11 January, 1997

Arrival at Lake Hoare Field Camp

After only one delay I was able to take the helicopter with Dr. Bob Wharton and Dr. Diane McKnight to the field camp at the base of the Canada Glacier. All of our gear was weighed along with each of us so the pilot could know exactly how much weight was being carried, information critical to a safe flight. With all my ECW gear on(you know what that is ,right) and pockets loaded with cameras, I weighted in at 170! Yikes, thats a lot! We flew across the Ross sea ice and up the valley to the lake, a ride that took about an hour. While flying one can see large cracks in the ice and numerous seals lying about near holes in the ice. The ride was smooth inspite of the strong wind on the ground. As the sun was out for a while, I was able to get some great views of the mountain ranges and the numerous glaciers flowing out of most valleys. From the air they look so fluid. Up close they glow with shades of blues,grays and whites.

I have a mountain tent in which to live for the next three weeks. It is small but cosy and positioned on a mound of talus from the mountains. What a view. I brought some newspapers to the field camp to those who have been here since October. They were definately happy to receive the news even with a December date.

At this field camp there is a chem lab, a bio lab and a rad lab. These labs are small huts with a field generator for power. There is a hut with cooking facilities and the camp manager, Paula Atkins cooks one meal per day for those working on science here. There is a stove, refrigerator, microwave and heater on one side of the room; two computers, CD player, other equipment and a stash of canned pop on the other side. One could live comfortable here for a long time and just do science.

Have any of you figured out whether the Ross Ice Shelf, which is glacier ice, moves with the tide, or how one moght measure such movement. The airplanes land on this ice shelf. Do you think the planes will make any difference to the ice?

Hi to the students in Stonham Mass. school district, those in Rockford and those at Lakeside School.