Week 5: Sa 25 November 2017, 18:29. Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island, Antarctica Possibly never in my life have I had such mixed feelings on blue sky and sunshine. This is Antarctica. It’s supposed to be snowy and cold forever, right? Actually, no. Little by little, the sunshine is melting the snow and tearing our camp apart. Nai and Sam are on Team Melt. Adam and I are on Team Snow….
Week 2: F 3 November 2017, 22:38. Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island, Antarctica Plenty of people dread waking up on Monday morning and starting their work week. The concept of driving through traffic to sit at a 9-5 desk job for the next 5 days is so painful that sorrows get drowned in mug after mug of coffee from the nearest drive-through coffee stand. Fortunately some of us are smart enough…
Sorry for the lack of posts, but having just under a month and a half of internet between remote gigs made other things the priority. After returning to Homer I spent about 10 days there wrapping up data and putting away field gear. I went up to Fairbanks to walk the lovely Equinox Marathon and have a week with my Dad at the tail end of his 3 weeks of…
Tuesday 15 August 2017, week 14: Buldir Island “Steph, the volcano’s erupting,” Kevin calmly stated as I walked toward him in the twilight. Over my left shoulder lay the comfort of camp, the dark mass of Buldir Eccentric – our volcano – beyond North Marsh visible behind it. As we watched, a glow rose around Eccentric’s back side, illuminating its crestline through the darkness. The moonlight crept its way up…
Saturday 29 July 2017, week 11: Buldir Island When I was traveling in Hawaii a few years ago, I spent some time in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Knowing that Mauna Loa is the largest mountain in the world – by combined landmass above and below the ocean – I wanted to climb it. In order to do so, I needed to obtain a backpacking permit from the backcountry office. The…
Tuesday 25 July 2017, week 11: Buldir Island “Boogity boogity!!” yells Kevin as he jumps up from behind a concealing boulder. Since the alarm is not directed at me, I can do nothing but laugh as I watch a grown man make a fool of himself. No, it’s not Halloween around here; it’s a session of parakeet auklet diet sampling. If my previous post seemed to romanticize whiskered auklet diet…
Saturday 15 July 2017, week 9: Buldir Island It’s 23:49 as the credits begin to roll on the laptop screen. Dramatic music plays as amazing images of Planet Earth II’s “Jungles” and “Deserts” episodes dance through our heads. Popcorn consumed and entertainment over, it’s time to change gears. “Hello, bed,” Kevin longingly says as he enters the bunk cabin. Bed will have to wait, though, as our own planet earth…
Saturday 1 July 2017, week 7: Buldir Island “Got one!” may be read as a phrase full of excitement. Oh boy, something’s been found! Hearing that phrase when Kevin, McKenzie, and I are all walking the boulder beach is not a welcome pronouncement here on Buldir. It indicates one of us has spotted part of a dead bird, which is not bad news in itself. After all, everything dies eventually….
Saturday 24 June 2017, week 6: Buldir Island I take such joy in naming crevices that I’ve decided to revisit this topic from last year. Once again I’ve chosen to follow the creative route, this time choosing themes for each of my work areas. Like I said last year, finding new nests is one of my favorite activities. Up until this point in the season – because eggs are hatching…
Saturday 3 June 2017, week 3: Buldir Island, 22:52 The most geographically isolated island in the Aleutians. The most diverse seabird colony in the northern hemisphere. The westernmost home of bald eagles. The westernmost volcano in the Aleutians. All of these extremes are descriptors of Buldir, making it my most decorated summer home. From learning of its existence in 2010 until last year, working out here had been a dream…