It's day two of a snowstorm here at Base Camp and I must say that life is nothing like my routines at home. The length of the day really kind of messes matters up.
My home at Base Camp.
We typically have breakfast at about 11:00 with lunch being mid to late afternoon. Lunch yesterday was at 4:00 and then the final meal of the day happens at about 9:00 or even a little later. Last night, Thursday, we hung around the cook tent until about 11:30 playing Hearts. It finally got almost too "dusklike" to see the cards very well, but it never really got dark.
This morning, Friday, Cameron announced at our pancake breakfast that we had a "play date" at noon with the Base Camp Manager, Lisa, to help pack down the runway.
It was quite the event. 40 or more people went out to the runway right next to Base Camp with skis and snowshoes donned, walked around for an hour or so following loose directions from Lisa, and packed down the few hundred yard runway. It was snowing hard and it became quite the social event with people meeting people and multiple languages being spoken.
I have only a day or two left on the glacier, but you never know. Flying out depends on a number of variables that are out of my control....weather and flight availability based on how many people want to leave. All I know is that I am on the list.
Cameron talked to Seth and Karl last night via satellite phone. They are on Mount Hunter at around 13,200 in high winds, cold temperatures and white out conditions. I believe they spent the last day and a half tent bound and reading.
Erich and Liz, the last two members of the team, who will reside at Base Camp are in Talkeetna waiting for the weather to clear. I am looking forward to meeting them face-to-face as I have only been introduced to them on conference calls.
When I fly out I will still have some responsibilities. Our CMC "poopers" need to get delivered to the proper disposal place in Talkeetna and that will be my job.....YEAH!! I will also be responsible for hauling our trash to the proper place. I'm happy to help in this manner as it is critical to keep the Denali Wilderness Area as free from human impact as possible.
I will add lots more photos and some videos when I return to high speed internet. The best news is that Seth will be adding Journal entries to the PolarTREC website from the drill site. So, in a day or so the hand off to Seth will occur and we will all be treated to entries and photos from the drill site. As I have only been involved in the acclimatization piece I am very much interested in the drilling.
Oh, just in case you are wondering....the items that I am looking forward to the most after living, camping and traveling on a glacier for two weeks are:
- Seeing my wife Barbara and son Thomas at home. Barbara has done the home front act solo and we usually are a pretty good team.
- Catching up soon with our 20 year old twins, Katie and Patrick, who are finishing their junior year in college, maybe even in South Africa as that is where Katie is taking a semester.
- Going barefoot at home and sitting on our dock lakeside in the warm sun.
Thanks for reading and a few pictures are below.
A storage tent where we do tech work at Base Camp
Me on runway. The sled marks the area for incoming planes.
Part of the runway packing group. What a fun event.
Base Camp from the runway. It is a quaint little town.