Some days felt more like a vacation than work. After my first count on the morning of Christmas Eve, we took a zodiac cruise through Fournier Bay. Since there were no landings, there were no penguins to count and nothing to measure. It was team whale's turn for some science. Us penguin counters got to enjoy the whale watching and icebergs for twice as long as the guests. Perks. This was one of those times where we stepped in as staff to act as interpretive guides for the guests while the adventure concierges drove the zodiacs. It was incredible and humbling to see humpbacks and massive icebergs up close. On Christmas Day, we stopped at Portal Point in the morning. Portal Point was our first official continent landing. Since we stop at many islands along the peninsula, it seems to be a huge deal to land somewhere that is officially attached to the rest of Antarctica. Here at Portal Point, you could keep walking and reach the pole...eventually. There are no penguins here AND we had rare blue skies and sun. It was a perfect day to take spectral measurements. First, we helped pack down the trail for the guests. Many of them don't walk in snow very often and post holing is a foreign and difficult task. I got a lot of jealous looks for having snowshoes.
twice! Pictured above is myself and one of the geologists on board, Laura. We were the only staff members, plus Paul, to go in. There were, however, a surprising number of guests who participated. When in Antarctica, I guess. We had another uneventful afternoon as weather picked up and we were unable to land anywhere else. Instead, preparations were made to go camping for the night. Another novel experience in Antarctica, mostly for the bragging rights. The staff really talks this one down. They say if you have never camped before, Antarctica is not the place to start. They paint a picture that weeds out the faint hearted faster than BIO 101. I was absolutely going. Pictured above are the graves of the brave souls who decided to camp on this tiny island in Antarctica. A fine crew, indeed. Unlike past trips where the passengers complain and the staff have to dig all the holes, these passengers were so game. They dug luxury pits and even built a snowman. Everyone left the next morning with a smile on their face...even though they all had to share a bucket for a toilet. Pictured below is the not so aptly named, Mr. Yum Yum, the toilet for the night. You can't complain too much about a poo with that view after midnight, though.
I was happy to get my one night of roughing it. Honestly, this may have been the best night of sleep I got. When else do you get to be lulled to sleep by the sounds of glaciers calving? I was also happy about all the relationships I had made with the passengers and staff so far. I was happy for all the fancy dinners when I got to tell people how important the work we can do here is. I was happy for all the support I had at my bar talk and when my equipment wasn't working. I was happy for all the other science and history I was learning from the other staff members. Today was a good day...even without any measurements. Merry Christmas to me indeed. A drawl from Paul: "There is something almost visceral, perhaps even atavistic about perfectly normal people, who have paid an eye-watering amount of money for us to keep them warm, suddenly deciding to plunge into near freezing ocean: quite literally gender defying cold...As I pen this, eighty or so are getting ready for a night on the snow, eschewing their warm bunks, many will have swam this morning, brave souls, adventurous souls..."
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About this blogEverything science, from lab work to field work and anything else important to me in the science community.
Science meI am currently a PhD student in the Planetary Exploration Lab at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. I received my Bs in Geology from St. Lawrence University and am interested in surface processes on Mars. My current research involves scaling the efficiency of image interpretation of geologic features in Antarctica. Archives |