Submitted by Edwyn Choi (Amherst College)
Three weeks for three different locations. And 105 total springs. To say I didn’t know what to expect when I accepted my offer from Keck is an understatement—I had never been west of Pennsylvania, and never had I ever seen so much water.
Our first week included lots of mosquitos. And lots of moths and other insects that wouldn’t let me read at night. I made the unfortunate decision to try hiking all day upstream with just crocs and socks, sometimes knee deep in mud.
Our second week was, in my opinion, the best—we stayed in a sleepy airbnb house in the woods, where we found cold holes and had access to lots of movies and books. We had a functioning kitchen (and oven) where we were able to cook our meals without a gas stove. But despite that, we still fought over Oreos. It was a relief coming back from the end of a long day to relax on a couch and take a quick nap before dinner was arranged. Some of the springs we had to survey were less than ideal, where on many occasions we had to pick ticks off our clothes and (nearly) trespass private property.
Our last week included living at a barn, where on many mornings I’d wake up to a beautiful sunrise, mooing cows, and barn cats. Although our living conditions could’ve been better, the springs we surveyed that week were gorgeous—of them, the two largest springs in Minnesota: Moth Spring and Odessa Spring. While I injured my knee when exploring one of the springs (they were big enough that we could walk into them as though they were caves), the experience of seeing such large springs was worth it. And we found TONS of fossils.
What I would say was the most fun thing about our three-week survey, though, was the people I got to meet. Whether they’re my teammates, farmers, or state employees, I enjoyed talking to and learning from all of them.
