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Coolest thing ever

Okay, I know I said helicopters were the coolest thing ever, but maybe it’s skidoos. They’re noisy, they pollute, they’re stinky, they’re obnoxious, and they’re fun. I wouldn’t ride them for the sake of riding them, but I like the places they can get me.

Yesterday was incredible.

First of all, the weather was warm. Only about –10 F, no wind. And, I was finally involved in the work most everyone else has been doing all along: permanent site installations. Not that that was the incredible part of my day, but it was good. We worked to install a site right here by the Hut, and it took us the better part of the day. Anamometer (measures wind speed), temperature and humidity guage, GPS, seismometer. I used some huge crimpers to crimp a clamp onto a guy wire. If you don’t know what this is, it doesn’t matter. It’s engineering, not science J. The point is, I felt bad-ass. Which is sort of funny, because I had a lot of trouble with the crimpers. I had trouble holding them up over my head, let along squeezing a piece of metal with them.

[Phil, Nelia, and Rich E. work on the anemometer (sp??) w/ Erebus puffing away in the background.]

The other highlight was the trench digging. There was tons to do: Put up a post for the anamometer, temperature and humidity sensors, and radio antenna; install GPS monument and put antenna on monument; make pad for the seismometer (this had already been done), secure seismometer and GPS receiver in boxes; and run cables between anything that needs to communicate with anything else, or that needs power. After laying the cable, it had to be buried in a trench across snow or covered in rocks across rock. It gets a little windy around here, as you’ve seen, and everything needs to be secured. The actual trench digging was accomplished with an ice axe, and wasn’t actually all that fun. It was a bit tiring. But then I had to sit in the snow and dig the lose snow out of the trench and put the GPS antenna cable in. It was a blast. I felt like a kid playing in the snow. I guess I was. But I was getting paid.

[Nelia lugs rocks for the cables.]

[Nelia says, "I fell there!"]

After site installation, which began around 10:30 and ended sometime around 3 PM (I think), Phil suggested we move the GPS instruments from the local sites to a few less local sites. Get on skidoo, go take down site, bring in receiver, download data, head back into the field.

The first site was EAST. It’s on the east side of the volcano. Phil solicited tag-a-longs. Anybody want to come on an adventure? Oh, EAST, one of the veterans said to another. That’s a good spot. If you haven’t been, you should go. Hmm, I thought. Must be nice.

We have a fleet of six skidoos to use for our fieldwork around Erebus. Phil, Rich, and I took three of them to skirt around the volcano. We headed…. east. Departure time: around 5. Phil was in the mood to explore a bit.

[Phil likes a field trip,]

I think the drive was scenic, but I was concentrating on the skidoo tracks, and on the figure of Phil before me. We put in EAST, then cruised on looking for a seismic site called MACZ. We found it. Running, but with corroded guy wires and pieces of radio antenna lying on the ground. Why does it still run? My theory: To make up for all the sites that are beautifully constructed and should run, but don’t. At MACZ, and along the way, we were treated to great views of the mountains, and of the landmarks visible from McMurdo—but from a different vantage point. Scott Base, McMurdo, White Island, Black Island, the Erebus ice tounge—all seen from above. And the evening was lovely.

[View towards McMurdo. Funky, barely distinguishable, frilly-looking tongue of ice stretching 'NE' on 'E' (right) half of the photo is the Erebus ice tongue.]

[Phil and Rich love the solar panel.]

[Mmmm, corrosion....]

The most magical moment was to come. The veterans have been talking of finding a skidoo route which will get them close to a future instrumentation site along the rim, called RAYS. This meant driving farther east, and then driving up. Up, up, up the backside of the volcano, up towards the sun and eventually into the shadow cast by the plume, the plume the color of amber through my glasses, and just enough breeze to skate snow snakes down the slopes towards us, white against white and us still moving upwards. This is the best winter activity ever, I thought. (See photo at top.)

[Harry's dream.]

On the way back, we stopped at a snow tower called Harry’s Dream. There’s a reason it’s called Harry’s Dream. Some of these snow towers can be quite fallic.

We were back just in time to be a little late for a lovely dinner of olive-feta-tomato chicken. We’re not living badly here. There’s the major shower sacrifice, but no food sacrifices. In fact, as I type this there are greek olives surrounded by two types of cheeses and three types of crackers, a bowl of potato chips, a bowl of peanuts, and a bowl of cookies on the table. Not to mention the freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies on the counter.

But I digress. After dinner, Phil was ready to go out again. I was exhausted. I tried to eat a lot of sugar. That, and having eaten dinner, helped. Out to get another site, in to download, out to a nearby station called HELZ. Station up, home at 10:30 PM. Another, Phil? No, not another, he says. I’m tired.

Good. I’m tired, too.

What a great day.

Anticipation

Today had been relaxed—station in, dowload, station out to a place called Nausea Knob, named for the sulfuric smell. A beautiful place, with, as usual, a beautiful view, but cold. Too much wind this morning. I’ve been in the rest of the day, organizing and, once again, spending too much time at the computer while most everyone else is out in the field for another long field day.

(View of site NAUS, on Nausea Knob.)

Tomorrow, the Japanese film crew arrives, with a mountaineer from McMurdo. Sixteen people in the Hut. Could be exciting. Maybe I’ll get cramps again, and hang out in the shed…

Posted by beth at December 9, 2002 06:08 PM | TrackBack