Journal

Today back at Base Camp was quite fascinating. I got to meet some of the helicopter crew members and pilot that will be ferrying people and gear from Base Camp to Mount Hunter. Seth always introduces me as his grade school science teacher and it always elicits a "very cool" from the person getting the introduction. After that there are always a few very cordial wise cracks about former student and teacher going back over twenty years. It is very special indeed and I am fortunate to be here.

The Park helicopters are worth chatting about briefly. They are very basic and utilitarian as they pretty much move people and gear around Denali National Park. They even have the second front seat removed as they can use that space for gear. The "helos" are supplying the air support and delivery for the Ice CoreA cylindrical section of ice removed from a glacier or an ice sheet using a specialized type of hollow drill. Enter the definition here. group, but they also supply the 14,000 foot ranger station. The National Park Service keeps a presence on the mountain and will offer rescue if needed and if possible. Pilots have survival gear on board in case of a problem. My guess is that they have pretty fascinating and intense job.

Tucker and Andy provided us with a thorough safety briefing as sometimes people on the ground, or, those getting out of the helicopter are entering a hot zone, which means the helicopter does not shut down. You must move about the machine in very prescribed ways in order to be totally safe. I got to watch some helicopter work and take photos, but was out of battery power when it came to filming the pick up of the Team's first sling load. Sorry about that....maybe when they pick up more stuff on Friday.

After getting the full briefing and gathering personal gear, tents, food and supplies for a full week, in case the helos can't fly due to weather, Seth and Karl got aboard and pretty much headed straight up to the Mount Hunter Ice DivideAn ice divide is analogous to a watershed divide. An ice sheet divide separates opposing flow directions of ice on an ice sheet. to begin setting up the drill camp.

Enjoy the couple of pictures from our briefing.

Helicopter on Stand-by
This is Brad checking out the helicopter that will be used to transport Seth and Karl today to the drill site. They will have personal gear and supplies for multiple days in case something goes wrong and they need to stay there without any contact.

Sling load building
This is Seth carrying one of the large tents that will be used either as a gathering area and cook tent or to actually house Mike's ice core drilling rig.

Sling load packing
There is lots to sling loading as weight and weight distribution must be proper. The pilot even takes into account the weight of fuel which means he can take heavier loads when there is less fuel on board. The load must be shaped and organized so spinning is avoided.

Safety briefing
Pilot Andy chats with Seth and Karl about the short flight up to Mount Hunter

Communications are critical
Seth and Tucker, from the National Park Service, work out ground to air radio communications. The drill team, since they will need to manage sling loads and other helicopter drop offs must have direct radio communication with the pilot.

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