I'm scheduled to leave the US on Friday, April 4th at 5:45 P.M. From Logan airport, I will fly to Miami, then to Santiago, Chile, then to Puerto Montt, Chile, and finally to Punta Arenas, Chile. I get to spend one evening (April 5th) in a hotel in Punta Arenas before I have to board the Laurence M. Gould research vessel the night of the 6th. On the 6th I'll be given all of my extreme cold weather (ECW) gear. From there, I set forth on a 4-7 day (depending on the weather) cruise across the Drake Passage to one of Antarctica's smaller bases, Palmer Station. Here are some cool links to see where the ship is located in its journey and the weather conditions at Palmer.
I've had a couple of people ask me today if the recent earthquake and tsunami warning in Chile will affect my flight plan. So far it appears that everything is still running with American Airlines for the 4th. Obviously, things can change as time goes on. Who knows what will happen with aftershocks and what not. In the meantime, I have to finish up all of my assignments before departure and make sure that I pack. American Airlines allots us each two checked bags, a carry on, and some kind of personal item like a purse. Here's hoping that I can make ~7 months of supplies and clothing plus the suitcases themselves be under 100lbs!
Next post I'll try to address to the best of my ability a lot of common questions that I've gotten since I first accepted the offer to co-op in Antarctica :)
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