Back at Palmer

Lately, I feel like I'm caught in a special kind of twilight zone called Antarctica, or as so many things here depend on the sea, maybe it's better described as getting swept away in currents over which I have no control. Either way, I find myself back at Palmer Station. Not too long after my hasty departure, I found out I'd be coming back. The medevac patient (who is doing well) was taken to King George Island and flown from there to Punta Arenas using the airstrip on the Chilean base. Since we didn't have to cross the Drake, the ship was called back to Palmer for one last scientific voyage. I had mixed feelings about coming back. I had already said an emotional goodbye, and my thoughts had already turned to my traveling days ahead. However, on the positive side, I realized that I had a second chance to enjoy the people and place that I love and to finish up a few things that were left undone. I am now scheduled to leave for real on September 5th.

As for the previously mentioned long line, it was successfully retrieved during my absence due to hard work, perseverance and a 4' chainsaw.

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Palmer Station enveloped by sea ice.

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The Gould blazing a trail.