Tomorrow, we fly to New York. Now that I’ve filled a small container of red pepper flakes (to avoid any future “spice hoarding,” that we’ve been told about) I’m sitting outside, without a bug net, enjoying my last Seattle sunset. Soon we’ll be trudging around the Kolyma, beating away hordes of mosquitoes under the never setting sun.

I can’t wait.

I’ve spent time in the arctic once before, paddling the Back River in Nunavut. Last year, I learned from the arctic through my canoe. This year, I’ll hear a different part of that story, the part told by mass spectroscopy and tree cores, the part that will be deciphered by an international team of scientists.

One of the growing pieces of Polaris and the scientific community as a whole is sharing this story. Science and the environment affect everyone, and the arctic is a special place where we have plenty to discover. Part of what makes Polaris such a valuable asset to us as burgeoning scientists is that they don’t only give us experience in science, but science communication as well. Chris Linder, the photographer/oceanographer who will be in Siberia later in the year, helped me prepare to document our experience with my camera.

The camera’s charged, steadycam’s packed, and SD cards loaded. Now that the sun is down and I see some of my last stars for the month, I can relax, flip through my article summaries and let the anticipation build.

The journey is just beginning,

To the Taiga!

-Han

Most of Peter Han’s Camera gear, ready to go.