Imm-man-YAR-OK: n. Inupiat (polar Alaskan native) word for the 'Little People', spirits manifested as inexplicable lights you see on the tundra in polar winter; lights that you mustn't follow, lest they lead you into danger...
Well, despite a forecast of 10mph South winds--which would be *perfect* for the flying I'm attempting--today's winds blow from the the East, completely unflyable for the terrain at hand. So I've been to the Inupiat Heritage Center here in Barrow, where I've been drawing; below, a sketch of a snowy owl--'Ukpik' in the Inupiat language--and its meal.
Two winters ago, trekking alone across a blinding expanse of snowy tundra (it was February, when floods of sunlight burst across the southern horizon), I experienced that sensation we all know, the eerie sensation of being watched...as though someone is standing just a little too close behind you. I stopped skiing and scanned around and was frozen in position, nailed to the Earth, by the stare of a large snowy owl just 20 paces away. It was studying me with great care. I haven't stopped thinking about this creature since.
Hoping for fairer winds tomorrow, and running out of time before my 03 Jan flight home!
Waiting for wind conditions to shape up for flying today...but nothing doing. So I've come to the Barrow public library to write a blog entry describing a paraglider launch; this should help explain the pictures posted here so far (scroll down). Cheers, Cameron
As Richard Harrison wrote in 1967, while powered aircraft perfectly describe the mechanics of flight, gliding aviation is its eloquence. Muscling through the sky with an engine is so very different from relying entirely on your reading of the movements of air, each stirring of which--however minute--is relayed down from the wing above to the control lines in your hands.
Even before you inflate the wing (“The paraglider is the only aircraft you have to assemble as you take off,” my instructor joked) you align it square to the breeze, indicated by a flag or, if you can feel the air on your skin, the unmistakable touches of air that moves like liquid.
With your back to the wind you draw on the leading-edge lines and wind flows into the open ports; now the wing pressurizes and spreads horizontally and then you step forward, not wanting it to rise just yet, and let the wing rest again. Final adjustment, a step this way, half a step that way, now you’re set. The wind is directly at your back, the wing is half inflated, resting on the ground; snow, in my case.
When the moment is absolutely right your heart pumps hard and you draw heavily on the leading edge lines, your body and mind are electrified as you focus on the move as you step backwards as the wing leaps up from the ground and then a moment later “BANG” it snaps into position above, it heaves at the sky, it’s trying to pick you up and you use your whole body weight to hold your ground and stabilize the airfoil that now hovers above you as if by sorcery.
Twist, shift, sidestep; you adjust minutely and constantly, with no conscious thought after a while, making sure the wing is stable and remains in the windflow; when the wind shifts around a bit, you match it, move for move.
And when everything is perfect you spin in position, now the wing is behind you as you run for takeoff. You’re doing so much at once; keeping the wing pointed into the windflow, shifting your weight under it as it leans, drawing on a brake to stop a surge and letting off the brake to prevent a stall; you’re watching the wind flag for unexpected whips and rotors, and you’re running hard on your toe-tips as the wing pulls up, trying to lift you into the air. Just a moment more now…down the takeoff slope, one stride then three then you’re airborne, your body swings forward under the wing. You’re flying.
If you can find rising air you can thermal up thousands of feet, following birds doing exactly the same thing. Birds sometimes accompany a wing, flying formation. One of my instructors once watched a spider fly by, at 3,000 feet, floating on a tangle of cobwebs.
Landing is a world in itself, a time of laser-like focus as you set up your approach and commit to landing. Without an engine, there are no second chances, it has to be right first time, every time.
But back to the takeoff run; all I’ve described is what happens when do it all right—but anywhere in the sequence you can make a mistake that collapses the wing. If your takeoff slope is a cliff, and your wing collapses after or on takeoff, you might or might not have the chance to throw your reserve parachute and come safely to the ground.
The best visual description I can recommend is a short clip of French pilot Sandie Cochepain, on YouTube at the link below:
The following is an email from Cameron sent 28 December:
"Today at-23F we spent several hours trying to fly the wing over a small bluff here in Barrow. I managed a short, 3-second flight as well as many inflations and small, low-speed crashes. I'm fine, though, and all the gear is working well...I just need 1-2mph more wind to really get off the snow.
Many thanks to Chiu, who stood filming and waiting in the low temperatures for several hours, and Mark Hoffman who shot these stills. We just keep waiting on the wind to improve. I'm confident that in the next few days I'll get in some better flights. But still, these little efforts have resulted in the first known paralider flights on the North Slope in Winter! Modest flights, on the order of what the Wright brothers first experienced, and that's exactly what I'm here for.
It's easy to fly back at home, where I can go thousands of feet into the air and stay aloft for 10-20 minutes, but the question is, what's it like here? What factors are involved in the cold but dense Arctic Winter air? How do you fly this wonderful invention, the paraglider, in the hardest conditions imaginable? We're finding out! Cheers, Cameron."
Photos below. Click to enlarge. Photos courtesy of Mark Hoffman.
On 25 December at around 6:20pm AST Cameron said that they decided to leave Iko Bay hut en route back to Barrow. He reported that they were about three miles ESE of their first campsite where they camped on the nights of December 16 and 17.
Cameron said that the light was poor at Iko Bay, and the wind wasn't good, so that's why they decided to leave Iko Bay. He said that they should be at Mark Hoffman's hut within 4-5 hours.
On 26 December at around 12:45am AST I got a message from Cameron. They walked 12 miles today and reached a road where they got a ride back to Barrow. The lads are now safe and sound back at the Polar Bear Theater at BASC, or as Cameron put it the second time in his message: "I repeat, we are now back at the Polar Bear Theater at BASC Station."
There was another 20 seconds or so of communications from Cameron, but the signal was so distorted that I couldn't make heads or tails of it, except for a garbled sounding "Merry Christmas."
Now that the fellows are back at Barrow, we should shortly see some postings of recent photographs, so stay tuned!
Talked to Cameron today around 4:00pm AST. He reports that they're pretty much fogged in today, with visibility at only about 100 meters. They boys plan to leave the Iko Bay hut on Friday (26 Dec.). They've noticed more cracks in the ice on Iko Bay, and Cameron reiterates that they'll be traversing the Bay during the day in order to see the cracks clearly. If there are too many cracks to travel safely, they will navigate around the southern shore of Iko Bay.
When they leave, they'll head to Mark Hoffman's hut, which is positioned near his radio transmitting antenna. On a clear day they can see the flashing light atop Mark's antenna from where they are at the hut on Iko Bay.
Cameron says that they've tried all manner of techniques to get the paraglider up in the air, including Forward zero-wind inflation, Reverse inflation, Hand-towing inflation, and Wing-control launches. None of these have worked because either the wind is too soft, too hard, or blowing in the wrong direction. They plan to try the paraglider some more on the outskirts of Barrow, and possibly near Mark Hoffman's hut.
Click photo below to enlarge. Photo courtesy of Mark Hoffman.
Got phone message from Cameron today at 3:47pm AST. Flying didn't work today. The wind was perfect but coming from the wrong direction in relation to a small bluff which Cameron has been trying to use as a launching point.
The boys saw two new cracks in the sea ice on Iko Bay today. When they leave Iko Bay on the 27th, they'll do so when there's light in the sky in order to to see these cracks clearly and avoid falling in.
They saw the footprints of an Arctic fox today, and the scat of a large unknown animal.
Cameron described the sky and the horizon as spectacular: They saw an Aurora last night, and even the clouds seem to be of various colors of red, green, and copperish tones. The stars in the sky are also a wonder to behold.
At one point they thought they saw a group of people on snow machines (snow mobiles) coming their way, but it turned out to be a mirage.
He called me from what he described as the foul-smelling interior of his sleeping bag. He said the conditions were pretty much the same as yesterday, although the temperature was a bit colder, minus 12F.
The boys took the paraglider out today for three hours, but Cameron was only lifted one foot in the air for a distance of one foot. He says he's trying various ways to gain elevation, and that he'll keep trying for the next few days. The terrain is so flat on the north slope that there are no hills to run down to help create lift on the wing.
They plan on leaving the hut on 27 December and heading back towards Barrow, but on their way they'll stop at another hut near Mark Hoffman's radio antenna, about 13-14 miles from their present location.
A photo below. Click photo to enlarge. Photo courtesy of Mark Hoffman.
Got phone message from Cameron today at 3:43pm AST. He said that they brought out the wing (paraglider) today, but the winds were too strong, around 25 mph. Instead the lads did photography and videography. The temperature was minus 3 degrees F. Cameron said he hopes for calmer winds tomorrow.
Below are some photos. Click to enlarge. Photos courtesy of Mark Hoffman.
Talked to Cameron at around 5:45 pm AST. He said that he brought out the wing (paraglider) today, and the wind allowed him to inflate the wing and maintain it above his head for about 10-15 minutes while he stood on the ground. He said it felt like the wing was lifting about 70 percent of his body weight, but that he needs the wind to blow about 1-2 mph faster in order to lift him up. He's trying to gain elevation like a sea bird on the shore might do by aiming into the wind without running. He described this as levitating. He hopes to try again tomorrow with the hope of getting off of the ground.
Some photos below. Click photos to enlarge. Photos courtesy of Mark Hoffman.
Talked to Cameron today at around 4:40pm AST. All is well with the boys at the Iko Bay hut. Their sleep cycle is a little out of sync since they left so early in the morning yesterday for the hut, so they're trying to get a little more sleep today in order to adjust.
They did go out looking on the bluff for a possible place to test out the paraglider tomorrow. The wind was good, but perhaps a little strong. Cameron hopes to test out the wing tomorrow, depending on conditions. The guys also saw two caribou today.
I'm told we'll keep the list of conditions to a minimum, so here's what I've got:
The sky was clear (about 5/8 clear), visibility was good, the temperature is 3 degrees F, and the winds are 3-10 mph.
I've informed Cameron of the weather forecast for Barrow for the next few days. The barometer is rising (this means no storms), with mostly partly cloudy weather through Wednesday.The high temperatures will be around 10 F and the lows around Zero F for the next week. And the winds will be about 10 mph from the SW on Saturday, and 10-15 mph from the SE on Monday. No additional wind forecasts are available.
Below are two links to the weather forecast (and current conditions in Barrow). You may have to click refresh on your browser to update the report:
Cameron called at 5:35 pm AST today. He says they've reached the Iko Bay hut after walking (and dragging sleds) for 9.22 miles. The conditions are good, and they're both pretty tired. They're in the hut having something to eat, soon they'll sleep, and then they'll get started tomorrow, perhaps by trying out the paraglider if the winds are good.
A more thorough report on the conditions will be forthcoming tomorrow, but the current weather in Barrow is 27 degrees F with winds at 8 mph.
Their location, based on last year's readings for the Iko Bay hut, is:
Below are some photos of the gents as they began their departure with their sleds. I'll post some more of these photos in the following days. Photos courtesy of Mark Hoffman. Click photos to enlarge.
Talked to Cameron on the phone at around noon AST (Alaska Standard Time). The boys are in the same location given in the last report. The conditions are fine. They plan to continue to the Iko Bay hut tomorrow morning (18 Dec.) at around 4 or 5 am. This will allow them to arrive at the hut, and cross the sea ice on Iko Bay, during daylight hours. The sun does not actually rise above the horizon, but Civil Twilight on the North Slope at this time of year lasts from about noon to around 3:00pm. Civil Twilight refers to that time of day when the sun is below the horizon, but where outdoor activities can be conducted without the need for artificial light.
Received a call from Cameron on Tuesday night at 11:21 pm AST. He says that they are 9.22 miles WNW of the Iko Bay hut. They were dropped off on the Gas Well Road by Mark Hoffman, then they walked 3 miles that evening after being dropped off. They are going to push on today (17 Dec.), and they might even make it to the Iko Bay Hut today. Cameron said that he and Chiu had a good dinner last night in their tent and that they were warm and dry.
"Well it's still a waiting game as some roads are cleared; till then we're still laying in our sleeping bags, eating, reading and getting fat! But it will be worth the wait; since the points of this expedition are (a) to fly the paraglider at Iko Bay, (b) to take film, sound and video recordings of the winterscape, and (c) reconnoiter a site for the 2009-2010 SCUBA dives beneath the sea ice, our objective is to get to Iko Bay as easily as possible, not to makegreat distances on foot pulling our sleds, as we've focused on in other wild places. So, we're taking every opportunity we can to be dropped off as near as Iko Bay as possible; we might get half way there if the roads are well-cleared.
An interesting aside; in the space program a real catastrophe is "LOS", or Loss of Signal, that is losing radio contact with a spacecraft crew. Here my personal LOS crisis would be Loss of Spoon, which I endured in Iceland some winters ago. To prevent this possible calamity I have tied my spoon to my feed pot with a length of string. We exist in crude and primitive ways here.
On a more serious note, the weather is indeed perfect, clear, about ten below zero (which is about 80 degrees below room temperature) which prevents you from overheating while dragging a sled, and I am hopped up and thrilled, anticipating leaning into the harness and getting underway. There are fresh arctic fox tracks in the snow just outside the door. Who knows what we'll see this time out.
Lights in the sky indicate Santa Claus is sending out a number of sleighs, possibly as reconnaissance for the Big Night. A Holly Jolly Christmas and Happy New Year to All! -- Cameron"
Got a call from Cameron. He says they'll be leaving for Iko Bay today. He described the weather as perfect: 0 degrees F, winds 10 mph. Cameron's not sure if they'll get a ride part way out of Barrow. The hut on Iko Bay is about 20 miles from Barrow.
Got a call from Cameron this morning. The lads will not be leaving for Iko Bay today. Overnight a serious wind came up, and it's now blowing steady at 30 mph, with gusts over 40 mph. Outside of Barrow the winds are probably worse, blowing steady at around 40 mph, with gust around 50 mph.
Cameron says that putting up a tent in the dark in those kinds of winds is foolishness.
Depending on conditions, they boys aim to head to Iko Bay tomorrow (16 December).
Got a message from Cameron today. He has permission to use the hut on Iko Bay. This is the same hut Cameron stayed in last year. It belongs to Geoff Carroll, biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Cameron and Chiu have all their equipment, fuel, ammo, etc., ready, and they'll be leaving on foot for Iko Bay tomorrow (Monday 15 December). It will probably take two to three days to make it to the hut on Iko Bay, so the lads will be sleeping in tents for one or two nights, and traveling about 6-8 miles a day.
Cameron tested his paraglider today by pulling it above his head in the wind. He reports that it felt good. The weather was unusually warm today: about 20 degrees above F.
Below are some photos from today. Click photos to enlarge:
Bell 412 Chopper used by Search & Rescue. Pilots can fly these craft in wind gusts up to 60 knots:
A fence by the airstrip. The orange light on the right is not the sun (it doesn't rise above the horizon this time of year). Rather it's a a wind sock illuminated by a lamp to help pilots judge the wind on landing:
Another photo of the helicopter:
Inupiat Heritage Center with bowhead whale skull mounted in front:
Got a phone message and email from Cameron yesterday evening (Dec. 13).
Cameron says that he did his talk on Neanderthals on Saturday. It was a nice audience of 10-12 people. Cameron met with Glenn Sheehan, the Executive Director at BASC, and also met with Nok Acker the Assistant Logistics Coordinator at BASC. Cameron picked up his sled, borrowed ammunition from BASC, and he and Chiu are dialing in their fuel needs, for which they'll be using white gas.
Cameron says that the sea ice is frozen about a half mile out from land, but that normally it would be frozen further out.
The lads are eating the food rations in order to save on food costs, and Cameron reports that the rations are quite tasty.
They hope to head out from Barrow on Monday.
Here's a picture of Nok and Chiu (sled is in foreground). Click image to enlarge
Got another phone message and an email (with photos) from Cameron. It's around -20 F, and the winds are around 8-10 mph.
Cameron explained that they're dialing in their clothing even more, because everything has to be perfect. He says that you can't stop and fix your clothing in the cold if it's not working right. The boys went to a fur shop where some natives gave them some excellent advice. Now Cameron and Chiu are both sewing ruffs onto the hoods of their jackets.
Here are the most recent photos below. Click to enlarge photos.
Got a call from Cameron this morning. He says it's minus 20 degrees F with a little fog but no clouds. There's also a full moon.
Cameron and Chiu will walk to BASC (Barrow Arctic Science Consortium) today to pick up Cameron's sled, which he left there last year. Then they'll bring the sled back to their base. It's a three mile walk each way.
Tomorrow (13 Dec.), Cameron will give a talk on Neanderthals. Then they hope to head out toward Iko Bay on Sunday, or Monday at the latest.
Cameron and Chiu are going through their gear to see if they've forgotten anything. It turns out that Chiu forgot his face mask, but fortunately Cameron has an extra one. Cameron says that he's probably forgotten something himself, and that Chiu will most likely have a backup for him.
So, they're continuing to get prepared, and, as Cameron told me "Everything's pretty good right now."
Cameron and Chiu now have a satellite phone. Cameron called yesterday to test the phone, and it worked just fine.
Cameron sent me an email yesterday (presumably from the local library). He'll be emailing me some photos soon (which I'll post here), and he'll soon provide more specific details on the plan.
Below is an email comment from Cameron:
"Right now we're settling into the 'Polar Bear Theatre', an interestingly-named and thoroughy run-down and ramshackle structure used by sea-ice scientists when they visit here in the summer. But we have no complaints, we have a shower and a stove, and it's over 50F inside, which is wonderful compared to the -10F outside. The moon is full or near it; this morning I watched it slowly blaze up white as fog rising from the sea ice blew across its disc, then it dimmed and then vanished, swallowed by a low, black, fast-moving cloud. Dramatic scenes. A seal-hunter just went by on a snow machine. Dogs are barking at something somewhere.
Chiu and I are going to head out now to buy supplies; ammunition for the polar-bear deterrent (a gruesome 12-guage that neither of us is interested in having to use), stove fuel, jellybeans (they keep me going on the march)...and a bell. A single bell to be hung on a line we're devising to encircle the camp and act as a polar bear warning. No, I'm not too convinced by this contraption, either. But you do your best and then get skating as they say.
Tomorrow AM it's off to the hangar to get my sled, stored here since my last visit, then spend the day packing. Saturday I'll do a community talk (on Neanderthals and what we know about them that we didn't know even 10 years ago) and Sunday or Monday at latest we're off across the snow and headed for Iko Bay, where all my attention will shift to the exact formation of the bluffs and the wind conditions...if everything is perfect, I'll try to fly the paraglider...and I imagine that if we wait long enought, some time the conditions will actually settle in...OK that's it for now -- off to the trading post. Cheers, Cameron"
Cameron and Chiu have just arrived at Barrow, Alaska late Wednesday evening. Cameron called by cellphone saying that they're at the airport waiting for their ride.
Initially they'll be preparing for a few days, and perhaps giving some talks and presentations to the community before they head out of Barrow onto the frozen ocean.
In the meantime they'll be staying in quarters (with a wood stove) that look something like this image below.
Some photos should be coming soon via email, but below are older photos of Chiu and of Cameron.
I'll keep you posted as more information comes in.
Barrow, northernmost tip of Alaska--300 miles north of the Arctic Circle; the photo was taken around noon in December 2008, and shows 'nautical twilight," the most light we can expect, and only for a few hours a day.
Forty-eight hours before I get to sleep again, this time on the plane to Barrow. Chiu, coming with me to film first attempts at paraglider aviation on the North Slope in Winter, is also woozy with endless preparations. But it's a familiar exhaustion, an old friend. Soon, I know, cold of the Arctic will revitalize my spirit. Soon I'll be flying an elegant wing over the frozen surface of an ocean.
In that place, as Milton put it in describing the ice cold of Hell,
"The parching air Burns frore, and cold performs the effect of fire."
Speaking of Milton, my books for the trip -- Milton (Complete poems), a Granta volume of travel writing, Between Earth and Sky (on pioneering efforts in high-altitude ballooning), and the FAA Balloon Flying Handbook. A blank notebook as well, and some writing instruments.
Thanks to Chuck Sullivan for helping with food preparation and packaging! He'll be updating the blog with text, weather reports and images as available, starting on the 10th or 11th of December.
This is a test of the daily tracking sheet for Footsteps on the Arctic. I am Chuck, and I'll be posting daily reports and photos (when available) of Cameron and Chiu as they explore the North Slope of Alaska, and as Cameron attempts to get airborne in his paraglider in the flat, frigid North. Cameron and Chiu will be leaving for Barrow, Alaska on Wednesday December 10, 2008.
Daily Tracking Sheet
DATE: Test
TIME: Test
LAT: Test
LONG: Test
ELEV: test
TEMP: Test
PRESS: Test
WIND VEL: Test
WIND DIR: Test
CLOUD: Test
VISIB: Test
PRECIP: Test
SURFACE: Test
COMMENT: Comments will be here, but since this is a test there are no comments for today except for this test comment.
It's gusting now, the trees still bear a heavy load of wet foliage and the leaves are like books raining from the sky, the air is wet and stony; and TS Eliot delivers me to Scotland with just a few words;
"Rannoch, near Glencoe" by T S Eliot
Here the crow starves, here the patient stag Breeds for the rifle. Between the soft moor and the soft sky, scarcely room To leap or to soar. Substance crumbles, in the thin air Moon cold or moon hot. The road winds in Listlessness of ancient war, Languor of broken steel, Clamour of confused wrong, apt In silence. Memory is strong Beyond the bone. Pride snapped, Shadow of pride is long, in the long pass No concurrence of bone.
I'm an author and explorer writing about evolution and space exploration; I also build and test exploration technologies, from sailing vessels to Arctic sledges and, currently, space suits; see more at pacificspaceflight.com.
