Journal

One week of school left and the chaos continues. Pushing eighth graders through to the end is no small feat. They have embraced the seasons' unit with a curiosity that I could have only dreamed of; so very proud of my students. The yearbooks arrived today with one glaring mistake. Three hundred eighty five books will need to have a label placed on page 53. The only middle school yearbook in Massachusetts with videos embedded within. Yes, videos and not just one, but four!! My video skills have been honed working on those inserts. Grades close this week, the classroom needs to be packed up, four retirement parties to attend, an all town field trip to the beach, two field days and one graduation (sounds like the making of a Christmas carole): And that's just my life as a teacher. Not to mention the activities that need to be attended to with 3 teenage daughters. PolarTREC! What was I going to do with the swirling tornado of ideas in my brain? My brain was so cluttered that I did the only thing that could help...I took a hike.

New boots
Breaking in new boots and clearing my mind.

I love my new boots! Gradually they are molding to my feet like a second skin. My hike was amazing, clarifying. Michelle Brown's words of wisdom began echoing in my head - do a task a day, make it part of your routine. Life does not slow down or stand still just because I have new responsibilities. Focus on what is important and let go of things that don't serve a purpose.

Details
Author
Tina Ciarametaro
Date
Location
Ipswich, MA
Expedition
Shrinking Arctic Icecaps

View Comments

Comments

Fri, 08/08/2014 - 09:35

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear Mason,I have flown in a helicopter to go ice cap hopping for vegetation samples, I have hiked on glaciers, I have hiked up and down the steepest hill (a glacial moraine) that I have ever been on, helping carry down an inflatable boat. I have driven a boat on an ancient glacial lake mapping the bottom and taking sediment cores and I have slept on rocks that are over 2.5 billion years old. And to think, I have only been out in the field 2 days. I have seen a million gnats (little annoying flies) because it has been so warm and we have seen snow buntings and wheatears (birds). They like it when we accidentally drop our trail mix! Lastly, I have heard the eerie call of the raven. There have been times that I have already been homesick; I would like to be able to share each unique experience with my family. Thankfully, I have the use of a satellite phone so that I can keep in touch.
Enjoy the rest of the summer,
Mrs. C

Fri, 08/08/2014 - 09:36

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear IMSLiamS,I absolutely love my hiking boots. I wore them around town all spring/summer to break them in…I am sure glad that I did that. My PI (principal investigator) loves to cook and is an amazing chef. He bought all this great food, fifteen pounds of CHEESE and whips up different meals each day. Typically, we have oatmeal with fruit/nuts in the morning. Lunch is cheese, amazing Greenland bread, pears (until we run out) and whatever else we want to snack on. For dinner we had couscous w/peppers, onions, pine nuts, peas and corn and tonight we are having burritos w/of course, CHEESE! We have gummy bears, peanut M &M's, chocolate bars, dried fruit and trail mix to snack on during the day. Lastly, the one animal that loves the tundra near the glaciers are GNATS!! Millions of gnats swarm around our head. Of course, if the temperature dropped a little, they would be all gone. I also have seen several snow buntings and wheatears (both birds). They love it when the trail mix misses our mouths and lands on the ground. Thanks for writing!
Mrs. C

Fri, 08/08/2014 - 09:37

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear IMSColleenM,the weather at camp 1 has been amazing! It was t-shirt weather today and yesterday. To the south of us, you can see storms brewing where I suspect the coast is. We stayed in 2 coastal communities before heading into the field, and both days we had heavy fog.
Thanks for keeping in touch,
Mrs. C

Fri, 08/01/2014 - 07:53

IMSDanteF

1. nice boots! How do they fell now, broken in yet?2. Is it cold? Not like 40-degrees-fall cold, but -10-degrees-winter cold?
3. Have you had any Eureka! moments?
4. Have you had any problems yet?

Sun, 08/03/2014 - 08:14

Danaja

How was your first day in Greenland? How big are the tents that you sleep In?
Are you having fun?

Mon, 08/04/2014 - 03:54

Tina Ciarametaro

The journey to Greenland has been phenomenal! Initially landed in Iceland and took an hour bus ride to a connecting airport. The bus ride was through the lava fields of Iceland. No words can truly describe the landscape. We then took a 3 hour flight across Greenland. The vastness is nothing like I have ever experienced. I have not yet made it into the actual field. We stayed in the town of Ilulissat last night. It is the third largest town in Greenland and known for its tourism and community building. We took an amazing hike around the perimeter of the town to see the icebergs. The trails lead through an area known as DogTown and rightly so: At least 100 hundred Greenland huskies boarded in the outskirts of town. We are presently in Kangerlussuaq waiting our connecting flight to Maniitsoq. We will lay-over in Maniitsoq to prep for camp 1 in the morning. To say that this a chance of a lifetime would diminish the value of this experience. Thanks for writing - keep in touch.

Mon, 08/04/2014 - 03:55

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear IMSDanteF,I absolutely love my boots -Can you believe that I have been wearing them all summer to break them in? I haven't yet landed in Greenland. I leave this evening and take a quick trip to Iceland to catch a flight to Greenland. There have been different Eureka moments for me this summer. Last night at dinner, one of my family members explained to a stranger about me being an arctic researcher and hearing those words out loud stopped me in my tracks. I will share more once we get settled in the field.
Thanks for posting,
Mrs. C

Mon, 08/04/2014 - 07:48

IMSColleenM

How is the weather in Greenland? It sounds cold but, I have never been so I wouldn't know. I hope you have fun!

Mon, 08/04/2014 - 09:30

IMSLiamS

1) Now that you're in Greenland how do your boots feel now that you are hiking a lot.2) What do you eat as an everyday snack.
3) What type of animals are there on the glaciers, if there are any.

Mon, 08/04/2014 - 09:36

IMSMasonG

1) What have you done so far in Greenland?2) Have you seen any animals yet in Greenland?
3) Do you think you will feel homesick throughout the trip?

Mon, 08/04/2014 - 10:38

IMSMadisonC

How is your trip so far? Are you having a good time?What is the best part of your trip?
How cold is it usually getting?

Tue, 08/05/2014 - 09:35

Tina Ciarametaro

I sometimes need to pinch myself to make myself believe that I am actually part of this research. How fortunate I am. I cannot identify the best part of the trip; it is truly the whole package. The weather up near the glaciers has been amazing. Yesterday and today was t-shirt weather and we continued to go back to our daypacks for more sunscreen. Last night was about 45 and very light out. The sun set at 9:30 pm and was light out until after midnight. Do you have any idea why?