Pics

Finally got some pics up on my Facebook account:

New Zealand: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2393990&id=9612823&l=6246a8f8cf

Antarctica I: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2394108&id=9612823&l=22b64d194c

Antarctica II: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2394195&id=9612823&l=da6ede0223

Antarctica III: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2394234&id=9612823&l=0f6737768f

Flying to/from Antarctica - C 17s

Allison found this article upon her return regarding the use of C 17s to fly cargo/personnel to and from Antarctica: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010883061_antarctica25m.html

On an Island in the Sun (and beyond)...

Of course I have hundreds of photos...my next task will be to put together a photo montage of my grand adventure (I keep promising that but have yet to download everything...hey, I'm still thawing out :) ). Lynn is way ahead of me; here are some of her great blog entries and photos:
http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/S/Gerilyn.S.Soreghan-1/Blog/MyBlog/Blog/Archive.html

I Heart New Zealand

So New Zealand is awesome....absolutely beautiful with the most amazing, lush vegetation juxtaposed with glacial ice in some parts. After our arrival back into Christchurch, Lynn and I rented a car to do a whirlwind tour of some of the south island (I am now ambidextrous on the road). Our primary targets were Franz-Josef (stayed here, very nice: http://www.glacier-retreat.co.nz/default.asp) and Fox glaciers on the west coast, which descend to near sea level as you hike through rainforest. Really incredible to see. We also visited Mt. Cook, New Zealand's highest peak (named after Captain James Cook, of course). In between, we visited the beach town of Hokitika and stayed in the resort town of Wanaka, where fate led us to the B&B of Sally and Don Middleton (http://www.rockwoodwanaka.co.nz/about-your-hosts.htm), a wonderful couple with an incredible history. Don is a former pilot for fixed wing aircraft as was Sally's father, Harry Wigley. Mr. Wigley was responsible for developing the retractable ski for ski planes (http://www.skiplanes.co.nz/About-Us/Mt-Cook-Ski-Planes-history.asp). Their very detailed guest book even includes the signature of Sir Edmund Hillary (and now mine and my picture).

I need more time here :)

Where the ice sheet ends....

As usual, all good things must come to an end. We finalized our gear turn in, packed up and weighed our samples (they will be returned to the States on the incoming cargo ship - likely will surface in April), and had our final meal in the McMurdo Station cafeteria. We took our last ride in Ivan the Terrabus to Pegasus Ice Runway (Sir David Attenborough was on our flight and rode the bus with us) to board the C17 back to Christchurch...had to take the long road this time due to ice conditions and passed several more penguins on the way out! This time we got to see the C17 land before we boarded (the incoming flight drops of passengers and cargo, picks up the new stuff, and flies back to Christchurch). When we arrived in Christchurch, there was a warm rain, and we smelled vegetation and saw darkness for the first time in about 3 weeks. Strange. Now, I will be in New Zealand for a few days before my return flight home...it's been an amazing journey and I can't wait to do it again someday.

See you soon back in the States!

Dry Valley Synopsis

So we spent a total of 13 days in the field collecting water and sediment samples for geochemical analyses (down from an anticipated 15 to 20 days). We initially departed McMurdo on Friday January 8th, 2010 and flew to our camp site near Lake Brownworth in Wright Valley. It was my first time on a helicopter, and the ride across the ice sheet and into the valley on the continent was extremely exciting (you could even see Weddell seals out on the ice sheet below - little black slugs). The helicopter initially dropped us off at our chosen campsite along with 2 survival bags...we then had to wait appx 3 hours for the helo to return with our sling load of camping gear (protocols will not allow the helos to transport passengers and sling loads simultaneously). Luckily the weather was clear, and we received our gear and set up our first camp. We drank water out of a nearby pond and the Onyx River, the most clear and fresh tasting water I've ever had. We then spent the next 6 successive days hiking up to various glaciers along their drainages (some were running; some not). Nothing but rocks, snow, ice, and water (well, and a few mummified seal carcasses...sad to see).

Wright Valley high point: getting visited by Italian scientists from Terra Nova Station (they brought us chocolates; apparently, if you want to live/work/see Antarctica in style, get in with the Italians)
Wright Valley low point: hmmm...can't think of a major one...maybe the ~13 mile roundtrip (hiking in bunny boots) down part of the Onyx and back...especially since you end the day hiking against the (cold) wind.

We were then picked up and transported to Taylor Valley (an established station exists at Lake Hoare...yes, pronounced as you think it is..but we again had our own tent camp). Basically same scene: set up camp, hike up and down to various glaciers. I must say however, I really enjoyed the beauty of Taylor Valley even more than Wright. Maybe it was the closer proximity of the glaciers or the view of the "Matterhorn". Either way, using our makeshift "bathroom" in the great outdoors afforded incredible views at any turn. The weather more or less cooperated, with the threat of minor Katabatic winds on Sunday the 17th and a bitterly cold, cloudy and foggy day (complete with blowing snow) on our last collecting day and strenous hike down to Lake Fryxell, up to Howard Glacier, and back to camp. Since we put in long days, we were able to leave the field early and depart the Dry Valleys on Wednesday, January 19th, 2010.

Taylor Valley high point: Hiking up to the west side of Goldman Glacier, seeing nearly completely intact mummified seals, and playing "Nouns" in our tent (ok, ok, that was more than one thing).
Taylor Valley low point: leaving the Dry Valleys (although I was desperate to for a shower and proper bathroom :)) and the high algae content in our drinking water (enough said there).

We are now in the process of returning our gear/packing up samples, etc and preparing to leave McMurdo and Antarctica behind (hopefully to return again someday...). In addition, I had the privilege tonight to hear Sir David Attenborough speak on Birds of Paradise. He ended the evening by answering questions and regaling us with some humorous tales. Makes me realize I have a long way to go in order to lead an extraordinary (and purposeful?) life, but this was a good first step. Hopefully the future brings many more unique opportunities.

Will post photos soon.

Cheers,
Kristen

"This Golf-082; 4 souls on board and all is well.""

We've successfully redeployed to McMurdo Station from our field sites in Wright and Taylor Valleys. Have much to report on but little time at the moment. One thing's for certain: helicopter rides from Ross Island to and from the Dry Valleys just may be my most favorite thing in the world. Talk to you soon!

Dry Valleys, Here We Come!

So it is 9:00 PM on Thursday night (Jan 7th) and the latest helicopter schedule has us on a flight to our first field location (near Lake Brownworth) tomorrow morning at 9:50AM...all helos have made it in from the field and forecast looks good! (However, forecasts around here don't often have much meaning). We basically spent the day "lounging" around McMurdo; I guess the only real work completed was re-packing our sleep kits (they were soaking wet after returning from Happy Camper) and dragging them to the passenger terminal...the one not fun thing around here is "bag drag"... McMurdo Station buildings are built upon a series of hills more or less, so you spend a lot of time dragging luggage and gear uphill, downhill, through the wind and snow, etc, etc. Returning from the helo pad, we were distracted by some neat basalt samples which had large phenocrysts of olivine and pyroxene entrained in them...of course we took some to bag and ship back to the States. While in the field, the ice breaker ship Oden will arrive in McMurdo at Winter Quarters Bay. Will definitely be neat to see. We also tried to attend a talk that we assumed was about penguins, but ended up being a video about aliens, so left that one in a hurry :). Am now preparing for some sleep and a hopefully exciting day tomorrow...

Happy Camper Pics

Here is our group shot from Happy Camper...I'm on the far left holding the red flag, and the 4th person from the left on the back row in the bucket shot. Good times.

A Few Pics

So I'm having trouble posting my photos at the moment, but Dr. Lynn Soreghan, our PI, has been able to post some on her blog. Follow the link here for some Happy Camper pics, and click the "Next" button on each page to go to each posting.


http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/S/Gerilyn.S.Soreghan-1/Blog/MyBlog/Blog/Entries/2010/1/5_The_Start_of_Happy_Camper_School.html

Hurry Up and Wait

So we woke up this morning to blowing snow and wind...and our flight to the field is cancelled for today. A little glad, as I am extremely sore and could use some rest :). Apparently two of the helos are still stranded out in the field (including the one we will be on) and have been there for about 3 days now due to weather conditions (basically, low visibility). 2 flights from New Zealand are still backed up, as the C 17s are still unable to land at Pegasus. Apparently we were the last flight in, and we arrived last Friday! Temps are around 25 degrees F in McMurdo right now with snow, which is apparently very unusual for this time of year. McMurdo is currently coated with several inches...very pretty.

Not much else to report on at the moment. Off to take a much needed rest and spend the day wandering around the areas of McMurdo we have not seen yet. Will comment a bit later, and explain more about the workings of McMurdo and field camps.

And for those emailing about posting comments, apparently I had the wrong settings on, so anyone should be able to comment on the blog now. If not, email me at krmarra@gmail.com. Enjoy your day!

Sweet Dreams on the Ross Ice Shelf

Hooray! I am an official graduate of Happy Camper school (Snow Craft I school). This training now enables me to officially leave McMurdo Station and travel into the field. This course is required for all scientists (called "Beakers"), etc. down here to conduct work on the continent and beyond (we are not currently officially on the continent right now...McMurdo Station is located on Ross Island just off the continent of Antarctica. I believe we are about 30-40 miles from the Dry Valleys, our targeted field location). The course is required only once, unless there is a 5 year gap between field seasons; otherwise, you only have to attend a few hour refresher course.

So what is Happy Camper? For those unfamiliar with the training, I'll explain a bit about our class (and humorous happenings).

Our class consisted of 10 new arrivals to McMurdo who will be conducting work in the field in the coming weeks (McMurdo offically closes for summer on Feb. 20 - last flight out on that day). We initially met in a class room here on base to do introductions and begin a few basic safety lectures (medical issues such as hypothermia and frostbite; environmental issues, gear issues, etc etc). We were then loaded into a van and driven to our school site out on the Ross Ice Shelf, just past Scott Base. We initially assembled at the Instructor Hut (I-hut) to learn basic skills, such as starting camp stoves (am pretty sure there is gasoline spilled all over that hut; it's surprising we didn't all spontaneously combust). We then had to collect our camping gear and walk out to the area which would become our camp for the night. Weather was pretty good, but there was blowing snow nearly all day and wind was sporadically blowing in different directions.

We then spent the next 6 hours or so building camp. This included erecting 2 Scott tents (those are the yellow pyramid ones you might have seen if you Google anything about Antarctica - pictures would really help here, but I'll get those up ASAP), and 3 mountain dome type tents. We also had to stake all tents by burying ties in the snow and tying knots (of which I am terrible at) and loading the sides with snow for additional support. We then had to build a snow wall by quarrying out large blocks of snow/ice and placing them between tents to block the wind. Sounds simple enough, but is actually quite a back breaking task. We also had to dig out a space for the kitchen (hole) with an additional snow wall, set up the burners for a stove, and build at least 1 snow trench. Apparently the igloo building only occurs in the advanced courses, which was actually quite a relief to learn, as it would have taken another appx 5 hours to build. All in all, constructing camp took nearly 6 hours; even with ten people, there is a lot to set up, and when you are freezing with blowing snow in your face, it becomes even harder...or maybe I'm just a big baby :)

After camp was more or less set up, our instructor left for the night, and we began "cooking" snow to make water so we could eat our dehydrated meals for dinner...so yummy. Survival tidbit: when working in dry conditions with dry snow, start your pot with some water in it and then progressively add snow; otherwise, it will taste like burning...

We then had the evening to "recreate"...basically go play as we wished. After all that work, all you really want to do is fall face first into the snow and die, but maybe that's just me. Anyway, I did take a hike along one of the flag routes (all travel on the ice shelf must be along pre set flag routes, which are established by ground penetrating radar; otherwise, you may fall into one of the many surrounding crevasses). After some more joking and goofing off in camp, we then finally went to bed (myself, Allison and Lynn shared one of the Scott tents...very warm, but a small space to set up your sleep space in..it was quite an ordeal actually and ended with much laughter and inside jokes :)).

The following morning, we had to arise early enough to completely deconstruct our camp, store it in the nearby storage shelter, and get picked up by our instructor. We returned to the I-hut for more briefing on radios and survival bags. It was really cool to set up the HF radio and call the South Pole Station. Apparently they were having better weather than we were. We then had to participate in 2 scenarios: the first was a basic survival setup; our plane had crashed, one of our party had a broken leg, another had hypothermia, and we had to establish a shelter and a radio connection in minutes. We fared pretty well :).

The second scenario was about finding a person in whiteout conditions. We were given a rope and buckets to place over heads to simulate whiteout conditions. Our instructor then ran out to the nearby bathroom hut, to which members of our party had to try to find her. I volunteered to be one of the first ones out, so three of us lined up on the rope and tried fumbling our way down the flag line; we got absolutely nowhere! We ended up circling the I-hut and catching the rope on the bamboo flag poles and snapping several. It ended with us getting to close to the hut and me falling off the embankment near the hut...our instructor then called the exercise off as we were destroying poles, lol. It was absolutely hilarious; the bottom line is that you should always stay put during whiteout conditions as it is very easy to lose your way :) We then posed for photos with the buckets, so I will definitely have to post those.

We then returned to base for a briefing on helicoptor safety and ended class by practicing with the helicoptor seat belts. Apparently the only way to fail Happy Camper is to walk over to Scott Base and end up at the bar during the overnight...

So, in summary, I think Happy Camper is some kind of cross between a fun summer camp and some kind of sadistic fat camp. Either way, it was fun and memorable. Little sad we didn't sleep in an igloo, but maybe next time...:)

The neat part about our Happy Camper group is that it included 3 of the guys from the BBC who will be filming in Antarctica (camera man, sound guy, and producer, I think). They are producing a series called "Frozen Planet", and are some of the same guys who filmed the Planet Earth series. This series will mainly cover wildlife in the Arctic and Antarctic, and will feature seals, penguins, whales, etc. To get the orca shots, they will follow behind the ice breaker ship that is coming in, as the orcas will follow in the wake. I think the series is slated for a 2011 release on the Discovery Channel. Sir David Attenborough, who will be narrating, was on an incoming flight today, which was boomeranged back to New Zealand. This means, those on the C 17 were unable to land due to the weather conditions and had to circle around (just shy of landing) and return to NZ. So those on board had been flying for 5 hours and had to turn around and fly another 5 hours back to Christchurch. I am so glad we were able to land the first time on a beautiful sunny day!

After a hot shower (probably my last for quite some time!), I organized my gear for the field, and Allison and I stopped by one of the bars; not for beer, but for some Cokes! Haven't had one for nearly 2 weeks but was in desperate need of some sugary caffeine!

So we are scheduled for a 9:00 am helicoptor departure to the field tomorrow, if the weather is clear enough. This means I will be out of the loop for nearly 20 days or so, and may not get to post again until I return from the field. Email me funny stories from back home if you get the chance! Am looking forward to this next phase...love and miss you all!

I think my back is broken...

So today was an extremely long day - I think we worked on logistics planning from about 7am to 10pm, nonstop. This included Environmental Safety training in the morning, meeting setup and grabbing some lab space in Crary Lab to acid wash bottles to take into the field. Word of wisdom to those coming down to Antarctica for the first time - request lab space ahead of time! Kind of got a lot of dirty looks as I ran around frantically trying to get all of our supplies together.

We then had a briefing at Mac Ops (McMurdo Operations) on how and when to radio in from our field camps. We will be required to check in every morning before departing for field work...really neat place to work...you hear all sorts of things over the radio....enough said there.

We then had to return to our cage at the BFC (Berg Field Center) to test out our Scott tents, which we will be camping out in while in the field. Unfortunately one of the tents had a minor problem at the vent hole, so, as the tallest person, I had to crawl between the two layers of fabric while the tent was up, stand on two boxes, and more or less blindly try to tie up a flap in the middle so we will have proper ventilation. Literally took over an hour but it is now fixed. We then had to weigh and carry all of the tents to our equipment pickup area...I think my back is broken or I am getting really old...

We have more or less now successfully completed the majority of our logistics planning. Tomorrow, 3 of us (Dr. Brenda Hall, who is accompanying our field party is in her 19th season here..yes 19th!...so does not have to retake the course) will attend a 2 day Snowcraft I School (aka Happy Camper) to learn basic field training/safety. Part of the course includes building an igloo, which we will then sleep in...may be the only time in my life I will sleep out in an igloo in the middle of Antarctica....pretty cool...or stupid, haven't figured out which yet...:)
The weather has cleared up this evening (it is still bright as day outside even though it is nearly 11pm here); hopefully it will stay that way or we may actually be participating in Snow School during a Condition 1 (pretty much a whiteout)...

So the big news around McMurdo is that Sir David Attenborough will be arriving tomorrow as the BBC is producing a documentary about Antarctica (I think it is going to be called Frozen Tundra but don't quote me on this...). We were on the same flight down to McMurdo as some of the BBC guys who will be filming the documentary...pretty awesome. Maybe I need to rethink my career path in life...

Had lots more to write about but am calling it a night...hopefully I survive Happy Camper, and we can possibly depart for the field by helicoptor on Thursday...

Peace and Parkas

Not much new to report yet. Yesterday (Saturday) was spent beginning our logistics planning for the field, including deciding what type and how much food to take and sorting through our field gear. The most exciting part was "borrowing" a crate to make a, um, makeshift potty.

We also visited the gift shop to buy t-shirts for "IceStock", the biggest New Year's concert/party on the continent (you can probably Google this and come up with all sorts of images from it - unfortunately, due to the low bandwith available out here and computer restrictions, uploading my pictures won't be a possibility until I return - and I have hundreds already). We also made the appx 2 mile trek to Scott Base (New Zealand's establishment). The population at Scott is appx 26 people, compared to nearly 1200 at McMurdo.

I do have to say, I'm thoroughly enjoying the cafeteria here. They actually have great food, with Hershey's chocolate bars free for the taking and a soft serve ice cream machine (not to mention all the great desserts the cooks make with dinner). I'm going to be enormous when I return...

Today we will be extensively discussing our sampling plans and taking a hike up Observation Hill for a great view of the Royal Society Range.

Enjoy your day!

Mail

P.S. If you would like a postcard from Antarctica, send me your mailing address to krmarra@gmail.com...(I forgot my address book).

Happy New Year...FROM ANTARCTICA!

So we finally made it to Antarctica! Unfortunately, I am having issues with my laptop and most likely won't be able to most photos until I return as I am on a McMurdo Station computer. However, much has happened in the past few days.

We spent Thursday (New Year's Eve) in Christchurch, NZ receiving our clothing issue (my checked bag was still MIA). Afterwards, we spent the afternoon wandering around Christchurch, including a tour of the botanical gardens and museum and Cathedral Square. Christchurch is incredibly beautiful...hopefully I can go punting on the Avon when we return.

Our estimated check in time for Antarctica (New Year's Day) was 6:00 am, so the majority of us did not attend the New Year's Eve celebration in nearby Cathedral Square which was a bit disappointing as we missed the band doing ABBA cover songs :). Could see the fireworks from our great B & B though.

After preparing to leave the hotel at 5:15am the next morning, we received a call informing us our flight had been delayed by 3 hours due to weather conditions in McMurdo. So our next check in time was 9:00 am (still no sign of my luggage)...after receiving our boarding passes for the plane (we flew in with the US Air Force on a C 17 plane...so cool!!!), my luggage finally showed up at the Antarctic passenger terminal!

We were loaded into a bus and taken over to the plane...after cramming in with the military personnel, we attempted to the take off but apparently a warning light came on in the plane and it was aborted...a little disconcerting feeling the plane shudder to a stop and seeing all the Air Force guys frantically leafing through their manuals to figure out what the light meant. After circling back around, we made a successfull take off for our 5 hour flight to McMurdo Station.

Luckily the weather was clear, and we made a successful landing on the Pegasus ice runway (apparently crash landings in several types of planes around here can be pretty common). Stepping off the plane was absolutely incredible. It was a beautiful clear day and the surrounding mountains (including Erebus) looked absolutely surreal. We were then loaded into Ivan the Terrabus for a 30 min ride to McMurdo Station...and 10 minutes into our ride we spotted an Emperor Penguin!!!!..apparently it is very rare to see an Emperor in this location. We also saw several Weddell seals lounging around on the ice near Scott's Hut. Wildlife spotting dreams fulfilled!

Today we will gather some of our equipment from the lab and hopefully attend the "IceStock" concert, McMurdo's New Year's celebration (holidays are celebrated on the first available weekend here).

Talk to you soon!