SCHOLARSHIP DAY 23: Forests, Moose and quite literally All That Jazz!

From my bed, I can see out of the hostel window, and can to a reasonable degree judge the weather, which usually determines whether I get jump out of the covers into my clothes, or whether I have "five more minutes" (which usually means 15!) Today, the sun was beaming through the windows and through the glass panes in the door, and so I was up and ready for action. The walk down to breakfast was a warm one, and I was in a positive mood. The good mood was only augmented by a lovely hot chocolate and a stack of pancakes.

I left the cafe, and the day was still young, so I decided to take full advantage of the sunshine and get some hiking under my belt. Equipped with a forest trail map, I mapped out a route, and got underway. The Boreal forest is a lovely place to be, I reckon, at any time of the year, but today it was particularly special; once again, the forest floor was carpeted with crisp golden leaves, birds tweeted their tunes, squirrels knawed on nuts, bars of sunlight were streaming through the gaps between the Birch trees, lighting the way and making every angle worth a photo.

My walk was not guided with an information sheet, so I was left to spot the geographical phenomena myself; some of which was very interesting. I came across evidence of ground subsidance; tree trunks slanting at about a 45 degree angle clearly suggests subsidance from permafrost thaw, and sinkholes were scattered around too. A steep incline at one point actually revealed a soil profile (well, the overlying humus and A horizon which was composed of loess silty deposits, deposited after the last ice age by aeolian processes.)

I reached the first lake of the walk; the Ballaine Lake, that over the winter freezes and allows for a daring ski crossing. Observing the surface, and it's quite clear this lake is bubbling with Methane, very much in the same way that Katey Walker Anthony was talking about in her lecture a couple of nights ago. Methane is released from permafrost out of lake (via bubbles) and into the atmosphere.

The route I wanted to take was closed off, for a process called 'grooming'; this involves laying artificial bark and matting down to aid skiing, in preparation for the winter. I quickly re-routed and decided to take a trail that was, on my map, called 'Narrow Winter Walking Trail' but I reckon even a contortionist would have had difficulties. You see, I didn't actually expect it to be that narrow, and in some parts I wondered whether it was a trail at all. The forest was less dense though and the ground had changed from a dense humus mulch to a saturated bog. Moss of all sorts of of colours (Sphagnum was vibrant) and there were many others that I couldn't identify. I have to say dodging the puddles along some parts was quite difficult, but my trusty shoes were keeping my feet nice and dry! The day of shoe-shopping was well worth it!

It was at this point that the heat overwhelmed me, and I had to take not only my outer-core rain coat, but also my mid layer off- yes, it was that hot! A funny sounding chirping sound was coming from the trees and my short little stop revealed another squirrel; they really do seem to be in their numbers around these parts and that's great to see, as in other parts of Alaska, squirrels are commonly hunted by bears. My route soon opened out onto Smith Lake; another lake that is often monitored by the ecological and hydrological departments of the university. For me, I was just monitoring the views, and what views this little opening provided. Here you could see Dragonflies and Bulrushes and a whole variety of different grasses were evident on the periphery.

My experience was slightly tarnished when I realised I was missing my hat, and figured I must have dropped it on the way. So far, I have been able to keep hold of ALL of my equipment, and I didn't want this to ruin my record. From re-tracing my steps, I eventually found it; alone amongst the leafy foliage on the forest floor. I continued on with my self-designed trail, and reached a clearing known as the T Field. It homes several aerials, most probably managed by remote at the university, and six acres of it has been recently cordened off for new tree growth. I was making my way very happily around the field, when suddenly in the distance, I spotted a moose. From where I was standing, it looked as big as a pinhead, but I guess it was about the same height as the one I saw in Anchorage. It disappeared into the trees, and I decided to turn around and make a long trek back to the hostel.

To end what had been a beautiful day hiking through the forest, I treated myself to an evening out, to see the US Army Band perform at the university concert hall. They were magnificant, and I couldn't believe the event was free! The US Army Band tours both nationally and internationally every year, and this concert would mark the end of their spell here in Alaska. A strong audience turned out, with a vast age range; some community members, some students, some former army personnel had even joined the crowd. I even recognised a few of the tunes they played: 'Lament', 'April in Paris', 'Alfie' were among my favourites. It would mark the first music performance I have been to, since I arrived here in Alaska, and I hope for many more to come!