by Emily Hilts
When I worked at Trout Lake Station, I usually went running after a day in the field and then jumped in the lake – not only to cool off but to get clean. After all, Trout Lake is gorgeously clear, and the stink of the day washed right off. Showers were reserved for a couple of times in the week, before seminars or going into town. My sister (who, at one point, showered twice each day during the summer) was endlessly frustrated with this habit, and grew more worried as the summer passed that I was really becoming a hippie. She tried many times to explain to me what it meant to be “clean,” a definition that you’d expect would be quite simple but, in reality, is surprisingly complex.
In last week’s post, I explained that lakes don’t all look the same, and what’s “normal” in one water body may not be what’s right for another. So that begs the question, what does it mean for a lake to be “clean?” Keep reading –>