Berg

As you know from my last voice dispatch via Iridium phone from Chile, we have rescheduled our departure for Antarctica and the Embree Glacier region of the Ellsworth Mountains for January 5, 2000.

The last time I talked to you, Bob Elias was en route to the ice to do a climb on Vinson. While I flew back to the states in time for Thanksgiving, Bob got down to Patriot Hills. He spent five days there. Light snow was preventing the Twin Otter flight on to Vinson Base. Because of the delay, Bob decided to postpone his ascent of Vinson once again. But his time on the ice was very productive in terms of the science goals of our project this year. One of the MIT weather probes, the platform we identify as #88990, was powered up and deployed at Patriot Hills Base. Then Bob got to fly out to Vinson Base and power up Unit #88991 and hand it off to Dave Hahn, who will most likely take it to the summit of Vinson.

So, we have data coming from two weather probes in Antarctica! Lucy Yeomans, the Adventure Network staff meteorologist at Patriot Hills, and Niall Sanders, the radio operator, told Bob they would keep an eye on the probes. They are getting us data at this point and, to be honest, I am glad to have a month now to continue working on how we will process the data. When we return to Antarctica in January, the climbing in the Embree still awaits us and we will take weather probes there as well.

Patience has always been an expedition mountaineer's trait. It is demanded by the game, if it is not already there. Bob and I will get our time on the untouched ridges of the Embree Glacier. In the meantime, I'm dreaming of the great expanse of that continent and the adventures of friends already down there: the guys from Jackson, skiing and snowboarding, and the British gals, Caroline, Pom, Rosie, Ann and Zoe on the M&G ISA Challenge polar crossing — they are going from the coast to the South Pole.

And, of course, the Alpine Ascents climb of Vinson. I called Punta Arenas early this morning, December 6th, the date of their proposed departure for the ice. Snowing at Patriot so Willie Prittie and the group are standing by waiting for conditions to improve.

Stay tuned...

— Wally Berg, MountainZone.com Correspondent

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