Off the Grid, Onto the Map

After a whirlwind week of packing gear, testing scientific instruments, and attending briefings, here in McMurdo Station, I'm off to the Dry Valleys tomorrow (Taylor Valley in particular, on the above map)! The good news: I'm on my way. The bad news: the Communications folks on station haven't gotten the internet up and running yet, so it may be a while until my next post. I'll keep a log, though, and update in bulk when we get connected.

I'm headed to the Lake Hoare fixed camp (located near the "a" in Valley on the map), along with 700 pounds of cargo, clothing, instruments, and sample bottles. Exactly why I'm headed to this out of the way place is the subject of the next post.