My first few days

Somehow, although totally sleep deprived, I managed to go on a hike up Anvil Mountain on Saturday after I arrived in Nome. Around 8pm a bunch of us piled in a friend's truck and drove up to the local peak so we could all catch up again and enjoy the late night sun shining high in the sky.

GoProing in the truck bed

Although the snow has melted for the most part, the landscape has yet to green up for summer and sea ice still lingers in Norton Sound. It seems as if the earth is still waking up from its long winter slumber.

Hiking up the ridgeline

Muskox herd

There were tons of muskox out and about, enjoying the warm weather as much as we were. They weren't in the least bit concerned with our presence, so I was able to get pretty close for some good pictures with the new park camera (Nikon D7000!!!).

Photographing the muskox

Stream crossing

With the late season snow melt, the tundra was soggy and streams were flowing fast and cold. Nonetheless, a few of the first tundra wildflowers are starting to pop up through the brown rocks and grasses. We spent some time climbing and bouldering and wandering around, before heading back around 11pm, still in the broad daylight.

American Golden Plovers

Birds are migrating through in full force. In the first couple days, I've observed red-throated loons, arctic terns, American golden-plovers, glaucous gulls, mew gulls, fox sparrows, lapland longspurs, white-crowned sparrows, Canada geese, Sandhill cranes, and a bunch of others I've yet to identify.

Birders up to their chests in a pond??

Just as entertaining as the birds are all the birders who have also flocked into town. I started my running routine on Sunday and nearly laughed out loud when I jogged past this group that had just put on waders and were squatting chest-deep in a pond with their ginormous cameras, trying to get pictures of a loon floating in the distance. I managed to snap this picture stealthily as I ran by! Just too funny to pass up. 

Yesterday I also started on my goal of cooking one new recipe a week. This week's experiment was honey cashew chicken and white rice. I meant to take a photo of it to post, but it was so good that I ended up just eating it. I'll post the recipe later. 

Today the weather was cold and rainy, but we had our first day of training, which went well. I went running again after work, which was also cold and rainy also, and no fun at all. Tomorrow is more training, but I'm giving a presentation so it should be fun. 

The last bit of unrelated news is that the internet at the bunkhouse has been downgraded to something horrible, so maybe don't expect as many pictures posted until the end of summer. It's pretty much as slow as dial-up and all but useless, but hopefully I'll find some ways to work around it. 

At any rate, that's all for now folks. It's good to be back, but as always I wish all of my friends and family were here to enjoy the adventure with me. 'Til next time!