The Camp-17 to Camp-10 Traverse is Underway

By Jeff Kavanaugh

Trail Party One skis across the Taku Glacier – as seen from Camp-10, their destination.  Photo by J.L. Kavanaugh

As I type this, the first trail party of 11 students and staff is skiing across the Taku Glacier, having just finished a refueling break at the base of Juncture Peak (which is located at the confluence of the Southwest Branch and the main trunk of Taku Glacier).  They’ll thus arrive at Camp-10 in less than an hour. The second trail party – containing the remaining 21 students and staff – recently radioed in to say that they were making the descent from Nugget Ridge into Death Valley.  They will reach the Norris Cache (from where Trail Party One departed this morning) later this evening, and tomorrow morning will follow in the ski tracks of their fellow JIRPers to join us at Camp-10.  Once all of the students and staff are reunited, the glacier monitoring surveys and academic lectures will kick into high gear.

Taking a break from towing.  Photo by S. McGee

In support of the myriad research activities that will take place at Camp-10, this morning Scott McGee (JIRP’s Field Logistics Manager) and I took “Thor”, JIRP’s venerable Alpine II snowmachine, to Camp-18.  There we pulled three additional Skandik snow machines out of cold storage.  The two of us brought the four machines back to Camp-10 by loading two of the machines onto sleds – an unusual sight, given that each of the towed machines was also towing a sled.  Although much of the landscape was shrouded in clouds, the single building of Camp-9 (located at the half-way point between Camps 10 and 18) stood proud during both the outbound and return legs of the trip – and both times appeared to be hovering in cloud above the glacier.  The students will get their own view of Camp-9 several weeks from now, during the next camp move.

Camp 9 appears to float within the clouds.  Photo by J.L. Kavanaugh

Waiting in Cloud

By Jeff Kavanaugh

As anyone who has spent time in coastal Alaska will tell you, weather here pays no heed to schedules or the wishes of its inhabitants (or itinerants).  Nowhere is this more true than at Camp-17, which often sits in cloud even when the surrounding landscape is clear.  Currently, the weather is engulfing not just that camp, but also Camp-10 – where I sit typing this – in the very heart of the icefield.

The first of three student groups was scheduled to begin the two-day traverse from Camp-17 to Camp-10 on July 6th, with two other groups departing on the 7th and 8th.  As that morning dawned, the decision was made to wait: wind, rain, and poor visibility made the prospect of negotiating Nugget Ridge too risky to contemplate.  These weather conditions remained until well past 10:00 am, the cut-off time for departure from Camp-17.  (The first day of this traverse is long, generally taking 10–12 hours to reach the tents and food of the Norris Cache, which is established in advance from Camp-10.  A late departure from Camp-17 therefore makes for a very late arrival at the cache.)

Poor visibility persists at Camp-10 and across the icefield, delaying the students’ departure from Camp-17. Photo by J.L. Kavanaugh

To minimize the impact of the weather delay, two actions were taken.  When the weather improved slightly later in the day, a group of field safety team members (including Jeff Barbee, Annie Boucher, Stanley Pinchak, and Adam Toolanen) put their experience to the test by marking the route through the toughest sections of the traverse.  This was accomplished using both the high-tech (waypoints marked using handheld GPS units) and the low-tech (bamboo wands, which were driven into the snow to mark points of safe travel or, if crossed as an “X”, hazards).  The following morning, a subset of the staff (including Field Logistics Manager Scott McGee, Mechanic/Carpenter Ben Partan, and myself) boot-skied to the lowest reach of the Ptarmigan Glacier, which sat below the cloud deck.  From here we were picked up by helicopter and flown across to Camp-10 – thus being granted incredible views of the icefield’s terrain, but denied both the challenge and the reward of traversing it under our own power.

We’re now two days past these actions.  Both mornings we’ve awakened to rain and limited visibility; both mornings we’ve further postponed the departures from Camp-17.  We’re well-set to take advantage of any positive change in the weather: the students are primed and ready to depart Camp-17; a safe route has been established up and over Norris Ridge; the Norris Cache supplies are packed and ready to deploy; and Camp-10 is open and functional.  Additionally, four more participants have fleshed out the skeleton crew at Camp-10: Jay Fleisher, JIRP Director Emeritus and glacial geologist; Bill Isherwood, geophysicist; Bill Peterson, MD; and Ben Slavin, a JIRP ’11 alumnus who has returned to investigate the genetic variability of a particular insect species across the icefield. (You’ll read about each of these individuals in later blog posts.)

Over the next few days, the weather will surely clear sufficiently to allow the trail crews to depart Camp-17 for the broad views and spectacular peaks that await them on the “high ice”.  In the meantime, students will continue to practice their skiing (both roped and unroped) and crevasse rescue techniques, write a few more letters to family and friends, and master the art of brownie baking.   We’ll soon be reunited at Camp-10.

 

JIRP is FINALLY Happening!

By Jamie Bradshaw

While writing this, I am sitting in The Cook Shack at Camp 17 listening to Pink Floyd while the cooks are planning lunch and our fearless leaders are setting the route for the Norris Cache, our first move to Camp 10. Once the route is set and the weather softens, the first trail party will hit the trail. Fortunately, I am in the first trail party and this time I will have first dibs on sleeping arrangements! I am really looking forward to seeing new sights and I am pumped to endure what I have been told is the most physically and mentally challenging part of the icefield traverse. Another reason why I am so excited to arrive at Camp 10 is because I know just how good the view is. Unlike the other students, Camp 10 is not a complete mystery to me. If you followed the 2012 JIRP blog, you may remember my post from last summer about my fortunate flight to Camp 10. 

Jamie and “Blue”, the trusty JIRP Suburban, on their way to Atlin, BC, Canada to continue JIRP logistics in 2012.  Photo:  Jamie Bradshaw

I first heard about the program nearly three years ago when enrolled in a Glacier Surveying Field Methods course offered by Mike Hekkers at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, Alaska. I was immediately intrigued. In 2011, I was lucky to be able to spend time with the JIRPers while they were in Juneau for a week. I hiked to Herbert Glacier with them and showed them our surveying sites on Mendenhall Glacier.  Last year, I saw the Logistics Agent position for JIRP was available. I decided to apply for the position because it would be a great way to support JIRP,  get involved and I figured it would give me a unique perspective of JIRP in hopes of participating as a student in the summer of 2013. You could say that I had the “JIRP bug”.

Nearly all of the JIRP mystery is removed for me because of my logistics position last summer. I understood how the food, supplies and mail get here, I knew what many of the camps look like and approximately how long we spend at each camp, I knew how meals work and how day and multi-day trips work and I knew of the joys of Atlin, BC. I also knew three of the students participating prior to JIRP, I knew the staff members and many of the guest lecturers from previous JIRP experiences. Most of the time I really appreciate my JIRP background because I can answer many questions that students have and I can prepare myself for upcoming events. Other times, this background takes some of the excitement of the unknown away from me that the other students have. Needless to say, I am very thankful to have this JIRP knowledge and to have the unknowns of the routes from camp to camp!

While coordinating logistics in Juneau last summer, I read the blogs, flew to Camps 10 and 18, and saw how close the students and staff grew. I was honored to be a part of the JIRP family, but I wanted to learn and grow with everyone on the ice. I knew that JIRP would be an amazing experience and I anxiously awaited the summer 2013 season to begin. On the hike up to Camp 17A, I kept saying to myself “ I can’t believe this is finally happening!”  So far, JIRP has been everything I have imagined it to be!

Jamie on the upper Lemon Creek Glacier overlooking the Dead Branch of Norris Glacier; where, after three years, JIRP is really happening!  Photo:  Jamie Bradshaw

Photo Gallery: Life at Camp 17

Photos by Mira Dutschke

Click on any one of the photos below to open a slideshow of the images with captions. 

An Interview with Dr. Anthony Arendt

By Patrick Englehardt

Glaciologist Anthony Arendt grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, where his deep connections to the Canadian Rockies fostered his love for science and nature. Growing up Anthony often visited the Athabasca Glacier, where he fondly recalled traveling onto the glacier in track vehicles with his family. Once in college his passion for mountaineering and science was fostered, and he decided that he wanted to pursue a career in Earth science where his passions could be fulfilled.  

Dr. Anthony Arendt gives an evening lecture to JIRP students in the Camp 17 library.  Photo:  Jeff Barbee

Patrick Englehardt: What is your research focus?
Anthony Arendt: I focus on understanding how glaciers change in response to climate, with an emphasis on predicting how global sea level and local water resources are affected.

Patrick Englehardt: Where has your research taken you?
Anthony Arendt: My first glacial project took place on Ellesmere Island in northern Canada, where I spent three summers conducting research.  I have also traveled to the North West Territories, Alaska, Greenland, and Antarctica.

Patrick Englehardt: Why do you conduct your research?
Anthony Arendt: Glacial change is a large contributor to rising sea level, which has significant societal impacts and global implications. It is especially important to understand how these changes will affect coastal communities, local water resources and agriculture.

Patrick Englehardt: What has been your greatest challenge?
Anthony Arendt: The first few years of my PhD were really challenging. During this time I figured out that Alaskan field work had a steep learning curve. I had to hone my mountaineering, glacial travel and survival skills and deal with the incredibly remote Alaskan wilderness. During the second year of my PhD I had a harrowing experience, falling into a glacial river and losing all of my glacier gear. This was the low point of my career and I seriously thought of quitting.

Patrick Englehardt: What kept you from giving up?
Anthony Arendt: I had a lot of support from family, friends and colleagues, all of whom encouraged me not to give up. I think my interest in glaciers also kept me going, and I knew that I could not learn all of these amazing things anywhere else but in Alaska. I’m glad I never gave up and I stuck with it, because my career improved after that.

Patrick Englehardt: Who was your greatest inspiration growing up?
Anthony Arendt: As a scientist it was David Suzuki. I remember, as a kid, watching him on television every week. He introduced me to new ideas about how we can care for the planet and mitigate climate change. What impressed me most was his honesty, something that has always stuck with me as I have strived to be fact-driven and honest with my research. Also I have been inspired by every advisor I have had during my career. Each has been a great mentor in their own right and helped me along the way.

Patrick Englehardt: How did you hear about JIRP?
Anthony Arendt: When I moved to Alaska in 2000 I heard about JIRP from a myriad of people, and I always wanted to take part in the program.  I had hoped to participate as a student but schedules and research always kept me from doing that. Jeff [Kavanaugh] approached me and asked if I would teach this year at JIRP and I happily obliged.  I was excited to finally be part of the long historical legacy of the many others before me, including my PhD supervisor [Keith Echelmeyer].

Patrick Englehardt: What suggestions would you have for aspiring scientists?
Anthony Arendt: Students interested in a scientific career face numerous opportunities, and also many challenges. In addition to learning a broad range of technical and mathematical skills, scientists need to develop strong communication skills, due to the highly collaborative nature of research today. At the same time, we know some of the greatest scientific discoveries come from long periods of working in solitude. So, finding educational opportunities that balance these elements is really important.

Patrick Englehardt: Do you believe that there are educational opportunities where aspiring scientist can gain these skills?
Anthony Arendt: I believe that JIRP provides great opportunities for developing these skills. I cannot think of a better environment for aspiring scientist to hone their research and safety skills while fostering a strong sense of community. At JIRP, students work towards a common goal while simultaneously conducting unique scientific research.  JIRP is an excellent microcosm of the real scientific community where a love of nature and science connect people and connections are made for life.

Patrick Englehardt: If you had not become a scientist what would you do?
Anthony Arendt: No question, I would be a famous Jazz musician! I looked into musical colleges and I play piano, and I continue to play as a hobby.  

Dr. Anthony Arendt.  Photo:  Mira Dutschke

Connections

By Adam Taylor

Jon and Christy reflecting on the mountains as they make memories that will last a lifetime.  Photo:  Adam Taylor

Day 12 of the JIRP experience and the weather has changed quite drastically. The past few days students and staff have seen higher winds and rain which apparently is "more like Camp 17 weather".  But even with the change in weather, morale is still soaring with the eagles and yesterday we were able to dig our first snow pit.  Snow pits are a way for us to study how much mass the glacier is gaining or losing. We have also been skiing, setting up z-pulleys, and learning to safely navigate the icefield. Alongside our safety skills we've also been developing relationships.  JIRP students and staff are forming bonds not only with each other but with former and future JIRP members as well.

Adam Toolanen, Jamie Bradshaw, and Jai Beeman tying knots and friendships that if dressed properly, can last a lifetime. Photo:  Adam Taylor

JIRP students and staff will make friendships and memories that will last a lifetime. Everywhere you look at Camp 17, JIRP members are laughing and enjoying each other's company. And although most of the individuals have only known each other for a short time, they are beginning to form a family. We feel safe and comfortable with each other, which is important when traveling across the icefield. Trust will be needed during our traverse, since the time will come when your life will be put in another's hands.  

I relate the JIRP experience with my time spent in the military. Both experiences are difficult to relate to others if they haven't been participants themselves. The time spent in Camps and on different glaciers will only be shared among the few members on the icefield. When leaving, this connection stays between the students and staff. Stories will be told and memories shared with others outside, but the bonds formed will remain within the family members of JIRP.

Not only are current JIRP members creating memories with each other but they are forming bonds with former and future JIRP members as well. When blogs are posted, the experiences will be read by all; however, only fully understood by those who have experienced it before. I would hope that readers wanting the same connections would view the blogs as a motivator to attend JIRP in the future. These connections do not stop at the blog, they carry over in all aspects of life. When JIRP 2013 is written on a resume, anyone who reads it and has attended JIRP will more easily relate to the experience than those who have not been through the program. 

The memories created and time spent during the Juneau Icefield Research Program will last a lifetime. In addition to the science being done, we are gathering memories alongside data points. My feeling is that five, ten or fifteen years from now the data collected may become a bit clouded but names like Annie Cantrell, Grayson Carlile, and Brooke Stamper will hold strong. Since 1946 JIRP has been creating friendships and will continue to form them into the unforeseeable future. As Scott McGee says, "once a JIRPer, always a JIRPer". This in itself, says it all.

A JIRP trail party settles in for the night at Camp 17A over tuna-macaroni and cheese. Photo:  Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor Photography: Camp 17 Landscape

By Adam Taylor

[Editor's note:  The participants of JIRP 2013 include some great photographers!  More photo galleries from Camp 17 will be posted in the coming days.  Click on any one of the photos below to open a slideshow of the images with captions.]

Learning to Prefer Holding a Pointy Metal Ice Axe While Falling

By Annie Cantrell

 

It was a sunny afternoon as I was hiking up a steep slope with my fellow JIRPers when I saw field safety staff member Adam Toolanen slip and fall down the hill. I remember thinking that it was strange how relaxed and calm he was. It wasn't until he used his ice axe to stop himself that I realized he was demonstrating self arrest technique. It looked easy and natural to him, but when I reached the top of the hill, it seemed ridiculous to slide off on purpose.  (In fact, when hiking up the slope I was worried about falling unintentionally – a funny thought when our entire purpose for being there was to throw ourselves down that slope!)



Students practicing their self arrest skills on the side of Cairn Peak.  Photo:  Mira Dutschke

Ice axes look like weapons: at one end of the shaft they have a metal spike, and at the other they have a head consisting of a serrated metal pick and a shorter blade called an adze. Despite their threatening appearance, they can save your life if used properly. To arrest a fall on snow, you fight to get onto your stomach with your feet downhill of your head – which is not always how you start out. You maneuver your axe so that it lies diagonally across your torso, with one hand on the shaft near the spike and the other gripping the head. You then drive the pick into the snow near your shoulder and lever the shaft against your chest with your full body weight, while simultaneously kicking your feet into the snow. This is a lot to put together in the few seconds you have to stop your fall, so repeated slides down the hill were necessary.

Mira Dutschke, Justyna Dudek, Molly Blakowski and Annie Boucher practicing their self arrest skills on the side of Cairn Peak.  Photo:  Jeff Barbee

We started off slowly on a gradual part of the hill, practicing the correct position. At first, this portion seemed steep enough, and had me questioning my abilities. Adrenaline was coursing through me as we started by practicing sliding down on our butts. Matt, a staff member, had said that he was confident we could stop ourselves, but also assured us that there was nothing to harm us even if we did fall all the way down the hill (aside from a long walk back up). I was surprised when I was able to stop myself. This wasn’t so hard after all.

Even though I successfully managed to self arrest going down quickly on both my butt and belly, I still found it difficult to trust an ice axe over my own body. Prior to this moment, every fall I’ve taken in my 21 years of life has been arrested using only my body, and now I have to control, use, and trust a threatening piece of metal while flying downhill. When we began to slide head first on our backs, trusting my ice axe became a problem.

Justyna Dudek, Molly Blakowski, Mira Dutschke, Annie Boucher and another practicing their self arrest skills on the side of Cairn Peak.  Photo:  Jeff Barbee

This time I couldn’t see what was going on around me, and I was going much faster than I had in the other positions. I did a variety of things wrong, all of which happened really quickly. Apparently I kicked my legs uphill, afraid to let myself swing down. I was flailing wildly and only managed to stop myself halfway down the hill. Another time, I almost ended up at the bottom of the hill, after trying to stand up before I had slowed down sufficiently.

Annie Boucher and Mira Dutschke practicing self arrest on the side of Cairn Peak with Lake Linda far below.  Photo:  Jeff Barbee

After a few scary moments, I figured out how to stop myself quickly and reliably. This proved to me that in moments of real panic and danger, I could stop myself from falling. In fact, one of my teammates told me that she gained confidence in her own abilities after watching me fall such a great distance, self arrest, and hike all the way back up the hill.

Justyna Dudek ready for action practicing her self arrest skills on the side of Cairn Peak  Photo:  Mira Dutschke

The next day we practiced an even more complicated scenario: stopping a fall while roped together as a team. Here, one member would pretend to fall off of a hill, and it was our task to catch both ourselves and our teammates. I was successful: I remembered the technique, I knew the position, and I trusted my ice axe. While learning how to self arrest had its terrifying moments, I gained confidence in my abilities to safely travel across the icefield.   

Tied to a String

By Stephanie Streich, Photos by Mira Dutschke and Jeff Kavanaugh

Chrissy McCabe, Alistair Morgan, William Jenkins, Adam Taylor and others practice their knots at Camp 17 on the Juneau Icefield.  Photo:  Mira Dutschke

At Camp 17, students have been roped in and all tied up, becoming familiar with various knots. A critical part of our daily routine has been learning and practicing the knots that are crucial to travel safely on the icefield. The Figure-8, the Butterfly and the Double Fisherman are just some of the knots that will protect us against the dangers of crevasses and ice caves that are hidden within glaciers. The Prussik knot and the climbing harness are sometimes the only lifeline that attach you to the other members of your trail party as you travel across this vast white wilderness of snow and ice. Before we expose ourselves to the real life dangers of the field, we developed our climbing skills in a safer and warmer environment: the kitchen.

Climbing ropes hanging to dry in the cookshack at Camp 17 on the Juneau Icefield.  Photo:  Mira Dutschke

For practice all the students piled into the cookshack to climb up ropes attached to the ceiling. Using the knots we learned, we used two Prussik slings and attached them to the ropes and our harnesses. I have to admit, I was pretty hesitant to get up the rope as I was standing in line waiting for my turn. I was unsure if two skinny strings attached to a rope would actually hold my weight and enable me to elevate myself high into the air. Once I got attached to the rope I realized that the harness did a lot of the work for me, and I started having a blast. The harness loops around our waist and legs, linking us to the main line with a carabiner. With a long Prussik for the legs and a short Prussik from the harness to the rope I was able to hoist myself up the line. It was a great feeling of relief hanging in thin air by a string, gradually climbing up, knowing that I was not going to fall down. It was so easy! Climbing was definitely not as difficult as it seemed watching my fellow JIRPers tackling the rope. Getting down, however, was another story and quite a challenge. It would be rare to need to Prussik down a rope, but I'm going to have to work on that.

Author Stephanie Streich at the top of the rope after practicing with her prussiks in the camp cookshack.  Photo:  Jeff Kavanaugh

Greetings from Camp 17!

By Sarah Cooley, Photos by Sarah Bouckoms

We all woke up a little sore this morning after our long hike up to Camp 17, and we started off the day with a lot of pancakes and coffee.  Then began the camp orientation tour, followed by the cleaning and organizing that comes with opening up camp after a long winter. Since we were the first party to arrive, it was our responsibility to prepare camp for the arrival of our teammates. We spent the morning washing every single dish in the kitchen, pulling out and taking inventory of all of the food that spent the winter here, bleaching down all of the counter tops, and organizing the pantry. Hidden in the back corner of the pantry was a vintage can of chicken, lovingly labeled "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 2061".

Mary Gianotti in the Camp 17 cook shack with the "Do Not Open Until 2061" funky chicken.  Photo:  S. Bouckoms  

With all the food organized, we were ready to make lunch -- just in time for the second trail party to arrive. They had split the hike into two days, and spent the night at Camp 17A located a few hours' hike below Camp 17. When they came into view below the ridge, we headed out to the edge of camp and cheered them up the final stretch of the snowfield.  We enjoyed hearing about their hike up over a bowl of chili, relaxed for a bit, and then continued the cleaning and camp opening.

The Camp 17 pantry.  Enough food to feed a small army . . . of JIRPers!   Photo:  S. Bouckoms

My afternoon job involved digging a snow pit to use as our refrigerator. It was great to get outside after spending the morning in the kitchen, and with four of us working on it, we finished the task quite quickly. We also had a bit of excitement with three helicopter arrivals, bringing up our skis, more fuel, and three faculty members. After a few days in Juneau, it's great to finally be on the icefield -- after all, that's why we're all here -- and the arrival of each trail party adds excitement to the camp.  For now, we'll be cleaning, organizing, and getting used to life on the icefield, all in preparation for the upcoming safety training and the science.  In the meantime, it's great to have started our adventure!

Christian Hein, Sarah Cooley, and Annie Cantrell digging the "refrigerator".  Photo:  S. Bouckoms