Any polar expedition means an inordinate amount of preparation in terms of gathering gear, making plans/accommodations, and loading boats. Having lead enough student trips simply around Maine I know the pressure that Mike and Steve have on them to make sure all the loose ends get taken care of before being way out there (eyes crossed and t's dotted). When in the field, you can't just run to Home Depot for a hack saw or DQ for a tasty frappe at the end of a long day. The other side of the prep. that you don't usually think about until you're in the environment is the kind that makes sure you get in and out without too much bodily harm. For us, that means two things: ocean safety and polar bears.
Ocean Safety:
The morning started off with an early safety briefing from our stern and pragmatic friend at UNIS, Stefan. He gave a safety lecture covering arctic weather, wildlife, geography, and general safety precautions and then it was off to the practical aspects of the safety course. We split up into two groups of 8 each and one headed to the firing range while the other to the logistics hangar to be fitted in survival suits (my group). We'd then switch late morning without returning to UNIS due to time restraints on the use of the firing range.
As you can see, the survival suits are quite elaborate and not always the easiest things to put on. Essentially, they are made to be fairly waterproof (actually made to be quite waterproof but I'll explain) and allow you to withstand bobbing in the arctic ocean for long periods of time if things go south on any transport trips. You see, our field area is located almost due west of Longyearbyen though to get there without a 'snowscooter' (snowmobile my redneck brethren, it really is the same) parties must make their way out of the relatively sheltered bay the town sits on, into the open water, and cruise out to the point at Kapp LInne. This means, as my UNIS logistics friends put it, a 1 hour ride if conditions are nice or…3 or so if not. So to be sure we can more or less keep our heads above water on Wednesday when we depart, we had to be trained.
Fast forward 1 hour: We arrived at the local 'small boat yard' where we'll be later departing, donned our suits, and then each jumped into the water and practiced the modified back stroke, really modified. The water was cold. Mainers take a certain pride and bravado as to the limits of cold they can take but man, it was cold. It probably didn't help that two of us realized our suits leaked which I was again told 'happens' but it was fun nevertheless. We spent about 20 minutes in the water practicing rescues and attaching ourselves together as an amoebic mass for safety then headed for the shore. When I say leaked I meant more like a sieve than a dripping faucet. Pants and torso soaked, it was then time to head to the range. One thing: I think it was good that my suit leaked because I now know just how appreciative I would be to be an in emergency situation to have it not. See the photos of us jumping in the water when I can get them shared from the others on the trip (Phelps, quiver in fear, you've got competition).
From the icy arctic waters we changed what clothes we could and Steve met us coming back from their time on the range with the van. With some loose directions and arm waving I drove the group up to the range entering through a rough and inadvertent route that got us there from a much less used and bumpy entrance. Stefan remarked shaking his head only slightly, "it is much easier over that way." We spent the next half hour going over rifle safety and then were each handed a 30-06 and practice shells to load and get used to the firearm with. Much like parts of Western Maine, you are required to have a sufficient firearm for protection if you leave any building, especially if you're conducting science miles away. The danger is real and while you are probably unlikely to encounter a bear it is a possibility that everyone trains for. After about 10 minutes with the practice shells we over on to live ammunition all eight of us were firing from first the lying position to kneeling then standing. Honestly, I couldn't have been more impressed with my group as they all showed a competency with a large caliber rifle that is unparalleled for those never shooting before. I asked if 1 meant that you never wanted to touch a firearm again and 10 meant you wanted to go find supper with your rugged, I didn't get a response under a 6.5.
With firearms training finished and each of us earning out double-o rating it was time to go back to UNIS, pack the last of the gear to be taken out by boat this afternoon and await our scientific machinations. On the way back we passed the global seed vault where copies of our plant seeds from round the globe are kept at a standard -18 degrees C. The entrance leads 120 m into the sandstone and shale layered mountain and contains some 400,000 seed samples.
Once back, we met as a group to go over schedule and Mike and I took one last trip to Rubb Hall (a large building with a sort of rubber tent-like exterior) to gather core tubes and the last of the checklist was completed. Tonight is a night to relax a bit, try to sleep more than 3 hours, and think of anything else we're forgetting before heading out for out true purpose…science!
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