JPNygens 1980 Journal Atkasook on the Meade River, North Slope Borough, Alaska 8 June (all day) It rained 2/3 of the way up the bluff in front of the NARL Meade River camp - a total height of 10m. The water was eddying back over the tundra forcing me to detour over a km inland by Butterfly Creek. In fact, I usually can cross Butterfly at its mouth into the Meade (16,39). This evening, I had to go all the way south to Transect 6 (17,35) in order to get through. This means that most areas of the tundra around the banks of NARL are inundated to varying degrees in difficult years. A phenological note - first bumble bee today and the Eriophorum vaginatum are budding. Back to the river: The flooding has somehow encouraged lots of purple duckweed to the river. I saw more Angelica today than I have ever seen at Atkasook. Anagiseta also abundant over the flooded tundra. 9 June Arose at 0730 and spent the next few hrs preparing camp for departure. At 1000 a helicopter arrived, wondering where I was. It turns out that the lifters saw NARL on 8 June mere arrived and they knew nothing of my health. I was happy to see the heli mostly because it solved my next problem - how to get gear from camp to Atkasook. I had to solve this because the Bunnells decided to grade the NARL landing strip by camp, and have thus rendered the site useless for me. After I was flown by heli to Atkasook I worked out 11am for a Cape Smyth plane to Barrow. 10 June 1200 reached camp after a flight down from Barrow. The wind is back to normal - 10-15 from NE. Clear sky upon arrival but clouding gradually through day until began raining at 2200 hrs. I left for the buffet at 1300, arrived 1420 and immediately began tracking. Details in Tryggey sp sheet + tracking notebook. In general, it is depressing. As far as I can, till there are now only 3 resident