I’ve been going on field expeditions since 2006. It all started when my boss, at the time, gave me the opportunity to do to a two-week rotation at the Mars Society’s station in Utah. I was working on my associate’s degree at a community college trying to figure out what this thing called ‘science’ was and what it meant to me. After two weeks digging around in the dirt in Utah, getting hands on experience, I was captivated. I wanted to go explore and discover and learn! Ever since then field work has called to me.
I’ve had the privilege of going to some of the most unique (inhospitable) locations in the world. The overwhelming desire to do field work has compelled me to put my life on hold and go spend 4 months on a deserted island, with six other people who were practically strangers (which ended up turning out great – I love those guys!). It is also the reason I stuck it out and stayed in the middle of a dry, hot desert sick with norovirus, sharing only a few baking hot porta potties with a team of other people.
The ActionPacker
But today, today I feel like Pinocchio when he finally becomes a real boy. Today I became the proud owner of my very first ActionPacker. For those of you unaware, the ActionPacker is the primary staple of all field equipment. In reality, it’s just a durable plastic container to put all your science-y equipment in. Before now I have never needed one. I used them all throughout school but when I graduated and started working on my own projects everything I needed for the field fit in a backpack. But now as I look at this iconic vision of field work with its black base, soft gray lid and bright red clasps I can’t help but feel like I have graduated to the next level.