Communications from Mike this morning initially indicated that winds in the area were moderate and that a traverse to DYE 2 was yet undecided. \u00a0Four hours later, I learned that weather had worsened significantly and that most of Greenland was shut down to all flights. Winds had picked up speed with near zero visibility. \u00a0Dangerous whiteout conditions required the implementation of camp safety protocols: \u00a0all team members must carry a GPS unit in their pocket with tent waypoints at all times and are\u00a0only allowed to walk in straight flagged paths between the tents. \u00a0In these dangerous conditions, one can easily walk right into or trip over a massive snow drift and\/or become disoriented very quickly.<\/p>\n
On a lighter note, the toilet paper in the latrine tent had completely unrolled onto a pile on the ground because of the constant force of the wind hitting against the tent wall. \u00a0Mike said, “What \u00a0a mess! It looked like a cat had gotten a hold of the TP!”<\/p>\n
Take a look at this\u00a0video clip taken during a snowstorm on the Greenland Ice Sheet from the field campaign dubbed “SPLAZ 2012”:<\/p>\n