Between a Rock and a Hard Place

In my new capacity as a Visiting Research Associate, I will be spending more time out of the lab and in the field. My first opportunity to journey into the wild came last week on a little trip to Southern Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. Now at first, I was a bit worried about this trip because 1. I had no idea what to wear (went with Banana shorts and an Urban top) and 2. I am not exactly an outdoorsy-type of person. I knew I was the odd man out when I was the only person on this trip not wearing Chacos and carrying a Naglene bottle. But the trip could not have gone better.

The main focus of the trip was to collect soil samples from different locations in the area. However, since the collecting only took a few minutes, we had plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors. And I actually liked it. On one small hike, we were able to catch a glimpse of Zions National Park and see a wonderful little waterfall. A snapshot from this hike reveals a sight only few have seen:Steven Harrison wearing a hat. Now this rare treat only occurs about once every twelve years when the conditions are right (...no shower...bad hair...the need to protect my eyes...).

Later that day, we went spelunking at the Mammoth Caves. It was an eerie feeling to turn around and see complete blackness behind you. Seriously, some creepy little creature could have totally snuck up behind me. At some parts, the cave was only 2 feet high or less so we had to crawl on all fours through mud and bat droppings.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable trip. It was great to be able to escape from my windowless lab and remember what nature is.