After landing in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland last night, everyone got a chance to rest up today. This was extremely important since different people heading to Summit Station came from all over the US. Some of them were from as far away as Oregon. That means that they have travelled through five time zones to get here. Having a day to get rested and adjusted is just what was needed.
The main thing I had to accomplish was getting my extreme cold weather (ECW) gear. This was done with the assistance of CH2M Polar Services, a company based out of Colorado. They are contracted by the National Science Foundation to provide support for teams going to the Arctic and Antarctic. That includes many aspects of our trip, including outfitting some of us with our ECW gear.
Snow pants and jacket liners in the CH2M Polar Services warehouse.
Their warehouse here in Kangerlussuaq is a pretty amazing place. They have TONS of gear available for checking out. Colleen, one of the CH2M Hill Polar Services employees, was kind enough to help me through figuring out what gear I would need to have once we got up to Summit Station. She offered suggestions on exactly what I would need and how it should all fit.
A very warm coat is a must in the Arctic!
There were also boots in all different styles and sizes.
I ended up with quite a stack of equipment. This included a very thick coat, snow pants, warm boots, a hat, gloves, goggles, and a neck gaiter. They also provided me with a sleep kit that included a sleeping pad, a -30 degree sleeping bag, and a fleece bag liner. I feel confident that this will keep me comfortable throughout my stay at Summit Station.
You have to be flexible
The LC-130 that will take us to Summit Station on Tuesday.
I also got to experience the need for flexibility when working in the field. Our bags were collected at 3:00 this afternoon to be loaded on the plane for our trip on Monday morning. About 2 hours later, we found out that there was a problem with one of the LC-130 airplanes. This means that our flight to Summit Station is delayed a day until Tuesday. Luckily, we should still have plenty of time to finish our project once we get up there. Tomorrow will be a day to explore a little bit around Kangerlussuaq.
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