The days are so long that they seem to have four chapters... before breakfast activities, breakfast, morning activities, lunch, afternoon activities, dinner, after dinner activities, lecture and bed. Ooops, that's ten chapters. When the sun doesn't set until after ten pm and it doesn't really ever get completely dark (although it was hard to see the horizon at two am) there is lots of time in which to do things. The weather changes really fast too, so it seems like every time we go outside it is a completely new day. We've seen it go from blue skies to rain, to cloudy, to clear all in one day so that each time we step outside is a new adventure complete unto itself, disconnected from any other unit of time. That's the one thing that's a little different here. You can't go outside when you want. Even the smokers can't just sneak outside for a little puff. A group of two or three are allowed to step out together, and sometimes I'll see a small cluster of people chatting and enjoying the sun right outside our back door. They won't have a gun with them because they are two steps from the door. (and yes, bears have come right up to the door, too, so even they are constantly watching) Every place else we go, we go as a group and we take a fire arm. We also record our destination on a white board and have a radio with us. If our van were to break down, people would know where to find us (roughly) and we'd be able to call for help.

Lately we've been working a lot for the tree scientist... he buried bags of spruce needles in the tundra, forest and forest/tundra transition zone a year ago. Now he's got us digging them up, cleaning them up and drying them out. In some places we're brushing aside snow to get at ground that is frozen solid. We're also "deploying" plant root simulators that will adsorb ions and give him an idea of nutrient transfer in these different ecosystems. Lots of opportunities to go to beautiful sites and see fabulous birds and wildlife. Here are some recent pictures, including some from the Eskimo museum.