14 August, 2002

I awoke this morning to the sound of rustling in the brush. I turned over, and since I wasnıt sleeping in a tent, was greeted by a bear about 20 feet from my head. I attempted to quietly grab my camera, but the bear saw me and loped off into the woods. I guess Iım just too slow......

The views on the drive back from Valdez were much better than the drive down. We made several short stops along the way that afforded some spectacular pictures. We stopped at Johnson Pass, the Worthington Glacier, and a pullout along the road that provided an awesome view of the Wrangle-St. Elias Mountain Range.

We arrived back at the glacier early enough that I was able to help Tim Alessi with his project. We packed the equipment through the brush out to the kettle lake that he planned to take a sediment sample from, and collected the sample. (see attached photo). The sediment wasnıt nearly as deep as either of us had predicted based on probing we had done a few days ago. The sample ended up being only about 15cm thick.

Tomorrow afternoon, I will be collecting the last set of GPR data from the holes on the glacier.

Life Is Good

DT

Tim Alessi, an REU student, removes a sediment sample from a kettle lake. The sediments trapped in the tube will contain pollen grains that will be analyzed to gather information about what types of plants existed in the area in the past.