I can't believe it! I'm almost to Alaska, Anchorage specifically. I see the snowcapped jagged mountains through the plane window. Tomorrow I'll be on the smallest plane of my life that only lands on water and I'll see bears up close. I wonder if they'll look like what's in National Geographic. I'm a bit nervous and scared but I AM SO EXCITED! I can't wait…I'm going to see bears catching salmon in a waterfall. How cool is that? It'll be as cool as seeing a volcano spew some lava or zip-lining over 500 feet above the rainforest floor (and over 100 above the canopy). I can't wipe the smile of anticipation off my face…
Looking out the plane window, I just realized that I'm not going to see darkness for the next five weeks! That's so weird and cool all at the same time. In Costa Rica, sunset lasted a mere couple of minutes. When I was in Fairbanks a few months ago, it lasted for what felt like hours. Now, in Barrow, I don't think the sun will even set. I wonder how my body will react to the constant daylight. More importantly, I wonder how I'm going top get to sleep tonight because I'm so psyched about tomorrow and it won't really get dark.
Sunday, I'm off to Barrow and Atqasuk to learn about plants in the tundra. After being in Costa Rica I've seen first-hand how plants are the foundation of the food web. It's one thing to read about it in a text book. It's another thing entirely to witness it; and seeing it makes me want to read about it more.
I have a million questions running through my head at once. Here are a few I hope to answer…
What does it feel like to walk on permafrost?
Are the kinds of plants changing because of climate change? If so, how will that change effect the animals?
What does if feel like to have 24 hours of daylight and what would it feel like have 24 hours of darkness?
Why are the mosquitoes so bad and can I come up with a system to not get eaten alive?
What is it like to live in Atqasuk, a town of 200 people?
What do bears sound like? Do polar bears sound different than grizzly, black, and brown bears? (I'd really like to know what the fur of each feels like and to measure myself against them, but I know better than to walk up to them.)
What does it feel like to be on a seaplane?
Will the air in Barrow taste salty like it did on the island of Nantucket? (Extra credit: Where is Nantucket?)
Has climate change effected the whales and the whaling culture in Barrow?
How are scientists able to use the raw data collected from experiments to explain of what's going on in the Arctic? How to they use the numbers to understand what's happening?
I have a million more questions, but right now I am too excited about tomorrow. :-D