FRIENDSHIP, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- If you're sick of all the snow and ice this winter, imagine being stranded by ice and stuck on a Maine island for the whole month of February.
"I've been iced in for 32 days. The longest I've been trapped on the island before was two weeks," said lobster scientist Diane Cowan.
It's Cowan's 16th winter living on Friendship Long Island, and it's clearly one for the record books. Friendship Harbor was iced in for about three weeks, but the ice finally opened up and started moving out last Thursday. Cowan said there is now some open water in sight, but the island coves and dock area are still frozen in, meaning she can't leave.
"I still don't know how much longer I'll be stuck here," said Cowan.
A month on the island also means a month without any grocery trips. Cowan said she had enough supplies to get through another month, but was out of essentials like coffee, and missed things like fresh fruit and meat. So her friends chartered a plane and loaded in two boxes with food. It was -12 degrees when they tossed the boxes out the plane window over the island.
"The pilot was awesome," said Bob Lary, who had the duty of tossing the boxes out of the window. "He did a couple of flyovers and got his bearings, (then) opened the window and said 'chuck it' and I did. Twice."
"And it worked, it worked perfectly," said Pam Cabanas.
Cowan said she was waiting on the ground by the "drop zone" and watched the first box fly into the air. She found out later it had hit the roof of a building. The second box, she said, landed gently. Meat, dog treats, fresh oranges and coffee were all safely delivered.
"I was thrilled, absolutely thrilled. And I also like the idea this could be done. Because it gives a whole new dimension to getting stuff out here longer term," said Cowan.
Cowan said she heats with wood, cooks with gas and uses solar panels for electricity. She always stocks up before the winter, loading two months' worth of food into the island house. However, she is thinking about trying a new strategy for next winter. She's planning to put together a special box of essentials and luxuries, and label it "don't open until February" — just in case of another long freeze-up.
