21 May 2016 From the Land of the Midnight Sun to the Land of Black Diamonds

Back in the Coal Region after a whirlwind trip home, a beautiful graduation ceremony, and a full day back at school behind me, I sit with a grateful heart reflecting on the past month of experiences that have changed the way I think about the world. The trip home was no exception to the extraordinary reality each new day in the field brought my way, so read on and share in the trip back to the Coal Region to family and friends here at Lourdes!

On Thursday morning, after coffee and warm goodbyes exchanged with the OIB team, I prepared for the trip home to Coal Township, Pennsylvania. The Danish Police based in Kangerlussuaq came by the KISS building to complete a passport check for myself and the 4 other passengers (scientists and a photographer from another research group in Greenland) catching a ride home on the massive C-17 aircraft transporting field camp equipment to the States. We drove the short distance from KISS to the hangar and as we entered the airfield gates I could see Miss Piggy and the team taking flight for their final science mission of the Spring 2016 Arctic Campaign and I was thankful to have been a part of it.

A chilly four hour ride in a flying machine larger than my house later, we were at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia New York, waiting to be allowed off of the plane. By the way, if you've never seen a C-17 before, just take a moment to absorb this incredible feat of engineering:

After waiting for the word that we could leave the C-17, the photographer and myself shared a cab to the Albany International Airport. Lenny the cab driver who, with his long hair and ripped denim duds reminded me of a character from a certain "Excellent" 90s movie, shared bits of trivia about Upstate New York and blasted classic rock music as we took in the first signs of greenery we've seen in weeks. Thirty minutes later we arrived at the airport and home was in sight! It turned out that my reserved compact car was over-booked, so I loaded my luggage into the first pick-up truck I've ever driven and hit the road. Albany, NY to Coal Township, PA: 270 miles and 280 minutes to make it back for a very special night at Our Lady of Lourdes.

My first stop home was the overloaded parking lot of Our Lady of Lourdes Regional High School to see 28 incredible individuals begin the next chapter of their lives. Commencement Speaker and Lourdes Alum Bob Hauer was delivering an inspirational speech with a message for students that perfectly echoed the words of advice I had just collected from OIB team members about their own work the night before: "Do what you love." It's a simple phrase that I think could resonate with all of us, but that is especially important for the Class of 2016 to hear as they head out to make their own impacts on the world.

It was a happy and emotional return to school and I am so excited for these 28 very different, but very determined, talented, and genuinely goodhearted group of new Alumni I had the pleasure to cross paths with this year. To the Class of 2016, continue to make us proud and, to reiterate that simple but powerful phrase, "Do what you love."

After goodbyes and well-wishes exchanged with the graduates, I visited my classroom for the first time in a month. I was greeted with flowers from students and printed pictures from my blog on the bulletin board posted by my amazing substitute. The next day was school as usual and I was reminded of the support for this PolarTREC experience by the entire Lourdes community. I learned that in addition to these journal posts, morning announcements included daily updates from our OIB field experiences. I was welcomed by hugs from a fourth grade class, excited 'welcome back's' from students of all grade levels, happy reminders about the PolarCONNECT experience, and many great questions about the field from my 8th and 11th grade classes. Combined with the sweet welcome from my colleagues at Lourdes and my own family I couldn't have asked for a better return to home base.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this PolarTREC story to unfold. Thanks to all who asked questions, logged on to PolarCONNECT events or classroom chats, and left comments on the blog! This week I'll be sharing a glimpse into the stories of the people behind Operation IceBridge, so I hope you continue to follow!