Seven Miles for Science!

Hi everyone! Our first full day at the biostation was packed. We
started off with presentations by Tatyana and Anya about eco-tourism
in the Irkutsk region and the Great Baikal Trail. Afterwards we saw
the trail in action on a four mile hike along the shore of the lake.
After lunch we had an hour of free time, which we used to swim in the
lake for the second time in two days! Unlike yesterday, we were brave
enough to take the plunge off the dock rather than wading into the
water. Once we got over the freezing shock, we sunbathed on the beach
for a while.
After our swim, we put our hiking clothes back on and walked three
miles in the opposite direction from this morning, collecting samples
of gammarids, algae, and aquatic worms from the shore. Professor
Rodenhouse was seemingly able to identify every single plant we saw
along the way.
We're wrapping up our day with Frisbee and a campfire singalong with
our intrepid translators, Kolya and Vitya.
Yours in squad formation,
Evan and Zoe