If you haven’t yet read The View from Antarctica: Coronavirus, check that post out first. It documents my understanding of coronavirus while living in a remote field camp in Antarctica, as well as travel on a research vessel back toward South America. In a whirlwind of events following a day of extremely slow cruising toward and through the Straits of Magellan, everything worked out – in the opinion of most…
It was sometime in mid-January when our Cape Shirreff population of 4 first heard about it. You know of what I speak; I don’t even have to name it. I was doing my usual glance through the New York Times Digest that Palmer Station emailed us daily when I saw a blurb about a new virus in China. While sharing limited tidbits from the Times with the others in camp,…
Week 12. Su 16 February 2020, 8:20 in the morning at Cape Shirreff Working seasonal field jobs is obviously quite different from following a typical career track. Every job studies different animals in different locations for different types of studies. Although I took wildlife biology courses at the university, being able to work in the field has honestly come down to having the right personality and being able to follow…
Weeks 2 – 5: Second week of December 2019 through first week of January 2020. Cape Shirreff, Antarctica. When you return to open the same camp with 4 of the 6 people who closed it in March, the definitions of time change. Being back for a third stint that wasn’t originally expected takes the peculiarity to another level. Some camp opening activities are the same, but others are different or…
Week 9 (?) Su 26 January 2020, morning at Cape Shirreff Somehow Friday marked the halfway point in my third season here at Cape Shirreff. Having experienced the glorious full length season of late October to mid-March my first year, these shortened seasons of early December to mid-March are difficult to fathom. The drastically lower amount of snow at the start breaks my spirit; there’s not enough for skiing to work,…
Week 1: M 2 Dec 2019, evening. Aboard the Laurence M. Gould near the Atlantic entrance to the Straits of Magellan The time was just before 01:00 when Laura informed me that I had 3 minutes before she wanted us to leave the hotel bar of the Cabo de Hornos and head to our new beds aboard the Laurence M. Gould. After a fantastic lamb dinner, we’d walked to Plaza…
Okay, this was just TOO GOOD to not record for posterity’s sake. I’m currently looking up all the flights for travel to and around Chile because everyone needs a hobby, right? Just kidding. The real reason is a happy surprise! While I was living in uncomfortable heat and humidity in Bolivia, I got a chilling email. As I checked email at the internet cafe in Guarayos on a half day…