9 February 2014 PolarTREC Orientation

I'm on my way

For the last 5 years I have tried to be part of a PolarTREC team. That persistence paid off at 4 pm on November 26, 2013 when I received a call from Alaska. When I looked at the caller ID I was terribly disappointed; too early to receive good news. So, I answered the phone with a heavy heart when to my delight I was asked if I would like to join Dr. Briner's team. Emotions took over and only then did I realize just how badly I wanted this experience. I initially became intrigued about PolarTREC when I heard about the program through the IPY STEMS Polar workshop in Amherst, MA. Similar to the pull of the ocean and the whales, PolarTREC stirred a desire to be part of something bigger. The reactions to my news have spanned the spectrum from shock and disbelief to congrats and 'you go girl!" I have made it a point to write down my thoughts along the way so that I don't forget any part of this experience. I want to be present throughout the entire journey. Traveling to Fairbanks created many journal entries. I have never flown west, nor I have I seen the Rockies or experienced jet lag. I was like a little child in the plane window as I watched the U.S. landscape fold and crumple as I traveled westward.

Twice I thought I was going to miss my connecting flights only to realize that time zones were in play. As I left Seattle in a blizzard I was a bit disappointed that my chances of catching a glimpse of the Northern Lights were almost nil. I was not disappointed however, when about an hour into the flight the skies cleared and the lights danced outside my window. The display reminded me of a stampede of horses running in a dusty cosmic plain and as they charged toward my view the cosmic dust rolled and swirled under their hooves.