2026-05-18 to 2026-05-25 - Field Work! Dogs! East Fork!
#alaska #acoustics #snow #plants
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Plot twist - this was actually written on June 7th.
I interrupt your irregularly scheduled blog programming to admit I have failed to provide regular updates to my loyal fans (that's you!) the past few weeks :o.
I've been happily meeting people and working and baking and prepping some job apps for wintertime work in Washington national parks, so the blog posting fell behind a bit. I'll (probably) try to stick to at least biweekly updates in the future, but no promises. Part of my resolution this summer is to live in the moment. I felt I wasn't always present enough during my time in Chicago due to being caught up in figuring out the future (and also the somewhat intense nature of the job). I think I'll send out a few updates in quick succession the next few days to catch y'all up on the past few weeks.
Anywho, back to the blog post from Memorial Day. The vibes were good!
Seasons in Flux
We had a late season bit of snow Sunday morning (May 24th) that piled up a good inch or so before the rain washed it away.
Snowy Rec Hall on May 24th!
Moosey Rec Hall the day before on May 23rd! (this one wasn't in the weather forecast). They do our gardening and keep the shrubs trimmed.
First Day of Field Work!
It was another busy week learning at work, but we had the very exciting chance to get out for our first field deployment of the season! I gotta say that hiking on the job is a pretty fricken sweet way to spend a work day. Although the gear is HEAVY - it's about 35 lbs total. We'll see how excited I am when carrying that on the third day of a backpacking field deployment...
Me standing in the middle of one of our first completed acoustic monitoring setup of the season(!) near the Triple Lakes Trail. This one was only a few miles out n back so wasn't too intense. We did get lightly drizzled on and the wind was a bit chilly, but I think that's life up here! The new system is much simpler than the old one was, so I'm feeling fortunate that setup is quicker.
I can talk more about about equipment one of these days if people are interested. For now, a quick summary from left to right is:
- left: tripod with anemometer (wind speed) and digital audio recorder for us to listento recordings
- middle: pelican case that everything is connected to. It also houses batteries, electronics, and data storage to keep the system running and recording.
- right: tripod with precise microphone for the most accurate sound pressure level readings (but doesn't record audio you can listen to as the sampling rate is once per second)
Sled Dogs
Denali has a history of using sled dogs (mushing) for transport and wintertime work. Learn more - and watch the puppy cam - on the Denali website. My supervisor has actually deployed scientific equipment with the help of the dog team during the winter months!
These dogs get lots of exercise pulling sleds around in the winter months, but what do they do once the snow has melted? First of all, they take part in daily dog demos that the park rangers give for visitors! Additionally, they spend time hanging out with a large team of volunteer dog walkers (or runners). I'm proud to be helping exercise one of our energetic fellows named Manny this summer!
We get assigned to one dog for the summer with the idea that you become buddies with them. I've been trying to mainly run with Manny to get us both some additional exercise. He's always very excited for walk/run time and seems to sit into a pretty effortless trot at around an 8:00 min/mile pace (as long as it isn't too hot), so it's a pretty good running experience. He is liable to stop and smell the scents (or go to the bathroom) every so often though. When he's extra energetic I get a little extra boost going up the hill!
Manny wondering why we stopped moving for a silly photo op. Although he slams on the brakes randomly to smell random clumps of grass along the road so he can't be complaining too much...
Manny looking majestic on top of his house after a run! These dogs definitely love to move and are much more content after doing so. I think it's pretty cool that's they're such athletic creatures and have decided that if I ever get a dog I'm totally adopting one who wants to get out there and exercise.
Sled dog puppies for your daily dose of cuteness! Watch 'em 24/7 on the puppy cam linked above if you want some stress relief!
East Fork
Due to the Pretty Rocks landslide, the Park Road (the only road in Denali) is closed at Mile 43 of its 92 total miles. There's a visitor center, campground, cabins, vehicles, and many other things that were effectively stranded on the west side of the park.
This whole section of the park is inaccessible by car at the moment. You can still get out there via foot, bike, or air transport, but facilities are actively being worked on and aren't fully operational yet. The current goal is that we might be fully open again for next summer!
The furthest that buses currently go is the East Fork of the Toklat River. I took a ride out with a friend to check out what it was like. There was still lots of snow so we had a whole load of slow moving post-holey fun! I guess the snow keeps your feet cooled off at least?
Views from the road at Sable Pass
Views from the ground at East Fork (you can tell they've kept the snowy theme going even in late May)
The landscapes up high may still be snowy, but down low spring was slowly being sprung! The first wildflowers were popping up over this period, and we saw one of my new favorites on our way to deploy our acoustic equipment.
This purple little beauty is a Pasque Flower (Anemone patens). You can apparently find Pasque Flowers down across the lower 48 as well, but I love this purple variety and think it's super cool to see them popping out of barren soil on Southern aspects before just about anything else is flowering. Fun fact: the fuzziness on the stem acts as a cozy lil' sweater and helps keep them warmer in the cold spring temps.
Later that day, we had a classic Memorial Day BBQ back at C-Camp to start off a sweet week!
Stay tuned for the next (retroactive) update! Hopefully dropping soon.