The last two days we sampled the inlet series of lakes for a second time. These lakes (referred to as the I-series) are sampled 3 times throughout the summer, which means that we have 1 more I-series to survive! The lakes are split into 2 days; the first day we sample I-lakes one through Six-HW and day two we sample the lakes six through eight and I-swamp. As I mentioned when I wrote about the first I-series we did this summer, although it is not an impossible distance to hike, we carry so much gear and collect such large samples of water we get to take the helicopter out to the site and then are choppered back from our last sampling location. My pack was so heavy by the end of each day, that I could barley lift it to get it into the helicopter. I had been so concerned about being airsick in the helicopter, but I actually really enjoyed our short rides through the air. It is awesome to see all of the lakes we sample from the air. It was also fun to see Toolik as we flew away!
Sampling went fairly smoothly both days we were out. The first day there was absolutely no wind at all, which is good and bad. The lack of wind definitely helps while we paddled out and attempted to locate the deepest point in the lake where we would sample. However, the lack of wind left nothing to discourage mosquitoes from swarming us and made the hot day feel even hotter. By late afternoon, when our packs were getting heavy and the hike between lakes is much longer, we were completely overheating. The field fashion for sampling includes tall rubber boots and long pants, both of which do not help when the sun is beating down on you! Dan and I decided that swimming was entirely necessary. So at Lake I-5, Dan and I jumped in the cool lake. It felt amazing after hiking all day in the hot sun. I didn't want to get out, especially since there was a cloud of mosquitoes waiting for us to get out of the water, but we only had time for a brief swim and then it was back to work!
The second sampling day was slightly more windy, especially at the first lake we sampled! Dan and I got out to the deepest point in the lake and the winds started kicking up. When we tried to drop our anchor, the rope got tangled and for the life of me, I couldn't get it un-knotted! I handed it over to Dan to work on and I started paddling into the wind to try to keep us from drifting. The wind had kicked up since we left shore and the waves were large enough to have white caps. It was quite an ordeal!
The last two days we sampled the inlet series of lakes for a second time. These lakes (referred to as the I-series) are sampled 3 times throughout the summer, which means that we have 1 more I-series to survive! The lakes are split into 2 days; the first day we sample I-lakes one through Six-HW and day two we sample the lakes six through eight and I-swamp. As I mentioned when I wrote about the first I-series we did this summer, although it is not an impossible distance to hike, we carry so much gear and collect such large samples of water we get to take the helicopter out to the site and then are choppered back from our last sampling location. My pack was so heavy by the end of each day, that I could barley lift it to get it into the helicopter. I had been so concerned about being airsick in the helicopter, but I actually really enjoyed our short rides through the air. It is awesome to see all of the lakes we sample from the air. It was also fun to see Toolik as we flew away!
Sampling went fairly smoothly both days we were out. The first day there was absolutely no wind at all, which is good and bad. The lack of wind definitely helps while we paddled out and attempted to locate the deepest point in the lake where we would sample. However, the lack of wind left nothing to discourage mosquitoes from swarming us and made the hot day feel even hotter. By late afternoon, when our packs were getting heavy and the hike between lakes is much longer, we were completely overheating. The field fashion for sampling includes tall rubber boots and long pants, both of which do not help when the sun is beating down on you! Dan and I decided that swimming was entirely necessary. So at Lake I-5, Dan and I jumped in the cool lake. It felt amazing after hiking all day in the hot sun. I didn't want to get out, especially since there was a cloud of mosquitoes waiting for us to get out of the water, but we only had time for a brief swim and then it was back to work!
The second sampling day was slightly more windy, especially at the first lake we sampled! Dan and I got out to the deepest point in the lake and the winds started kicking up. When we tried to drop our anchor, the rope got tangled and for the life of me, I couldn't get it un-knotted! I handed it over to Dan to work on and I started paddling into the wind to try to keep us from drifting. The wind had kicked up since we left shore and the waves were large enough to have white caps. It was quite an ordeal!
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