Ice, Ice, Baby!

A view of Antarctica from the air

I made it to Antarctica! I arrived here at McMurdo Station Monday the 14th of November.  It almost doesn't seem real that I am here! This a crazy and interesting place down here, for sure.  And just to ease minds, no, I am not freezing to death (not yet anyway, ha ha).

 

It was a such process getting down here to Antarctica. I left home November 8th and flew to Denver to orientation where I met 20+ others also heading to Antarctica.  We all stayed a couple of days in Denver attending various briefings to prepare us for "the ice" (as it is well known as).  On the 10th we all boarded a plane and had a loooong trip to Christchurch, New Zealand (13hrs on the longer of the two flights).  Once in NZ we were all issued our Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear; basically everything we need to keep warm in Antarctica (outside, that is). Besides the gear issuing, we were free to explore around Christchurch if we wanted (which I did).

Getting off the C-17 on the ice runway

On the morning of the 14th, we all boarded a C-17, a military cargo jet, and flew the rest of the 5 hrs from Christchurch to McMurdo Station, Antarctica.  That was quite the cool experience being in a military plane like that with tons of cargo in the back, passenger seats along the edges and in the front, and with the fuselage totally exposed around us.  There were about 4 tiny windows in the whole plane and we were all taking turns trying to catch a glimpse of the continent as we arrived. The US air force attended to our flight and flew us down.  Whoever wanted to was able to take turns going up into the cock pit during the flight to have a look around (and ask the air force pilots dumb questions like I did).  As we approached the runway, we bundled up in our ECW gear and landed on the ice runway (which was created on seasonal sea ice under which the Antarctic ocean water flows).  It was awesome stepping out of the plane to see the vast white ice shelf stretching out for miles with rugged white mountains rimming the edges of the horizon.  I think everyone felt a bit giddy in excitement to arrive trying to comprehend that we were actually in ANTARCTICA!

After landing we were then herded onto buses waiting to drive us the few miles across the ice to McMurdo Station (located on actual land, not ice).  Of course, more briefings awaited us that day as we all arrived.  When those were finally done, we dragged our bags to our assigned dorms.  I was put in dorm 155 which is where all (well, most) of the first year people are put.  It can pretty much be related to being put in the freshman dorm in college: lots of people to a room (4-6), not much space or privacy, located in the main building where all the activity is centered, and lots of energy focused on partying!  I was apprehensive about my roommate situation going into it but I think I am happy with what it is.  Right now, there are 4 of us in the room (with room for one more if needed). There is no windows in the room which has actually turned out to be quite a blessing due to the 24 hr. sunlight, so we are able to have complete darkness while we sleep for the most part.  And, my roommates are the quieter type who are rarely in the room and do not snore.  What more could I ask for?? I have my little bunk bed-nest and I am able to sleep quite nicely in it so far.  Thank God.

My little area in my room (top bunk free right now)

My dorm building is also the home of the cafeteria (ie.the galley), the computer kiosk station, the store, the laundry facility, some lounges, the radio station, the craft room, the barber shop, some ATMs, the library, the weight room, a bar, and the activities center, oh and I think there is a sauna upstairs.  So, a good chunk of all the action takes place here.  It is nice to be able to access all those thing without really having to bundle up and go outside.  The food in the galley has been pretty decent too.  There is always something tasty to eat and so far there are semi-fresh veggies and greens (known as "freshies") to eat twice a day.  Hot drinks, PB&J, cereal, juice, and toast is available 24/7.  Daily there are fresh baked desserts and pastries put out too not to mention the ice cream machine (which I think is 24/7 as well).  Ahh! I gotta watch myself!

Can you spot the sea lion?

The 24 hr sunlight is a trip!  I feel surprised by it every "night" pretty much.  For example, I will be sitting in the coffee house/wine bar typing on the computer and it will be getting to be 10 or 11pm.....I will start to feel tired like it is about time to go to bed.  From inside, it "feels" like it is dark outside because the coffee bar is dimly lit without windows to simulate evening/nighttime but when I open the door to step outside ....BAM!!... the sunlight, in all of its midday splendor, is there to meet me.  I hurry to my dorm before I feel "woken up" again by the light.  It is trippy but cool, for sure.  I can go for a hike or cross country skiing outside at anytime of the day if I want (of course, weather and work permitting) without concern for loss of light at

anytime.  How crazy!

Scott's point with McMurdo in the backgroud (11pm)

As far as weather goes, it has been amazing!  I'm not sure if this is normal or not but it has been clear and sunny almost every day since I arrived and the temperatures have been from 15-28 degrees above zero (colder when there is a wind chill).  But, if you are in the sunlight, you could potentially be without a coat just fine for awhile on the non-windy days.  Being in the shade feels much cooler for sure.  The wind is what really determines if you are cold or not. I can honestly say I have been hot far more often than I have been cold.  All the buildings are warm, almost too hot in my opinion.  People are out and about outside all the time jogging, walking, hiking, skiing, standing and talking.  Actually, the station is slowly turning into a mud bog as the intense sunlight melts the snow which runs down the roads and makes a muddy, slushy mess (which makes my driving job rougher).  I almost wish the temps were a little more extreme just so I could brag about being in extremer weather:)  But, I haven't seen a storm yet and apparently the weather can turn on a dime here.  But, for now, I will enjoy the milder temps.

There is much more to write about but I will save that for another post and time....stay tuned! Take a look at the webcam link and try to spot me driving around in a red van!