From The Field

November 14, 2003

3:25 PM

Brian Grigsby

THE TEAM IS AT THE TOP!

Nathalie Cabrol and Greg Kovacs called from the summit camp which is a short hike to the crater and reported that everyone is doing well. Because of power issues with the cold temperatures, most of the batteries have been rendered useless, and Greg's computer was non-functional. But the team was doing very well!

Nathalie Cabrol called from the summit camp, and her and Greg Kovacs phone call from the summit (almost 20,000 feet) can be heard by clicking below:

Nathalie Cabrol's Summit Call

Greg Kovacs' Summit Call

The team was able to perform 3 dives on their first day in the crater, and they plan on doing more science on the second day (Saturday the 15th of November), then they will head back to the refuge. They were able to take many spectacular photos, and will be uploading those once they are back at the refuge and can power up their batteries again.

So, stay tuned!!!!

Continued...

November 13, 2003

8:53 AM

Gregory Kovacs

Camp 1 is reached!

On the 10th, we drove deeper into Bolivia, hoping to get a closer look at an active volcano. Unfortunately, our efforts where thwarted when we realized that we could not complete the necessary traverse (at 17,100 ft) to reach the ridge from which the mountain would be visible. However, our efforts were richly rewarded in unexpected ways...

First, we saw several vicunas up close, and were able to photograph these beautiful animals. Then we were treated to incredible views of the sulfur-stained landscape. As we reached higher altitudes, we came across large expanses of what is called "penitent snow." These meter-high blades of snow represent a thermodynamically favorable configuration that can persist long after the bulk of the snow in an area has melted.

That evening, logistics operations for the climb were in full swing. We organized and packed up hundreds of pounds of equipment to be carried ahead to camps by local porters (who are very kind and helpful people, and to whom we are extremely grateful).

On the 11th, we prepared for the climb - it was amazing to me how much preparation is required. We filled the refuge with stacks of tents, sleeping bags, equipment, food, etc. The overall plan was managed using charts, with the mountains always visible, reminding us why we were doing all of this.

Today, finally, we ascended to Camp 1. The camp is a very small ledge with a stone wall, into which we crammed our tents and equipment. I am writing this from my tent, which is complete with an alpine workstation consisting of solar panel, laptop computer, Inmarsat satellite phone and modem. Hopefully I will be emailing again from the summit!

Continued...

November 12, 2003

9:02 AM

Brian Grigsby

Audio Diary Today the team is ascending to mid camp at 5,400 meters. It will take them several hours to climb from the refuge, to the mid-way point on the side of Licancabur. Most of their equipment has already been taken up to this camp by porters, and will be waiting for them when they arrive today.

They will stay the night at this camp to further acclimate to the altitude, and make the final push to the summit tomorrow morning, arriving at the summit by mid-day.

Temperature at this altitude with a wind chill, can easily reach -25 Celsius. The team will be staying in 2-person tents in an area that is 30 feet long, and 10 feet wide, pretty cramped even for a single person, let alone a team of 10-12 people.

This is an exhausting and physically taxing event for the team. They have spent the last 2 weeks at 14,000 feet conducting experiments, making training climbs to the summits of surrounding peaks, and preparing for the summit at 6019 meters.

When at the summit, the team hopes to recover several experiments that will give them more insight as to life in extreme environments. The team will also be preparing to dive in the lake at the summit to retrieve water samples, take pictures (video and still) and understand the geography of the lake.

Continued...

November 10, 2003

8:26 AM

Gregory Kovacs

Days of Science and Training

Audio Diary On the 7th, after my return to the refuge, I found that my day at 8,000 ft. had made a huge difference. I managed to send some large data files using land-line data services, which helped a lot since we are normally using Inmarsat 64 kbit links.

It was great to jump back into things at the refuge - a pleasant mix of English, Spanish, French and Hungarian. The team is now well-bonded and efficient, but we are still working on jokes that have been translated twice.

Gabor Borics and Aron Kiss had done a survey of one of the two large lakes, Laguna Blanca, and found an intriguing and probably not previously studied ecosystem.

On the 8th, we started early. Nathalie Cabrol and Andy Hock completed a depth and thermal survey of Laguna Verde. The purpose of this effort was to determine the modern profile of the lake and relate it to what it was approximately 15,000 years ago, when the lakes here were far more extensive (the ancient shorelines are very visible today). Walking the shore of Laguna Verde involves crunching through a white "beach" of salt crystals.

This was followed by some more dive testing with the NASA CPOD physiologic monitors. The data was promptly sent by satellite to Stanford, as it would be if the monitoring were for a medical situation in space.

Today, the last of the training climbs was held, and our team successfully reached the "Camp 1" site at 17,400 ft on Licancabur. The view was spectacular, and one could see the ruins of an ancient Inca trading post, as well as the lakes in all of their glory. During a brief rest at the camp, it occurred to me again that we were actually going to try to climb to nearly 20,000 ft and put divers in the world's highest lake. The goal once again, is to study primordial-Mars-like conditions.

Tomorrow, hopefully we will travel cross-country to see volcano Putana up close. This one is currently spewing an enormous, sulfur-colored plume into the sky each day.

Finally, we are beginning to get equipment moved to Camp 1. The plan is to climb on the 12th, overnight there, and summit on the 13th. We then hope to spend two days and nights working at the summit before descending on the 15th. From up there, we hope carry out the dive experiments as well as the live streaming of medical data by satellite back to Stanford/NASA Ames.

Finally, on Nov 8th, we were treated to a lunar eclipse. It was really beautiful, and the clear skies up here made it even better.

Continued...