UAA-EWB Update

I just received an update from the UAA-EWB team.

They have submitted the preliminary design report for the water catchment system and the ventilating stove system for approval from the national project manager. The original cooking facility was over an open pit fire, located inside the kitchen which posed health concerns as the smoke would just collect inside (see picture). They have been working on the designs with local professional engineers do develop the most efficient and sustainable systems possible.

The team is working on the final design report and preparing to travel in August for the implementation trip. They are working with our liaison in Cameroon, Peter Njodzeka (founder and director of LWDG-Cameroon, a nonprofit organization devoted to clean water development in Cameroon) to find available materials for the project. Determining materials that are available for construction dictates much of the design.

To learn more about the project and their progress please visit their webpage:

http://ewbuaa.uaa.alaska.edu/Projects.html

Training Weekend at Reed Lakes

We finally got the entire team out for a weekend of training up in the Reed Lakes basin in the Talkeetna Mountains. We hauled just about all the gear we have accumulated thus far on our back and in our sleds. Saturday was a beautiful April morning, then the clouds rolled in for the afternoon. It got pretty chilly that evening, but nothing like we will see on the mountain. We woke to a couple inches of new snow on Sunday morning. Chris gave us some great avalanche tips, and Ivan enlighten everyone with stories from last years attempt on what and what not to do on the mountain.

We will have to be prepared for crevasses when we travel on the glaciers. Crevasses are large voids (cracks) in the ice and form where the glacier is turing or going over a hill. They can be very deep and have been known to swallow many unfortunate climbers. As a precaution, we will be roped together so that if someone falls into a crevasse, the other climbers can stop the fall and pull them out. This requires practicing crevasse rescue. The rescue techniques consist of setting snow or ice anchors and constructing a pulley system to gain a mechanical advantage to pull the fallen climber out. We practiced setting up these systems and pulling each other out of a ravine. We also practiced traveling on rope teams and the communication necessary for safe and efficient travel.

Most importantly, we bonded as a team and gained the confidence that we can survive in the cold Alaskan wilderness together.