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Hello SC Runners:
I arrived in Barrow, Alaska this past Thursday. It has the definite look and feel of winter. The temperature has hung around the upper 20’s to upper 30’s since I have been here. I have been busy learning my responsibilities as part of the research team and adjusting to the new time zone, four hours behind South Carolina, and the fact that it never gets completely dark here, this time of year. If you wake up at 3 a.m., it is still light outside. I have to constantly check the watch to know what time it is.
Yesterday, we rode snowmobiles out on the sea ice up to Point Barrow, which is the northern most point in the United States. It was an 8-mile ride up. There is a native Alaskan burial site there that I will be working on in addition to my assigned project on the arctic tundra. We did not see any polar bears but saw some bear tracks. We had a bear guard with us to keep a watch out as we surveyed the area. When working at the research sites, each group must carry a shotgun for protection.
I ran for the first time yesterday morning. I was going to run into the town of Barrow, a little over two miles away, but decided against it because visibility was not good and there is the threat of polar bears.
Hello SC Runners:
I arrived in Barrow, Alaska this past Thursday. It has the definite look and feel of winter. The temperature has hung around the upper 20’s to upper 30’s since I have been here. I have been busy learning my responsibilities as part of the research team and adjusting to the new time zone, four hours behind South Carolina, and the fact that it never gets completely dark here, this time of year. If you wake up at 3 a.m., it is still light outside. I have to constantly check the watch to know what time it is.
Yesterday, we rode snowmobiles out on the sea ice up to Point Barrow, which is the northern most point in the United States. It was an 8-mile ride up. There is a native Alaskan burial site there that I will be working on in addition to my assigned project on the arctic tundra. We did not see any polar bears but saw some bear tracks. We had a bear guard with us to keep a watch out as we surveyed the area. When working at the research sites, each group must carry a shotgun for protection.
I ran for the first time yesterday morning. I was going to run into the town of Barrow, a little over two miles away, but decided against it because visibility was not good and there is the threat of polar bears.
I ended up running loops around the BASC complex. BASC stands for Barrow Arctic Science Consortium. There are many research projects going on up here. I am hoping to get a glimpse of several others besides the one I am working on. You can read more about what is happening on a daily basis at polartrec.com.
I have been posting journal entries and photos in my gallery.