johnnyray
Trail Wise!
Argle-Bargle, Jiggery-Pokery, and Applesauce
Posts: 2,050
|
Post by johnnyray on Mar 3, 2016 9:44:21 GMT -8
The 2016 team is set, we're in the final stages of planning. How's your injury coming along, hope you're at least close to 100% by the time you leave.
|
|
BlueBear
Trail Wise!
@GoBlueHiker
Posts: 3,224
|
Post by BlueBear on Mar 3, 2016 10:58:14 GMT -8
Why not build one of these? That's what I'd do if I had Tigger to boss around. What the heck do you think this thing is? Bigger, better, badder. - Mike
|
|
BlueBear
Trail Wise!
@GoBlueHiker
Posts: 3,224
|
Post by BlueBear on Mar 3, 2016 11:02:52 GMT -8
The 2016 team is set, we're in the final stages of planning. How's your injury coming along, hope you're at least close to 100% by the time you leave. Recovery's coming along. Frustratingly slow, but sure. Had PT again this morning, my therapist a full-blown pain and torture specialist. I completely loathe her, graciously. No joke I force back tears by the middle of each PT stretching session. She's pushing it as hard as she can and doing what's needed to improve it as much as possible in the next 6 weeks. The shoulder will be minimum 75% back to normal by then, hopefully 90-95%. If not, I can always buy a megaphone, a comfy camp chair, and just delegate with a cup of coffee in hand. But that's how mutinies are born, so I'd better not push it. Gotta work hard now to pull my weight on the ice. - Mike
|
|
Westy
Trail Wise!
Diagnosed w/Post-Trail Transition Syndrome
Posts: 1,961
Member is Online
|
Post by Westy on Mar 3, 2016 11:09:09 GMT -8
What the heck do you think this thing is?
DEW - Cold War Era Early Warning System. Near Thule, Greenland. A one year tour with two weeks R&R in Copenhagen.
|
|
BlueBear
Trail Wise!
@GoBlueHiker
Posts: 3,224
|
Post by BlueBear on Mar 3, 2016 12:34:06 GMT -8
GoBlue, whats on the agenda this year? Anything interesting that's different from previous years? The basic plan is the same: Drive around to 5 sites, set a camp at each one, maintain instruments, take measurements, run experiments. Drink whiskey and read books when dangerous storms howl. Pack up, drive to a new camp, repeat. Be back to Dye-2 for a plane pickup 3 weeks later. Fly to 3 more sites further north and repeat again. This year we're not doing as much with the primary stations that measure compaction. They keep measuring and don't need a ton of work. There's maintenance and repairs on a couple of the stations (one of them may have collapsed) and a new instrument to install at each site, but otherwise they're pretty set. That frees up time to do other measurements and experiments, of which we're taking full advantage. We have a grad student coming along doing a very cool low-cost firn permeability experiment down boreholes, which (if it works!) will be great. We're collaborating with Columbia University to do spectrometer work there. Several other projects and expensive instruments are being installed by our "basecamp" teams at Dye-2 (hailing from other universities) while the rest of us traverse. If 2016 turns out to be a big melt year (who knows, we'll see), our team will have a richer set of concurrent measurements of polar snow & firn than anyone in either polar region, bar none. It'd make some great results. I'm excited about it. We bought snow cone syrup this year. 3 flavors. Tigger's acquiring the paper cone cups now. One thing I've learned: it's always different, every year. Even if we planned the exact same tasks with the exact same people (which never really happens), it'd turn out very differently. Small amusing example: in 2013 our team couldn't get enough pancake mix, we had a lot (I thought) but ran out 2/3 of the way through the trip. In 2015, I buy craploads of CostCo bags of pancake mix, and no one touches the stuff. It's all still sitting in storage boxes in Kanger. And then they blame me in 2015 for buying far too much food we never used, lol. It'd help if people were consistent beasts. They are not, lol. In other words, I can tell you more about what's different this year, once we're done with it. - Mike
|
|
BlueBear
Trail Wise!
@GoBlueHiker
Posts: 3,224
|
Post by BlueBear on Mar 3, 2016 12:38:22 GMT -8
What the heck do you think this thing is? DEW - Cold War Era Early Warning System. Near Thule, Greenland. A one year tour with two weeks R&R in Copenhagen. Thumbs up! At least 95% correct. That one (Dye-2) isn't near Thule, it's a 45-minute flight up-ice from Kangerlussuaq (formerly Sondre Stromfjord), further south around the Arctic Circle (66.5*N). But same exact thing. These days it's an abandoned haunted steel castle that gives everyone passing thoughts about turning it into the most impractical hotel ever, lol.
|
|
walkswithblackflies
Trail Wise!
Resident terrorist-supporting eco-freak bootlicker
Posts: 6,952
|
Post by walkswithblackflies on Mar 3, 2016 12:49:30 GMT -8
What the heck do you think this thing is? "The Thing" theme park?
|
|
reuben
Trail Wise!
Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
Posts: 11,212
|
Post by reuben on Mar 3, 2016 14:05:49 GMT -8
my therapist a full-blown pain and torture specialist. I completely loathe her, graciously. This is why they're called "physical terrorists".
|
|
|
Post by hikingtiger on Mar 4, 2016 12:24:18 GMT -8
I need to show your blog to my middle son (6th grader). The other day he said, "Do you there are people that actually get paid to drill ice cores?" He seem rather surprised "that you could get paid to do something so fun like that." I told him I might know a couple of guys who do just that (occasionally.)
|
|
BlueBear
Trail Wise!
@GoBlueHiker
Posts: 3,224
|
Post by BlueBear on Mar 4, 2016 14:14:11 GMT -8
I need to show your blog to my middle son (6th grader). The other day he said, "Do you there are people that actually get paid to drill ice cores?" He seem rather surprised "that you could get paid to do something so fun like that." I told him I might know a couple of guys who do just that (occasionally.) To be fair, I get paid mostly to analyze data and write papers. 90% of my time is in front of a computer, not so glamorous. But a bit each year, yeah, we're up there drilling and setting instruments. The pay isn't terribly much. (I earned more as a summer intern in engineering before coming over to earth sciences). Tigger, in full disclosure, does not get paid for this. He works on a volunteer basis for this project. I more than applaud the considerable efforts and time away from his family he has devoted for this project. The experiences are good though. I have no complaints.
|
|
amaruq
Trail Wise!
Call me Little Spoon
Posts: 1,264
|
Post by amaruq on Mar 4, 2016 14:23:44 GMT -8
Tigger, in full disclosure, does not get paid for this. He works on a volunteer basis for this project. I more than applaud the considerable efforts and time away from his family he has devoted for this project. With full disclosure, if you offered me a ride to the Greenland ice sheets for three weeks in return for my expertise and handiness, the only thing holding me back would be if my current employer lets me leave for such a period of time. Some people just enjoy such experiences :-)
|
|
tigger
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,547
|
Post by tigger on Mar 4, 2016 14:38:06 GMT -8
The experiences are good though. Try ultra-amazing to me. I remember last year, on multiple occasions being blown away - flying in a C-130 for the first time, Seeing Greenland for the first time, Flying through the Fjord, seeing the edge of the ice sheet, watching the back of the plane open up as our gear was shot out flying over the runway, walking out on the ice sheet, watching howling storms, the sunsets, traversing with the ice sparkling like diamonds, exploring Dye-2, watching wildlife as I sat next to tarn, seeing Iceland, and traveling in Denmark. What an absolutely incredible experience.
|
|
BlueBear
Trail Wise!
@GoBlueHiker
Posts: 3,224
|
Post by BlueBear on Mar 4, 2016 14:50:01 GMT -8
Tigger, in full disclosure, does not get paid for this. He works on a volunteer basis for this project. I more than applaud the considerable efforts and time away from his family he has devoted for this project. With full disclosure, if you offered me a ride to the Greenland ice sheets for three weeks in return for my expertise and handiness, the only thing holding me back would be if my current employer lets me leave for such a period of time. Some people just enjoy such experiences :-) Yeah, I'm sorta familiar with the type. Those are the folks who do well on trips like these. The "other type" of people don't. Lots of pay wouldn't help a bit. It's not a hard concept to convey to rugged-individualist backpackers. Pretty much all of us have slept through serious storms outside, many of us enjoy it on all levels. Most folks though, hearing about the cold, and the storms, and the latrine tent in cold storms, take about 30 seconds to say "uh? no f'n way... glad you like it though." Such is life. But I get your point, it's a buyer's market when leading a campaign like this. I've suffered no shortage of impromptu volunteers. Tigger in particular has gone above and beyond on this, in a lot of ways that he can outline here if he so chooses. He's contributing substantially to our efforts, not just while we're on the ice. I very much value his contributions. This is more a shout-out to him as anything, I guess.
|
|
mk
Trail Wise!
North Texas
Posts: 1,217
|
Post by mk on Mar 4, 2016 17:40:16 GMT -8
We bought snow cone syrup this year. 3 flavors. You guys are livin' large for sure! I buy craploads of CostCo bags of pancake mix, and no one touches the stuff. Just like shopping for a family ... That's why someone invented banana bread.
|
|
rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,708
|
Post by rebeccad on Mar 5, 2016 12:15:35 GMT -8
I buy craploads of CostCo bags of pancake mix, and no one touches the stuff. This was what made our packs so heavy when the kids were little--one trip they'd be nuts over some food, the next they couldn't choke it down and wanted to eat granola bars. We had to be prepared for both. Eat what's put in front of you!
|
|