BLOG: Yukon Coast 2015-Preparations in Inuvik
After a 36-hours long journey and 6 different flights we smoothly landed in Inuvik on July 16th. We were all quite happy to see the colors of the north, which contrasted with the white background formed by the clouds that were surrounding us during the hours of flight.
Inuvik is a small arctic town of 3400 inhabitants, mostly Inuvialuits and it is located along the Mackenzie River. The city is reachable via one road coming from the south, the Dempster Highway or by the air.
We stayed there for 4 days to get rid of our jet lag and prepare for Herschel Island. In fact we forgot about the jet lag and just jumped into the preparations. This implied scheduling and organizing the next flights to Herschel, packing and weighing the scientific equipment, shopping for more equipment, buying the food, and cooking.
We were hosted by the Aurora Research Institute, which provided us with housing and research facilities http://nwtresearch.com/.
This was actually the first priority as defined by the rule "Safety first: Food". We shopped and chopped, reshopped and rechopped and then we fried and stewed enough meals to keep 9 to 12 people away from hunger for the next 28 days. We put all dishes into bags and froze them to better transport them to the island. And we did not loose any finger on the cutting board!
Meanwhile, we prepared the scientific equipment. This implied buying tools that we did not ship to Inuvik, getting the guns, ammunition and bear sprays, packing and weighing the boxes of equipment, preparing the boat that would bring Hugues, George, Jan and the rangers to Herschel, and so many other things.
This has been an intensive 4-days preparation but we now feel ready for a 28-days and even more intense fieldwork!
Blog Samoylov 2015 - Last look back to the island
All good things come to an end, and so did this expedition.
After few weeks on holiday and already one week at the office again I have had time to look back and go over the expedition in my head.
While the data is still waiting to be checked and thus the real judgement on the success of the expedition is not yet there, I must say that all in all, the expedition was of course an experience of a lifetime.
The nature in the Arctic, in its roughness and minimalism, is simply beautiful. The tundra, the many small islands in the delta and the Lena itself compose a balanced, but powerful landscape in which peace of mind is not difficult to achieve.
The work itself was anything but boring. Just to see and learn to understand how the polygonal tundra has been formed over thousands of years was already worth the trip. To be able to discuss and ask questions on other peoples work and research in this unique environment was naturally priceless.
But what really stood out from this expedition, was the great atmosphere and good spirit in our group.
All 25 people staying on the island in July made an effort to make the month the best it could be.. and good it was.
I am very impressed by the level of cooperation and the overall willingness of everybody to share on their own research and understanding and above all the willingness of everybody to help each other in the field, lab or just in preparing the work.
For my part I want simply to say Thank you!
I had a great time, I learned a lot and I hope that I managed to do my small part well enough, so that it will help our scientists in their work.
Below, some last impressions from the past month.
BLOG Samoylov 2015 – 101 years
There is one thing that has not failed the past 15 years here on the island; Molo’s birthday party.
Every July 21st, a feast has been prepared by the July crew together with the station staff to celebrate one more year of Molo.
Lucky me, July 21st is also my birthday, so this year I got to float along and had one of the most memorable birthdays of my life.
In a truly Russian style, we lacked nothing in the dinner table and I guess I will never again receive a gift as the one I got for this birthday from Ira and Olga; a real mammoth vertebra.
Unfortunately, since Samoylov is part of a nature reserve and nothing is allowed to be exported, or even collected, I had to leave the bone to the island. But I will certainly cherish the very beautiful gesture of the girls and tell anyone who just wants to listen that I have a mammoth bone..in a very good care in Siberia.
I would have loved to have some pictures from the evening, but I was just too busy eating and dancing to take any pictures. Instead, I will post one of the Arctic Poppy, one of the flowers growing on the island.
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