Then there is a blizzard...

It turns out that the Arctic isn't all sugar sand beaches and tanning. Nope. Turn out, in fact, that weather goes to real crap with a quickness. I'd never had blowing snow pelt my face and body so hard that it felt like I was getting sandblasted with snow. Who needs micro-dermabrasion treatments to keep your skin smooth and soft when you can simply step into a blizzard??! Unfortunately, the poor weather forced us all to stay within the confines of the cabin for a couple of days. That was cozy.

It was just awful outside. And, that meant that running out to the bathroom was a shock. The best part about the bathroom that I learned was that the seam between the roof and wall was apparently not water tight. So, as I was sitting on the luxurious porcelain throne, I felt snow fluttering down my back. Thankfully, it was only a brief visit that time to the bathroom because any snow down your shirt while in the restroom is just too much. Furthermore, while the snow was invading my personal space, the wind was howling and I was pretty convinced the shed was gonna blow away around me, leaving me there, on that stupid bucket. I heard sheets of tin starting to rip off and the building was shaking so I frantically got myself squared away. I stepped out of the bathroom shed to see the tin sheets trying to flip off the roof onto me and the dog. I yelled at the dog and ran for the door. I was scared the tin would cut or kill the dog, slice her right up, not to mention me. Well, the boys inside thought I was yelling because there was a polar bear. They yank open the cabin door and I'm screaming over the wind for Daisy to come in and they're screaming, "WHERE WHERE??" while grabbing guns. I don't understand what's going on and am just trying to bulldoze my way inside to get away form the scary roof and wind....which of course makes the guys think even more that there's a bear chasing me. It was all quite exciting. Everyone had some adrenaline pumping then.

That evening I kept pestering the pilot and my boss about their estimates for wind speed. I was secretly wondering what this cabin could withstand. How well was it constructed? Are the posts actually set in the permafrost? Do the sleeping quarters actually have a proper roof or am I going to awaken to the roof being ripped off and me staring at the snow storm above my bunk?? I tell ya, I did not sleep well that night listening to the wind howl and the cabin rattle. Great, just great. Our shelter gets blown away in a snowstorm in polar bear land.

The cabin survived and so did I. Though, we had to dig our way out of the front door. About 3 feet of snow had blown against our door. Then, finding the generator was a bit of a challenge. Had to use a probe to located it and then dig it out. It had to sit and dry for a half of a day or so. Retrieving water became impossible because all the creeks and gullies were drifted in. I spent hours for the next few days gathering and melting snow for water. Very inefficient method I quickly learned. Plus, because the winds were so fierce, the snow was filled with silt and dirt. Hard to get pure, clean snow. Nevertheless, I was able to melt enough snow to keep us good for a few days until the snow melted a bit and we could get to some streams.

Everyone was very happy to be free to leave the cabin.Read more