Our last days in the field
Near the end of our time in the field, we got a fun joyride about 20 miles south of our campsite, toward the mighty Marsh glacier and the Queen Elizabeth range, to take some GPS readings. It was gorgeous weather, and we really flew on our snowmobiles across the broad, flat snowfield. I finally got my Christmas package from home on Jan. 6 (Russian Orthodox Christmas Eve, I hear), and in true Radebaugh style, it was a feast of excess. Our little tent almost couldn't hold everything! In the last week or so of our stay, we finally got some tentative blows from the south. Since we'd had so much snow, spread out nicely on the plateau behind us, this wind mostly served to drift in our camp. It made for spectacular duneforms that changed by the minute, but we also had to be careful not to lose anything to giant drifts! All of our doors, including the igloo's, were nearly snowed in after each night. Although we finally saw blue ice peeking out from underneath the drifts, the wind was too little, too late, and wasn't able to clear the ice fields sufficiently enough for us to search again. We had one last party before a couple of us trickled out toward Beardmore while the rest of us packed up. Videos:Buzzing at 35+ across the flat GLACIER that feeds into the Marsh
Wind plays with the SNOW and makes big mounds
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