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2007

Date: November 12, 2007
Location: ITASE Winter Over Site
Latitude: 80 degrees, 18 minutes South
Longitude: 144 degrees, 41 minutes East
Temperature: −38°C ( −36°F)
Wind Speed: 9 knots
Wind Chill: −52°C (−61°F)
Elevation: 2191 meters (7189 feet)
Kilometers Traveled: 0
Ice Core Drilled: 0 meters
Written by: Nicky

Today will be an exciting day. We have two flights scheduled! Will we get a generator? Will we get a radiator? The mystery is part of the fun! Our first flight brings neither a radiator nor a generator, but it does bring Dan Dixon. We're now one member closer to having our final traverse team all together. The plane is unloaded (lots of cargo and 7 barrels of AN8*) and re-loaded (lots of retro cargo and one bunk generator manuvered into the tight space with ease by CAT- driver-extraordinaire Kasey Southard) quickly. Then the Kenn Borek Bassler flight crew is gone. They return later in the day (the first time we've gotten both scheduled flights) and deliver 13 more barrels of AN8. This alone makes the day a smashing success.

But that's not all we do. Brian finishes the set up of his radar sled and after many hours of digging and lying in the snow even manages to install the skegs (little metal pieces that will hopefully provide traction when his sled is hung up on the top of a sastrugi). Dan B., Gordon, and Paul work on getting the crevasse radar set up. They've had a new sled built that will house the detector and protrude from the front of the boom, so it takes a little time to work out the kinks. Luci, Elena, and I box dive for food and melt snow. Mike begins construction of the Eclipse drill. Luke and Luci perform hourly weather observations until the second flight touches down. Kasey installs the PB radio (complete with iPOD attachment!) and gets the pieces and parts to the broken Challenger in order for Josh's anticipated arrival on Wednesday.I use this as an opportunity to reacquaint myself with some of the CAT parts. Anybody know what the thing on the back of the alternator is called? It’s a rectifier.

After our work for the day is done we get inspired for the days to come by watching a movie of Shackelton tackling Antarctica. Everybody needs inspiration right?

*AN8 is fuel for the vehicles.

 

Date: November 13, 2007
Location: ITASE Winter Over Site
Latitude: 80 degrees, 18 minutes South
Longitude: 144 degrees, 41 minutes East
Temperature: −33°C ( −27°F)
Wind Speed: 12 knots
Wind Chill: −48°C (−54°F)
Elevation: 2191 meters (7189 feet)
Kilometers Traveled: 0
Ice Core Drilled: 0 meters
Written by: Nicky

Our weather has been mostly mild, but today is WINDY and dare I say a little bit miserable.  However, this changes very little about the way our little outpost operates and today turns out to be filled with activity.  There are two flights scheduled today, but they won't be landing here. Rather, they are flying ahead to deposit 22 barrels of diesel at our first core site 232 km away.  Even though they're not landing here, weather observations for these flights must start 6 hours before their anticipated departure from McMurdo.  This means another 3AM wake–up call for Luke and Luci.  All these flights lead Luke to decide that it might be worthwhile to train an additional weather observer...me! So, today begins my weather training and my first call to MacWeather is only a little bit messed up!

We're working hard to get everything prepared for departure in advance of the arrival of the radiator and fan (more about that later), so the day is spent organizing sleds and preparing radar.  Luci, Elena, and I consolidate the boxes on the food sled, retro those things we won't be able to use (15lbs of pastry flour and no oven?) and do a little food shopping.  Food shopping here is funny because although spatially you don't have to go that far, there are different boxes, so you can jump in the meat box and pretend you're at the butcher and then walk around to the bread box and pretend you're at the baker!  Paul and others organize the cargo on the science sled and prepare it to all be tied down with cargo straps. Additionally, they choose a few more sleds to get rid of.  We're trying to be as light and sleek as possible!  Dan B., Brian, and Gordon spend the day working to get the crevasse radar (on the PB boom) to do its job properly.  Eventually, this comes together and they take a test run in the surrounding area. Fortunately, there are no crevasses in our immediate area, so our training for the day on this topic involves a discussion (lead by Brian) about how the radar works and what we should look for when watching the radar screen.  He has a picture that shows what a crevasse looks like on the radar display and how best to recognize the distinct pattern.  Tomorrow, we'll go out in the PB in order to see what it's like to watch the radar and how the information is displayed on the screen.

Because it’s important for us to stay in touch with all of you, Dan D. and Luke spend the morning working to fix the internet problem.  This is finally successful and we're able to send and receive short emails.  Also, in the midst of all this organization, Elena jumps at the opportunity to get some one–on–one Fork CAT training with Kasey.  They take the vehicle out and collect flags from the old runway.  After lunch, Kasey is confident enough in Elena's abilities to allow her and me to finish this activity.  I'm shown the hand signals for raising the forks and the hydraulics, for moving forward and back, for taking it easy, and then we're off.  This activity is finished without incident...and it was fun!  Dan B. puts the final touches on the winch for the down–hole rigger and Mike completes construction of the 3" Eclipse drill.  Dan D. starts construction of the 2" drill and before we know it the day has come and gone. 

In the evening, we find out that the radiator has been waylayed in Auckland because it was too big to be put on a flight to Christchurch.  It looks like we will not have it until Saturday now.  Between the cold and the flurry of activity, I'm sure we'll all sleep well.  Don't forget about those 3AM weather observations...we've got planes again tomorrow and they're bringing back Josh and a new generator!