Blackflies Unite

July 9

If you think that 4:30 sounds like an ungodly time to get up for work, then you are absolutely right. The charter left at 6:00 am and we got to Zip camp by 7:30. I would say bright and early, but it's always bright out here, regardless if it's early.

The strangest thing to get used to is that there are no TREES! The tallest plant in a 10 km radius is about a foot high. The greatest part of the lack of vegetation is, of course, that there are more rocks to see- and lichen. Soooo much lichen. The only downfall of being in the tundra is the blackflies. You here about their legendary numbers but nothing really prepares you for their masses. I made the mistake of wearing capri pants this morning and 10 minutes into the helicopter safety briefing my legs looked like a checker board-black spots were flies in the process of biting and red spots where they had already been. Apparently they are attracted to dark colours, which meant that my navy blue fleece coat had literally HUNDREDS of bugs crawling on it. Back in Yellowknife I hmm'ed and hawwed about whether to get a bug jacket and finally decided to splurge for the $40 investment. Best money I ever spent, though the face net can get claustrophobic if you aren't wearing a brimmed hat underneath.

The camp itself is quite basic. They are the only structures around for many kilometers so look quite out of place in the barrens. We are on a small lake (of which there are hundreds up here) enclosed in an electric fence to keep the bears away. Also money well spent in my opinion! There are six 4 man domed outfitter tents with cots and a wood stove in each. The only other buildings are the cookhouse, office, sample shed and outhouse. Everything was built on site with plywood or canvas, but it is not as rustic as you would think. The many satellite dishes poking off the roof of the office supply the camp with radio, telephone and blesssed, blessed internet. It's down right now, but apparently there is a phone running through the satellite system which anyone is free to use, unlimited. I am rather pumped about this as 6 weeks is a long time to go without talking to the outside world. I can't imagine how isolating this job would be even 10 years ago. I certainly would not have been able to bring out the 75 movie files I have on my computer in VHS equivalent. It would fill a whole plane!

Seeing as I got up so early, I think it is time to turn in at the late late hour of 9:30. Tomorrow is when the real work starts.

-A.