4 December, 2002

Setting Up Field Camp

<> Setting up camp at Bonney Lake We are camping on the edge of Bonney Lake. We need to find good sites to set up tents. What things should we consider when we look for a good spot? Here is Scott carrying gear up the slopes.

<> Flying into the Taylor Valley On our first trip into the field we fly over lake Fryxell in the helicopter. Remember the data shown back on the hemisphere photos? This lake is totally ice covered, but you now know how much sun light it receives each year. In fact, you also know how much sun is will directly receive if the sun is not covered by clouds in this polar desert. The data was posted for you in November.

<> In this polar desert we do not have to worry about rain or water seeping into the tent. We do have to worry about the wind. We must make sure the tent is securely staked up with the door away from the wind. We also would like to not sleep on any sharp rocks in the rocky terrain. I also would like a mountain view from my tent.

<> Where will we get our water? None of the streams are running yet. We need water, so two members of the research team are busy getting water. This is hard work.

<> While some members of our team are getting water, Dr. Regina Redman is cooking dinner for us in the Jamesway. The Jamesway is a place where team members cook, work and share ideas.

<> GPS is working! Scott is now a happy camper. He can now enjoy dinner The system is carried in a back pack when we go to the sampling site. The system weighs about 25 lbs.

<> Scott is our GPS guy. He is setting up the GPS system while the rest of us attend to other tasks. GPS stands for Global Positioning System. Using this system, we can precisely determine where we take our samples. Scott will plug in the coordinates into the system and it will tell us exactly where to start sampling. It works off of satelite. We will get instantaneous readings at any time, even in this remote valley. He is thinking really hard about how to get the system up and running. His job is critical to our project.

<> With the great facilities at the field camp, I can have my espresso coffee in the morning.