23 January, 2003

Going RetroNote:

I am still in the field and I am now in a location without Internet access. The next few entries will be posted by Robbie Liben or Karen Joyceat Crary Lab in McMurdo. My thanks to Miranda Huston from Antarctic New Zealand's Environmental Department for securing delivery of my disks to them at McMurdo.Aaron, Brenda, and I returned to Camp Bonney for the last time today. We had to organize our retro items for a helicopter pick up the next day.Retro items are all the things that are no longer needed in camp that can be sent back to McMurdo. For us, this includes waste, any gear or equipment that we are no longer using, samples collected, and empty boxes. To prepare the waste, all items are labeled, such as glass, metals, human waste, food waste, etc. All rock boxes must be nailed shut and made secure for the flight. Small retro items can be loaded directly into the helo, but large or heavy items must be prepared as a sling load for the helo to airlift.The Internet was working again today. It was a sunny and windy day, so power was ample in the jamesway and I was happy not to have to start the generator. However, the hut got cold and I had a hard time typing as my fingers became numb and coordination decreased. We tried to light the preway heater, but it kept going out. So I kept warming my hands in my pockets with a pair of hand warmer packets to keep them nimble enough to type. Thank you to friends at home who supplied me with warmers for this trip!We left the jamesway at about 5:30 pm. The six-wheeler had to remain at Camp Bonney, so we walked across the east lobe of the lake, through the narrow straight with its steep, rock-covered slopes, and across the west lobe to our camp at the edge of Taylor Glacier. It took us about seventy-five minutes to make the journey across the lakes. Because every step is a potential slip, we have to pay close attention as we walk, even though we are wearing our crampons for added traction. So we arrived back at camp drained, chilled, and hungry. Fortunately, when we returned, we found Amber had prepared a wonderful meal of chicken and pasta. One thingi s for sure... working outside all day in the cold makes for a healthy appetite.

Signed poster from friends at home.