Saturday, January 18, 2014

Bull Pass and Mt. Newall

Me, hiking around on top of Mt. Newall 
I was lucky enough to get a trip to Bull Pass and Mt. Newall this year. Generally coveted second only to Mt. Erebus, these helo supported camps are truly amazing. Mt. Newall is on top of a growing list of places I've been in the world that are beyond my scope as a writer to describe with any justice. Few places on earth have taken me aback with such ferocity and left me feeling humble and grateful for every breath I've earned in almost 34 years on the human roller coaster. I wish so deeply that my loved ones, both alive and elsewhere, could have stood on that mountain top with me among the endless pinnacles, under an impossibly blue canopy.

Mt. Newall is used as a relay station between Black Island and McMurdo. Responsible for Seahawks games and internet, Black Island is our communications hub.
En route to Bull Pass

Before arriving at Mt. Newall we stopped at Bull Pass in the Wright Valley. Bull Pass is part of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and is used as a monitoring station. Located about a mile away from the single building camp is the Onyx River. At 20 miles long and only flowing a few weeks of the year, the Onyx is the longest river on the continent. Naturally I had to check that out.


The Onyx River


The Onyx seen from the helicopter winding through the Wright Valley 





Bull Pass and the Wright Valley

Otherworldly and striking beautiful, the Dry Valleys are considered the closest terrestrial environment on Earth to that found on Mars. Microbial studies here are the backbone to present and future studies conducted on the Red Planet. The Dry Valleys are dry due in large part to katabatic winds. Frigid, high density air from the polar plateau rushes down these valleys at up to 200 miles per hour. Incredibly low in humidity the winds scour and desiccate the valleys. While I have no experience with wind of that magnitude I was leveled by a full sheet of plywood after it was picked up and carried 25 feet through the air by katabatic winds on Taylor Glacier (next post). At least I have a skull like a pachysaurus.

Just beyond that peak the high polar plateau stretches for thousands of miles
After working on the building at Bull Pass I was able to go for a hike. I saw a high ridge above the valley floor and thought, "hmm, I wonder what's on the other side of that ridge?" So, I checked my watch, grabbed a two-way radio and started up the steep rocky slope. Well it was a whole hell of a lot further than it looked from the valley, there is picture of the ridge from Mt. Newall that I'll point out later. Lucky for me our helo pilot was willing to accommodate me. After about 40 minutes of exhausting hiking I was 10 minutes from the top when my radio crackled. "Wrapping things up Dave, head on down." Well for crap, I was almost there. Shortly after that the helo pilot radioed me, "if you find a flat spot on that ridge we'll just pick you up up there." Well of course I can find a safe place for a helicopter to land on top of a ridge that I've never climbed. "Yeah, I'll figure something out," was my prompt reply.

Part way up the ridge, a rising moon can barely be seen next to those rock spires
On top of the ridge, the river can be seen in the distance. I made an H with rocks in that flat spot in the lower left
Approaching Mt. Newall


The following picture where all taken from Mt. Newall.


The ridge on the opposite side of the valley, just above the dark line, is where I hiked to and was picked up


Standing on this snowy ridge the drop off to each side were making my knees rubbery, the vertigo almost overwhelming
Hut on Mt. Newall

Relay station on Mt. Newall



















My first experience belly-hooking a helicopter was also on Mt. Newall. Some pilots prefer belly-hooking, depending on winds, landing site etc. Making a low approach they hover just above your head and you hook the cargo to the underside. Probably about how you might imagine it: loud, windy, exciting as hell. While hovering, a helicopter is basically weightless and I was able to push and direct the massive machine thundering over my head. The following pictures are my first, and only to date, belly hook.









KAZAM!

Earlier, in the flight out, the pilot and co-pilot were chatting about whales at the ice edge over the radio. Figuring, might as well try, I asked, "you guys want to show us those whales you were talking about?" A slight pause on the radio and then, "yeah sure, why not." As we left Mt. Newall the chopper flew out towards the growing divide between frozen and liquid ocean. The scene that unfolded was incredible. Several pods of Killer Whales, 50 to 60 in number were plying the deep blue ocean next to the ice edge. Hundreds of penguins crowded the ice, watching the water with trepidation; making my problems with people in our galley seem trivial. Between food and safety for these penguins lurked dozens of  natures apex predator. Hungry, efficient, and ruthless killing machines that hunt in packs and enjoy penguins by the mouthful. A unique sense of humanness washed over me; watching nature unfold in all its savagery and beauty. I was there as a conscious witness, flying in a complex machine, a product of human thought and ingenuity. Our curious eyes full of intelligence, wonderment, and seemingly endless capability hovering in that cockpit engrossed and mesmerized by the world around us. Yet behind those eyes also sat five representatives of the only animal on Earth more lethal than those magnificent predators.

A truly fantastic day, one I'll never forget.

Unfortunately, the glare from the sun on the ocean and the simple fact I was completely committed to observing with my own eyes the spectacle below, my only picture is completely shite. The breaks in the water are whales, this picture does not say a thousand words. More like two: that sucks.














CreSIS, West Antarctica

My tent at CreSIS
Going to the "Deep Field" is one of the highlights of my job. Helicopter trips to the Dry Valleys and other helo supported camps are undoubtedly more beautiful, and generally preferred by most carpenters in our shop, than the stark flat white that encompasses the vastness of this continent. Yet something appeals to my very curious nature about going completely feral in one of the only truly inhospitable places on earth.

As far removed as possible from the human community I always experience a profound sense of isolation and playfulness, a child again, hiding in a homemade fort with your friends away from the watchful eye of the adult world. Setting up a small camp starts with a tent and a group of carpenters and camp staff. We run generators for electricity and burn fuel in Kuma Stoves to heat common areas like the galley tent and our "Chief." The Chief is our tent; where the carpenters go to unwind and tomfoolery is as certain as sunshine. No showers, some sleep, lots of work.

Situated about halfway between McMurdo and the South Pole, the spine of the Trans-Antarctic mountains can be seen on the horizon from CreSIS, making it unique among Deep Field camps in Western Antarctica.CreSIS (Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets) is a joint operation between NASA and the NSF (National Science Foundation). So, yeah, I'm basically the ninja combination of carpenter, scientist, astronaut. The project measures ice thickness with sensors in place at location and overhead radar. Last year the WISSARD (The Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling) project operated about 6 miles form the location for CreSIS camp this year. A quick side note for those that give a shit about awesome science, check out this link:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/reader-favorites-2013?mode=magazine&context=187763

The first article in the list of ten describes the finding of the WISSARD project from last year. Discovering life in a subglacial lake 800 meters (2,624 feet) below the surface, completely isolated for 100,000 years is a pretty fucking big deal. Most of my readers will be more interested in number 6 on the list, "Heavy Drinkers Get Extra Brain Fuel From Alcohol." POW! SCIENCE!
C-130 Hercules, our ride to CreSIS, and the Royal Society mountains near McMurdo
Combat offloading our gear. Open the hatch and let things fly out the back
Temporary tents at CreSIS until we erect the, semi-permanent tents for the season. Galley in yellow, comms in blue

Inside the galley
These packages will become Town.
The Chief
Putting up Rac-Tents




A Twin-Otter plane, a Tucker and Town

Town, a week after we arrived
Our tents and the Trans-Antarctic mountains on the horizon, about 90 miles away
This year we needed some equipment left at the WISSARD site for the winter. We hopped on snow mobiles and a Tucker and drove the six miles out to WISSARD winter berms to retro some parts for the CreSIS camp. Driving snow mobiles towards the horizon across the endless white with some friends is a damn good day of work and keeps me coming back down to this strange place.

Our caravan to WISSARD

WISSARD camp coming into view, packed away for the winter. Those packages are on average 15-20 feet high and include drilling equipment and Rac-Tents, the massive snow drifts behind them make for excellent sled hills
Couple of buddies taking a break on top of some Rac-Tent boxes at WISSARD


We always dig freezer caves for food storage. A friend and I dug this one with a chain saw and shovels. Eight feet deep with stairs and shelves.My nephews and I are going to dig one of these in my parents back yard.



Our crew. One plumber, Andy on the far left and 6 carpenters. From left: Jeremy, Rachael, Shannon, Sean, Sparky, and me





Christchurch to Lake Miers



Lake Miers and the Trans-Antarctic mountains
Hello friends, family and others that find this post by mistake. I have not felt like writing recently, well since June anyway. However, as they say, a picture paints a thousand words and I have 99. So, over the course of the next three blog posts I will be posting 99 pictures intermixed with comments when necessary. The following series begin in Christchurch, New Zealand and end at Lake Miers, Antarctica. Mentioning said above pictured lake; not a typical lake where fish are caught and beers are drank. Frozen, surrounded by glaciers and mountains, no fish, no beers. Stunning though.

Happy to be on the road again!

We spent a day in Christchurch in the newly reopened downtown area, after the massive earthquake 3 years ago. Luckily there were men in chain mail and women in brown moo-moo's gallivanting about backed by flute solos. I was also poured a flagon of ale from a Friar Tuck lookalike ruddy with merriment; those that know me can imagine how important that was.











Always tickled to see my orange bag!


Third time!

We arrived this year just before Halloween. Here are my favorite costumes:
Jenna as Gollum 
Hulk and the Iron Sheikh 

Lord Helmet
Upon the shelves in the Helicopter Operations building are rows of flight helmets sized XS to XL.  Alone, a giant white meteor sits alone on the top shelf, dusty from months of neglect waiting for its masters call. Ziggy, the only XXL helmet on station sitting exactly where I left it months ago, the last time I squeezed it on my gargantuan dome.
Cruising out over the frozen ocean



Walking across Lake Miers




Beautiful glaciers and mountains
Dropping off our packages

These packages equipped with fins for flying will become polar havens
During construction

Delivering propane

These are the two polar havens we set up here for the research group

November's centerfold in Carpenter Weekly

 A few pictures of mountains and ice, lots of that down here