First off, sorry all 3 updates came at once. I was accidentally sending
them to the wrong email address that auto updates the blog, so that's
why they came as one lump of additions... Anyway:
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We are on day 3ish of our epic journey across the Drake. As of right
now, we should be coming into the Cape Shirreff area sometime late
tonight. We will begin our massive unloading process in the morning. As
of right now, it looks like we should get a fair amount of help from
other people on the boat, which is awesome because we have a ton of gear
PLUS we have to shovel the cabin out of the snow... It will likely take
6- hours in total to unload everything. We have a shipping container
pretty much full of stuff. Plus hundreds of pounds of food to be taken
with us as well.
I'm excited to get there. The boat ride has been interesting, but
mostly consists of watching movies, reading, sleeping, and eating.
Especially the last two. Most of the albatross have left us but we have
a very dedicated group of Cape Petrels (also called Painted or Pintado?
petrels) escorting us like fighter jets around Air Force One. Or I like
to think so at least. These little birds are actually really cool
looking. They look a little like a murre, which looks kind of like a
small flying penguin, but have white patches on the tops of their wings.
They also glide over the water like albatross or pelicans, swooping just
above the water with wings stretched out wide to catch the up drafts. I
also saw what I think/ have been told was likely a Wandering Albatross,
which is pretty cool too. Another huge bird that rarely needs to flap
its wings.
In addition to birds, I also saw a spout from a whale off in the
distance just now. I have no idea what kind of whale, but the blow was
pretty big, so it is unlikely to be from anything small like a minke or
killer whale. We also passed by a HUGE iceberg floating by, which kind
of put things in perspective and also made me feel like we are getting
close. That and the fact that it is now very cold outside, even on a
nice day like today with plenty of sun. Last night, while I was helping
drop some probes that measure water temp down to 900 meters, it was -0.8
degrees Celsius outside, but with the wind-chill the real feel was
closer to -19 degrees. That's cold. That's hands and face numb in a
couple minutes cold.
That's about all I have to add for now. People are watching Spawn, so I
might join. Its been a long time since I have seen the movie, and I
already know its pretty terrible, but there isn't much else going on. I
did learn that Big Bang Theory actually is pretty fun (sorry to everyone
who already knew that).
I'm excited to get on land and see some animals! We may have to move
gear through some fur seals and penguins soo... that's normal right? 4.5
months here I come. It might be a little while before I send another
update since we will be incredibly busy, but Happy Halloween to
everyone. I will be dressing as the abominable snow man. Or maybe a
penguin. Or just someone too tired from moving gear all day to care. Eat
lots of candy for me and someone let me know what the best costume they
saw was and/or what you personally were.
Over and out.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Weather Update
We still have not reached Drake's Passage. I am currently off the
eastern coast of South America near Tierra del Fuego. In a few hours we
will turn, cut through a pass at the southern tip of the continent, then
head into Drake's. I am told we are lucky because right now there is a
low pressure system sitting in the Pass that is creating gale force wind
and 30 foot seas! 30 feet. That's big. So we are lucky, because that
system is supposed to be moving on tonight leaving us with less than 16
foot seas. This get to what I was talking about yesterday- to me, 15
foot swell is big. To people who do this all the time, its not that bad.
I have been told I will likely need a rubber matt under my plate when I
eat to keep my food from running away. So that will be interesting.
Sleeping becomes tough because you get rolled out of your bunk or
bounced against the wall. On the plus side, its not 30 foot seas...
Tonight I also have my first shift with the XBTs, or something like
that. I don't know what it stands for or even if that is the correct
acronym, but its basically a piece of scientific equipment that we drop
off the side of the ship periodically throughout the Drake and get
measurements of things like salinity, plankton, and a bunch of other
stuff at various depths. Should be interesting enough I guess. I did
volunteer for the midnight to 4am shift, which I am beginning to regret
a little, especially since tonight we may catch the tail end of that low
pressure system and get some decent boat rocking. Although I feel fine
now, I plan on taking some enhanced sea sickness meds. This ship is also
known for being particularly unstable (don't worry, its not in a
dangerous way, just a less comfortable way). Even now, we are only in
maybe 4-5 foot seas and we are rocking at least 5 degrees in each
direction. It might not seem like much, but you can definitely feel it.
I am actually sitting in an office chair with a loose or broken back
support mechanism and every few seconds I have to stop typing as I am
slowly rocked backwards and my fingers are left wiggling over thin air,
stretching for the appropriate keys...
I sat up on the bridge for a while today as well, hanging out with the
3rd mate who was on watch and a biologist doing predator monitoring (sea
birds and marine mammals) along the way. I learned a lot about the ship,
the trip, and some of the craziness that can happen. ALSO I have now
seen black-browed (I think that's the right name) albatross, giant
petrels, Magellanic penguins, South American terns, and some other kind
of bird I cant remember. So that is fun. Apparently there were some
dolphins riding the bow earlier, but I did not get up there in time to
see. Next time.
Ok time to go do whatever I might need to do before tonight. Hopefully
my food stays in one place (both before and after I eat it) and I am
able to sleep a little before my midnight shift.
Enjoy your lives and be thankful your bed doesn't try to throw you out
of it.
eastern coast of South America near Tierra del Fuego. In a few hours we
will turn, cut through a pass at the southern tip of the continent, then
head into Drake's. I am told we are lucky because right now there is a
low pressure system sitting in the Pass that is creating gale force wind
and 30 foot seas! 30 feet. That's big. So we are lucky, because that
system is supposed to be moving on tonight leaving us with less than 16
foot seas. This get to what I was talking about yesterday- to me, 15
foot swell is big. To people who do this all the time, its not that bad.
I have been told I will likely need a rubber matt under my plate when I
eat to keep my food from running away. So that will be interesting.
Sleeping becomes tough because you get rolled out of your bunk or
bounced against the wall. On the plus side, its not 30 foot seas...
Tonight I also have my first shift with the XBTs, or something like
that. I don't know what it stands for or even if that is the correct
acronym, but its basically a piece of scientific equipment that we drop
off the side of the ship periodically throughout the Drake and get
measurements of things like salinity, plankton, and a bunch of other
stuff at various depths. Should be interesting enough I guess. I did
volunteer for the midnight to 4am shift, which I am beginning to regret
a little, especially since tonight we may catch the tail end of that low
pressure system and get some decent boat rocking. Although I feel fine
now, I plan on taking some enhanced sea sickness meds. This ship is also
known for being particularly unstable (don't worry, its not in a
dangerous way, just a less comfortable way). Even now, we are only in
maybe 4-5 foot seas and we are rocking at least 5 degrees in each
direction. It might not seem like much, but you can definitely feel it.
I am actually sitting in an office chair with a loose or broken back
support mechanism and every few seconds I have to stop typing as I am
slowly rocked backwards and my fingers are left wiggling over thin air,
stretching for the appropriate keys...
I sat up on the bridge for a while today as well, hanging out with the
3rd mate who was on watch and a biologist doing predator monitoring (sea
birds and marine mammals) along the way. I learned a lot about the ship,
the trip, and some of the craziness that can happen. ALSO I have now
seen black-browed (I think that's the right name) albatross, giant
petrels, Magellanic penguins, South American terns, and some other kind
of bird I cant remember. So that is fun. Apparently there were some
dolphins riding the bow earlier, but I did not get up there in time to
see. Next time.
Ok time to go do whatever I might need to do before tonight. Hopefully
my food stays in one place (both before and after I eat it) and I am
able to sleep a little before my midnight shift.
Enjoy your lives and be thankful your bed doesn't try to throw you out
of it.
Entering Drake's Passage
I have finally moved onto the boat and a few hours ago we left Punta
Arenas headed for Drake's Passage and Antarctica! We are taking a route
that goes east out of PA toward Argentina and then down the eastern
coast of the continent. When we reach the end of South America, we
officially enter Drake's Passage, which is known for being a
particularly nasty stretch of water. Everything onboard must be strapped
down extremely well and seas can get up to 14+ feet. While that may not
seem huge to some people, its pretty big. Its like trying to drive an RV
up a ramp onto a one story house, then quickly careening off the other
side of the roof. As you sit and try to drink your juice or eat the
surprisingly good food made by the Chilean cook on board, the food and
juice start trying to run away from you mid-bite. So far I have not had
to experience this and I hope I don't have to. Admittedly, part of me
would like some kind of thrilling ride where you are looking up at the
opposite wall before it plunges to your feet on your heroic voyage
aboard a 200 something foot ice breaker venturing to the great frozen
continent. Part of me also would like to keep food INSIDE my stomach,
drinks securing in their respective cups, and my legs not feeling like
jelloas they struggle to keep up with the bobs and weaves of the
floorboards perpetually trying to dodge my already stinky feet (I did
shower today!).
Lucky for me, the forecast calls for a pretty smooth crossing. However,
now that its been said, it will probably get crazy again. There is also
a little test here of how my definition of "calm" compares to that of a
seasoned crew used to going back and for to Antarctica multiple times a
year. For me, calm is seas of a few feet max, maybe with some wind.
However, if your "normal" is 14 foot swells with wind that anywhere else
in the world (except the Arctic maybe) would be defined as hurricane
force gales, calm might take on a whole new meaning. Oh ya, its only
going to be 10 foot seas with 50-60 mph wind, piece of cake. We got
this.
So long story short, I have tried to post this earlier rather than
later (before Drake's), as well as do things like shower, do some
laundry, and eat as much food as possible. So far so good. I am
considered "green" here because I am new. On the plus side, it means
nobody expects much of me. On the downside, I am pretty sure someone
somewhere is taking bets on who will be the first to puke with an
betting scheme broken down to the minute. Or maybe I am just
overthinking. Its definitely done by the hour.
Arenas headed for Drake's Passage and Antarctica! We are taking a route
that goes east out of PA toward Argentina and then down the eastern
coast of the continent. When we reach the end of South America, we
officially enter Drake's Passage, which is known for being a
particularly nasty stretch of water. Everything onboard must be strapped
down extremely well and seas can get up to 14+ feet. While that may not
seem huge to some people, its pretty big. Its like trying to drive an RV
up a ramp onto a one story house, then quickly careening off the other
side of the roof. As you sit and try to drink your juice or eat the
surprisingly good food made by the Chilean cook on board, the food and
juice start trying to run away from you mid-bite. So far I have not had
to experience this and I hope I don't have to. Admittedly, part of me
would like some kind of thrilling ride where you are looking up at the
opposite wall before it plunges to your feet on your heroic voyage
aboard a 200 something foot ice breaker venturing to the great frozen
continent. Part of me also would like to keep food INSIDE my stomach,
drinks securing in their respective cups, and my legs not feeling like
jelloas they struggle to keep up with the bobs and weaves of the
floorboards perpetually trying to dodge my already stinky feet (I did
shower today!).
Lucky for me, the forecast calls for a pretty smooth crossing. However,
now that its been said, it will probably get crazy again. There is also
a little test here of how my definition of "calm" compares to that of a
seasoned crew used to going back and for to Antarctica multiple times a
year. For me, calm is seas of a few feet max, maybe with some wind.
However, if your "normal" is 14 foot swells with wind that anywhere else
in the world (except the Arctic maybe) would be defined as hurricane
force gales, calm might take on a whole new meaning. Oh ya, its only
going to be 10 foot seas with 50-60 mph wind, piece of cake. We got
this.
So long story short, I have tried to post this earlier rather than
later (before Drake's), as well as do things like shower, do some
laundry, and eat as much food as possible. So far so good. I am
considered "green" here because I am new. On the plus side, it means
nobody expects much of me. On the downside, I am pretty sure someone
somewhere is taking bets on who will be the first to puke with an
betting scheme broken down to the minute. Or maybe I am just
overthinking. Its definitely done by the hour.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Punta Arenas, Chile
Punta Arenas- the "middle" of Chile. The town itself is moderate sized, but filled with Chileans and tourists alike. It took nearly 28 hours of traveling across 4 flights to get here, but so far the town has been impressive. And windy. And apparently its an "unusually warm" spring.
So how is one of the southern most towns in South America the middle of Chile? Well apparently, though not recognized by any other country in the world, Chile claims territory all the way down to the South Pole. Therefore, if you draw it out on a map, PA is pretty much right smack-dab in the middle of Chile. Chile has a few other quirks, that maybe match many other countries but are different from the US. Its a land where most drivers will stop for pedestrians, but seat belts appear to be entirely optional. The light switch for the bathroom always seems to be OUTSIDE the bathroom door, which always leads to some very personal stop and frisk moves on the bathroom wall only to be left in the dark cursing yourself for being fooled once again. Dogs roam the street, but it is near impossible to tell which are someone's pet and which are stray. Its hard to know whether to pet them, feed them, or run like hell when they cross the street toward you. They're always interested but rarely appear aggressive or even venture too close to people. Still though, they are almost all very large and hairy, unlike the mutts you often see in warmer areas, and present a very possible threat if they wanted to be. Chile is a land where anything they make is better than the Argentinians and DEFINITELY better than anything Peru could ever produce. Its an area where you tip your bagger at the grocery store and the check at a restaurant always tells you how much to leave to include 10% tip. They also include the tax in all prices, which makes life just that much easier. Currently, the exchange rate is about 600 Chilean pesos to 1 US dollar, which makes me feel incredibly rich and powerful without actually adding anything to my bank account.
Food here is something of a mix of flavors. The traditional drink is the Pisco Sour, which by most accounts actually originated in Peru, but the Chilean form of Pisco is obviously much better. So far I've seen menus with shrimp, ceviche, pork, chicken, lamb, rabbit, guanaco (which is basically a small llama), salmon, various other kinds of fish. And that was all at one place- La Marmita (The Mermaid). It appears to be the best place in town, especially for Pisco Sours, and so far we have eaten there twice already. We've also had awesome sandwiches, pizza, empenadas, and a bunch of candies from the hotel lobby. I've also eaten almost a whole bag of cookies from my mom, which barely made it through Chile's insanely strict customs restrictions.
So, onto the project. We have spent most of the last few days just getting all our gear together and checking that personal gear fits. The project is outfitting me with several thousand dollars worth of equipment just to keep me warm, from ski boots to about 7 pairs of gloves. Weirdly they do not provide hats or socks, but luckily I brought several for myself. We have also been repacking everything into a large shipping container to prep it for transfer to the boat. We spend our first night on the boat the night of the 26th before shipping out on the 27th. I am definitely a little nervous about the crossing. Not in the OH MY GOD IM GOING TO DIE IN FREEZING COLD 14+ FOOT SEAS! More in the- I might be hurling for 3 days kind of way. Apparently this boat is known for having a bit of a listing problem (rocking back and forth) and if sea are rough its one heck of a ride. As you can probably tell from the photo below as well, there are not a lot of large windows to look out either, which never helps combat Poseidon's revenge. So it could be a long trip. That being said, sometimes its nice out and sometime you see cool stuff like dolphins, whales (including stories of a Right whale one year), birds, icebergs, and who knows what else. Once we get to Cape Shirreff, which should be on the 31st (Halloween!) if all goes to plan, we have thousands of pounds of gear to unload via 2 medium sized zodiak boats. Our best hope is that a few people from the boat will volunteer to help us set up. Otherwise its get everything off the boat, start shoveling snow, and start moving the tons of gear the ~quarter mile to the camp. That being said, penguins and seals. Enough said.
Thats all I will include for now. I will try to update this in the next few days, even though I have yet to send out the link to anyone. I will have one email address on the boat and another at camp (my own at camp, but it's super restricted for how much I can send/receive). Future posts therefore will probably not be this long and unfortunately will not include pictures because of the data restrictions. Do let me know what you think though. I'm not sure how since right now comments are not set up to forward on to my email, but leave them anyway. Someone will pass them along to me. And if I dont respond to anyone, I apologize. From the sound of it I am going to extremely busy for the whole season and with weather and technology limitations I will do what I can, but I cannot promise much.
So how is one of the southern most towns in South America the middle of Chile? Well apparently, though not recognized by any other country in the world, Chile claims territory all the way down to the South Pole. Therefore, if you draw it out on a map, PA is pretty much right smack-dab in the middle of Chile. Chile has a few other quirks, that maybe match many other countries but are different from the US. Its a land where most drivers will stop for pedestrians, but seat belts appear to be entirely optional. The light switch for the bathroom always seems to be OUTSIDE the bathroom door, which always leads to some very personal stop and frisk moves on the bathroom wall only to be left in the dark cursing yourself for being fooled once again. Dogs roam the street, but it is near impossible to tell which are someone's pet and which are stray. Its hard to know whether to pet them, feed them, or run like hell when they cross the street toward you. They're always interested but rarely appear aggressive or even venture too close to people. Still though, they are almost all very large and hairy, unlike the mutts you often see in warmer areas, and present a very possible threat if they wanted to be. Chile is a land where anything they make is better than the Argentinians and DEFINITELY better than anything Peru could ever produce. Its an area where you tip your bagger at the grocery store and the check at a restaurant always tells you how much to leave to include 10% tip. They also include the tax in all prices, which makes life just that much easier. Currently, the exchange rate is about 600 Chilean pesos to 1 US dollar, which makes me feel incredibly rich and powerful without actually adding anything to my bank account.
Food here is something of a mix of flavors. The traditional drink is the Pisco Sour, which by most accounts actually originated in Peru, but the Chilean form of Pisco is obviously much better. So far I've seen menus with shrimp, ceviche, pork, chicken, lamb, rabbit, guanaco (which is basically a small llama), salmon, various other kinds of fish. And that was all at one place- La Marmita (The Mermaid). It appears to be the best place in town, especially for Pisco Sours, and so far we have eaten there twice already. We've also had awesome sandwiches, pizza, empenadas, and a bunch of candies from the hotel lobby. I've also eaten almost a whole bag of cookies from my mom, which barely made it through Chile's insanely strict customs restrictions.
So, onto the project. We have spent most of the last few days just getting all our gear together and checking that personal gear fits. The project is outfitting me with several thousand dollars worth of equipment just to keep me warm, from ski boots to about 7 pairs of gloves. Weirdly they do not provide hats or socks, but luckily I brought several for myself. We have also been repacking everything into a large shipping container to prep it for transfer to the boat. We spend our first night on the boat the night of the 26th before shipping out on the 27th. I am definitely a little nervous about the crossing. Not in the OH MY GOD IM GOING TO DIE IN FREEZING COLD 14+ FOOT SEAS! More in the- I might be hurling for 3 days kind of way. Apparently this boat is known for having a bit of a listing problem (rocking back and forth) and if sea are rough its one heck of a ride. As you can probably tell from the photo below as well, there are not a lot of large windows to look out either, which never helps combat Poseidon's revenge. So it could be a long trip. That being said, sometimes its nice out and sometime you see cool stuff like dolphins, whales (including stories of a Right whale one year), birds, icebergs, and who knows what else. Once we get to Cape Shirreff, which should be on the 31st (Halloween!) if all goes to plan, we have thousands of pounds of gear to unload via 2 medium sized zodiak boats. Our best hope is that a few people from the boat will volunteer to help us set up. Otherwise its get everything off the boat, start shoveling snow, and start moving the tons of gear the ~quarter mile to the camp. That being said, penguins and seals. Enough said.
Thats all I will include for now. I will try to update this in the next few days, even though I have yet to send out the link to anyone. I will have one email address on the boat and another at camp (my own at camp, but it's super restricted for how much I can send/receive). Future posts therefore will probably not be this long and unfortunately will not include pictures because of the data restrictions. Do let me know what you think though. I'm not sure how since right now comments are not set up to forward on to my email, but leave them anyway. Someone will pass them along to me. And if I dont respond to anyone, I apologize. From the sound of it I am going to extremely busy for the whole season and with weather and technology limitations I will do what I can, but I cannot promise much.
Most of our gear in "fish boxes."
The Laurence M. Gould- our transportation to the Cape. I recommend googling it.
Side of the boat. Its a NSF and US Antarctic Program ship that operates year-round in this area, primarily traveling between PA and Palmer Station, Antarctica.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Trial Run and Pre-Departure
Hi all,
I am starting this blog up as a way to keep people informed about my trip to Antarctica, and anywhere else, I might end up after. For those of you who do not know, I will be spending nearly 5 months at Cape Shirreff on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. I leave Oct 21 for Chile and the boat across Drakes Passage. I will return mid March, but will likely do some traveling while I am down in South America.
Unfortunately, while I am gone, I will have no real access to the internet. I will be limited to only the most basic email once a day, with no attachments or photos allowed. Therefore, while I can update this blog via email, I cannot send photos along the way. I will try to post photos as soon as possible when I get back and anytime along the way that I can.
Feel free to check in whenever you want, either by reading this or emailing me directly. When I know my camp email address I will pass it on. You can also subscribe to email updates for this blog, which should email you everytime I post something new. Knowing how these things go, I would expect a lot more posts early on, and I will likely dwindle off a little later on. That being said, it is always nice to know that people care and are interested in what I am doing, even if I am unable to talk to you in person.
I hope my stories prove to be entertaining and as exciting as people seem to think they will be!
-Wiley
I am starting this blog up as a way to keep people informed about my trip to Antarctica, and anywhere else, I might end up after. For those of you who do not know, I will be spending nearly 5 months at Cape Shirreff on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. I leave Oct 21 for Chile and the boat across Drakes Passage. I will return mid March, but will likely do some traveling while I am down in South America.
Unfortunately, while I am gone, I will have no real access to the internet. I will be limited to only the most basic email once a day, with no attachments or photos allowed. Therefore, while I can update this blog via email, I cannot send photos along the way. I will try to post photos as soon as possible when I get back and anytime along the way that I can.
Feel free to check in whenever you want, either by reading this or emailing me directly. When I know my camp email address I will pass it on. You can also subscribe to email updates for this blog, which should email you everytime I post something new. Knowing how these things go, I would expect a lot more posts early on, and I will likely dwindle off a little later on. That being said, it is always nice to know that people care and are interested in what I am doing, even if I am unable to talk to you in person.
I hope my stories prove to be entertaining and as exciting as people seem to think they will be!
-Wiley
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