As I mentioned in my audio-journal, we made it to Lake Joyce! We arrived three nights ago, on the first helicopter flight we could get after weather delays. Our helicopter flight was spectacular -- the views were stunning! Saying Antarctica has a lot of ice is a supreme understatement, and to see some of it from the air is pretty magnificent. We could see many glaciers and also Mt. Erebus, an active volcano near McMurdo.
It doesn't get dark here, and that was helpful because we stayed up ridiculously late in order to get our personal tents set up and also our cook tent. Since then, I've pulled my hat down over my eyes so the light doesn't bother me when I'm trying to sleep.
We've had 4-5 helicopter flights drop equipment and fuel off for us. A team of carpenters came out and built a temporary shelter down on Lake Joyce for us, so we have a place to do the lab work. We've also been able to install solar panels and a generator to power some of our equipment, like the heater for the cook tent.
Yesterday, we also were able to drill our first hole through the ice so that we can have drinking water. (I melted snow with lots of sediment in it previously, so the hole is a huge improvement!) We'll have a lot more drilling in the near future, so I'll show you more of that too!
Now that all of the big ticket items are in place, we are beginning to work on our science goals. In the near future, I'll give you a photo tour of our camp and show you our science work, so stay tuned.
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