News from the Field: Day 14--Lundy Canyon and Farewell Barbeque

Our last day in the field!  We spent the first part of the day starting in on our final cleanup of the SNARL dorm, our home for the last two weeks. Did we make a mess! After a few hours of work, we headed up north to Lundy Canyon. Our friends Dave Marquart and Connie Henderson reserved a beautiful picnic site along Lundy Creek and we arranged to meet them and our cook, Linda Dore, at the end of an afternoon's hike.  We walked well up the valley, over rocks, snow, and waterfalls, to view a beautiful alpine setting, just at the beginning of spring. Lots of recreational opportunities, from birdwatching to rock climbing to glissading down the snow. We met back at the campsite for a late afternoon barbeque, a campfire, and impromptu celebration that lasted to nightfall. After the party, we returned to SNARL to complete our &+!#@!) cleanup tasks, slaving over the mess till midnight.  Guess what, the boys cleaned up the bathrooms!!!

At the Lundy Creek picnic site, Megan and Ganesh try to figure out who's taller!
At the Lundy Canyon trailhead, the group is geared up and ready to go!
Part way up the canyon, Michael and Preeti pose by an alpine waterfall.
Risking life and limb (not!) our world-class rock-climbers Dan and Chris scale a nearly vertical cliff.
Daniel checks out the view from a juniper tree.  Don't look, mom!
Chris takes a break to admire the view.
Further up the canyon, we encounter a beautiful waterfall emerging from--and descending into--the snow!
Uh-oh!  An avalanche!
Further up the canyon, the group comes across a turn-of-the-century (?) mining shack.
Chris cools off--or, rather freezes off--from the rough hike up the canyon.
Our trip leader demonstrates the proper method of air drying after a dip in the icy waters.
Ahhhhh....
Michael and Chris:  wild mountain men of the High Sierra!
Alicia and Nicole show off this year's high-altitude swimming fashions.
After the swim, the 'survivors' huddle to stay warm!
Turn around, and take a look at the Lundy Creek valley--a classic example of a U-shaped glacial valley.
A neat panorama of the lower Lundy Valley.
And a view of the snow-covered headwall of upper Lundy Canyon.
Back at the campsite, our super-chef, Linda Dore is waiting...
And a toast to Linda for another spectacular dinner! (that's her husband Dave in the foreground)
Alicia, Nicole, Preeti, and Tabitha enjoy the picnic sitting atop some glacial boulders.
And Megan and Esther enjoy a happy moment together.
Our chef starts off the evening's entertainment by showing off her climbing prowess on one of the giant pine tries by the campsite.
And Esther and Megan test out the limits of Ganesh's knees, while Lauren cheers him on.  Ganesh:  "I wish we'd done this before dinner!"
By the glow of the campfire, Preeti and Esther lead the group in "Kumbaya"
And the high point of the evening, Michael and John lead the second annual High Sierra awards ceremony.
The group looks on in great anticipation, wondering who will win the coveted awards...
And for enduring the most ridiculous mispronunciations of his name, Ganesh Krisha comes forward to accept the "Geo-Ga-Na-Na" award.
And for the best geological rap lyrics by a skinny white rapper, Daniel Moss accepts the coveted "Vanilla Icefield Geo-rapper award".  What a proud moment!
And for believing (almost) everything that John and Michael said, the "Gullible Geologist Award" goes to... Megan Patterson!  Yes!!!
We party!!!