Week 4: Post-trip Blog
Follow up to Kirk and Jason’s Arctic Adventure
It was neither a dark, nor a stormy night. A mixed blessing. Kirk and I had really hoped to experience some extreme weather on the summit of Mt. Washington, but our first two scheduled trips up the mountain had been cancelled due to significant storms forcing a change in the shift change schedule. But, 3am on February 20th, the sky was clear, the air was cold, and we were off. A bit on the early side for a day in the middle of February vacation, but it was in the name of science.
Our research project for this trip was looking at the effects of altitude and air pressure on human physiology, or, at least, whatever aspects we could easily measure - blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen percentage, and peripheral edema (swelling of fingers). To control as many variables as possible, Kirk and I met at the Sunrise Shack before our trip to be sure our level of caffeination was typical of a school day. At this point, air temperature was in the single digits, the sky was clear, and we’d been treated to a gorgeous sunrise reflecting off the mountains as we drove.
We arrived at the auto road a little ahead of schedule. Luckily, our driver and co-pilot were at the garage getting the snowcat ready for the day. While we waited for the observatory staff to arrive, Kirk was entertained talking to the driver about the cat and the specifics of its engine. I was entertained by Kirk’s endless knowledge of all things mechanical.
Once the new crew arrived, we loaded up the snowcat with our gear and the supplies for the coming week, climbed into the snowcat, and we were on our way. I hadn’t really known what to expect of the transportation, but the snowcat is surprisingly comfortable. We were told it had started out life for the Salt Lake City Olympics, so that helped explain the upholstered seats and heated passenger cabin.
The ride up was pretty clear driving. We had a bit of road clearing to do around mile 4, and following Cragway Corner. The second stretch of clearing gave us an opportunity to get out, explore, and enjoy the mountain while the snowcat driver methodically worked to clear the snow drifts. By now, some high, thin clouds had begun to form. My photographic skills don’t do it justice, but this was creating a full halo around the sun with tangential arcs above and below.
Upon reaching the summit, unloading our gear, and reloading the cat with the downgoing gear, we went into the observatory and continued our research while the staff had their changeover meeting. Again, to keep our observations consistent, and to control variables, Kirk and I re-caffeinated.
We are saving some of our data for our students to analyze, but one measurement that was immediately
and noticeably different was blood oxygen saturation. Normally, this had been 99% to 100%, as it should be.
On reaching the summit, our oxygen percentage was down to 92%. Upon later consulting a medical
percentage, I was informed that if I walked into her office with a reading like this, it would be “bad” and I’d
be put on supplemental oxygen.
Interns Jay and Chloe then took us on a tour of the facility. It wasn’t quite the extreme weather we’d hoped for. It was a balmy 3°F with wind gusting to a listless 55 mph (compared to recent winds, at least). Kirk and I recorded some video clips to bring home to show our students. They were on vacation this week, so Facebook Live-ing it wasn’t a great choice. Hopefully they will appreciate our efforts.
We rode down from the summit with Ian, Jay, and Adam. Kirk and Ian had met on a previous trip
Kirk had been on. This was one of the high points of the trip for me. Even after having seen the
observatory and its inner workings, to hear talk of other opportunities at MWOBS kept the
excitement going, thinking of other workshops I’d like to be a part of.
It was neither a dark, nor a stormy night. A mixed blessing. Kirk and I had really hoped to experience some extreme weather on the summit of Mt. Washington, but our first two scheduled trips up the mountain had been cancelled due to significant storms forcing a change in the shift change schedule. But, 3am on February 20th, the sky was clear, the air was cold, and we were off. A bit on the early side for a day in the middle of February vacation, but it was in the name of science.
Our research project for this trip was looking at the effects of altitude and air pressure on human physiology, or, at least, whatever aspects we could easily measure - blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen percentage, and peripheral edema (swelling of fingers). To control as many variables as possible, Kirk and I met at the Sunrise Shack before our trip to be sure our level of caffeination was typical of a school day. At this point, air temperature was in the single digits, the sky was clear, and we’d been treated to a gorgeous sunrise reflecting off the mountains as we drove.
Once the new crew arrived, we loaded up the snowcat with our gear and the supplies for the coming week, climbed into the snowcat, and we were on our way. I hadn’t really known what to expect of the transportation, but the snowcat is surprisingly comfortable. We were told it had started out life for the Salt Lake City Olympics, so that helped explain the upholstered seats and heated passenger cabin.
The ride up was pretty clear driving. We had a bit of road clearing to do around mile 4, and following Cragway Corner. The second stretch of clearing gave us an opportunity to get out, explore, and enjoy the mountain while the snowcat driver methodically worked to clear the snow drifts. By now, some high, thin clouds had begun to form. My photographic skills don’t do it justice, but this was creating a full halo around the sun with tangential arcs above and below.
Upon reaching the summit, unloading our gear, and reloading the cat with the downgoing gear, we went into the observatory and continued our research while the staff had their changeover meeting. Again, to keep our observations consistent, and to control variables, Kirk and I re-caffeinated.
We are saving some of our data for our students to analyze, but one measurement that was immediately and noticeably different was blood oxygen saturation. Normally, this had been 99% to 100%, as it should be.
On reaching the summit, our oxygen percentage was down to 92%. Upon later consulting a medical
percentage, I was informed that if I walked into her office with a reading like this, it would be “bad” and I’d
be put on supplemental oxygen.
Interns Jay and Chloe then took us on a tour of the facility. It wasn’t quite the extreme weather we’d hoped for. It was a balmy 3°F with wind gusting to a listless 55 mph (compared to recent winds, at least). Kirk and I recorded some video clips to bring home to show our students. They were on vacation this week, so Facebook Live-ing it wasn’t a great choice. Hopefully they will appreciate our efforts.
We rode down from the summit with Ian, Jay, and Adam. Kirk and Ian had met on a previous trip
Kirk had been on. This was one of the high points of the trip for me. Even after having seen the
observatory and its inner workings, to hear talk of other opportunities at MWOBS kept the
excitement going, thinking of other workshops I’d like to be a part of.
Comments
Post a Comment