Day 18 - May 23 2006

Sverrir excavates boxes for his cutting table from the large drift that formed in the slipstream from the weatherport. Even though it was not marked before the storm, he found it on his first try when he hit the saw with a pole, still sitting on the buried table.

Today was the most productive we have had since we first arrived. The weather has improved vastly in the last 24 hours. The sky has cleared and the sun is shining brilliantly on the snow. In the last week, we have received almost half a meter (1.5 feet) of snow. That is nearly the average yearly total estimated for the Flade Isblink ice dome.


The reshaped landscape at Flade Isblink camp with the newly erected two-story Drill Dome just to the right of the weatherport. The raised biffy is the black tent in the right foregrond. This is essentially the final configuration of the camp.

We spent today digging out everything, including the boxes in our cargo line, both Skidoos, both sleds, the biffy, the saw table, and buried extension cords. Then I worked on the radar while Dennis took his turn at preparing dinner and everyone else worked on the Drill Dome. I did some first tests of the radar depth sounder and had some problems starting it up. It was cold. That is because it has turned colder. It's about 10 F with winds at 9 mph from due north. It may seem ironic that our sunniest day is also one of our coldest, but when the sky is clear, the heat from the sun just reflects off the snow and ice and radiates directly back into space. We hope the weather will hold and tomorrow will be just as productive. We all are tired from shoveling several tons of snow and expect to sleep soundly tonight.


Close-up of the Drill Dome. It is set on 4' x 8' plywood sheets and constructed of steel tubing, heavy canvas and plastic.