August 6- Bog Day 1!

We rose to the shuffling of feet and crinkling of sleeping bags. The smell of sausage was wafting through the cabin and the morning dew peppered the windows. We brushed our teeth with haste, eager to feast on the Canadian delicacies awaiting us in the kitchen. After eating to our hearts’ content, we gathered our field gear in anticipation of the day ahead. The experts in their respective fields briefed us on what to expect in the coming weeks, simultaneously building our excitement and spiking our fear of a run-in with our friendly neighborhood polar bears. After an explosively intrusive poop talk, we took our 23.25th bathroom trip of the day before finally climbing aboard our not-so-trusty magic school bus. 

What we thought was going to be a 45 min drive to the site slowly turned into a 90 min endeavor. We took advantage of the extra time to bond with Makenna and Max, our new arrivals from the Canadian Cadet program. Thousands of overly friendly mosquitoes greeted us as we took our first steps off the kept bus floor and into the enamoring untouched bog. 

Hiking through said bog was a task upon itself, due to the unnervingly squishy active layer hidden by sphagnum fuscum.  Soon we arrived at a clearing, predetermined by past years, where we were planning to spend the day. We excitedly set down our gear and got to work. After quizzing ourselves on our plant knowledge and practicing transects, the real work began. We spent long hours identifying plants and measuring the active layer before it was time for the hike back.

The return drive to camp proved to be shorter, maybe accelerated by our enthusiasm to unwind back at camp. 

We out-

Soren and Sam