This beautiful scene is the Chena River right next to the Bureau of Land Management office in Fairbanks, Alaska. We spent the day there yesterday learning about safe flying. We will be flying in a small, red helicopter called an R-44. A beaver had just swam by when this picture was taken!
I made it to Fairbanks at about midnight on the 14th - although my bags were left behind in Anchorage. I got up early and went to the Bureau of Land Management headquarters to begin the aviation, first aid, firearms and bear training for the expedition. As you can see it was a gorgeous sunny day. Alaska is so wild and vast that right next to the BLM office I saw a beaver swim past in the cold Chena River. The air smells smoky here from a smoldering wild fire nearby.
This is Stephan, a German archaeologist who will be joining our expedition. He is studying the people who crossed the Bering Land Bridge for his PhD. Here we are trying on some personal safety gear for flying helicopters, such as the flight helmet.
The training was great. Angela Wittenberg was our teacher. She has flown many types of airplanes and helicopters and she had many fascinating stories to tell. We learned to follow the 5 steps to a safe flight:
1. Check pilot and aircraft data card (are they qualified to fly that plane?)
2. Make a flight plan and have someone track your location in case you get lost
3. Wear personal safety gear such as fire-resistant clothing and a flight helmet
4. Make sure the pilot is briefed about the coming flight
5. Make sure the passengers/crew are briefed about the plane, flight, emergency gear etc.
During the training I met Stephan and Ines, two Germans who are coming along on our dig. Stephan is doing his PhD in archaeology and Ines just finished her Master's Degree. I listened carefully as they talked with Bill Hedman - the lead archaeologist for the BLM - about the site and the stone tools found there so far. It's interesting to note that the oldest tools found in Alaska appear to be younger than the items Dr. Dennis Jenkins showed us at Paisley Caves in Oregon. If they settlers came down through Alaska on their way to Oregon, shouldn't the items in Alaska be older? What do you think?
Here Stephan, left, Ines, right, and our lead BLM archaeologist, Bill Hedman discuss the site where we will be digging. Hedman found the site a few years ago and has explored the area carefully. It was interesting to hear the archaeologists talking in their special language about
After the training I went to buy an emergency space blanket, magnesium fire starter and some bug spray for the trip. I have to make sure I don't get any of the bug spray on my watch because it has DEET and DEET can melt plastic. Yikes!