Today was my first day reporting to work, -50°C here today. I was nervous and wasn’t sure what I was expected
to do, however I was happy to show up and was ready for anything. I asked for a ride this
morning, because I just felt better knowing where to go exactly and what passes I needed to
get into the building. When she arrived, I stepped out to greet her and get into the truck, this is when I realized that my military boots are useless and I was sliding around like a oiled pig on
ice. Once arriving at the building I slid around to the door, happy to be inside and on no slippy
ground, we got the pass and went up the stairs to begin work, I started setting up my
computers when the word came in to go and work with the Rangers. I was all for going but I
knew I couldn’t handle these boots, last thing I wanted to do while working with them is sliding
around, either falling on my face or grabbing the arm of an unexpected ranger, so my boss
drove me back to my place to get my civilian boots, my big black super warm baffin boots.
When we got to the hotel I stepped out of the truck and instantly went down, it was hilarious I
couldn’t get the grip to stand up so I was sliding all around and had to shimmy myself to the
tire of the truck and awkwardly try to stand up, I swear I looked like a baby elephant trying to
talk for the first time while stuck on a mud hill. Don’t fret though, I got up and scared my boss,
she thought I had run inside really fast, and when I stood up she jumped and rolled the window
down saying “are you ok? I didn’t know you were there! I thought you had went inside, it is a
good job I didn’t move the truck to a better position.” We both burst out laughing and I went
inside to get my good gripped boots.
Today I worked with the Rangers up here in the north, they were building a machine called SmartICE that gets dragged behind the snowmobile on the ocean, lake, or river, and it sends signals down beneath the ice, when the signals comes back then you can see how thick the ice is, it is a great way to not have to auger holes in the ice every few meters to tell how thick the ice is. This device will also be of good use to the search and rescue teams when trying to locate things that is under the ice.
I’m still not fully sure what I am doing here 🙂 the team is way out in Cambridge Bay, and I’m here, as far as I know I will be working when needed in the field, but other then that I will be backing up the Sgt, in the office to go through all the documented items that are being sent back here.
I’m a little disappointed but also I know that my help must have been really needed in order for them to send me all the way up here.
I told them today that I have my military drivers license and can drive to places if it would make it easier than them driving me around. In the afternoon they came back and told me I can take the military vehicle on the evenings or weekends to explore.
No matter what my days will be I know I will make the best adventure! I am so utterly excited to see what the days will bring 🙂