First thing this morning, the whole team and one volunteer packed up to go to Cape Evans. That meant that we needed to transport all of the equipment and eight people. The Pisten Bully was just not large enough, even with a trailer attached. That meant that three of us needed to use snowmobiles. Marco, DJ, and I volunteered to take the snowmobiles and since it was very windy, that meant that we would get very cold. If you ride a snowmobile it is your responsibility to fill up the gas tank. One big plus is that we don't have to pay for the gas (at least not right now).
The gas is free - sort of. Each research project is charged a fee for fuel that covers the expense of putting gas in the vehicles.
After filling the tanks, we took off. It was cold but the scenery was incredible. Our snowmobiles were quite a bit faster than the Pisten Bully so we stopped several times and waited. It was a pleasure to just sit and enjoy the amazing scenery. It really is breathtaking.
On a clear day Mount Erebus looks so tranquil. It is hard to believe that it averages six eruptions per day.
My view was overwhelmed most of the time by all of the whiteness of the snow. It can be a little scary to realize that there are very few landmarks to use as markers when traveling. My view through the windshield was often the same.
Everywhere you look there is snow. It is not easy to navigate in good weather. It is almost impossible in bad weather.
DJ and I decided to make a quick stop at the ice cave. After all, the Pisten Bully was very slow to catch up. As we walked up to the cave we spotted a series of pools that appeared to expand into the distance. The sight was lovely. You wanted to dip your toe in the pool but the water was frigid. In fact, it was saltwater from the ocean.
We were delighted to find these small pools of water. The water is saltwater.
The ice cave was incredible. I can't believe that I have had the opportunity to see it twice. Some people come to Antarctica and never get to visit this gorgeous place. We headed out and finally reached our destination. The day's activities would occur next to an iceberg in the Cape Evans area. It was amazing. The underlying color reminded me of seawater (which it is). The iceberg was about 35-40 feet tall.
Our final destination was an iceberg in the Cape Evans area. It was lovely and we speculated that it was 35 to 40 feet high.
The day had been really great but then I had a little accident. I saw this large (16 inches long and 10 inches wide) hole in the surface so I decided to veer to the left of it. I was standing on the snowmobile looking for cracks and saw a small crack to the left of the hole. However, the Pisten Bully had just crossed it so I believed that it was safe. I was wrong. As I veered left, the snowmobile hit the crack and it widened to about 10 inches. Luckily I was able to roll off with only a slight injury to my knee. Scott came over and helped me get the snowmobile out of the crack and then I got back on it and drove it to the area where the others were parked. You have to be extremely careful or you could be severely hurt.
crack appeared to be only 3 inches wide but when I hit it with my snowmobile I discovered that it was more like 10 inches wide.
After we drilled two 5 inch holes and one 10 inch hole (done by Stacy and me!), we set up for SCINI. I had a little free time while they worked on the navigation system, so I went to investigate the iceberg. Now I want to make sure that everyone understands the difference between a glacier and an iceberg. A glacier forms on land when snow accumulates and remains until it becomes ice. This takes over a hundred years. The glacier can form out onto the top of the water. An iceberg is a large piece of a glacier that has broken off and is surrounded by water. Only about 10% of the mass of an iceberg is above the surface of the water.
This iceberg was very pretty with a greenish blue tint that was beautiful. It also had several pieces that looked like crystals.
The iceberg is stunningly beautiful with its own field of gems.
I also noticed icicles hanging all over the side of the iceberg. DJ informed me that this is a sign that the iceberg is slowly melting. He assured me that it would be quite a while before it melted away.
The icicles are an indication that the iceberg is very slowly melting.
Today I also made another major accomplishment. I used my first pee bottle in the field. There are no bathrooms and when you have to go you can't just do it on the ground. The rule is that we shouldn't leave anything on Antarctica. We want to leave it as pristine as possible. Everyone carries a pee bottle into the field. It is a bit harder for girls but we manage. It also was very windy today which made using the pee bottle challenging. However, I was successful and I did not make a mess.
I finally had a chance to use a pee bottle. It wasn't easy but I managed to use it and not spill a drop.
Late in the afternoon Francois and DJ needed to return to McMurdo Station, so I jumped back on the snowmobile and we headed into town. We had to make one stop to call into Mac Ops. Anytime you leave the town you have to check out and when you return you must check back in. In addition, you give an estimated time of return or ETR and you must call in if you are running late. Five minutes after your ETR, they will send out a rescue team if they don't hear from you. They would rather go out for nothing rather than take a chance that you are really in need.
I spent the rest of the day helping the others when they returned and doing work on the computer. I felt a little guilty when I left the lab at 11:45pm and everyone else was still there. However, I just had to get some sleep. I know that they understand.
I don't want the last image I leave you with to be my pee bottle. So here is another picture of the landscape. It really is that amazing. Enjoy.
I can never stop myself from looking at the landscape and thanking everyone that made my being here a possibility. Thank you.
Today's Polar Profile is of Patrick Fitzgerald. He is one of the valued volunteers that help the SCINI lab function. Patrick is also a man of many talents. He is an engineer that is good with his hands and doesn't mind getting dirty. He is someone that can tell you how McMurdo Station has changed over the past 20 years. Thank you to Patrick from your friends on the SCINI team.
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