Day 5 - An Inconvenient Truthiness
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Today's Temperature Range
2F (some spots on Dempster), 36F (also on Dempster), 14F in Inuvik right now
An Inconvenient Truthiness
The experience of the 2004 trip up the Demspter changed me, but this trip changed me in a way I didn't expect.
Two things are vastly different since the 2008 event.
1. Al Gore invented the Internet, so we could all blog from the road. In 2004 we were using modems and waiting hours to upload one picture. The connectivity now is pretty ubiquitous.
2. Al Gore invented global warming. I mean, he discovered it, or pointed it out. But really, very dry up here and not much snow. Huge mountains, valleys and plains we saw completely snow covered in 2004 are now bare. A Dutch TV crew is here filming a documentary on climate change. The locals said it has been too cold to snow but it hasn't been -60F for the last few months. So right now it is unseasonably warm here (in 2004 it was -something, now it is 14F) and also very very lacking in snow cover. It isn't a very scientific conclusion based on two observations, and maybe this is just one of those temperature/precipitation swings that happen, BUT what has happened is that seeing a large area like this look completely different is making me ask myself "what are the impacts to the planet of decisions I make every day?". We all should be asking ourselves this every day. Maybe I should be driving a Prius instead of a Maserati that gets 12.7MPG on a good day? Maybe those flourescent bulbs don't suck so badly? Maybe I should figure out other ways to use less non-renewable energy? Maybe those carbon offset companies aren't really a big shell game? Ok, let's not go that far (sorry Erik).
Pictures
You know you want them. Small problem: I am out of hard disk and CF space. This is a bit of an issue. I am shooting RAW mode (and small JPG) with my honking great big Canon 1D Mk III DSLR, and I'm just plum out of space. So while I go deleting 10 years of work emails and baby pictures of the kids (just kidding honey) I won't have many to post.
But just for you, here's a few random samples in glorius stupid-blog-software-ready 500 x 332 pixel colour:
Thought for the day
"Do you believe that stuff the old man was saying the other night at the Oso Negro about gold changin' a man's soul so's he ain't the same sort of man as he was before findin' it?"
- Fred C. Dobbs
Day 6, 7 preview
NO UPDATES on Friday night (we're at Eagle Plains), you'll have to wait until Saturday.
Ice road next, need sleep now.
Glenn
View Larger Map
Today's Temperature Range
2F (some spots on Dempster), 36F (also on Dempster), 14F in Inuvik right now
An Inconvenient Truthiness
The experience of the 2004 trip up the Demspter changed me, but this trip changed me in a way I didn't expect.
Two things are vastly different since the 2008 event.
1. Al Gore invented the Internet, so we could all blog from the road. In 2004 we were using modems and waiting hours to upload one picture. The connectivity now is pretty ubiquitous.
2. Al Gore invented global warming. I mean, he discovered it, or pointed it out. But really, very dry up here and not much snow. Huge mountains, valleys and plains we saw completely snow covered in 2004 are now bare. A Dutch TV crew is here filming a documentary on climate change. The locals said it has been too cold to snow but it hasn't been -60F for the last few months. So right now it is unseasonably warm here (in 2004 it was -something, now it is 14F) and also very very lacking in snow cover. It isn't a very scientific conclusion based on two observations, and maybe this is just one of those temperature/precipitation swings that happen, BUT what has happened is that seeing a large area like this look completely different is making me ask myself "what are the impacts to the planet of decisions I make every day?". We all should be asking ourselves this every day. Maybe I should be driving a Prius instead of a Maserati that gets 12.7MPG on a good day? Maybe those flourescent bulbs don't suck so badly? Maybe I should figure out other ways to use less non-renewable energy? Maybe those carbon offset companies aren't really a big shell game? Ok, let's not go that far (sorry Erik).
Pictures
You know you want them. Small problem: I am out of hard disk and CF space. This is a bit of an issue. I am shooting RAW mode (and small JPG) with my honking great big Canon 1D Mk III DSLR, and I'm just plum out of space. So while I go deleting 10 years of work emails and baby pictures of the kids (just kidding honey) I won't have many to post.
But just for you, here's a few random samples in glorius stupid-blog-software-ready 500 x 332 pixel colour:
Thought for the day
"Do you believe that stuff the old man was saying the other night at the Oso Negro about gold changin' a man's soul so's he ain't the same sort of man as he was before findin' it?"
- Fred C. Dobbs
Day 6, 7 preview
NO UPDATES on Friday night (we're at Eagle Plains), you'll have to wait until Saturday.
Ice road next, need sleep now.
Glenn
Hey, it's okay to delete those baby pictures -- we have them all on the home LAN anyway.
Reply to this
Don't believe the hype! The climate change problem is bigger than you and your 12MPG Italian steed and at this point nothing you'll do in your lifetime is going to fix it. So I say party till the dino juice runs out and why am I in this handbasket?
Looks like things are going well. Keep up the good work and keep the photos/blog posts coming.
Stay safe. Shiny side up!
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