Wrapping Up

After a serious bout of food poisoning, I'm back at it. We almost have all the data entered and proofed, and that should be wrapped up in a few days. Inventory has begun, along with all those other minor end of field season details that need to be hammered out.

A few days ago a huge herd of caribou came right through our camp. We estimated the herd at 2000, but there may have been more.

Busting a move to the other side of the lake

You can see our "bear" fence in this picture. This is literally right outside our tents and weather-port.

Later in the day, after the herd passed through, we had a bit of a scare. A loud crashing sound of something going through the bear fence (which wasn't turned on at the time) had Brad and I thinking we had a bear. Turns out a mother caribou and her young didn't see the yellow rope and went crashing right through it, breaking some of the white fence stakes as well.It was an easy fix, just glad it wasn't a bear.

I arrive back in Lansing on August 4th, and fly back to Anchorage on August 9th. On August 10th I take a Cold Water Survival class in Anchorage, then on the 14th I get on the Norseman II boat (a converted crabber) and hit the Arctic Ocean, mainly the Beaufort Sea area, for 3.5 weeks. Previous cruises saw a whole 7 species of which over 80% were Arctic Terns, Black-legged Kittiwakes and phalaropes. It could be a lonnnnng 3.5 weeks.