by Iris Petrin, Bates College Intern
Digging through mud in sideways rain is a hard time to learn that your rain jacket is no longer waterproof. Claire, Sophia, and I came independently to this realization as we surveyed a mudflat in Lubec for soft-shell clams. Our conversation was unusually formal as we each felt the cold, late-July showers seep through one layer of clothing after another.
Until Claire broke. Not into frustration or annoyance, as one might expect, but instead into laughter. Quickly, this laughter spread, from Claire to Sophia and I, filling the cove with giggles for our situation.
There we were, in a beyond beautiful area of Downeast Maine, digging up clams as we tested siphon holes as a proxy for clam presence. Sure, we urged our numb, pruny hands to move faster as we raced the incoming tide, but we also marveled at the vast mats of green algae. Sure, the 4 a.m. wakeup pressed into the backs of our eyes, but the squish of the mud beneath our waders made the most satisfying pops, and the gritty, cold clay squished beautifully in our fingertips.
For certain, this was the hardest field day of the season. But even on the hard days, mudflats bring so much laughter, so much fun, so much play. And it is this dynamism, of tenacity and play, that I find to be so beautiful about this unique ecosystem.
The majority of my relationship with mudflats developed over this summer in my internship at Schoodic Institute, and my respect for mud grew as I was continuously humbled and amazed.
I struggled to trudge through mud that went up past my knee, and then shrieked at the incredible frills of a particularly large sandworm. Sometimes, the tide went out so slowly I could scoop a handful of mud and examine the flat’s unique sediment, comparing it to pottery clay or even the human brain. Other times, the tide came in so quickly that crossings became a matter of strategy and strength. Every day, I left the field exhausted from physical exertion and everyday I left the field fulfilled from all the laughter and awe.
Mudflats are a great reminder that play and tenacity can occur in unison, that even when rain is coming down sideways and your rain jacket doesn’t work, having fun is the best way through hard work.