Let’s get started
Let me begin by saying that I’m extremely excited, and honored, to be part of the PolarTrec research team in Barrow with Anne Garland and Natalya Sousa. I’m yet to meet either of them in person, but from phone conversations and emails with Anne, I can tell we’re going to have a good time.
I’ll kick off my journaling with a little background information. I’m living in Nenana, Alaska, at the moment, and have been for the past 2 years with my beautiful wife (Rachael) and daughter (Mava).
Not the best picture of us 3, but one of the few photos we have of us all together and smiling.
Living here and teaching at a K-12 school has given me a pretty good look into native Alaskan culture as well as polar climates. Prior to moving here, this Indiana boy knew nothing about Alaska other than it had polar bears, Mt. McKinley, and cold temperatures. That said, I know Barrow is way different than Nenana.
We may look pretty close on a map, only a few inches or so apart, but the reality is that we’re more than 500 miles away from one another! Alaska is, afterall, the BIGGEST state in the US.
Here's a map of Alaska, clearly showing Nenana (A) and Barrow (B). Photo courtesy of GoogleMaps.
The interior of Alaska, where Nenana is located, has the warmest Summers (reaching 90ºF +) and the coldest Winters (-60ºs) in Alaska. The mountainous terrain, full of rivers, streams, and lakes, has beautiful white birch forests and Tim Burton-esque spruce forests with swamps underlain with permafrost. On July 14th, I’ll leave the Alaska that I know and love, and travel to Barrow – where today’s high was only 47ºF and it’s oceanside landscape has no trees. I’m sure Barrow is beautiful in it’s own way. The point I’m trying to make is that my Alaskan knowledge probably won’t help me much in Barrow ☺
My wife took this beautiful photo of a caribou in Denali National Park, only 65 miles south of Nenana.
So, what have I been up to all Summer? I spent the second week of Summer back in Indiana, where I rode in a 150-mile bicycle ride with my Dad to benefit the cancer unit at Riley Children’s Hospital. Since returning from Indiana, my wife and I have been visiting with friends, swatting mosquitos, and preparing for the big move back to Indiana at the end of the Summer. We’ve been packing our house and actually started a yard-sale yesterday. That’s my Summer. I know, I know, it doesn’t sound too exciting so far; but don’t you worry! I’ll be sure to fill you in on the many exciting details of our research in Barrow… until then, please tell me what you’ve been up to this Summer that has been so exciting. Have you tried anything new or visited any new places?
One small, fun thing I didn’t mention was a kayak ride that I took with a buddy two days ago -- Here are a few photos from the trip:
It was a great day for a kayak -- as always, it's important to protect yourself from the wild animals in Alaska, so pardon the gun strapped to the kayak.
I always wear a wetsuit when I kayak in Alaska, especially on hot Summer days... Anyone know why?
I didn't see any big animals on the ride, but I managed to capture this busy little bee getting some work done.
Driving back from the kayak trip, I saw this sign. It's been so dry in the interior this Summer, with several wild fires, but I'm thankful that we got our first rain tonight.
In my next journal entry, I'll be sure to give you some details of the trip and the research we will be conducting in Barrow.