August 12 -Uber Data and Cindy

Thanks to a collective effort to thoroughly secure and reinforce tents the night before, we went through a stormy night without any issues. Even though the winds were as fast as 80km, everyone remained safe and dry in sleeping bags. During breakfast, we were reminded that today we were to sample our last permafrost site of the trip, as well as take Uber data from it. Uber data refers to additional sampling done by other groups of students to ensure quality control. When our Uber data shows very similar readings to the original sample, this increases the validity of our research! Before leaving Nestor One, everyone made sure to put on rain gear and extra layers. In addition to the persistent wind and rain, this was another Fen, and so warmth was of utmost importance.

When we reached the Fen, we grouped up for our first round of samples. I volunteered for probing with Ezra, and from the very first flag we encountered rocks, ice, and tough mineral layers that prevented us from hitting the permafrost. On the other transect, the probing group was encountering the same issue. Once other groups finished, they came to help us. At that point, we were using all three length attachments, and there were 3-4 people to probe. Even though the joints were always held tightly, we couldn't prevent bending. After lots of wear and tear, one of our probes even snapped at the nut. These difficulties continued when we took Uber data after a lunch break, and we began to call the omnipresent rock at Flag 13A "Cindy," because she was as hard as a block of cinder. Nonetheless, we remained steadfast and stubborn with our data collection!

Once we arrived back at Nestor One, Sarah and Clementine had prepared a happy hour as part of their camp management duties. We ate fluffy bannock covered in cinnamon sugar as well as blueberry muffins. Then we had a quiet hour to rest after our long day. I took a nap in my tent, and when I woke up, it was nearly time for dinner. Titled Arctic Feast Night, we had a large dinner with food items such as snow geese, trout, wild rice, and more bannock. Then we went back to the classroom for a highly competitive game of salad bowl, which counted towards the ISAMR Olympics. One highlight of the game was an incredibly accurate depiction of a snow goose, which was acted out by Jamil. By the end of all 3 rounds, the clear winner was once again Team Jill.

Just before lights out, we had another group meeting to decide our plans for the next day. With just fox dens left to sample, it was a day we could choose freely what to do. After some contemplation and encouragement, the vast majority of votes went to the 30+km Cape Churchill Hike!

Signing off- Michael and Zaina