1997

Here is the first update I have ever received from Antarctica. In February Amber Morse e-mailed to say she was finishing up a six-month contract as the environmental, health and safety coordinator for Raytheon Polar Services Cos. (RPSC) at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. RPSC supports the National Science Foundations U.S. Antarctic Program, which carries forward the American goal of supporting the Antarctic Treaty, fostering cooperative research with other countries, protecting the Antarctic environment and conserving living resources.

Amber wrote: 'Antarctica is a gorgeous continent and draws some of the most highly educated, skilled and well-traveled persons I've ever met. I've experienced penguins and seals; Mt. Erebus, an active volcano; the Antarctic Dry Valleys and South Pole; Scott's and Shackleton's huts; minke and orca whales in the sound; the coldest weather imaginable; and more.

"I highly recommend the Antarctic experience to other adventurous souls. It will not disappoint."

Amber participated in an 8-kilometer dash in January, when temperatures typically rise to the 30s, a comparatively warm alternative to the Antarctic winter, when the mercury averages 10 to 20 degrees below zero. The race was held on dirt roads from McMurdo Station to Scott's Hut, the site of Robert F. Scott's hut from the Discovery expedition of 1902. Also running in the race were Abigail Adams '06, a research assistant to Dartmouth environmental studies professor Ross Virginia, who is studying the ecology and Biogeochemistry of soils in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, and lan McKay '10, who deferred matriculation for a year to work at McMurdo Station for Raytheon as a field assistant. Lan finished first overall in the race among nearly 50 runners.

If you would like to see some great pictures and learn more about Antarctica, check out Amber's Blog at http://amberonice.blogspot.com.

Amber was heading off to New Zealand in February for several weeks of trekking before meeting her husband in Fiji for a long-awaited vacation She is returning to the Upper Valley in March to start her first term in Dartmouth's MALS program.

A month earlier and my wife and I might have run into Amber on a hiking trail in New Zealand. We had an amazing time exploring the North and South Islands of the "Land of the Long White Cloud" in January. There are so many varied landscapes from the beaches to the forests to the lakes and mountains, and everything is unbelievably beautiful. New Zealand is so sparsely populated that we actually got caught in a sheep traffic jam (according to several sources, sheep outnumber people by about 12 to one). We also visited Melbourne to check out the early rounds of the Australian Open and hit Sydney before heading home.

If you have recently taken any exciting vacations, please let me know. Even if you haven't, your fellow classmates want to know what you are up to. Please send me your news.

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