Day 18: July 22, 2012

Packed up our stuff today, and canoed back out to Moskey Basin! We have to re-sample LeSage and Richie before we go back, because back when we sampled them originally we weren't sure whether the samples needed to be filtered or not (and of course, because it was our first sampling experience, we hadn't brought the lab notebook to check). So we didn't filter anything, and as it turned out we need filtered samples for nitrogen testing. We figured that it would be relatively quick though, because we didn't have to do any of the other things that we normally do- no transects, no secchi disk or inflow/outflow data, we just had to get fresh water column and sediment porewater samples to be filtered!

After the 2 hour canoe trip, we ate lunch and left to sample! We hiked to LeSage and inflated the boat. We used a slightly different format this time to save time- I went out on the inflatable boat with Charlotte, and Sarah went back with Angela to Lake Richie to get some sediment samples with our other sediment corer! I was a little nervous to be inflatable boat, but I figured I'd been canoeing for over two weeks now- how difficult could it be?

I was so confident, that I paddled right onto the shore.

Well, it was incredibly hard. I definitely underestimated the amount of trouble that their sneaky boat can cause.

You're completely at the mercy of the current, and the boat rarely goes in the direction you want it to. It seemed like when it finally was going the way you wanted, it would suddenly decide, "... I want to turn left." So it would make a sharp turn for no reason, and usually we'd just have it turn in a complete circle and try to move on from there. It was definitely a work out!

Charlotte and I got our four water column samples and four sediment samples, and got back to our starting point about two hours later. In the meantime, Sarah and Angela hiked back to Lake Richie and took a sediment sample, and then Angela snorkeled around looking for some Utricularia vulgaris.

And while snorkeling, she made some leech-ey friends!

They came back to LeSage when we were finished and helped us to carry our sampling equipment to Richie- Angela portaged the boat single handedly!! Way to go, fearless leader! :D

At Lake Richie, Sarah and I went out in the boat to re-do our water column samples, and to get two more sediment samples from the further corners of the lake that Angela couldn't get to without a lot of swimming. Richie is really big though, so we spent a lot of time paddling. Loons were chasing us too! They kept on diving up from under the water and ending up really close to the boat. And, of course, they made noises at us that we're sure meant, "GET AWAY FROM MEEEE!"

LEEEEEEEAVE!!

 To get water column samples, we used the huge integrated tube sampler. It's a task that requires two people- the one in the front of the boat rinses out a collapsible jug and a funnel with lake water while the one in the back of the boat puts the sampler as straight down into the water as possible, to a depth of one meter. They close off the top of it, sealing the water into the tube, and then they drain it into the collapsible jug, held by the other volunteer. After mixing, sample bottles are filled from the water in the collapsible jug.

We finished re-sampling around 8 pm for the July Trip!! WoOoOoOoOoOOOOO!!! (<--basically the noise that the loons made) We got back to our shelter before it was even dark out! So proud of us. It was a very full day, though.

The final July voyage of the inflatable canoe.

Filtered our samples for the day, and filtered more water with the SteriPen bottle filter. It got out the small bits of debris floating in the water- overall it does a pretty darn good job! And then we got rid of the germs and viruses as well! We've used the SteriPen pretty much every day up here, which is really exciting. It still hasn't run out of battery, and it's lightweight and conveniently sized so that it's really easy to transport! As we were about to get ready for bed, we heard wolves howling outside!! They sounded pretty far away, but there were a lot of them. I would guess that there were at least four of them, talking back and forth. How cool is that? :)

Of course, we had to SteriPen some water for breakfast in the morning!

Between this sign on the wall and my Lafuma sleeping bag, I certainly will rest easy. :)