Preparations Begin! Options

[Amy_Clapp]

With just a little over a month to go before Max and I are on our way back to the Arctic, I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to return again to the far north. Our trip last year to Siberia to sample the Lena river was successful both scientifically and culturally. We made some great contacts with students and teachers in the Zhigansk School and hope to be able to connect as successfully with schools in Pilot Station on the Yukon River in Alaska and Tsiigehtchic and Inuvic on the MacKenzie River in Canada.

In order to begin to prepare, I spent April 29 and 30th in Fairbanks, Alaska, meeting the other TREC teachers and relearning how to use the computer with the satalite phone, send images and use the website. One of the highlights for me was the excellent views of Denali (Mt. McKinley), the tallest peak in North America. These stunning views came from the window of my airplane. I love them because of the glaciers that are so clearly visable. We are studying geology in my class right now and these pictures so clearly illustrate the power of ice in shaping the landscape.