Today I left Salem, Oregon heading to my first destination, Bodo, Norway. It has been a year since I first learned I would be part of Professor Iverson's research group studying the seismic movement of the Svartisen glacier located just three hours away from Bodo, lying almost directly on the Arctic Circle. I have read many books on glaciers, trying to understand how exactly they form and what physics dictates the frictional forces involved in their movement. I have been left with more questions than answers so I soon look forward to witnessing a glacier firsthand, from deep underneath its frozen but viscous structure, while I learn from the experts in the field.
I am lucky to have a window seat on the first leg of my journey to Newark. The plane flies over Canada allowing me to see my last glimpse of North America before the clouds come in and obscure the view. I like looking out at this part of the world because of its vast emptiness and stunning snow capped mountains. Ironically I am flying near GlacierA mass of ice that persists for many years and notably deforms and flows under the influence of gravity. National park, the site of the last remaining glaciers in the US. It is estimated that there remains only twenty years before the glaciers in this park disappear completely. I can only see a snow covered field below.
After a few cramped hours in the plane I am left with the feeling that this poor woman had ....
I wait in the airport alone for my connecting flight to Oslo and meet a strange bear named Jens who asks if I can take him along.
Norway bound.
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