June 10, 2006 - Farewell Greenland, Staring at the Clouds Options

[Kevin_McMahon]

Farewell, Greenland;
Staring at the Clouds

It is hard to believe that today was the day that Mike and I left Greenland to return to the United States. My expedition was better than I could have imagined. Although I am eager to get home to be with my family, I will really miss the ice. I hope that one day I can return.


Sign Post at Kangerlussauq Airport


Leaving Greenland on a C-130 plane

Today’s journey was a long one. We rode in a C-130 military plane from Kangerlussauq to Stratton Air Base in Scotia, New York. We then took a taxi to the Albany, NY airport to catch a Delta plane to Atlanta, Georgia.

I was worried that when our expedition was over, it would seem like only a dream. As our plane took off from New York and rose above the thick cloud cover to a sunny blue sky, Mike mentioned that the view of the white clouds reminded him of the Greenland ice sheet. He was right. The soft sheets of white clouds blanketing our view of the ground did look a lot like the ice sheet in Greenland. If you ever see me staring at the clouds on a sunny day, you will know that I will be fondly remembering my days on the ice.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my journals and following our expedition. I will be adding another journal entry in September to detail our findings about the types of particles that we collected in the air and snow.