Itinerary

The packing has begun. I boxed up both of our single speed mt bikes which Steve sent off for Scotia NY today. The big huge warm boots, skis, cod liver oil, yoga mats, climbing gear, long underwear and carharts (thanks Mom) lay in piles ready to go in our kits.
We leave our home this Monday, the 17th. Our first flight is out of Bellingham at 905 am. We are bound first for Oklahoma city via Denver where we will be engaged in a 4 day long training course for Hazardous cargo shipment and documentation. We will be staying at the Wingate Inn on S Meridian Ave. We hope to get some climbing in during the evenings at the old grain silo climbing gymn in downtown Okie city, which toutes a 125 foot high wall and 90 feet of roof.


On march 22 we fly from Oklahoma city (via Cleavland) for Albany NY. We will be staying in Schenectady at the Nott Terrace Holiday Inn until the 25th. On the 25th we will get up at 4 am for transport to Scotia, home of the air guard. Here we will lay around for about 5 hours while the crew gets ready (read, drinks coffee). There will be 4 of us flying North to Greenland (along with a lot of cargo) aboard one of the LC 130 Hercules cargo planes; the same planes that support the Antarctic during the Austral summer.

Normally the flight is direct from NY to Kangerlussuaq and takes about 7 hours. Sometimes the winds will be too strong and we will have to stop in Goose Bay Newfoundland, which breaks the trip in half. This also offers us all the mandatory deboarding of the aircraft while the ground crew re-fuels. The reception in Goose Bay is always pleasant. We are herded into a waiting area with bathrooms, and offered hot chocolate, coffee, tea, doughnuts and ice cream cups.

Once we land in Greenland, we will go straight to work, as its our job to unload the airplane and deal with the cargo. The weather is currently pretty fair, with temperatures in the low to mid teens (Fahrenheit) with snow. There will be 12 hours of daylight, but with much more intensified dusk and dawn aspects. Snow machines and dog sled teams will be out and about around "town".

Here in Welcome valley, the crocus are popping up along with the tulips and the rhubarb. Our fruit tree's buds are swelling with the wild salmon berries and the spring frogs can be heard peeping in the swamps, though there is still a low snowline in the hills.
The change of environments will seem incredible, even a bit shocking upon first inhalation, but will merge rather quickly into the familiar. Then, we will watch silently as spring comes bounding into the arctic tundra with its own quiet rushing blush.