Mrs. Happ asked:

Thanks Eric! The hike you took before Christmas looked beautiful over the glacier! How far was the hike? Also, do you ever take any samples or study the the animal carcasses that you find?

Thanks for the questions!  We traveled from a total of 7 to 7.5 miles, but probably 3 of that were by ATV across a frozen lake (Lake Fryxell).  We then hiked 4 miles, partly over the frozen lake, then along the Canada Glacier, then over the glacier, then back down the side of a mountain to our destination (Lake Hoare Camp).

We didn't take any samples on this hike, but we often do lots of hiking and sampling and more hiking on a normal day of field work.

Any sort of science involving animals like seals and penguins, even mummified seals and penguins, can be tricky.  The Antarctic Treaty prohibits any interaction between people and animals, including the carcasses.  Scientists who study the live or mummified animals need to get special permits.  Our research is not really concerned with the live or mummified seals or penguins, so I just take pictures of them.