Settling In

Geared up in the helo
At the start of our way through Taylor Valley
Canada Glacier to the left with a short hike from the base at Lake Hoare
My new home beside Canada Glacier
At work in the gauge box

My team and I got in the helo at 1445 hours (2:45 p.m.) and were off the ground by 1450, right on schedule.  As I looked out the window, McMurdo Station grew smaller and smaller until it could no longer be seen.  But I had my sights elsewhere.  Icebergs came into view in the distance, just down the sound.  The Royal Society Range, that I often gazed from across the sound were growing as we came closer and closer.  We passed by and continued on up Taylor Valley, where I will be conducting the majority of my field study.  A short ride through and we reach Lake Hoare base camp at around half past three.  The temperature is hovering below freezing with the mountain peaks to the north blocking the sun.  We touch down and immediately begin to unload our cargo, with the helo blades blowing debris all over.  Back and forth we unload sleep kits, back packs, sampling equipment, and fresh vegetables for those already at the camp.  The gear is unloaded and my team and I lay on our bags as the helo rises.  A short brief and tour of camp, then the three of us pick our tent sites, which have been established for years by previous groups.  I surveyed the area and tried to get as close to the glacier as I could, which ended up being about 100 yards away.  At around 1900 hours (7:00 p.m.), I sat down to dinner with the camp managers, some kiwis, and another team studying glaciers, totaling 12 people.  After a delicious meal, my friend and I headed out on a hike along a trail which bordered the massive glacier.  We returned around midnight and I settled in to catch a quick read before zipping up the sleeping bag.  I dozed off to the sound of the glacier popping and cracking just outside my thin tent door.  

At around 0600 hours the wind picked up violently and I awoke due to the flap of my tent walls.  Hoping I had secured my tent properly the night before, I was in and out of sleep until around 0800 hours.  We have to tie our tents down to rocks because the ground is too frozen to drive stakes into.  I headed inside for some breakfast and then 5 of us headed down the lake to break chunks of the calved glacier into glacial berries.  These will be our water supply until the lake melts on its edges and we can access the water.  Through out the day there were helicopters flying in and out of camp, dropping off supplies and transporting people.  A quick lunch and my team and I head to open our first gauge of the season.  The flume and pressure orifice are covered in ice, plus it is still too cold for flow.  We change out the data storage module and nitrogen tank inside the gage box.  The storage module records stage (height of the water in the stream), water temperature, air temperature, and specific conductivity (a way to measure suspended solids in the stream).  The nitrogen tank is hooked up to a pressure transducer which measures the stage.  The more pressure required to force a bubble through the tube, the higher the water (stage) is in the stream.  We downloaded the data from the storage module and head out on foot to our next gage about 2 1/2 miles down the ice covered lake.  The views are incredible with a blue sky and glaciers at each end of the lakes.  The ice below us ranges in color from clear to a blue the color of my blog title.  There is no fear of falling through because you can see the ice frozen to the lake floor.  About an hour and half later and we reach the gage, which like the previous one, is at the foot of the glacier and not yet flowing.  This time I hop in the gage box and with the help of my teammates, I go to work.  We finish quickly and its back on the lake.  On the way down there was a breeze on our back, now its directly in our face and freezing.  We radio the base to tell them we'll be a bit late and push on.  We get back at around 1700 hours and warm up in the hut.  Another great dinner is served and we see our kiwi friends off in a helo.  We will remain at Lake Hoare for another day and will then be transported to our camp F6 at Lake Fryxell, returning to Lake Hoare on the weekends for sampling and our new friends.  I'm glad to be in the Valleys, its unlike anything I have ever imagined.  I'd also like to thank everyone for their interest and kind words, they are encouraging!!!