Merry Christmas everyone!
We arrived back in McMurdo on Saturday December 19, after being at WAIS Divide for almost 5 weeks. One of the coolest things was being the only 2 passengers on board the LC-130 and being able to sit up in the cockpit with the flight crew. I have added a picture looking out the window. What a great view and what a difference a few weeks makes. The sea ice close to McM is breaking up which means that the chance to see seals, penguins, and whales has improved! If that’s not a reason to come back to McM I don’t know what is! Oh, actually I do…it’s to not have to sleep in a tent when it’s 0 degrees outside! That’s right, we’re back to civilization and in a dorm now where there will be no sleeping in tents. That is at least until we go out for day trips or a couple of night trips to work in the Dry Valleys or elsewhere on this lovely continent. So far it has been McM and the flat, white of WAIS. It will be very exciting to be able to get on a helicopter and get to work where it is more scenic.
Let me update you on the last couple of weeks here in Antarctica and mainly at WAIS. When I wrote previously I had told you about WAIS, what was going on there and some of the projects I had been working on. Since then, ICDS (Ice Core Drilling Services) began their drilling season and thus far have been very successful. They added a piece to the drill that enables them to pull out a larger ice core each time they drill. Another carpenter and I had to take apart and reassemble part of the catwalk above the 36 foot deep trench so the added part to the drill would fit and not hit anything. That was quite an assignment, but we got it done and it looked great. They had been averaging around 2.7 meters or so in previous seasons and now are getting ice cores around 3.2 meters long. This is all very exciting for the drillers and the ice core handlers. Pictures are attached showing the ice cores. They are about 1650 meters down into the ice and have gone back in time to about 8200 BC. They even got to a layer of volcanic ash. This layer was from a volcano which erupted about 7800 BC just east of WAIS and I have a picture showing where the ash layer is.
As for me, I was able to assist NICL (National Ice Core Laboratory) for a day. We brought up some ice cores from the basement they keep them in in the arch and got them ready for shipping back to Denver. It was actually quite a nerve racking experience as when all is said and done with the cores each one is going to be worth around $40,000! Can you believe it???!!! It was a very fluid and smooth process moving each individual core without having human hands ever touch them. What a fun time!
I also put some of my newly acquired carpentry skills to work and made a small bookshelf for the control room on the drill side of the arch, a small box-like platform for the NICL side to use to transfer ice cores, and also a small wooden instrument for NICL to use to draw straight lines in the ice cores. It was a daunting task as I was used to being someone’s assistant and seeing as how all of the other carpenters by this time had gone back to McM, and Eric was doing his own work, I was left alone to complete these tasks. In the end and with Eric’s support and confidence in me, they turned out great. They were only a few tears shed Another GA and I put our shoveling skills to use and we shoveled at least 500 pounds of hard snow and ice off of the top of a fan room outside the arch. Pictures of some of the things I built as well as the finished task of shoveling are added as well.
The last couple weeks were great at WAIS and it was bittersweet to come back to McM. The people there were wonderful, the food was great, and it was just a small family-like community where just like “Cheers”, everybody knew your name. But like a quote I came upon in a book I’m reading, I too am willing and able to live my life to the fullest and seek out new adventures whatever and wherever they may be. The quote is from “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer. “The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”
Eric and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas,a healthy and Happy New 2010 and may you find and experience a new world of adventures in the year to come!
Love,
Erika
P.S. As I’m writing this there are huge snow flakes falling outside. I think we have a pretty good chance of having a white Christmas here!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Hello from WAIS Divide!
Hello again!
Yes, we are still here in Antarctica. I haven’t (yet that is) hopped on a plane to a warmer climate. Although that is sounding pretty enticing right about now. How about somewhere in the Caribbean perhaps?? Anyways, for now we are at WAIS Divide field camp. We finally arrived on December 18 after 2 long weeks of trying and just this week internet was up and running. So I am going to do my best to update y’all on what I’ve been up to these past few weeks.
WAIS Divide (West Antarctic Ice Sheet) is about 800 miles east of McMurdo, about 6000feet in elevation, and is the location for the drilling of a 10,000 foot ice core. We are here to support the scientists for this specific project along with other scientific research that is being done in and around this area. The idea for this specific ice core project began in 2000 with testing beginning in Greenland in 2005, which Eric was a part of. The actual drilling here began in 2007 and will continue for the next few of years. In studying the ice, the scientists want to learn about past climate conditions dating back 100,000 years ago and see how it has changed. It is quite a neat experience being here and learning about the science that is happening right in our backyard. Last Thursday I was able to assist in bringing some of the ice cores up from the freezer in the arch, where the drilling takes place, and get them ready for packing up and shipping out. It was -26 in the room we were in. Talk about chilly!!! I even got to get lowered into the trench where the drilling takes place and used a chainsaw to skim pieces of ice off of the walls so that the drill would fit better. I was in a box with pulleys and had a harness on, and it was a bit nerve-racking, but cool nonetheless!
But back to when we arrived. When we first got here there were 10 of us on the carpenter crew. Our main goal was to get all of the “buildings” up and running. Since early November the camp staff (10 of them) had only been using a couple of small modules that had been up since last year. We were in charge of putting together about 9 other buildings for various uses. 3 are berthing areas for people that don’t want to sleep in a tent, or transients that only stay a few days. One is the galley, one is a medical tent, another is the recreation tent, one for camps management offices and communications, and 2 for science. Some are quite old (called Jamesways) that were used during the Korean War and some are new which are called Rac Tents. Pictures are attached of what these look like. So that was the main push for the carpenters. We came and built most of the camp from the ground up. I can’t believe that all this is done every year and taken down as well. They were long days, but we had a great crew and an even better boss!
During the down time here there is a lot of visiting, playing cards (Texas Hold ‘Em, of course), resting, reading, eating etc. The cook staff takes excellent care of us and feeds us too well. They have to plan on around 4000 calories per person, per day due to the amount of energy we’re exerting working here. We had a wonderful spread for Thanksgiving along with 2 days off of work. That was the best. We had turkey and all the trimmings along with a friendly game of kickball thrown in. Eric and I even made 2 Texas pecan pies with pecans that his mom sent to us. Thanks again for those. Everyone devoured them! All in all it has been a great experience being here in the field. We are literally in the middle of nowhere but for the most part have quite a cozy set up. In all of the “buildings” there are diesel stoves that provide heat for us, which I find myself standing by quite a lot. But in our sleeping tents that is another story. Yes I’ve been winter (even though it’s summer here) camping for almost 3 weeks now. That is definitely my least favorite part. Getting into a freezing cold tent (usually around 10 degrees) at the end of a long day is not the most pleasant experience. But after getting all bundled up in my long underwear, flannel pajamas, flannel blanket, -40 rated mummy sleeping bag, another blanket on top, a hat on my head, gloves on my hands and neck gater on… I’m pretty warm. Oh, I also have my eye pad on because it’s 24/7 sun right now! I have been sleeping pretty well. It did take a few days to get used to the whole process of going to sleep. But now I’m sleeping soundly and in the morning the temperature has risen to between 65 and 70 degrees inside the tent. Too bad it’s not that temperature when I’m trying to go to bed!
Life is good here. I have had 3 showers in 2 and a half weeks and there are outhouses galore for everyone’s use. We do our best to stay clean and fresh smelling. We are being well taken care of and enjoy having only between 20-50 people or so at a time here. Very different from the 1100 in McMurdo. We’ll be back in McM in a couple weeks should all go well with the drilling. We’ll return to the carp shop with hopefully some day trips to other areas of Antarctica. They are set to start this year’s drilling next week. I hope that you are all enjoying the holiday season. My love to you and yours!
Love,
Erika
Yes, we are still here in Antarctica. I haven’t (yet that is) hopped on a plane to a warmer climate. Although that is sounding pretty enticing right about now. How about somewhere in the Caribbean perhaps?? Anyways, for now we are at WAIS Divide field camp. We finally arrived on December 18 after 2 long weeks of trying and just this week internet was up and running. So I am going to do my best to update y’all on what I’ve been up to these past few weeks.
WAIS Divide (West Antarctic Ice Sheet) is about 800 miles east of McMurdo, about 6000feet in elevation, and is the location for the drilling of a 10,000 foot ice core. We are here to support the scientists for this specific project along with other scientific research that is being done in and around this area. The idea for this specific ice core project began in 2000 with testing beginning in Greenland in 2005, which Eric was a part of. The actual drilling here began in 2007 and will continue for the next few of years. In studying the ice, the scientists want to learn about past climate conditions dating back 100,000 years ago and see how it has changed. It is quite a neat experience being here and learning about the science that is happening right in our backyard. Last Thursday I was able to assist in bringing some of the ice cores up from the freezer in the arch, where the drilling takes place, and get them ready for packing up and shipping out. It was -26 in the room we were in. Talk about chilly!!! I even got to get lowered into the trench where the drilling takes place and used a chainsaw to skim pieces of ice off of the walls so that the drill would fit better. I was in a box with pulleys and had a harness on, and it was a bit nerve-racking, but cool nonetheless!
But back to when we arrived. When we first got here there were 10 of us on the carpenter crew. Our main goal was to get all of the “buildings” up and running. Since early November the camp staff (10 of them) had only been using a couple of small modules that had been up since last year. We were in charge of putting together about 9 other buildings for various uses. 3 are berthing areas for people that don’t want to sleep in a tent, or transients that only stay a few days. One is the galley, one is a medical tent, another is the recreation tent, one for camps management offices and communications, and 2 for science. Some are quite old (called Jamesways) that were used during the Korean War and some are new which are called Rac Tents. Pictures are attached of what these look like. So that was the main push for the carpenters. We came and built most of the camp from the ground up. I can’t believe that all this is done every year and taken down as well. They were long days, but we had a great crew and an even better boss!
During the down time here there is a lot of visiting, playing cards (Texas Hold ‘Em, of course), resting, reading, eating etc. The cook staff takes excellent care of us and feeds us too well. They have to plan on around 4000 calories per person, per day due to the amount of energy we’re exerting working here. We had a wonderful spread for Thanksgiving along with 2 days off of work. That was the best. We had turkey and all the trimmings along with a friendly game of kickball thrown in. Eric and I even made 2 Texas pecan pies with pecans that his mom sent to us. Thanks again for those. Everyone devoured them! All in all it has been a great experience being here in the field. We are literally in the middle of nowhere but for the most part have quite a cozy set up. In all of the “buildings” there are diesel stoves that provide heat for us, which I find myself standing by quite a lot. But in our sleeping tents that is another story. Yes I’ve been winter (even though it’s summer here) camping for almost 3 weeks now. That is definitely my least favorite part. Getting into a freezing cold tent (usually around 10 degrees) at the end of a long day is not the most pleasant experience. But after getting all bundled up in my long underwear, flannel pajamas, flannel blanket, -40 rated mummy sleeping bag, another blanket on top, a hat on my head, gloves on my hands and neck gater on… I’m pretty warm. Oh, I also have my eye pad on because it’s 24/7 sun right now! I have been sleeping pretty well. It did take a few days to get used to the whole process of going to sleep. But now I’m sleeping soundly and in the morning the temperature has risen to between 65 and 70 degrees inside the tent. Too bad it’s not that temperature when I’m trying to go to bed!
Life is good here. I have had 3 showers in 2 and a half weeks and there are outhouses galore for everyone’s use. We do our best to stay clean and fresh smelling. We are being well taken care of and enjoy having only between 20-50 people or so at a time here. Very different from the 1100 in McMurdo. We’ll be back in McM in a couple weeks should all go well with the drilling. We’ll return to the carp shop with hopefully some day trips to other areas of Antarctica. They are set to start this year’s drilling next week. I hope that you are all enjoying the holiday season. My love to you and yours!
Love,
Erika
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