Permafrost Outreach 2009

We are approaching to the final stage of this year’s snow machine trip! One more village to go for total 24 villages in this 3 weeks trip.
The last village is Kivalina, about 90 mile north from Kotzebue. Weather is not ideal situations for snow machine. But we heard weather turning to worse tomorrow. We decide to go and back Kivalina one day trip. We have almost white out. Sometimes we can see sun but sometimes not. Trail condition is not bat. In general, we follow coastline, Kenji did this section in 1995 snowmachining from Barrow. Only concerning is open water. Many open lead is reported near Kivalina. We should not go off shore.

We saw many wild lives the way goes up. About 3 hours later, we made it with freezing cold by the windy gust.
Principal let us warm up and take some warm drinks.
After the warm up, we go to drill site 2 miles away. Drill is not bad and to take 2 hours to establish permafrost station.

After drilling, we check spring site near by (the way back to Kotzebue).
After 5pm, we start head back to Kotzebue. It is getting miserable weather, big heavy snow with wind. All of the trail is already disappeared and looks like nobody here since last fall. Kenji tries to remember the landscape the way coming to Kivalina this morning. Unfortunatlly, white out cannot help his memory much.
However, 7:30pm, we see city light for Kotzebue. It was longest run (175 miles) in this trip. We cerebrate our trip at Bay Side Caffee.

We have a quiet Saturday morning next of John’s house (Not School!). This house has big wide window facing to the south. We can see frozen Kobuk River. We go to drill site with John. Drill site is tundra surface with a few spruce trees. Air temperature is a little bit cold (-5dF), it not great temperature for drilling. We did permafrost station and frost tube taking 3 hours.
We move to Noorvik 1pm. Noorvik is hub village for trail system for Kotzebue, Selawik, and Kiana. We pass through the way going to Selawik. We look for Rod (Math/Science teacher). He is in the gym even on Saturday. We are very lucky to find several students help us to install logger and frost tube. High school student (Jerry) helps a lot all the way installation out side of the school! Thank you Jerry!
After the establish site. We go to Kotzebue.

A few days ago, we had big decision to make about final destination. Originally (ideally), we plan to snowmachine back to Haul Road near Jim River (Pump 5). That is about 350 miles from Shungnak. This route have a lot of benefit such as visiting 4 more athabaskan villages, snowmachine able to bring back to Fairbanks ourself (much cheaper), hot spring etc. but also very risky or expecting many stacks!!! Other idea is going back to Kotzebue. This takes 400 miles including to visit Kivalina. Shungnak is final village for separation of these two options. When I check trail condition for the Huslia from here. It is not good situations. because mainly last week’s warm temperature breaks many creek ice and new snow covered by wet area…

So we left Shungnak 9:10am for destination to West!!
we rode about an hour to Ambler and immediately starting drilling. We had many technical problems today. Finally, we finish permafrost monitoring station at 1:00 pm.
We head to the Kiana about 85 miles away! Trail was mostly good. We made it about 3 hours.

Science teacher “John Nagy” invite dinner for us. We had extremely great time.

Kenji meet teachers and students in the morning at Ambler. After class talk, we go out to see frost tube. Dr.B support and arrange very nicely this morning and she want us to drill another hole for farther site. I promise to drill the way back to Kotzebue.
Today’s snowmachine trip is a piece of cake! It is beautiful weather nice trail only 32 mile away to Shungnak!
We enjoy blue sky, sun shine, mountain, moose, caribou within a hour ride.
When we are at Shungnak high school science teacher (Greg) tell us just ready to talk!!
We meets good students and nice questions!
After the classroom, we head up to the Kobuk. Kobuk is 8 mile away from here. We plan to visit for frost tube installation. Once we are Kobuk, we drill and talk teacher/students within a hour then head back to Shungnak.
Everything goes well such sunny day. It makes so easy, if we have sun shine and warmer weather!
We drill frost tube and permafrost monitoring station in Shungnak. It takes 2 horse. After the installation we go to our house for dinner! Again we have nice treat! Principal Kitza give us to stay nice small warm house including big arctic entry!

We had long tundra ride for Ambler from Selawik. Kenji meets students at two science classes this morning.
After the class at 11am, Clyde shows us the gas station and the trail head for Ambler.
Ambler trail is not much used like Noorvik trail. But it’s still good shape and we can make it 4 hours including crossing two thin ice creeks.
Ambler is pretty south facing slope village along the Kobuk River. It is nice to see trees. Princepal (Dr. B) arrange for nice apartments for us and warm warehouse for sleds. After the drilling, we enjoy warm shower and reorganizing equipment in the warm place.

We had very long day.

At first, Kaji and Kenji took Frontier for Kotzebue this morning. When we
arrived Kotzebue at 10:10am, kenji dig out snowmachine and drive to the
airport to pick up Kaji and baggage.
High school lecture start 11:00am, Robbie made setting up very nicely and
two high school class join this until noon.
Once Kenji finish lecture, we met Nina (environmental coordinator for tribal
government) for lunch meeting to arrange land slid trip.
After lunch, we got some grocery for 5 days foods and gas up.
We are finally ready to leave Kotzebue 2:30pm. Still sun is high enough to
go Selawik more than 80 miles away from here.
Trail condition is perfect but a little chilled wind.
We made Selawik near 6:00pm. Clyde (Selawik NWR) help open the school and
call principal. He is nice for us to open warm shop for snowmachine and
sled.
Science teacher “John” also came to school for us to discuss tomorrow’s
plan.

Once we set all our items in the school shop, we start drill at almost 8pm.
Again, we had a little problem about auger by the cold wind, temperature
around -5 to -10dF.
We finally done at 10pm, Kenji start install datelogger and reorganizing
equipments, because all of the items thawed out at warm garage.
Then finally, we all done today’s work now past 1am.
It was long but nice day.

Kenji Yoshikawa

We are back in Kotzebue.
Kenji talk Kotzebue high school today. Then head up to Selawik this afternoon after buying grocery at AC.

After the state wide test for schools in this week, Kaji and Kenji will take another snowmachine trip (Phase 2) this coming Sunday!
Snowmachines and equipments are already in Kotzuebue. Weather is getting mild. We will see Kobuk regions during nice spring season.
The route of the trail is not fix yet, depending on how long this warm temperature staying in Alaska.
Anyway, we miss ocean, snow, and big country…

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Moonset at Unalakleet

Our journey along the western coast of Alaska was over.
While some were sleeping in, Kenji went to the Fish and Wildlife office to talk about a landslide investigation project.

We parked the snow machines and the sleds for storage.

They will stay there until Kenji’s next snow machine expedition.

Outside it was warm, but it had started to snow and the winds started picking up.
Now that we were off our snow machines, whether we can make it to Fairbanks was up to the airplane and weather.

The plane was delayed… waiting for more than two hours, the plane finally arrived.

The plane took off from Kotzebue under the cloudy sky.
As we got closer to Fairbanks, the clouds got thinner. I could see trees, hills and familiar landscapes from Minto Flats, and flying over the Prks Highway around Ester.

We safely landed in Fairbanks around 6 PM

Thanks Kenji!