Journey to Alaska

North of the crest of the Brooks Range is an enormous region of Alaska called the North Slope. The North Slope encompasses the area from the crest of the Brooks Range to the Arctic Ocean, a region roughly 600 miles long and at its widest point is approximately 250 miles wide. At 81,000 square miles, the North Slope is slightly larger than Minnesota, the 14th largest state in the country.

These actual physical dimensions as well as the fact that only about 8000 people live on the North Slope, contribute to the feel of such a vast wide open space. By far most people are located in Barrow or around the oil facilities at Prudhoe Bay and Deadhorse. The Slope itself can be divided into three physiographic regions, the north flank of the Brooks Range, the foothills, and the coastal plain.

The following journal excerpts were made while working along the bluffs of the Colville River.  The river forms a part of the boundary for the National Petroleum Reserve.  The work itself occurs on NPRA which is administered by the Bureau of Land Management.


Journal Excerpts

Colville River

18 July 1999
…the rain stopped during the night, it didn't seem like it rained much…

The river is rising now and has created a need for us to move gear away from the water's edge. So far camp itself doesn't seem in danger of getting wet.

We've been having a productive day in the quarry so far but the river is still rising. I watched as the river rose another foot, the measuring stick I put at the water's edge is now under water.

…the river is now rising at a remarkable rate, during lunch I watched as a basketball-sized rock disappeared under water…this is starting to get us a little unnerved…

…around 5:30 we had to abandon the quarries and head back to camp as camp was now in danger…we began moving camp to higher ground…our camp is now cut off from the mainland and we are an island in the middle of a huge river…

…the water is still coming…we moved our gear yet again…we are running out of land…I grabbed a quick snack and listened to the protests of the metal frame of our kitchen structure that we left in our camp, the rising water soon took what was left…

… moved camp again…I found myself making decisions on where to place objects based on mere inches of additional height in the ground…

…2:00 am, we finally abandoned camp, filled the boat with what we could and headed for high ground…



Unloading gear for camp, Colville River


United States Army Chinook helicopter transporting field jacket containing skulls of horned dinosaur, Pachyrhinosaurus, Colville River


Sweet pea, Colville River

7 July 1999
…mosquitoes are very abundant this year…

8 July 1999
Looking at the backs of the people I'm with, each person must have at least 400 mosquitoes across their shoulders. I don't want to look over my own shoulder. Plus there is an amazing horde of the little blood suckers following us…

9 July 1999
Still no breeze. The temperature stayed near 800, making the quarry work a miserable experience. Dirty, sweaty, bug-bitten, everyone is in a foul mood by dinner time. We all headed for refuge in our respective tents very early tonight.

10 July 1999
Relief at last. After nearly three straight days of no breeze, the weather has changed and there is a breeze for a couple of hours. Everyone's spirits have picked up and we're actually able to smile again.


Mosquitoes and more mosquitoes

Camp

Colville River