Eureka Week 2

Week 2 has gone well.  Learned a lot more about the specifics of the operating procedures.  Most of my training is done, although I expect that my learning will continue everyday.  The sun has gone away now, with only about 6 hours of twilight midday left.  By departure time, I expect that it will be dark all day again, similar to my last few months in Alert last year.  A group of the CANDAC scientists arrived on Friday, and they will be here with me until my departure in early November.  Other than that, things are pretty quiet and low key up here.  Here are some more pics from this past week.

Happy Trails everyone

Mike

Pilots refueling the plane

LIDAR laser

Photo Credit: Pierre Fogal

Photo Credit: Pierre Fogal

Photo Credit: Pierre Fogal

Photo Credit: Pierre Fogal

More Arctic Pics

Didn't manage to get any pics of the polar bear from Resolute Bay, but here a few more from the trip up.  Enjoy!

Mike

DHC - Twin Otter

 

Eureka - Week 1

Week 1 has gone well so far.  A lot of training and learning about how things are done here.  The sun is almost gone, probably will be by Sunday or Monday.  Not as cold as -31C sounds, but still not as warm as the south.  This type of job does not allow for a day off...only Sunday mornings.  But, time off will come at the end of November!

Very low-key lifestyle on station, with limited people here (currently at 10).  The food is great, the beers are cheap, and the bed is just right.  Not much else needed!

Here are some pics from Week 1.  Hope all is well with you all wherever you are in the world today!

H.T.

Photo Credit: Pierre Fogal

Photo Credit: Pierre Fogal

Photo Credit: Pierre Fogal

Photo Credit: Pierre Fogal

Photo Credit: Pierre Fogal

The Reality of Arctic Travel

Well, I departed Toronto for Ottawa on October 9th, and arrived on time.  We then departed Ottawa for Iqaluit on October 10th, on time.  It was once we arrived into Iqaluit that the reality of traveling within the arctic showed itself again.  We had an initial layover of 2hrs, which was extended by 2hrs due to some unscheduled airplane maintenance.  But, it is better to fix those types of problems while on the ground, than in the air!  So we patiently waited.  Finally we took off, and flew to Arctic Bay to refuel the plane.  We then took off yet again for Resolute Bay on Cornwallis Island, just at the edge of the Northwest Passage.  We arrived 4hrs later than expected, around 10pm.  The charter flight we had arranged to take us further north was cancelled due to inclement weather both in Resolute and in Eureka.  So, we were forced to spend the night in Resolute at the South Camp Inn.  I was here previously in the Summer of 2011 with UofT working at Qarmartalik Elementary School.  Not much has changed here, other than the hockey arena is fully built and operational, and there are more polar bears wandering through town than a few years ago.

The blizzard has settled in today, and all flights are grounded for the day.  The forecast does not appear to be changing for a few days, with whiteout conditions and extreme winds keeping us blanketed.  This is another example of the reality of travel in Canada's North!  Can't fight Mother Nature, she'll always win!  So for now, there is more waiting to be done.  Hope everyone is enjoying their Thanksgiving weekend!

HT

Mike

Eureka Bound

Well folks,

It's that time of year again; college finished mid-August and it was time for the job hunt to commence.  I recently arrived back home from a brief trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where I agreed to terms with the Canadian Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Change.  They have hired me to be the operator of their atmospheric station in Eureka, Nunavut.  I will be departing for Eureka in early October for a 5 week tour.  I don't have a lot of information yet, but the stories and pictures will follow soon!

Happy Trails

Mike