Kenji and Tohru’s permafrost expedition is drawing to a close and they plan their last station at Saint Mary on March 15. The trail between Holy Cross, Russian Mission and Marshall was very rough with ice and sand but little snow.
Check out their blog entries at: http://www.uaf.edu/permafrost/ (click on BLOG)
The team spent a relaxing day in Shageluk drilling, speaking with school children, and watching the Iditarod mushers come and go.
Check out the permafrost outreach blog at http://www.uaf.edu/permafrost/ (click on BLOG).
Permafrost team progresses along their journey.
Check out the blog at http://www.uaf.edu/permafrost/ (click on BLOG).
March 6, 2007
The permafrost outreach team made it to Ruby without mechanical mishap, although some plastic tubing was lost from the sled. The way was long, over 120 miles through blowing snow, but they were able to make it without stopping for the night. The temperature in Ruby was -14°F but they said that it felt warmer after their journey through the wind.
Check out the permafrost website blog at: http://www.uaf.edu/permafrost/ (Click on BLOG).
Also, check out article from February 14th edition of the Alaska Science Forum: Adventurers head down Yukon to monitor permafrost
School in Ruby, left; Kenji putting samples in vials, right.
6:12pm Tanana March 5, 2007
The trip between Manley Hot Springs and Tanana was very windy but uneventful except for a broken hitch on the sled. In Tanana, the wind was calm but temperatures were still very cold and the team was experiencing difficulty with the equipment. They were looking around for a possible drilling site in Tanana. Drilling close to the school was not an option because the soil had been disturbed multiple times in that area with construction activities, which causes the soil to backfill in the hole and make going deep difficult. This was a problem for them in Manley and they were able to only go 12-15ft down.
On March 6, they plan on heading down the river to Ruby. The leg is long so they may overnight halfway at a cabin 60 miles or so from Tanana.
The expedition left Fairbanks at 6:30 am on March 4, 2007 with 1200lbs. of gear, 2 snowmachines, and 3 sleds. They saw lots of moose along the way. Upon their arrival in Manley, they went to the school and started working on drilling right away. The drill was only able to clear 12 ft in this location with temperatures around -20°F.
Next destination - Tanana.
