Thread by @sarahecrump

For #FieldworkFriday I'm having a little #FieldworkFOMO, so here's a field tidbit from a few years back on Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin Island) involving a polar bear 🐻‍❄️and creative shelter problem solving ⛺️ (1/n)

It was day 4 of 21 days out in a remote part of Baffin Island, and things were going well--mostly good weather and productive science-ing. We woke up early to collect repeat water isotope samples from a pond near camp before planning to move camp up valley to another lake. (2/n)

Walking back to camp after being out for a couple of hours, something looked amiss. Our bright red tent was no longer upright. Adrenaline kicked in as we realized the most likely cause: a polar bear. We scanned the landscape and loaded a noise-maker into our shotgun. (3/n)

After a panicked few minutes of carefully moving closer to camp and scanning the horizon, we finally spotted the culprit: a bright white bear crouched in the tundra about 1 km away across the lake, perfectly still and staring at us. 😬😳👋 (4/n)

We shot a few rounds of noise makers, and though the bear was not immediately impressed, it eventually got up and walked slowly away, back toward the fiord a few km distant. We assessed the damage: our only tent was completely destroyed. (5/n)

Luckily, the bear didn't touch our stash of food! Instead, it took some curious bites into one sleeping pad, one Croc, and our trekking pole handles. 🤔 We packed up in a rush with plans to move up valley as quickly as possible to make distance between us and the bear. (6/n)

We were luckily heading toward a system of emergency huts in Auyuittuq Nat'l Park, but the 1st hut was still ~25 mi away, w/ some tough overland travel between us & there. Travel was v slow with heavy packs, the squishy, energy-sucking tundra, and frequent water crossings. (7/n)

We stuck to our science objectives as much as we safely could along the way--collecting temperature loggers, sediment traps, and soil samples. We also kept morale high with frequent berry-picking stops. But the lack of a tent weighed on our minds so we kept moving. (8/n)

Soon the weather turned & it started raining. I admit I had a bit of an emotional breakdown realizing we were shelter-less in a cold & wet environment, with too many mi to make it to the hut that day. My partner, ever the optimist, assured me we'd find a natural shelter. 🤨 (9/n)

Scanning the wide open tundra around me, I was skeptical of finding any sort of reasonable natural shelter. But Nodin pulled out the binoculars and spotted a promising looking boulder about a half mi up a side valley. I was still skeptical but agreed to go investigate. (10/n)

Bingo! The boulder had a perfect overhang covering a flat patch of tundra. The sleeping area was lined with rocks, indicating it had been used in the past (probably by Inuit or paleo-Inuit caribou hunters). We created a rain/wind block w/ our shredded tent fly & settled in (11/n)

We enjoyed a surprisingly cozy night of bivvying, so grateful to be warm and dry. We kept the binoculars and shotgun close at hand but luckily did not see our polar bear neighbor again. (12/n)

The next day was LONG. We had to cover many tough mi, over a pass, to get to the hut. As the light faded in the late evening, I was tempted to curl up under a sub-par boulder, but we pushed on & were rewarded by spectacular northern lights as we descended into the valley. (13/n)

We arrived to the hut exhausted around midnight, shoveled in some food, and collapsed into our sleeping bags. It was an indescribable relief to be safe from bears & the elements after a long and stressful push! (14/n)

The rest of the trip was incredible, hiking and sampling through beautiful Akshayuk Pass. We are grateful that the national park staff allowed us to use the shelter system in Auyuittuq NP to finish our trip as planned. It's always an unforgettable adventure on Qikiqtaaluk. (/fin)