18 July, 2002

The Matanuska valley sits in a bit of a rain shadow due to the location of the Chugach mountains to the south and the Talketna mountains to the north. These ranges have the effect of wringing out the moisture from approaching storms leaving the valley relatively dry compared to areas seaward of the valley......... at least that's the way it's supposed to work.

I was greeted in Anchorage by a steady drizzle, very reminiscent of the many soggy days in western Washington. After meeting up with Dr. Greg Baker, the professor from the University at Buffalo that I will be working with, he made a phone call up to the crew of people stationed at the glacier. It was raining there as well..........

Some of the gear needed for research won't arrive here until tomorrow, and Kendra, a student of Greg's, had flight delays so we decided to wait until tomorrow to head up to the glacier. Besides it's not much fun to set up camp in the rain.........

Life Is Good

DT