A Typical Day

December 10, 2008

9:30am:  Wake Up.

10:00am:  Summon courage to leave sleeping bag, pull on snow boots, exit tent, hit the outhouse, go into hut.

10:15am: Breakfast. Pour two cups granola, one cup dry oatmeal, and two tablespoons powdered soy milk into a bowl, add melted snow water, stir, garnish with one spoonful honey and two spoons of yogurt, enjoy.

11:00am: Wipe dirty dishes with paper towels and water (no soap).

11:15am: Morning constitutional.

11:30am: Enter data from previous afternoon, tally season’s results, and update whiteboard (today’s total: 466 penguin bands resighted, 369 on nests, and 14 originally banded at other colonies).

12:30pm: Lunch. Leftover veggie burger patties from last night’s dinner.

1:15pm: Pack gear to take into the field. Field checklist: Databook, binoculars, radio, GPS, extra batteries, sharpie, nest markers, Leatherman, water bottle, Balance Bars, goggles, extra changes of clothes, extra glasses, sunglasses, satellite phone, handwarmers, sunscreen, and camera.

1:30pm: Dress for the field. Clothing: Two pairs long underwear, T-shirt, sweatshirt, fleece sweater, coverall pants, radio chest harness, heavy socks, gloves, hat, neck gaiter, sunglasses, heavy jacket and windbreaker, boots, crampons.

1:45pm: Out the door, walk 1 mile down ice slope to penguin colony.

2:30pm: Wander among penguins, searching for banded birds, monitor known nests of banded birds, collect eggshell samples, other data gathering.

7:30pm: Daily check-in by radio with McMurdo Station. Start scrambling up the side of Pat’s Peak.

8:15pm: Summit of Pat’s Peak (1,200′), watch ocean with binculars and scope for 1 hour, record whale activity.

9:15pm: Hike back to hut.

9:30pm: Dinner. Pitas, beef, yogurt, hummus, made by Michelle.

10:00pm: Maintenence (tighten ropes on tents, organize hut, chores).

11:00pm: Check email.

Midnight: Sleep.

Penguins Running Toward The Camera

Penguins On The Ice

Kirsten Hikes Home

Michelle Among The Penguins