3rd AB | Violet Wilson
Going into the Fun Run, I felt a growing sense of trepidation. The people around me that morning could probably tell from the number of times I changed my outfit, how I agonized over what to have for breakfast, and my worry about my shoelaces being too short. I had run ten miles before coming to HMI, but never at altitude, and I had been injured. As we were leaving, someone wrote on the board “the next time you see this, you will have done it”. When I saw that message, I thought about how I could trip and fall, or start feeling sick, or get dehydrated, and worried that the next time I saw the board, I would not have done it. But a couple hours later, I crossed the Fun Run finish line and high fived my friends and was very grateful that I had tried anyway.
Something that I have learned at HMI is to trust the process. Most of my experiences here have involved some sort of leap of faith. Before every expedition, I was overwhelmed with nerves and now expeditions are some of my best memories. When we first got our cabins, I was terrified, and now I can’t wait to talk to them every night. Knowing that I can take that leap into the unknown and trusting that it will be okay is one of the most important things I will leave HMI with and I am so grateful to have had these experiences and learned so much.
3rd AB | Eliza Low
It’s 3:00 on a Tuesday and I’m knee deep in the freezing water of the Arkansas river. I’ve got an assortment of oddities in my hands: one flip-flop, a rubber duck painted to look like a bald eagle, and a measuring tape. Welcome to science at HMI. Today, we’re measuring the flow rate of the Arkansas river to better understand the flood risk of the Arkansas river valley. We’re measuring the width and depth of the river at multiple points, and then to estimate the flow rate we’ll time how long it takes the rubber ducky to move downstream My friend and lab-mate is standing in the middle of the deepest part of the water, the thalweg, with her hands out ready to snatch our ducky from the swift current.
When all of the groups finish with their measurements, we circle up on the river’s shore—or in this case, as we’ve learned, the river’s “pointbar.” Here, we discuss the cultural and societal significance of water. We each share our experiences with water. It’s fascinating to hear perspectives from across the country. As a Californian, water has always been top of mind for me, but I learned that my friends who live in the northeast worry much less about drought.
Before we jump back in the buses to head back to campus we have the option to jump in the river for a quick polar bear plunge. Everyone who goes in comes out dripping wet, exhilarated, and very cold. I lend my coat to my friend from Texas who is not used to the mountain weather, and then we’re on our way back to campus.
After a quick break, we return to our official science classroom. Here we calculate the flow rate based on the data we collected at the river. Then, to check for accuracy, we compare our numbers to the official government measurements from a couple miles upstream. We were…not super accurate. But, we discuss why that might have happened. And while we might not leave class with perfect data, what we do have is a better understanding of the world around us and a greater appreciation for the water that we rely on, not to mention some very wet shoes.