As the end nears

We’re in the Central Alaska Range and the mountains are brilliant as the low evening sunlight illuminates the snowy peaks. We had a wonderful day in the Savage River topped off by seeing a number of caribou on the river gravels. This trip has been amazing and I think it is safe to say it has been an incredibly rewarding and profound experience for all. We’ve seen faults, tsunami sand layers, landslides and mudflows, flood deposits, alluvial fans, galloping glaciers, volcanic ash, burst lakes, calving glaciers, down-dropped swamps, uplifted beaches, fault-split trees, and forty year old barnacles stuck to rocks in the woods. The Earth reveals secrets of dramatic events in subtle ways and leaves fascinating clues of dramatic events and I think that all have a new appreciation of how to think about natural hazards. While the science has been wonderful, working with this team has been incredibly rewarding. Our gathering in Anchorage three weeks ago seems like it was ages ago, but since that time we transformed from eleven individuals, to one team. The group bond is the strongest I’ve seen on a trip like this. This bond comes from shared experiences that are difficult to relate; some scary, some breathtaking, some routine. We’ve pitched tents, cooked dinners, chased moose out of camp, hiked the arctic tundra, crossed rivers, berthed in an ocean-going ferry, fixed flat tires, fished for salmon, told stories, negotiated bears in the trail, caught grayling, met Alaskans, sweated, shivered, started camp fires, discussed politics, roasted marshmallows, gotten wet and dried out. It is hard to put to words how all this interconnected activity builds a common bond and a life changing experience, but it has. It will be sad to break camp Sunday morning. Sad because it will be our last camp in the Alaskan bush and so it will mark the end of our adventure. Before we know it we’ll be back at Union, and campus life will seem just a little foreign. A little different than when we left. And that’s good, because we all have a new perspective that has helped focus on what’s important.

JG