Claudia

"You'll be safe enough in the Lady Jane," the copilot shouts. A twig of a mast is visible against a dazzling white glacier. "Sorry about this!" He hauls himself aboard. Buzzing furiously, the plane accelerates into the wind, and moments later it hops into the air. Seconds after that, it's disappeared.

"I'm Claudia." Even shouted over the wind, the woman's British accent is unmistakable. She offers you a mittened hand, and you shake it politely with yours. "What do you know about walking on pack ice?"

"Nothing!" you shout back. The Arctic gale stings your face. Without another word she shoulders her backpack and takes the lead.

An Access Excellence Science Mystery sponsored by Genentech, Inc.
Copyright © 1997 Genentech, Inc.; all rights reserved.