Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 07/26/2008 - 01:12
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High Arctic Change 08

Hi Missy Holzer

My name is Johanna Ochoa from Los Angeles Valley college and I was reading you expedition and journals and I am just very interesting in finding out how difficult it is working in the cold temperatures. I saw some pictures where some of the team members were inside the stream and was curious to know how difficult is it to collect data in these conditions.

Thanks You!

Sat, 07/26/2008 - 19:57

Missy Holzer

HI Johanna,
Great question!
I was quite surprised with how comfortable it is working in the cold, but I think "working" is the operative word here since the key is to keep moving. When we're standing still, the wind and cold can be tough, but once we start hiking and working we tend to get too warm and have to take off layers.
Working in the stream isn't bad so long as the "dry suits" don't leak! They are pretty warm and do a nice job of keeping you warm. The cold part of working in the water is taking off the outer layers to get into the dry suit.
The key to working up here is to have good outdoor clothing that can be layered, and footwear that's broken in and waterproof.
thanks for your question!
Missy Holzer