So did I ever tell you about the time I fell out of a helicopter into a bog? 1/

My story involves the science & adventure of muskeg, permafrost, & climate so perhaps a good end-of-week distraction. But it also speaks to unexpected challenges of being a woman in field science, so relates to misogyny in science that reared its ugly head again this week. 2/

Large wetlands (check out map below) & built infrastructure like roads don't mix. The logistics of how to access these peaty/muskeg areas dominates my science. We know these areas are important to study, but how do we get there? Sometimes the answer is we can't. 3/

Sometimes we use helicopters for access. ~25 yrs ago, I was a new student trying to study permafrost thaw in northern . I was so excited, so eager. But I was new to the logistics, new to the science, new to helicopters & the only woman on the field crew. What could go wrong? 4/

Landing a helicopter in a bog is tricky. The surface is soft often w/ lots of tree snags/debris & open water. The pilot tried to land but got spooked, pulled up & instructed us to get ready for a hot landing. Immediately I felt alienated & nervous, unsure of what to do. 5/

What's a hot landing I asked? Long pause, pilot debating the safety of this. No other option. I am going to hover he said. You will step onto the skid, & lower yourself down. Stay crouched & move slowly away from the machine. OK I thought, what could go wrong? 6/

Several things went wrong. When I managed to open the heli door, I was met w/ a wall of wind & water spray. I'm also petite. Not sure if I got sucked out of the craft or fell out, but my feet totally missed the skid & I fell face-first arms out into a very wet bog. Kersplat. 7/

Pro tip: once you've fallen horizontally into wet peat, it's quite challenging to extract yourself, particularly w/ spinning rotor blades above you. I think I crawled to a safe zone. No one knew how to react. I was the only student, the only woman, & was drenched head to toe. 8/

I needed to change into dry clothes, but where? No trees, nothing. That day I learned about the extra responsibility & burden that come from being a #WomenInSTEM. I had to boss around my boss, & my boss' boss. You go over there, don't turn around. I'm changing. They listened. 9/

I also learned that safety plans need to do better by all. My body type made that hot landing totally inappropriate. I was not hurt, & my ego recovered. But maybe this would have been the last straw for others. This event shapes my approach even 25 yrs later. 10/

I love to joke in the field. But my mishap that day went unspoken; its presence hanging in the air like a dense cloud of insects. As we pulled up at end of the day, we glimpsed a birds-eye view of a human imprint in the bog. An upside down snow angel. It may still be there. 11/11