24 June 2008 Traverse

Journal

June 24, 2008 – Tuesday – Traverse

Convoy! — The FIRST EVER traverse of the Greenland Ice sheet from Thule to Summit Camp was successful in their venture as they slowly plowed into camp. Their journey covered more than 800 miles and has taken over 33 days…and they still have to go back!

Ever so slowly they crept into view on the edge of the horizon. They have been making history for 33 days now… at 5 miles per hour…

…Queue dramatic music…

***Four men, a "Tucker” snow groomer and a CASE tractor, set out from Thule on the west coast of Greenland, to see if an overland traverse to Summit Camp was possible. Today, as they rumbled slowly into camp, they became the first ever to slink their way across the ice to this remote place. ***

***They carried everything they needed to survive for more than a month: fuel, toilet paper, sleeping quarters, kitchen, and food; all the necessities. A harrowing experience filled with trial and tribulation…and not a single shower! ***

Everything at Summit Camp has been transported by Air Force planes and small Twin Otters. All of the lumber for building, the D-6 CAT dozer, the food; each and every piece of it has come in by air. But now a new possibility of a land route to this place may change how supplies and equipment are shuttled here. With air travel proving to be a cost the National Science Foundation can no longer afford, this experiment in land travel may open a new era of research to this secluded place. In a couple days these men and their specialized machines will head back on the path from which they came…just to prove it can be done.

Tucker (ed) Out — The "Tucker" snow machine has long been used to groom ski trails and can also be effective for long distance traverses across snowy terrain.

Prior to the traverse rolling into camp, the first Hercules flight in 20 days arrived carrying 18 eager new Summit Campers and a full load of fresh food. The plane flew in low and buzzed camp before a flawless snow landing on the Skiway. Covered in cold weather gear from head to toe and sporting huge "I can’t believe my eyes” smiles, the passengers set foot atop 2 ½ miles of ice and were greeted with handshakes and warm tea. Unfortunately we sent home 7 of our crew today as the Hercules headed back to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. They will be missed and we bid them a fond farewell.

The Village People — Part of the crew hopping onto the Hercules headed south couldn't help but show their good spirits one last time. The "Y": Zoe, "M": Maria, "C": Elyse, "A": Kristina…"Meet me down at the YMCA"…go ahead, sing it!

Tomorrow at 7:00 am we are expecting 12 members of the Norwegian Parliament and 9 officers of the United States Air Force to arrive on another Hercules flight. They are interested in looking at the operations of Summit Camp and finding out what valuable research is taking place atop the ice. We have polished our snow boots, ironed our long johns and washed our faces; we should be a fine looking crew when they arrive!

Stay Warm!!

PS. Rosemary the cook left on the flight out today. She has been replaced by Will, a first time cook at Summit but a long time cook at McMurdo Base in Antarctica. He has some BIG shoes to fill….I will keep you updated!

PPS. I posted a couple other pictures of today’s events in the Photo Gallery as well (http://www.polartrec.com/gallery/2008/greenland-atmospheric-studies), just in case you didn’t get enough in this journal!

ANOTHER NOTE: If you are struggling through these journals each day, you might have noticed that yesterday I mentioned that I was posting a video. Unfortunately, technology got the better of me, and no movie appeared…until now. I enlisted the powers that be at PolarTREC and voila, now it is posted on yesterday’s journal. Go ahead, check it out; but be patient because it might take a while to load and the quality isn’t that good…sorry...I did my best...geez!

Details