7 June 2012 A Walk up Jade Mountain!

Not another false summit! That's what I thought after the second one, but our fearless leader, Mike Weintraub, assured me I could and should make it to the final and true top of the mountain. Sundays are a day when many teams try to take the day off. This past Sunday, after lunch, several of us decided to walk up a nearby mountain, called Jade Mountain. A total of five of us made the trip, including fellow PolarTREC teacher Melissa Barker. We are on separate research projects, so it was great to have a chance to visit with her before she has to leave for home. Jade looked innocent enough, just a really large hill off to the west of camp

But, as they say, you can never judge a book by its cover. This innocuous looking mountain turned out to have spectacular views of the Brooks Range, a hiking route passing several beautiful little lakes, and be a challenging enough walk to be deserving of the obligatory snacks shared at the top.
We were able to leave from camp, walking across the tundra on a few of the several miles of boardwalk surrounding the lake.

After we ran out of boardwalk, we wound across open tundra, enjoying the views

artifacts

and wildflowers.

We finally reached the summit, and there really were spectacular 360 degree views. Clouds covered and uncovered the peaks while we watched, took pictures, and rested from the climb (well, I had to rest a bit, anyway!). Here are several photos I wanted to share with you:

For those of you who tuned into the webinar this morning, you'll recognize this picture!

Thanks to all who tuned in; if you missed it the archive will be posted soon on this website. And, thanks, all of you, for faithfully following these journals. I hope you are enjoying them and feel free to comment and ask questions on the Ask The Team portion of the webpage!