Dump Run of Fun

Nothing's ever simple or easy in the Arctic! Little things like waste disposal become treks across the tundra. I"m sure you all thought that Waste Management picks up our trash on Thursdays or Mondays, but that I'm afraid is false. The dump in Gambell is at the edge of the village (luckily somewhat near the edge we live on), and we have to walk our garbage there. The space is limited in Gambell, so we must burn it. It is actually a beautiful walk along the beach and tundra, and what is a nice walk without some awesome pictures?



(Story behind this photo: We (and by we I mean I) wanted a group photo, so I had to use the self-timer. I set the camera on a gravel hill, ran down the hill un-gracefully, and stepped into the shot just in time. Nothing's ever simple.)




(Gambell is one of the last villages to use walrus-skin boats for whaling. This one is dry-docked until the next whaling season.)







Playing Chicken with the Bering Sea


Now, I guarantee you that dump runs will stop being fun after the first snow. For now, though, it is nice to look at Russia and watch whales while doing something mundane as taking out the trash.

-Megan