Journal Entry

The Start

I woke up at 5:30 in the morning to catch my flight from Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. I took off at 9:15am Copenhagen time and arrived at 9:55am Kanger time, however the flight was four and a half hours. Kanger is one of the smallest airports I have ever seen. I flew on a Dash 8 which is a turbo prop from Kanger to Thule. A turbo prop is an airplane with two propellers. It is not a jet. It is a very small plane and for the entire three hour flight my eyes were glued to the window. It was my first time seeing Greenland and I am in love with it. The scenery was gorgeous. I only saw a small amount of Greenland from the air and I can't wait to see the rest. I took a ton of pictures today. Greenland is a gorgeous ice covered landscape. I saw mountains carved out by ice and I also saw icebergs. As we were flying all I saw was white but as we approached the base I could see some brown. Flying over Greenland I realized how huge the country is and how mountainous it is. We flew up the coast and we could see the ice meeting the ocean.

Bowl Shaped MountainThis mountain has a bowl shape due to the fact that it was carved out by ice. Dash 8Adeena Teres posing in front of the Dash 8.

After two Days of Flying I Finally Arrived

I got settled at the base and was able to watch the IceBridge plane land. After the plane touched down, I got a chance to go on and see it for the first time. I walked on board and met the crew. I was shown the different equipment and will talk about it more in later journals. The crew met for an after flight briefing where I introduced myself. We talked about the flight pattern that the plane took today and tomorrow's flight plan. The weather for the next several days was also discussed.

Tour of the Town

After dinner a group of us went over to Dundas, a small abandoned village next to the base to look around. This weekend there is a special event at the base and there are dog sled teams staying in Dundas for the event. We got to watch as the dogs were fed. They were so excited to get food. I have never seen so many dogs in one place. They were whining and jumping excited for dinner. We even played soccer with some of the kids staying at Dundas. On the way back to camp we saw an Arctic hare and an Arctic fox. It was only my first day and I have already seen so much. I have taken tons of pictures. I went a little overboard snapping photos but everything here is different from anything I have seen before. Every time I look around I see something new and exciting. Not many people get to experience this. My adventures have just started!

Gray Arctic FoxThis Arctic fox was at the base. The foxes are found all over the base and they come in different colors. Arctic HareThis Arctic hare was sitting by the side of the road near Thule Air Force Base.

Comments

Cara Pekarcik

Adeena - You really packed a lot into your first few days! Beautiful scenery, wildlife and work....sounds like a good mix. I look forward to reading all about your journey and learning more about the aerial survey results! Enjoy!

George Hademenos

Hi Adeena, I am so excited for you! I know the first travel days are rough but the fun is just about to start. I can't wait to hear about your field experience. Stay safe and take lots of pictures!

Lisa Seff

Hi Adeena! Wow, what a day you had and it's only just begun. Those small planes are crazy, but you get an awesome view- Can't wait to see your view from the IceBridge plane! (:
stay safe and enjoy your Arctic expedition!
Lisa

Armando Caussade

The bowl-shaped mountain that you photographed is absolutely amazing, and I can imagine you enjoying the view as you flew over in the airplane. It is great to know that everything has gone by the book so far, and I wish you all the best!

Adeena Teres

It was an amazing first day and everything is going great. I haven't slowed down since I arrived at Thule. Every day is jammed packed with new experiences. I am learning ad doing so much. This is a trip of a lifetime and I won't waste a minute of it!

Mark Buesing

So excited for you Adeena. Work hard, have fun, teach those kids, and bring the science to us all!

Max Wolfman

Other than the wild life you knew would be in Greenland, what animals have you found that surprised you and how have they interacted with the environment. What is their place in a food web?

Adeena Teres

I haven't been surprised by any of the wildlife yet. I have seen arctic hares which are herbivores, arctic foxes which are carnivores, an muskox which are herbivores. I saw the hares both on and off of the base and I only saw the foxes on the base. The hares mostly beg for food and the foxes go through the trash. They are like arctic raccoons.

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