June 13: Rest and play

Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 5:22 pm

Sunday, June 13

Only it’s really Sunday this time… did I say the days were starting to blur together?

Hours of sunlight: 24 (again)
Precipitation: afternoon squall of hail and rain

Sunday is a day for rest (or play) at Toolik Lake. Breakfast starts at 9:00 a.m., many people go hiking up nearby mountains, lunch is leftovers and even the most dedicated workers only put in half a day of work (of course, some workdays are 18 hours long!)

While Penney, Amanda and Yo worked on scientific papers (think: science fair report, only lots more detailed and considerably more complex) I hiked up Jade Mountain, the mountain to the west of camp. It was an extraordinary hike for lots of reasons.

To begin with, the horizon stretched for miles.

Storm clouds broke against the Brooks Range like waves on the beach.

Hiking through the tundra was beautiful (if tricky)… Dozens of different kinds of flowers are in blossom, scattered thickly over the tundra.

The vegetation grows so thickly that walking on the tundra is a bit like walking on basketballs.

As always when hiking, I brought my bag of essentials: water, food, compass, signaling mirror, first aid, knife, iodine tablets to purify water, rain gear, etc. Bringing all this equipment on a short hike may seem like a bother, but because we are so far away from help, it is important to be prepared.

On the way down the mountain, the wind shifted direction and a storm blew in from the south. Thunder rolled across the tundra, reflecting off the face of Jade Mountain. I put on rain gear as the first drops fell and, within minutes, hail started pelting the ground. Fortunately, I was walking with my back to the wind… The rain and hail jumped off my jacket, but would have hurt if they had been bouncing off my face.

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