streams, snow, and boredom

stream sampling on a rare day, you can see the sky!

yes, it's snowing outside and we are flying in it



still stream sampling but now we've added something new to the mix, SNOW! last I checked it was july but I guess alaska didn't get the memo. who knew you could have so much fun with the wax that those little baby bell cheeses come in? my snowman's name is norman and john's viking is sven. this is how we pass the time when we are waiting for the helicopter or waiting for the clouds to lift.

the compound

so...I have been stuck in camp for the last 3 days cause I injured my back and can't really walk so good. because of that, I don't have anything cool and new to post so here is a tour of our little compound as requested by jessica...
from the left: the shower/wash room (yes we have hot showers and washing machines - spoiled, I know), the office, the kitchen, the shop. oh and don't worry - there is an electric bear fence surrounding the whole place. I tested it out and yes, it works.

inside the kitchen, it's pretty cozy in there when all 9 of us are eating. that's gary, the cook.

here's our little office - I try to avoid this place cause I usually manage to mess something up every time I step foot inside.

geology row - all our little houses, aren't they cute?
last but not least...the disgusting but sadly necessary outhouses. hooray for camp life!

sampling madness

so we have been doing a lot of stream sediment sampling (say that 10 times fast) lately and it takes us to some pretty awesome places. here is a progression of a typical day:

land at the stream we are supposed to be sampling and oh, there just happens to be an incredible glacier/waterfall coming out of the drainage across the valley. naturally, it has to be documented.

get down to the river and do some actual work. I'm working the sieve as John shovels the sediments in - we are trying to collect only the silt and clay size stuff so the mesh is pretty small. after we pour all the stuff from the bucket in a bag that allows the water to drain out but keeps all the good stuff in. it's kind-of mindless work but it is a nice break from scrambling up and down scree slopes all day hauling 50 lbs of rocks on my back all the while trying to decipher the geology that is going on up here.

one of the rivers that we sampled - coming right out of the glacier, they are everywhere up here!

done with the sample and waiting for the helicopter to pick us up and take us to the next site so we can start it all over again. we usually get about 10-15 samples done a day and if we're lucky, about 2-3 naps in the grass.

just another day at the office

So everyone is back at camp (everyone but me and one other guy have been on break for the last week) and I finally got some of their photos...just a little look at what I have to endure at work everyday...enjoy!

we claim this land...

So it turns out we actually know what we are doing out here and the big-wigs in Canada have decided to claim some stakes based on what we have found. What this means is that this mining company now owns these big, beautiful mountains and they can dig them up at will - oh goodie! (did you sense the sarcasm?) Sometimes I wonder why I am out here working for a company that I don't agree with at all but then I just look around and remember - at least I get to see it while it's still here:) The only cool thing about this whole process it how it happens: we label and date all these stakes, load them into the helicopter, and then fly around chucking them out into a grid - marking our claims. Basically it's like extreme lawn darts.

I'm working up here, really!

So the blue and green stuff on these rocks isn't spray paint, as it may look, but two copper containing minerals - malachite and azurite. It's pretty cool to find cause it's not that common and the other day we found LOTS of it...what a nerd I am.
I took this picture of John while I rested during our 500 foot straight up death march through a talus slope. You may be thinking "it can't be as steep as it looks, that must be an optical illusion" but no, no - it was. If I had to guess I would say it was 75 degrees - who needs a stair-stepper when I have this?

John and Heidi doing some serious work. If it looks like the mountain drops off on either side of them then you are looking at it right - that is what we were walking on all day.
So we had to get back to the helicopter somehow and what better way then to slide down the majority of the 500 feet we had climbed that morning...on our butts...in the snow.

crusin'

So if anyone is wondering...this is my mode of transportation everyday to and from the work area. I'll try and catch a bear in the shot next time:)