News from the field

Monday 1st December

This morning, 09.00 AM, we had the first live contact with BELISSIMA, at last! And good news it was: they're having much better weather than we do (the wind is chasing through camp), blue sky and moderate wind. They're in the area of interest (interaction between continental ice and maritime ice), and camping right on a grounding line. Around camp, they also have some crevasses but, I quote, "nothing to worry about, you really have to be stupid to fall into one of those!". The drilling hasn't started yet (I know, the suspense from the core drill is hard to bear…), because they're still surveying the area with GPS and radar measurements. Apparently, the drill team is eager to start, whereas the radar team wants to make sure it's worth the effort before cutting through. Until now, they've thus been chasing around the base camp on skidoo's, apparently about 100 km (must've been more than expected, 'cause one of the requests for re-supply was skidoo fuel!), and they're considering putting up an auxiliary camp at approximately 30 km, because there would be an interesting measurement zone. As for the social talk, Bryn apparently very literally got cold feet: he got at some point through maritime ice. No harm done, and nothing to worry about, needs to be added immediately. The morale is high, and they still
seem to be having lots of fun :-)

Time for the now mandatory gastronomic account from base camp. I erased the memory of Maritime Mousse (come on, I do have some form of self-respect!) by producing a rich, creamy and Über-chocolatey chocolate cake for dessert last night… And, although I say so myself, there was an indecent proportion of finger-licking all over the mess tent! René, our Base Camp Manager who's leaving to join the Belissima team tomorrow morning, has saved one half of it, but I somehow doubt our scientists will get a taste…

Nathalie