Victory
Not every day in Antarctica is a winning day. Our team had been shut out by cloudy and windy conditions that kept flights on the ground. We have had those same conditions keep us from collecting soils (frozen soils stay in place), some days the internet does not work at all, other times you hit send and just watch as your work sits on your computer unable to make it off the continent, satellite phones maybe never work, there have been other days where trainings just about had me going insane.
Today was not one of those days. Today we came out on top. Our flight to the Labyrinth was ahead of schedule and we were ready for it. We stopped off to collect a sample along the way and ended up refueling at Marble Point. We lucked out and got invited in for lunch, which was a big improvement over our cold sandwiches. Having loaded up fuel tanks and stomachs we were off again to our final stop. It did not disappoint. The location reminded me of the Grand Canyon with a giant glacier tucked into it. Amazing.
Ridgeline
lake blue
Sampling Vando Lake soils
Exiting Wright Valley
Gargoyle Ridge
Marble Point (Ross Sea)
Marble Point
Wright Upper Glacier
Wright Valley
Big walls
Labyrinth Exit
Polygons
Taylor Valley
Suess Glacier
Lake Hoare Camp
Feeling accomplished with two short but beautiful flights we were back to Lake Hoare and ready for our next challenge. Around camp there is an ongoing competition that helps to serve an important purpose. The camp has no real plumbing. Everything is hauled into place. Bath water (once a week), hand wash, drinking water, and the sink all require manual refilling. Since the camp sits next to an enormous glacier, and the ice is clean and pure, camp relies on the glacier for almost all its water needs. This requires the gathering of "glacier berries". It is a big badge of honor for the team with the biggest berry sitting outside the hut. Before we even arrived at camp we were being prepped for this exercise. We were told that Bravo 330 (the Dry Valley soils team) held the record for the largest berry and this tradition would continue. We were taunted by the Stream Team and told that the berry they pulled into camp was the largest yet. By the time we arrived at camp the German drilling team (all engineers) had a berry that was much larger still than the Stream Team's. I felt ready to concede at the site of this enormous chunk of glacier.
As a point of pride our team leader would not accept defeat lightly. We started off small, working up to larger and larger chunks. We had the use of a sled, six wheeled ATV, breaker bars, two ice screws, and some rope. Through the careful use of levers, man power, and our ATV we bested the German berry beyond a doubt. This had become a point of national pride. I look forward to seeing their faces when they come off the glacier for dinner.
Big Berry