"Today" is the last day of the season that the sun will actually set! The next sunset won't happen until February 20, 2009! Get out the sunscreen! I am amazed at how quickly the sun is moving higher into the sky. In NH, as the seasons change, the sun seems to ever so gradually shift its angle in the sky. Here, it seems to jump to a higher level with each passing day; the rising is happening much more quickly!Other events of the day: Food Pull! It's quite challenging to determine how much food to get for a field camp group! We need to pay attention to allergies, personal likes, and dislikes, etc. I went to the food "store" and pulled all the food I thought we would need for a month in the field. We are able to get re-supplied while we are in the field; all we have to do is send an email to Peggy. What would Robert Scott or Earnest Shackelton think of that? So if we run out of things, Peggy - who works in the food room - is more than happy to help re-supply us! Thanks Peggy!
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Some of the food pantry shelves.
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Snacks Anyone?
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Just one of several food piles!
After completing the food pull we continued packing. We are now at the phase when we are scheduling helicopter flights to transport us, our gear, our food, and all our equipment to the Dry Valleys. It is quite a logistics challenge. Anything with fuel has to be taken to "hazardous cargo" and packaged for flight by the people there. The piles are growing!
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Maciej tries to use the Endurance tent as hang glider wings!
Annika went off to "Happy Camper School" this morning. She will spend the "night" out on the ice shelf! The temperature this morning was 22 degrees BELOW zero (°F)! BRRR! Luckily, as the day progressed the temperatures warmed considerably. But... it's not over yet; temperatures can change dramatically quite quickly - in either direction! It's most likely going to be a long night for Annika. Maciej and I are hoping that the weather stays calm through the night! Before she headed out into the field, she allowed me to ask her some questions. You can listen to the audio by clicking the link to the audio file below.
Good Luck Annika!
You can also check out my journals and pictures from previous seasons at: http://www.ryejrhigh.org/ellwood