aloud. The community center (where we have the Tuesday Toolik Talking Shops) has a nice lending library, too. I was excited to see a book on the shelf (Outliers, by Malcom Gladwell) that has been suggested to me by several different people and I’ve been reading it off and on as I have time.
Calling home- Many people “call” home with Skype of Google Hangouts when they have a chunk of down time. Cell phones don’t work here at Toolik, so video chatting is a nice alternative.
Ping Pong and Foosball- Both of these games are located in the community center, too. Team Squirrel had a Foosball tournament last night. I lost miserably, but had fun anyway!
Movies- The community center has a TV/VCR and lots of VHS movies. Four of us watched “The Princess Bride” today while it rained outside.
Board Games/Puzzles- There are plenty of these around in the Dining Hall and Community Center, though I have not partaken of them yet.
T-ball- A few times a week, there is a camp T-ball game. I haven’t played yet, but I might next time. We’ll see!
There’s not much free time here at Toolik Field Station, but people certainly manage to make the most of every spare moment of it that they have!
A view on our return hike from Atigun Gorge.