saw, overcame, returned

I'm back online... sitting in a tent on Devon Island, covered waist down in mud splatters. Where I stretched my team today, maybe not to their limits, but more than they thought they could do. I'm proud of them.

The site is chosen, tents up, drill in place. Despite wind and rain and snow last night, and then a terrible traverse today... good weather, but the humvee got stuck *twice* and we had to slip around in the mud each time and dig trenches and winch it out using deadfall anchoring. And my group didn't complain, there in the mud, or working until 10pm before we finally got back to camp for dinner, doubled-up on ATVs because one ATV died in the field and we had to leave the humvee at the drillsite.

I am *so* tired... and my feet are cold, and face is windburned... but happy. I like making things happen. Today, I looked up at the tent and drill going up, despite the obstacles, and felt a warm glow despite the cold.

And tonight we got communications up (grin)

The 2005 HMP weight-loss plan

I'm dissatisfied with the food situation here thus far... and the cook here is not helping... he had cream of mushroom soup waiting on arrival (I'm allergic to mushrooms, and had conveyed that to Pascal beforehand). The kitchen this year seems to think "vegetarian diet" means bigger helpings of salad. SH and AT have tried to be team players, but have been disappointed. I miss Ginger (2002-03 cook), or even the lady we had last year (before she left in a huff). We had... macaroni and cheese for lunch yesterday, I'm unimpressed but that's the best meal so far here.

Last night... not enough meals left for us (we were late arriving at 10pm), canned peas and boiled potatoes, and the vegetarians had only canned bean soup. And the cook cuts off breakfast at 8am, so I haven't gotten any since I've been here... there's not even *oatmeal* or anything hot, available self-serve, just toast. Or the trademark burned chocolate muffins. At least in previous years, there were leftover pancakes or eggs at breakfast, left for latecomers. My team will likely be working late at times, and may be up later at times, and we need (and are paying for) better support than I've seen thus far. Grr.

Catching up...

Here are some links:

(webcam to site)
Shows part of base camp, updated every few minutes. It is currently snowing heavily.

DAME discussion on the HMP site
Talks about why and what my project is doing here.

( (photos and narrative from yesterday) )

white-out...

Last night... high winds, wet sleeping bag, tent pole bending. Worries about the dome tent around the drill shredding or blowing away in 30kt winds, so a small group went out and secured it. But all of the rain caused the river to rise... it was nearly impassable. So I decided to hold off sending a crew out after lunch, to monitor the river (which is receding.

Fine, I thought, I'll send them over right after dinner. But, no... it has begun snowing heavily. White-out at times... an inch or two on the ground, so far. Not a big deal... except that we can't see very far ahead, and the trails (tire tracks, there's no vegetation to mark the sides) are invisible. Sigh.

Christmas in July, anyone? Rackin-frackin snow... at least 2 inches and still falling.

( (today's photos) )