One final Siberian sunset

After a summer of traveling, it feels unfamiliar to be walking among the familiar. The dense deciduous trees, the overly affectionate yellow lab, the abundance of fresh produce, and the faces of old friends are welcome sights; yet I find myself day dreaming of open space and a cramped barge, voices blending in well-loved bluegrass songs and the less attractive voices of mosquitoes, and Russian ice cream. Moose Tracks ice cream, while still delicious and containing the word moose, is just not the same as Russian ice cream.

“How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on when in your heart you begin to understand there is no going back?”

–Frodo in The Return of the King (I suppose my use of this quote in this post may expose my inner nerd, but then again my inner nerd might be a bit less inner than I think it is.)

Stream sampling in rural China

Maybe thinking about travel like Frodo is a bit over dramatic, but I am a different person sitting on my couch today than I was stepping onto a plane when this whole summer adventure began. You cannot undo journeys that deepen your life perspective, there is no going back. Not only did I have the privilege to do science alongside respected international scientists, I had the opportunity to learn valuable life lessons from each person my path crossed. Every person has a story, every landscape has a past, every permafrost core and mammoth tooth history is in your hands. When this is a day to day reality, you cannot help but be changed.

Stream sampling in Healy, Alaska

I had the chance to present my research for my peers at St. Olaf on Friday. The experience of tying things together gave perspective to just how far I have come this summer. Between Alaska, China, and a month in Siberia, I have conducted research in some of the world’s strangest and most beautiful landscapes, I have forged relationships with a myriad of people whose life experiences are far different from mine, and I pet a baby moose. My summer research adventure turned out to be infinitely more incredible than I could have imagined and will color my experiences as I pick up the threads of an old life and move forward.

My new friend, the baby moose!