Just go to the next dead tree

Cheerio!

I hope I find you all well and good. I have recently showered and found no ticks.

Ow. Leg cramping. Pain.

I suppose that is what I get for coming up here out of shape. I just returned from a 4 1/2 hour hike through the forest. We crossed from one side of property to the other after being dropped up by Michael and Heidi. Yesterday they taught us how to use a map and a compass and then today they let us loose.

For a visual here is a map of the property.

We walked from Peter and Paul lakes (where aquatic trophic cascade ecology began) to North Gate where there was a check point. At this point we stopped to eat lunch. Then we went essentially due south all the way back to the lab and the dorm, which is where that little cluster of black dots are down by Tenderfoot Lake.

This past week up here has been an introduction to UNDERC. We got tours of the property on Tuesday in these ancient massive vans. They have old vans and pickup trucks up here to get around property. The vans all have about 700,000 miles on them. I have no idea how they are still running. The Prospector (one of the vans) and I bonded on Tuesday too when we came across a flooded part of the road and couldn't get through. Therefore I had to back the van up for about a mile before we found a part in the road that was wide enough to turn around. That was a very interesting experience and also lots of fun.

Another highlight of the tour was seeing the fish shocking boats. A lot of the experiments up here alter characteristics in whole lakes and then look at the effects. The simplest way to sample the fish is to shock the water, which stuns them, and then they can be easily netted. The shockers basically just look like giant wind chimes hanging in front of the boat which they can raise and lower at will. I will try to get a picture one of these days.

My project has also already changed. I am just doing the work on the earthworms in the lab, not the work in the field as well. I am nearly finished rewriting it though (there was a lot of red pen on it after my mentor looked at the first draft) and then I just need to buy supplies and plant my seedlings.

Tonight we are going over to Gary's for pasties, a northwoods staple. It will be wonderful. Plus, it's a free dinner. Yum :)

I hope all is well for all those at home and still at school. I miss you all uber bunches.

KLAR