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March 17, 2003
A Floating Laboratory
The vessel that carried me to and from Palmer Station, the Lawrence M. Gould, is the outpost's lifeline to civilization.
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March 14, 2003
Antarctica's Colorful Garden
Bill Baker sits unsteadily on the inflated edge of a bobbing Zodiac boat.
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February 14, 2003
Return to "Civilization"
I'm standing in the bridge of the
research vessel L.M. Gould, steaming home.
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February 10, 2003
The Adelies' Long Farewell
Adelie penguins around Palmer Station are in trouble. Penguin researcher
Bill Fraser, who has been visiting the region on and off for 30 years, has
documented a dramatic reduction in their numbers.
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February 6, 2003
Depart From Palmer Station
I'm standing on the upper deck of the Laurence Gould along with a couple
dozen other passengers, looking down at Palmer Station.
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February 5, 2003
Whale Breath At Close Range
I am kneeling on the floor of a zodiac, just off the pier. Suddenly, a crackly voice comes from our marine radio: �You�ve got whales dead ahead of you, so you might want to slow down.�
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January 31, 2003
Home Away From Home
I've been sleeping in a one-room shelter called "the hut" lately. It's a charming building with wooden walls, three windows and a tin roof a couple hundred yards from the labs and sleeping quarters. It's about the size and shape of an outhouse on its side.
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January 27, 2003
A Lesson in Glacier Rescue
Jim Waters says that to have fun in Antarctica you have to be "cold, wet, and
a little scared." I wish I had heard earlier that this was his definition of a good time. When Waters invited to me join his Glacier Search and Rescue team in a training exercise, he said it
would be "fun."
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January 22, 2003
I Visit a Special Place to Learn About Penguins.
Most research at Palmer Station takes place within about two miles of base.
Zodiac boats are generally prohibited from going any further for fear that
bad weather or something else unexpected might cause a mishap far from help.
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January 17, 2003
The Redcoats Come. They Make a Delivery.
It's mid-morning and I'm in the "back yard," the rocky area behind Palmer
Station. Bill Fraser, base-manager Joe Petit and Polly Penhale--a
representative from the NSF--are waiting for the arrival of a Lynx
helicopter, one of two "helos" carried aboard the British ice cutter
Endurance.
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January 14, 2003
I'm Introduced to Southern Giant Petrels
I've been waiting since I got
to Palmer Station to go with scientist Donna Patterson to Humble Island to
see her attach lightweight radio transmitters to southern giant petrels,
the largest flying bird that nests in the Antarctic Peninsula.
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January 13, 2003
My Arrival at and First Impressions of Palmer Station
Arrivals of the R/V Laurence M. Gould are busy times at Palmer Station. New staff and visitors are arriving for the first time and old hands are
returning. There are hardy welcomes and emotional farewells.
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January 9, 2003
Aboard the Laurence M. Gould in Drake Passage
We board the Gould the night before departure so everyone will be ready
to leave first thing.
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December 29, 2002
Boston to New York to Santiago to Punta Arenas
I arrived almost without incident in Santiago,
Chile after making
stops in New York and Lima, Peru.
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December 23, 2002
Preparing For Departure
In one week I will board the research vessel R/V Laurence M. Gould and set
sail for Antarctica, a journey I have anticipated for more than two years..
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