Wednesday, November 02, 2005
November 2, 2005: Captains Log
Here is a Captain's Log report from Nathalie, our team leader:
Captain's Log #2
November 2, 2005: Eve of Ascent
So far, this year has been a trial year for the expedition. We had a taste of about everything one could experience in such an environment and which had spared us in the past years: harsh weather, the summit lake frozen, temperatures down to -40C, food poisoning, and a cold affecting many of the team members. Everybody is now fine but for those with the cold, we prefered not to take any chances and gave them a few days of rest and recuperation in San Pedro while the rest of the team climbed. They will join us again November 5th and will continue on the expedition with us. The rest of us, 8 out of 11 will head for the slopes of Licancabur tomorrow after a false start this morning, with the delay caused by a lack of porters.
To tell the truth, this small delay looked to me to be a very positive thing. Finally, for the past three days now, the weather has been stabilizing, and we are now seeing climate patterns that we recognize from previous years. The temperatures have been improving also. The net result is that the snow and ice that were sitting in the central gully of Licancabur, which we usually use as our exit route, have been significantly melting in the past days. This gives us a new option to return to the refuge that could save us up to two hours of descent.
So, tomorrow, November 3rd, will finally be the day for us. We have been patient with the mountain and this patience is now paying off. We will first ascend to first camp, leaving the refuge around 9:30 am and will be at the foot of Licancabur at 10:00 am. Although we are light in term of equipment this year (due to the lack of diving), we plan to climb slowly and take our time to reach mid-camp located at 5400 m. This is a vertical 900 m ascent from our starting point and we plan to reach mid-camp around 2:00 pm. Then we will build camp and settle for a (probably cold) night in the mountain. On November 4th, we will leave at first light and make a run for the summit. We will take with us some tents and stoves for safety, just in case weather delays us at the summit. However, if everything goes well, we will not have to use them. We plan to reach the crater around noon and work until 3:00 pm to sample, install our meteorological station, and retrieve the data from last year. If we find free water, we will sample it and also sample mud for the search of microorganisms and DNA. I also plan to sample the ice that is covering the lake. After a good discussion with one of our remote team members, Greg Kovacs, it became clear that a frozen lake is a great opportunity to study airfall deposits which add to bottom sediments. I will collect some ice near shore and then send them to the lab for research of pollens, spores etc. As soon as our work is done in the crater, we will descend and hopefully will have enough time to reach the cars at the foot of the mountain before night, otherwise we will stop again at mid-camp and spend another night on the slope.
Although challenging, these first ten days have been already very productive in terms of science. I am especially happy about the finds we made sampling the sediments on the shore of the lagunas. I cannot wait to see our biologists to show them the interesting critters that live under several centimeters of rocks and salt. Apparently, colonies with different pigments (green, pink, and bright orange) thrive there. While there is not one sign of life at the surface, it's everywhere as soon as we start turning rocks! Clay, Melissa, and Peter gave me a hand there both for the sampling of the microorganisms and for a transect we did on the paleoterraces of Laguna Verde.
In the meantime, Edmond, Michele, with the assistance of Melissa, found an ancient channel (now dry) that entered the lake during the Pleistocene and beginning of the Holocene. They sampled its terraces. It could give us some clues about the species we found in the fossils of the lake margin last year.
A new meteorological station has also been installed by Andy, Rob and Ross.
The past days also revealed a fantastic team spirit. My teammates have been making everything look quite easy in a challenging environment. There is a fantastic solidarity and friendship in this team, and lots of good humor, no matter what.
So, tomorrow we go... Another ascent on Licancabur. Every single one is unique. This one will stay probably as one of the kind for the way that led to it. For those who still would like to ignore it, the mountain is always the one to command; the wise mountaineer learns to listen fast!
We will be back on line in two or three days. Best wishes from the Andes.
Nath
Captain's Log #2
November 2, 2005: Eve of Ascent
So far, this year has been a trial year for the expedition. We had a taste of about everything one could experience in such an environment and which had spared us in the past years: harsh weather, the summit lake frozen, temperatures down to -40C, food poisoning, and a cold affecting many of the team members. Everybody is now fine but for those with the cold, we prefered not to take any chances and gave them a few days of rest and recuperation in San Pedro while the rest of the team climbed. They will join us again November 5th and will continue on the expedition with us. The rest of us, 8 out of 11 will head for the slopes of Licancabur tomorrow after a false start this morning, with the delay caused by a lack of porters.
To tell the truth, this small delay looked to me to be a very positive thing. Finally, for the past three days now, the weather has been stabilizing, and we are now seeing climate patterns that we recognize from previous years. The temperatures have been improving also. The net result is that the snow and ice that were sitting in the central gully of Licancabur, which we usually use as our exit route, have been significantly melting in the past days. This gives us a new option to return to the refuge that could save us up to two hours of descent.
So, tomorrow, November 3rd, will finally be the day for us. We have been patient with the mountain and this patience is now paying off. We will first ascend to first camp, leaving the refuge around 9:30 am and will be at the foot of Licancabur at 10:00 am. Although we are light in term of equipment this year (due to the lack of diving), we plan to climb slowly and take our time to reach mid-camp located at 5400 m. This is a vertical 900 m ascent from our starting point and we plan to reach mid-camp around 2:00 pm. Then we will build camp and settle for a (probably cold) night in the mountain. On November 4th, we will leave at first light and make a run for the summit. We will take with us some tents and stoves for safety, just in case weather delays us at the summit. However, if everything goes well, we will not have to use them. We plan to reach the crater around noon and work until 3:00 pm to sample, install our meteorological station, and retrieve the data from last year. If we find free water, we will sample it and also sample mud for the search of microorganisms and DNA. I also plan to sample the ice that is covering the lake. After a good discussion with one of our remote team members, Greg Kovacs, it became clear that a frozen lake is a great opportunity to study airfall deposits which add to bottom sediments. I will collect some ice near shore and then send them to the lab for research of pollens, spores etc. As soon as our work is done in the crater, we will descend and hopefully will have enough time to reach the cars at the foot of the mountain before night, otherwise we will stop again at mid-camp and spend another night on the slope.
Although challenging, these first ten days have been already very productive in terms of science. I am especially happy about the finds we made sampling the sediments on the shore of the lagunas. I cannot wait to see our biologists to show them the interesting critters that live under several centimeters of rocks and salt. Apparently, colonies with different pigments (green, pink, and bright orange) thrive there. While there is not one sign of life at the surface, it's everywhere as soon as we start turning rocks! Clay, Melissa, and Peter gave me a hand there both for the sampling of the microorganisms and for a transect we did on the paleoterraces of Laguna Verde.
In the meantime, Edmond, Michele, with the assistance of Melissa, found an ancient channel (now dry) that entered the lake during the Pleistocene and beginning of the Holocene. They sampled its terraces. It could give us some clues about the species we found in the fossils of the lake margin last year.
A new meteorological station has also been installed by Andy, Rob and Ross.
The past days also revealed a fantastic team spirit. My teammates have been making everything look quite easy in a challenging environment. There is a fantastic solidarity and friendship in this team, and lots of good humor, no matter what.
So, tomorrow we go... Another ascent on Licancabur. Every single one is unique. This one will stay probably as one of the kind for the way that led to it. For those who still would like to ignore it, the mountain is always the one to command; the wise mountaineer learns to listen fast!
We will be back on line in two or three days. Best wishes from the Andes.
Nath
