Waiting for the ice to melt.....

It was a record winter for snowfall up here in the Eastern Sierra, so it's taking longer than expected for the ice on some of the lakes to melt. If there's ice in the lakes we wanna study, it means that the frogs and tadpoles are still hibernating at the bottom of the lake, and we can only do the experiments and surveys if the little guys are active and up at the shore. We've had to postpone going into the backcountry for several days, so in the meantime I've been getting to know the Mammoth Lakes area as well as some of the other people who are working here at SNARL. I've found a couple local bouldering spots that are fun, I've done a little bit of day hiking, and most of all I've been fishing a bunch!! Many of the lakes and streams in the area are stocked with rainbow trout, so even a newbie like myself can have some luck. I went fishing yesterday afternoon with one of the other field assistants staying here, and we caught ourselves some delicious dinner.