Caving Expedition

A science expedition to Prince of Wales Island

I joined an expedition led by Riley Drake to Prince of Wales Island off the coast of Southern Alaska to study microbiomes in caves. I am not a caver, nor am I a microbiologist, but I have spent a fair amount of time in the Alaskan environment and bring a lot of skills in technical builds in remote areas (see ROVs, teaching, etc.). What a better way to spend a vacation!

The Team out of the cave

The team based operations out of a cabin on Red Lake, up on the very northern part of Prince of Wales island. The cabin was hard to find, but ended up being a beautiful and well maintained spot. The trek to and from the cabin included a ~1.5 mile boatride along the lake and a hike out to the road.

Gathering samples and exploring a cave with the team.

One of the main contributions I brought to the party was a water retrieval system to pump water from a nearby stream to the cabin, and a portable propane camp shower. Both systems operated with diaphragm pumps, and were designed to be easily hiked in and out.

Water infrustructure setup: Collection system from a nearby stream to pump up to the cabin, and a hot shower.
The park service cabin and the Team on a trip from cabin to the hike out