March 17, 2010
Day 15: The Sound of Ice
For a while I thought I was loosing my vision as everything was going so blurry, but then I realized it was only because my eye lashes were so coated with ice that it was obscuring my eye sight . Not that it mattered much, I didn't really want to see up ahead anyway. Pressure, leads, rubble... Knowledge may be power, but ignorance is polar bliss.
For the past few days, the sun and clear skies have disappeared. Replaced by clouds, icey fogs and a biting wind, conditions have been sommewhat unpleasant as of late. You know it's bad when you have to huddle behind ice blocks for warmth and to block the wind. The wind got to be intense enough that I had to put on my Terramar geofleece.
'My fingers usually get the coldest,' said AJ. ' Which can be potentially dangerous because in an emergency situation, I need to be able use my hands. If my fingers are numb that limits my ability to function. Therefore, I'll put on mittens or put my hood up, if its down. It may take a while, but they eventually warm up.'
We stopped at another lead to listen and watch the ice for a few minutes. One pan about six inches thick was ramming into another. The noise it what surprised us the most - a long whine at one spot, the train-like chug, chug, chug at another and a low pulsing in one more spot. It was eerily beautiful.
'That's why we keep drifting south every night,' Darcy observed as he watched the ice moving.
Overall, it was a good day. We had three really difficult hours mid day. Then, we got lucky with some good ice in the afternoon. Another Arctic Ocean day under our belts. It feels good to have made it this far.
In climate news, a new report from the Department of Interior shows: Birds are 'Messengers' on climate Change http://bit.ly/d7f7r5
Image: A small lead.
The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by Bing with major support from the University of Plymouth, Terramar, Seventh Generation, Goal0, Atlas, Sierra Designs and Optic Nerve.
Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.
For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com
For information about guided Antarctic expeditions, please visit http://www.antarctic-logistics.com/
For media inquiries, please contact [email protected]
For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net
For the past few days, the sun and clear skies have disappeared. Replaced by clouds, icey fogs and a biting wind, conditions have been sommewhat unpleasant as of late. You know it's bad when you have to huddle behind ice blocks for warmth and to block the wind. The wind got to be intense enough that I had to put on my Terramar geofleece.
'My fingers usually get the coldest,' said AJ. ' Which can be potentially dangerous because in an emergency situation, I need to be able use my hands. If my fingers are numb that limits my ability to function. Therefore, I'll put on mittens or put my hood up, if its down. It may take a while, but they eventually warm up.'
We stopped at another lead to listen and watch the ice for a few minutes. One pan about six inches thick was ramming into another. The noise it what surprised us the most - a long whine at one spot, the train-like chug, chug, chug at another and a low pulsing in one more spot. It was eerily beautiful.
'That's why we keep drifting south every night,' Darcy observed as he watched the ice moving.
Overall, it was a good day. We had three really difficult hours mid day. Then, we got lucky with some good ice in the afternoon. Another Arctic Ocean day under our belts. It feels good to have made it this far.
In climate news, a new report from the Department of Interior shows: Birds are 'Messengers' on climate Change http://bit.ly/d7f7r5
Image: A small lead.
The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by Bing with major support from the University of Plymouth, Terramar, Seventh Generation, Goal0, Atlas, Sierra Designs and Optic Nerve.
Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.
For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com
For information about guided Antarctic expeditions, please visit http://www.antarctic-logistics.com/
For media inquiries, please contact [email protected]
For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net