36 hours after landing in QIkiqtarjuaq… where are we at?
After a short overnight in Iqaluit due to turbulent wind, Joannie and Jose are the lucky two winners of standby seats on the next morning flight. As soon as they their feet touched the frozen ground of Qikiqtarjuaq, their GreenEdge journey started.
April 22nd 2016 10h00 à April 23th 2016 19h00
THE ICE CAMP (Jose Lagunas)
Landing in Qikiqtarjuaq is both a beautiful sight and a warm feeling. Ninety minutes after meeting our colleagues and friends at the airport (some of them already leaving) we were already on the ice heading straight for the site where our ice camp is to be set-up, at the same coordinates as last year. The first days of the ice camp are important, a spike of energy spike is needed… like when an engine gets started. We need to make sure that everything will run steadily, safely and as synchronized as possible so all the participants can focus on their tasks throughout their stay. Everyone here has a role to play.
At this point, almost 36 hours after the set up began, the Polarhaven tent has been installed with a neat looking ice hole already drilled and the laboratory-on-skies is in place as well. Things have started well and we will do our best to keep this rhythm. Within the next few days the power, heating and sampling system is to be installed and tested. This is good work.
IN THE COMMUNITY of QIKIQTARJUAQ (Joannie Ferland)
The journey starts by going back to see the great people from the community that I haven’t seen since last July! I realise I am privileged to get such a warm welcome back in Qikiqtarjuaq. As Eric and France are about to leave for the ice camp with Jose, they quickly drive back to Vagabond to get another skidoo and Qamutik. We quickly need to start the paper work like drawing up contracts , make sure accounts are running properly at the hamlet and purchase wood for the ice camp set up.
As soon as Sammy, Aaron, Jaypootie, Éric, France and Jose are all on their way for the ice camp, I focus on the laboratory installation! It is Friday so we need to get the keys for the laboratory before the end of the day in order to be efficient over the weekend. I do not realise what time it is when I call Erin. At 12h30, she stops her lunch and joins me at the coffeshop, forcing me to stop for a short break. Too early to go to Inuksuit school and meet Jacqueline, the principal. No problem, there is a lot to do! Together, we finalized the inventory making sure all boxes from the 2.6 ton cargo shipment arrived. GOOD, everything is there!
Erin and I then drive to the school and visit Jacqueline. Jackie offers another great welcome and give us the keys to get into THE MASTER ROOM at the LAB!! Here we are, all the boxes and instruments left behind after last year’s research activities. Erin and I started covering the working space with benchquote, sorting boxes that have to go to the coffeshop and organizing the lab following the request for space by participants.
By now, the MilliQ system , -80 freezer, the oven, Ultrapath are all running! The IFCB is awaiting its computer, the spectrophotometer is almost on its way, the filtration rigs installed! The lab space is well organized; we are ready to move in the 2016 cargo!
As for the Hotel Siku in which we live, we already moved in a refrigerator, all the food left from last year and a FULL freighter of groceries (more than 2 tons again this year) for the 3 months of field operation!
Anita and Andrew flew in on Sunday April 24 to support the team and give a boost of enthusiasm and energy after being stuck in Iqaluit for 3 nights stuck due to bad weather.
Joannie Ferland et José Lagunas
