The Observation Tube!

My adventure yesterday was quick but thrilling! Where do I start!

Ok so yesterday was day off #2 since I arrived and the sky had cleared and not much wind, so perfect in my book! I have been trying to go out for a walk or hike of some sort but the weather has always turned out poorly when I planned something. So score 1 for me!

I started out at about 1 after finishing lunch with the process of dressing to go out. The temp was about -5 F with little to no wind. My layers went something like this, sock liners, wool knee socks, toe warmers, thermal underwear top and bottom, fleece pants, snow pants, thicker thermal type top, fleece pull over, big red(the famous jackets we are issued), fleece neck gator, fleece hat, hand warmers, mittens. And since it’s so sunny, my shades, water bottle, and camera!

We have to check out with the fire station for certain hikes, this was one of those adventures. We have to sign out, get a key, a radio, and authorization, list a contact person staying back and then we were off. The walk takes about 20 minutes I’d guess. This included one fall for me that was evidently a domino effect because Alicia and Kim promptly fell and almost slid into me already on my butt! No injuries just lots of laughs there! We had to detour to the newer ice runway road because the older part was very icy.

 We arrived at the ob tube, which is a cylindrical pale green colored metal tube about 30-40 feet tall(or deep I guess) and about 3 feet in diameter. The process of installing it involves cutting a hole in the ice and placing this tube down the hole and installing two horizontal beam like supports that lay parallel to the ice on the surface and are about 20 feet long. The top of the tube has a plywood cover

Said cover

on it which is locked(thus the key we got from the fire house). The “ladder” is rebar that’s bent to make a ladder like series of hand/foot holds until you are in the observation part where it switches to a rope ladder.

Alicia on the ladder

I was the first to descend from our group! 

ME!

Once down there I sat on the wooden box, which is used as a seat. The viewing area is smaller than an airplane bathroom with rectangular windows providing a 360-degree view.

What exactly does one see from the ob tube?

Ice Crystals on the outside of the window

Well, I’ve heard stories and seen pictures of people seeing divers(there is a dive hut near by that I could see the hole in the ice for), seals, penguins, and jellyfish. On this trip all we saw were these small(approx 2 inch I’m guessing) tadpole looking things. Maybe a type of jellyfish. The bottom of the sea ice was neat to see. There were icicle like things hanging down I could see and a rocky bottom towards land that quickly drops off. I plan to go back now that I know how to get there. I will post more pictures. I have some already on Facebook(https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.676653798649.2141778.44801562&type=1&l=ae43600e4b) and will get the ones the other girls I went with took of me!