There was no diving today. Because Hal is still not moving horizontally on his frame (apparently the attitude adjustment we gave him wasn't quite enough), Kay and Ian have been taking the measurements manually through the computer. Although this wasn't the plan, they are very pleased with the results they are getting and everything else is working beautifully. All in all, things are going well! This morning, I walked around the lake on the moat to get to our dive hole so that I could fire up the compressor and fill the dive tanks for our next dives. We want everything to be ready to go! It was a beautiful morning and afforded me the time to reflect on life here in Antarctica. The serenity is mind boggling, the harshness can be swift and severe (thankfully, we haven't experienced that.... yet! But, one only needs to hear the stories of the recent incident on the Fosdick Mountains to appreciate the severity of the region), and the landscape is astounding.
Even the simplest tasks present unexpected challenges. Often, a task that might take one person 10 seconds to complete back home can take two people 5 minutes to complete here. Some of that extended time is because of environmental efforts to keep the area pristine. I can only imagine what the world would be like if everyone, everywhere undertook the same efforts to "leave no trace" as those that are made here. Other times, however, the task is just harder here. Things are frozen and inflexible. Things stick to the ice, hands and fingers are numb, etc! It's a challenge! This also made me reflect on the tremendous efforts that the people here go to to gather their data. Efforts that not everyone would make. Yet, with any luck, the information that is learned here may help us understand our world a little bit better. I am proud to be here with these people!
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This is the edge of the Canada glacier with the moat just in front. The slab on the edge appears to be ready to fall, but it will most likely be there for a while yet! No need to yell "timber"! |
| Looking down on the blue moat ice. It is quite an impressive sound when the cracks form! |
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This is an example of one of those "simple tasks." Prior to running the compressor, I must attach the air intake hose to the machine - simply slide the hose over the filter intake and it's almost ready to run! But - the plastic hose is frozen and rigid, it doesn't want to go over the filter piece! With a little wrestling, I always win. |
| Sunday is shower day here at Lake Hoare; this is the shower! There is a solar shower bag hanging from the ceiling. You put hot water from the stove into the bag, then add cold water from melting glacier berries until the temperature is just right. Then, stand in the pan, shower, and when you are done, pour the water from the pan into the small bucket on the floor. Then take the bucket, that is now containing "grey water" to the grey water bin behind the shed. It's the simple things! |
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Here's the grey water bin. When this gets full, it gets flown to the mouth of the valley (to New Harbor camp) where it will over winter. Next season, all the grey water - as well as all the other waste - gets taken by ship back to the U.S. |
| This is Sandra bringing up glacier berries. Glacier berries are the source of all our fresh water. It is a constant process of melting , collecting more berries (glacier berries are broken chunks of ice that have calved off the front edge of the glacier - we go and collect them!), melting, etc. Don't be fooled - the glacier berries are quite heavy! |
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This is looking across Lake Hoare from the dive hole towards the hills on the other side. Look closely to the face of the hill side. Can you see, about half way between the lake and the clouds, there are two horizontal lines going across the hillside? These are past lake level lines; the lake level used to be as high as those lines. When one of the previous glaciers that scoured through this region receded, it made a huge Lake. Researchers refer to the lake that formed as Lake Washburn. Those lines mark the edge of earlier lake levels! It is interesting what you notice if you take the time to look!
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•Ms. Ellwood - rellwood@sau50.k12.nh.us
Questions may be posted with the answers on the page below.
• Questions and answers about the trip.
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Antarctica 2006 
Antarctica 2006 homepage.