The GeoDELSA 2018 Adventure Comes to a Close

By Rosie Oakes on the behalf of the GeoDESLA Staff

Today was the last day of GeoDESLA 2018. All the students have boarded their planes back home to all corners of the country, It’s been an incredible week filled with with science, adventure, road trips, laughter, leadership, and friendship. As the final blog post of the trip, the staff wanted to share the poem and video from our closing ceremony last night. We hope it gives you an insight into our week and hope the students look back on this time with fond memories.

The students of GeoDELSA 2018 outside the lodge at YBRA (from left to right Jasen, Blake, Tommy, Caid, Ethan, Evan, Owen, Arianna, Eli, Tanna (honorary member), Cynthia, Liam, Claire, Sami, and Megan

GeoDESLA 2018 – Closing Ceremony Poem

By the GeoDESLA staff

We’ve been on an adventure called GeoDESLA,

And I’ve got some stories I’d like to share with ya.

Our trip started at Billings Airport,

At which Nick’s stay was not short.

After a long day of travel, the students arrived,

But Sami’s bag met its demise.

We kicked off with some teambuilding games,

In a desperate attempt to learn each other’s names.

We played no-ball-volleyball and human chess,

And while many fell, Megan’s jump had finesse.

Then we ventured into the Bighorn Basin,

Where we learnt the importance of hydration.

Blake’s hydration experience surpassed the rest,

Because his Hydroflask was the best! (“Ummmm…how refreshing”)

While Eli and Evan fought rocks with a crowbar,

Groups scouted for float, both near and far.

When Tommy and Jasen excavated ribs, they’d find another one,

And Owen licked a lot of rocks, which he thought was fun.

Arianna wielded a pick axe with power and skill,

And Ethan helped to move an entire hill.

Cynthia dug, excavated, and plastered,

And as a team, our paleo-skills were mastered.

Then it was off to Yellowstone with Dr. V,

When nearly the whole group was bursting for a wee.

On the way to the tuff cliff, a new knee was nearly needed by Claire,

And Sami fell over before we even got there!

Liam fell in love with the fluffy Bison,

And Caid’s version of Country Road was written and sung.

Then it was time to study rivers and streams,

And Chris threatened to throw students down ravines.

We discussed groundwater and terraces in the scorching heat,

But Marie’s hydrological prowess was not to be beat.

We finished the week with a hike up the Basin Lake Trail,

Working as a well-oiled machine, so as not to fail.

Kelly may be tiny, but she is mighty,

Even the grizzly bears seemed to be flighty.

We spent lunch throwing rocks into water,

Some flew far, while others fell shorter.

Now this is the end of our epic trip,

And we all think it’s been totally sick!

 

Our closing ceremony would not be complete,

Without thanking the leader of our little fleet.

Her name is Rosie and she carried all of our weight,

She’s more than quite good, she’s really great.

 

GeoDESLA 2018 – Closing Ceremony Video

Video editing – Kelly Rozanitis

Photo credit – Eli Zukowski and Chris Vito

Check it out here! 

That’s all from us. Thank you all for such a great trip, and keep in touch! GeoDESLA out.

Rosie, Marie, Loyc , Chris, Kelly, and Nick

GeoDESLA Out – Thanks for a great week everyone! Chris, Kelly, Rosie, Marie, Nick (and Loyc – not pictured!)

 

 

Advertisement

Glaciers and Goodbyes

By Tommy and Owen

It has been quite a week: we have dug up dinosaurs, visited volcanoes, and talked about terraces. However, we now faced our most challenging adventure yet: an all day hike up the basin creek trail. We started early, meaning we made sure that Caid was awake. After a hearty meal of breakfast burritos and loading up on an obscene amount of food and water we set out on the 15 minute drive to the trail. In the white van the students learned that Chris has an interesting music taste to say the least conversely he gray van had a relaxing drive set to Bob Marley. The whole convoy arrived in the parking lot for the trail and began the long climb.

I (Tommy) had volunteered to carry one of the spare 3 liter water bottles. About five feet into the hike, I realized this was a mistake, but it was too late to change my mind and too early in the hike to already pass it onto someone else. From our topographical map knowledge, we knew that the hike was completely uphill, so we would have to conserve our energy, drink lots of water and take frequent breaks. After walking through an area of forest that appeared to have been destroyed by a forest fire, we stopped at our first destination to take a look at our topographic maps and try to figure out where we were. The key to determining our location was to look at the slope of the terrain and where the water was relative to the trail. After yet more hiking up rocky hills and through fire damaged slopes we arrived at the first stop for our geomorphology lesson. We looked out onto the massive U shaped valley dominating the horizon. During the last ice age the Laurentide ice sheet ploughed down from the north and carved out the huge depression. After millennia of advance and retreat the vast glaciers melted away at the end of the Ice Age and what remains is a spectacular landscape.

After our glance into the Pleistocene we continued up the mountain. We reached a point where the creek turned into a marsh. This was caused because the creek flowed over a flatter area, which caused it to move with less speed and spread out more. Since the water had less energy, it was worse at carrying sediment and organic material away, which meant more plants decomposed in the flat area, and it created a lush marsh.

Shortly after our survey of the marsh I (Owen) had a battle. I was tasked with getting Cynthia a walking stick from the woods near the trail. I swiftly spotted a suitable stick and set about prying it out from the earth. Unfortunately it was a fallen tree and was still attached to its’ root system. When it did come loose I stumbled backwards and the nearby branches slashed my knee.

After a few more snack breaks and several more miles of hiking we made it to the lake. Once there we broke for lunch by the shore. I (Tommy again) had managed to carry the water all the way up, and by then people needed refills, so I was able to lighten my load and share the joy of water. I refueled myself by putting my hat on my face and laying down for a nice, relaxing lakeside nap that was only occasionally interrupted by rocks jabbing my back and ants climbing up my legs. Chris showed all the students up in a rock skipping contest.

After some much needed rest we began the long trek down. We stopped first at a small stream close to the lake and tested its chemistry. We compared our data there to that collected by Marie and the lake. Next we went to a larger stream and some of us took a dip in the freezing water. We collected more data for comparison and repeated our marshmallow experiments on this stream. We found that the flow of a stream or river is actually slower higher up in its journey. Less water was being moved in these high elevation streams than in lowland rivers where the collective force of the whole watershed thunders towards the sea.

After returning to the vans, we were given the choice of heading straight back to YBRA or taking an ice cream stop. And that was a very easy choice. Interestingly, the huckleberry milkshakes tasted suspiciously strawberry-like. Who knows what was going on with the store’s supply of the Montana classic. After our ice cream, we returned to YBRA and took very quick showers so we could make it to dinner on time.

After a filling meal of hamburgers we ambled over to the classroom and gave presentations on volcanic tuffs, geothermal activity in Yellowstone, glacial sculpting, and groundwater wells. Following the presentations we received our certificates to much fanfare and settled in for a stirring montage of our time in the field set to John Denver’s Country roads, easily the most frequently played song on our many long car rides. Rosie then gave a wonderful poetry reading about our time followed by an addendum by Nick describing how important she was.

And just like that it was over, our time as Geodesla students has reached its end. I am sure I speak for all of us when I say that this week was the experience of a lifetime and it will leave a lasting impact on all of us. Now, if you will excuse us we have a meteor shower to catch.

P.S. the boys cabin also is in desperate need of cleaning.

From Streams to Swines

By Liam Quish-Garcia and Blake Han

I must confess I do not know where to start this blog, as we got home so late yesterday, that it might as well be considered the same day. However, to spare your time, I shall begin with the day from 7:30 onwards. All of our tired faces were eminent at the breakfast table, but we were excited to explore water and geomorphology. Except Caid. He slept through, for an unflattering second day in a row. I digress.

After having a good breakfast, we walk outside to find out we were separated into other vans to encourage integration and socialization with other members of the camp. With good reason- yesterday was a CRAZY day, in every way possible. Fortunately, I was placed into the better of the two vans; the dynamic was very relaxed as contrasted with the other van- so silent and awkward that Blake’s questioning of where his hat was remained the only indication of sound coming out of people’s vocal chords. (I guess the moving coffin metaphor directly applies to this van).

We arrived at approximately 9 AM to Rock Creek, a river running North from Red Lodge towards Billings. Here, our professors taught us the basics of scientific research involving the creation of the Rock Creek valley and its formation from Glacial activity as well as the water cutting through the creek banks. At the creek we moved around to multiple locations. We went up and downstream where we measured the width, length, and depth of the river using the scientific tool known as estimation. We also measured the velocity with some scientific guessing and the most sophisticated of scientific tools known as the marshmallow, only for us to lose sight of it every time we threw it in the stream in an attempt to track its progress in the creek. The instructor also taught us about the erosion that constantly broke down the creek shore, the various rocks that came upon the shore, and about the riffles in the water. Our eyes were trained in order to spot the various parts of the shore, and to spot the discrepancies in the rock.

I (Blake) have woken up in a desolate frozen wasteland every morning this week. Coming from Southern California where temperatures are well over 100 degrees fahrenheit each morning, I was ill prepared for such cold weather. However, each day the weather would fluctuate from temperatures comparable to the Arctic Tundras to extreme dry heat that cracked the lips and skin of many. However, I was pleasantly surprised to wake up to pleasant weather in the morning with average temperature. This should have been a sign of the coming heat wave as we hiked all day, in the aforementioned Rock Creek’s locations. This hellish walk was only further exacerbated when we came to the restrooms-holes in the ground filled with past sewage, flies flying around, and no way of cleaning hands, not even hand sanitizer.

Besides our own rough experimentation, our instructor Marie Kurz brought a probe that measured pH, temperature, the dissolved oxygen content in comparison to that of the surrounding air’s, and specific conductivity which was in measures of microsiemens, much to our immature adolescent minds’ amusement.

Our merry band approached a groundwater pump to check it out up close. We saw how the good people of Montana got all their water before we left to a large gas station where we stocked up on yummy snacks and phone chargers.

Unlike the past few days, we did not stay out until late; we were back at the YBRA lodge area by 2:30. An early shower and we were able to enter the classroom where we learned more about the groundwater pumps we had seen earlier as well as see various topography maps and learn how to properly read them. We were also instructed to guess what water flow rate of the discharge rate from the surface water streams. This was quickly wrapped up however, thankfully, and we were sent to dinner before shortly going to watch pigs racing.

The Charity Pig Races were an experience. The poor handlers could not hold onto the pigs in the first race but in the subsequent races grew wary of their porcine money makers. 30 minutes of anticipation was punctuated by 10 second races.

 

 

 

All in all, it was another good action packed day here at GeoDesla 2018. Peace out from Liam Quish-Garcia and Blake Han

P.S. This is a really cool drawing of a T-Rex Skull that Liam did

 

Gurgling Geysers and Pungent Pools

8/9 blog: Ethan and Cynthia

Today, we went to Mammoth Hot Springs in Wyoming. We learned that the water at the hot springs undergoes a process in which it speeds up to the point that it erodes faster than the accumulation rate. The positive feedback loop the starts when the water begins to quickly flow and the precipitation then deposits the minerals into a terrace. The reason for the white coloration of the hot springs is because the sun evaporates the water which leaves calcium carbonate.

After the hot springs, we went to the Upper Geyser Basin to see Old Faithful and Grand geysers. We arrived around 12:00 p.m., and we were rushed to see Grand geyser and ended up waiting for it to erupt for 30-45 minutes. We learned that geysers are caused by heat and pressure from an underground volcano that causes water to be pushed up by gas. The most shocking part was the enormous height of the Grand geyser. Cynthia’s favorite geyser was the Heart Geyser and Ethan’s favorite Geyser was Beehive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our final destination of the day was at the Grand Prismatic overlook. The view was  absolutely breathtaking. We learned that the color of the water is dependent on the different temperature the bacteria can live in. The hike up was a little rough on the legs but we were able to get an astonishing view of Grand Prismatic. Grand Prismatic is part of Yellowstone’s giant hydrothermal system. We learned that someone crashed their drone into the Grand Prismatic disrupting the living bacteria in it.

As chaotic and hectic as our day might have been, the overall experience of the day was incredible. We had one group that had all blue shirts, a pair of over-sleepers, and pencil droppers. Our message is explore our national parks, if you ever get the chance, because you will never know what you might expect. We should enjoy the gift that is our national parks.

 

Jason, Cynthia, Evan

Home safe!

We’ve had a great second day in Yellowstone and have made it back safely to YBRA. Due to some particularly slow moving bison and roadwork on the Beartooth Pass we’re home later than expected so Cynthia and Tommy will post their blog tomorrow.

Bison Buns and Sulfurous Stenches

By Elijah Zukowski and Samantha Brown

I (Elijah) began my day unlike many others in my lifetime laying in the top bunk of a rickety bunk-bed that had obviously been made before my lifetime and would still be in use after I retired from this life. I awoke from my slumber to a clash of activity surrounding me. The male members of our adventure party, clattering in a desperate attempt to pack for the following days, had woken me. Annoying.  I of course had packed the night before as any sensible human would. My extra attempt at gaining a half hour of sleep had been foiled by my ill prepared cohorts. I dragged my limp corpse out of the rickety bed and found some clothing to wear. I walked down to the Lodge where I found Tanna, the camp dog. She is quite possibly the sweetest gift that has ever been given to this earth. After a delicious breakfast of quiche and coffee cake we prepared our day packs for the long car rides ahead. I myself packed for a three day adventure that would include backpacking through the Yellowstone National Park. I however was perhaps too prepared for the night at a super 8 and approximately 3 hours of actual hiking. We saddled up to the half hour car ride up and over the mountain. This was not complete without many sing-alongs and swapped anecdotes. Finally we stopped on the side of the road at a peak of the Bear-tooth Mountains. There we were given a lecture about the nature of igneous rocks and their relation to the granite that we found there. We also learned about the erosion patterns and the glacier cutting through the layers of rock to create the mountains we see today. Before we packed up and got in the car for Yellowstone we attempted a group picture. I apparently am the only one that is even barely literate with a camera because I was called not once but twice to try and help Chris figure out how to set a delayed timer on his camera. Finally I set one but sadly nobody was prepared and this was the best that we could do.

We packed into the sardine vans once again on the long haul to Yellowstone. Two hours later most of our following was ready to burst with urine. Apparently, every rest stop in the one-horse town that we decided to get gas in had a strict “no public restroom” policy. I eventually found a porta potty. After my inexplicably disgusting experience I decided that I would never use one again. To add insult to injury, the group soon decided to stop by a visitors center with a beautiful and well-kept restroom while I had already evacuated my bladder. Good things come to those who wait I guess; especially with issues of the bladder. We loaded once again into our tuna can vans. After another half hour of driving we finally arrived at Yellowstone National Park. Not 15 minutes into our newfound spit of adventure we were greeted by the smelly and gargantuan bison that decided to block traffic in the already standstill crawl into the heart of the park.

After another hour of traffic at an inch-pace we arrived at the lost creek trail to the lost lake. We found both. As I’m writing this Sami and I have come to the conclusion that I am going to do the rest of the writing and she is going to return the favor by buying me the largest coffee imaginable tomorrow morning. She will tell me to include different details and from now on the will be notated by a set of [Brackets]. We went up the lost river trail to find particular outcroppings that Dr. Volcano wanted us to see. After climbing a sheer vertical cliff face like 16 little spidermen we finally reached the peak of the outcropping that he wanted us to see. There we learned about the effects of volcanic ash and the way that it creates jointed rock that is harder than the sedimentary rock that usually surrounds it. There we ate our lunch with a gorgeous view (this is also the time that I stupidly forgot that my camera existed…sorry no pictures). After we ate we decended the cliff face and returned to our cramped moving coffins. We were greeted by more traffic inducing bison. We also learned that the average American has fewer IQ points than digits on their body because none of them were following the advised 50-foot distance limit from any bison. Pure Stupidity. We slowly crawled onto Canyon Village where we were introduced to the lovely nature of Huckleberry ice cream. After some gift shopping [Sami got the snow globe that she wanted] we once again packed into our vans to visit the Sulphurous Mud Pits. I have never and probably never will experience the same level of disgust and shock that is associated with the stench of a sulphurous mud pit. Regardless of our heaving, Doc Rocktopus pushed us to learn how these mud pits behaved and why. I’m not going to get into that though, you can ask your child when they get home.

After the mud pits I was once again faced with a disgusting bathroom situation. Due to the influx of international visitors to Yellowstone they’ve compensated the restroom with a squat toilet. Basically, a hole in the ground. I may not remember my social security number but I will never forget the stench that I experienced in that room. I don’t really want to talk about it anymore. All I’m looking forward to is the coffee that I have waiting for me. It is now a quarter past 11 and Rosie is telling me to finish up. For dinner we ate pulled pork in a garage and learned about how humankind will eventually fall to the grips of the Yellowstone Volcano; sitting in a hotel lobby. Now Everyone is in their rooms being glad they are not Sami and I sitting here writing this [Sami admits that I (Elijah) am the only one typing].

 

As my people say at home as a sign of greeting and of goodbye: Word.

 

 

Fossils, Food, and All That is Good in the World

By Megan Bradin and Evan Smilyk

An alarm rings in a lodge at 6:10am sharp.  Two people rise and begin their day while the rest continue dozing.  When the 6:30 bell rings, another begins to stir.  Finally, at 6:45, the other two arise, while the others are already dressed and packed the other two work quickly to match the others appearance. They all use to bathroom before making their way to the main lodge for the 7:00am breakfast.

In a nearby lodge, people begin to stir in sleeping bags slightly before the 6:30 bell.  No alarm is heard, but once one is awake in the full room, it takes him little time to wake the others.  Some are up sooner than others, packing gear and snacks while they slowly get up and dressed.  Voices climb in volume as people wake up, and it all culminates with everyone walking downhill together to breakfast.

These are the mornings of the boys and girls staying in Red Lodge with GeoDESLA.

As the tenants of both cabins made their way to the lodge, they noticed a large animal near the woods.  As pictures were taken and binoculars lifted, it was revealed to be an enormous moose!

Breakfast was a delicious dish of pancakes and eggs, with fresh juice and coffee to drink.  Afterwards, we packed our lunches and headed for the dig site we visited on Sunday.

The hour-long drive full of good music, with the exception of a few Justin Bieber songs, took us to the Suu site in Bighorn Basin.  There we began to work on the quarry – the paleontologists only have a few days to finish excavating what fossils are shown.

A few of us began jacketing or digging on the main quarry.  But before then we had to cut burlap strips for plastering. A few hours in and a group of us decided to go on a hike (neither of us authors were on said hike so we don’t know what happened).

Lunch was soon after and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. After lunch a different group decided to go on a prospecting hike. While said group was out hiking, others began covering an enormous pile of stegosaurus fossils with plaster-covered burlap strips.  This process of jacketing would later protect the fossils as they are transported across the country to labs.  After working together on the stegosaurus fossils, we went back to vertebrae that we were trying to uncover earlier in the day.  Two more were found and cleaned before we left.

We got back to Red Lodge around 5, we showered and got ready before we left for the pizza party.  After another long drive, we sat down for a delicious dinner of various pizzas and fresh salad.  Then we all shared presentations on what we have learned over the past few days before a speech by a renowned volcanologist.  After a long day, it was time to go home and go to bed.  We are ready for another day tomorrow!

 

From Mud in Noses to Uncovering Fossils: The True Details

Heading into the field to find dinosaur fossils! 

By: Arianna Alfaro and Caid Mills

I (Arianna) woke up to the amazing view of the mountains and I breathed in the brisk air. It’s nothing like I’ve ever seen. If only you guys could see what I did. It was quite freezing and unusual. It’s summer, who would’ve thought that it was going to be MUCH hotter. This was also unusual because I come Philadelphia which is known for their lack of mountains and humid weather. This view was truly something I could never seen in such a big city.

After breakfast we headed for our first area, the Scenic Overlook. While there we were taught how to read a geological map of Montana. On these maps we were shown the different colors of different rocks. They were all so diverse and it was honestly breathtakeing.

After we finished looking at these maps we went to the Mother’s Day Quarry. There was an abundance of suaropod dinosaurs. The one we worked on as a group were Diplodicus bones. It was all fun and games until we actually began the work. It was like we all brought out our inner paleontologists.

Excavating a fossil bone in the quarry

My job was to try an uncovering surrounding rock of a Diplodicus vertabrae in order to lift it up. We ( myself and another student, Ethan) were banging the surrounding rock ike maniacs. I know for a fact we both enjoyed that. However while doing this activity I felt a tight pain on my boots which required me to take my shoes off. The pain was on and off but I dealt with it. There were of course better times after this. I continued to work throught the pain while also plastering a different bone. Well I hope the bone is okay though since Jasen accidently sat on it.

Ari, Sammy, and Ethan at the Quarry

I’d say the best part of the day was making some pretty good friendships. Especially when those friends put mud in your nose. It’s just part of all the fun of being a ameteuar paleontologist.

Van friends!

Muddy friends!

As for myself (Caid) I had a great time excavating the massive vertebrae of a diplodocus. The bones in the Mother’s Day Pit are all from diplodocus who, most likely died during a drought, huddled around a waterhole. The paleontologists estimate that they had been dead and on the surface for approximately 2-4 months until the rainy season arrived late. It created a flash flood of mud which was enough to completely cover the bones dinosaurs but not enough to carry them away too far. This provided the perfect conditions for fossilization.

The bone Owen and I (Caid) were excavating

This is why there were bones littered all over the pit in weird positions. I worked with Owen on the vertebrae, next to Claire and Megan. We were able to excavate the vertebrae quite a bit and put on top casting, but weren’t able to fully dig under the fossil so that we could flip it over and cast the bottom as well. We did flip over Megan and Claire’s fossil and they were able to cast the bottom of it.

Owen and Claire excavating a fossil

I loved digging in the desert because unlike digging in the South, where its very humid and you sweat a lot, the desert is very arid and any sweat instantly evaporates. This can be dangerous however, as it’s hard to tell when you’re overworking yourself because you produce little sweat. You just have to be sure to drink lots of water and gatorade so you don’t become dehydrated or suffer from a heatstroke.

 

It’s crazy to think that this arid desert, thousands of feet above sea level, was once a lush floodplain, overlaid with rivers and lakes.

 

 

 

 

Paleontology in Bighorn Basin

5 August 2018

By students – Claire Bradley and Jasen Chen

After a breakfast of pancakes and bacon, we left for the Bighorn Basin with our backpacks in tow. I (Claire) am from PA and so the scenery on the hour long drive was unfamiliar to me. The roads where we needed to be were mostly unpaved which made for a bumpy ride. By the time I (Jasen) had arrived, I had finished half a liter of water already. Drinking water was heavily encouraged by our instructors as the lack of humidity makes it hard to tell when you’re dehydrated.

We started off on a hike to walk with dinosaurs, literally. We came upon a spot where there dinosaurs had once walked. They had left two foot prints. This occurred because when the dinosaur stomped through the mud, it left a hole where sand filled, leaving a permanent record. We stopped to sketch and take notes in our field notebook, this is important documentation and a good skill to have for the sciences.

We circled around the Bighorn Basin and arrived back near the cars, where Suu 2, a fossil quarry, was located. The fossils were covered with a large white tarp to prevent further erosion. When we unveiled the tarp, we saw sections of earth containing fossils, separated from the surrounding area. We got two choices of hands-on experience. Our options were either to help excavate additional area where possible fossils were, or plastering fossils that were ready to be removed. Many students took up shovels and hoes to remove the overburden, or the top layer of earth covering the fossils. Enthusiastic students even took it upon themselves to remove sage roots and branches to make the job easier. The other group of students got their hands dirty with plaster-of-Paris. Plastering the fossils is a necessary step in order to transport without damaging the contents. Water and plaster-of-Paris were mixed to form a solution which burlap would then be dipped in to. The burlap strips are then placed over the protective barrier which can consist of toilet paper or aluminum foil, then it’s left to harden. Once this hardens it becomes known as a jacket. There was already a jacket ready for removal at the site. This was loaded into the truck at the end of the excursion.

Unfortunately, we had to leave the field early as there was rain and thunder on the horizons. On the way home, I (Jasen) was exhausted and slept like a log on the car ride. Before we went back to camp, we stopped midway at the Red Boxcar for a special treat. Students were given the choice between a milkshake or an ice cream cone. At camp, we were able to witness the fruits of labor because we had the opportunity to piece together fossils.

As students we all got closer to each other and made new friends. While the work during the day was at times strenuous, it was very rewarding.

 

 

GeoDESLA kicks off!

By Rosie Oakes, Marie Kurz, and Nick Barber

Our day in numbers

10 pieces of swag acquired by each GeoDESLA student so they’re ready to hit the field

9 male students settled into the Darton Cabin

8 – ty (!) years since YBRA was founded to enable geologists to explore the surrounding area

7 hours – time teaching assistant Nick Barber waited at Billings Airport for students

6 pm – the dinner bell rang and the students ate their first meal in the lodge

5 female students settled into the Poldervaast Cabin

4 GeoDESLA staff members spend the morning scouting field stops

3 students delayed

2 bags still in transit…

1 great group of geologists ready to hit the field

GeoDESLA staff scouting good field sites near Red Lodge, MT

The students are here (one still en route!)

GeoDESLA staff scout out some field sites in the morning (left) and the GeoDESLA students arrive (one still en route) (right)