Antarctica Dispatch

Condition 1

2007-10-18T16:10:00.001+13:00

8/4/2007

Well it finally arrived, 'Condition 1'. This is a weather condition when at least one of the following conditions is occurring or imminent:

Sustained wind speed greater than 55 knots
Wind chill temperature colder than -100°F (-73°C)
Visibility less than 100 feet

When this occurs everyone must stay in the building they're in and await the weather to subside. In this case we heard it was being called so people rushed back to their dorm rooms to wait it out. I grabbed my camera and shot the following footage going from Dorm 208 to dorm 155. My friend and college buddy Wade who's an electrician had to head out because one of the power lines went down. The winds were so strong, it blew off a 15 x10 foot metal siding from one of the dorms. It was found underneath a dorm two buildings away.

One of the things that goes on is a 'Condition 1' Pool. I think it got up to a few thousand $s. Part of the $$ raised goes to charity.

Wine Tasting

2007-09-25T08:54:00.000+12:00

7/21/2007

So even though we have a limited selection of wines and nothing truly exceptional to placate the palate. We still can try to uphold a formal methodology of wine evaluation, or it can be just another excuse to dress up, socialize, and imbibe.

My old college buddy Wade & I

Live Earth

2007-09-24T10:12:00.001+12:00

7/7/2007

Upon coming down to Antarctica I see more an more environmental awareness going on. Here I am on the continent where the 'ozone hole' was discovered and which appears to be the center of attention for Global Warming. Now Al Gore has launched Live Earth, trying to have 'live' rock concerts on every continent.

When we all heard about this endeavor, we shook our heads, thinking, "are they crazy"? Once again even the powers that be fail to realize that it's winter down here. It's extremely difficult not to mention ridiculously expensive to fly personnel and equipment down here. A band 'Nunatek' at the BAS Rothera station was chosen. I don't know the reasoning behind that. McMurdo is the largest base on the continent, and the best one to provide a live satellite video uplink. 'Nunatek' was filmed months before this actual event. In addition it was all fake. None of the instruments were plugged into amps nor were they actually playing since it was done outside where it's way too cold.

Still I guess it served it's purpose to bring environmental awareness.

Blue Moon Run

2007-09-23T22:30:00.001+12:00

7/1/2007

I think I've participated in more organized running events in Antarctica, than back home. First it was the 'Race Around the World' then 'Scott's Hut Race'. This time it's the middle of winter, in a cold, dark, desolate place. Out of the 119 souls down here, I think about half actually ran the event. They're mostly the ones in the gym working out. It was good to get outside for exercise instead of doing the treadmill. I'm not in the shape I once was, but I finished.

Happy Birthday ATM!

2007-07-08T19:27:00.000+12:00

6/26/2007

Although the McMurdo Store has a credit card reader, it's still mostly a 'cash' business down here. People need $$ to rent gear (instruments, skis, etc.), pay a bar tab, bowling, etc. There are a couple of ways to get cash - bring enough down with you, use a RCD (Remote Cash Disburshment) from your paycheck, or use the ATM. Yes, an ATM. Who knew that 40 years ago John Shepherd-Barron invented this device.

Here are the two McMurdo ATM machines, brought to us by Wells Fargo.

Believe it or not, I located it online. However the zip code and directions weren't correct.

I remember when these started coming out. Now they're all over the place. I think my parents continue to write checks out to 'Cash' instead of using these machines. Although ATMs make it easier for people to recieve currency, I remember from my Macroeconomics class how ATM use increases the velocity of the M1 money supply.

Tie Dye

2007-07-01T19:11:00.001+12:00

6/11/2007

I can't remember if I ever made Tie-Dye shirts in grammar school, but it's a tradition at McMurdo to make tie-dye shirts. So we watched a video and went to work. Here's what a few of us came up with.

"The Dark Side of Oz"

2007-06-25T00:47:00.001+12:00

6/9/2007

Saturday night, almost the middle of the year. Back home it's sunny and warm. I haven't been on a beach in quite a while, and I'm looking forward to a 'Jimmy Buffett' experience - carribbean/pacific island sand beneath my feet, sun on my face, with a cold drink at hand. Well a couple of people here helped bring a bit of that with a Carribean Party Theme replete with Mai Tais, Pina Colatas, and marinated meat on K-bobs. Women wore tropical dresses adding to the theme.
Next we headed back to Building 155 for margaritas since we were in our tropical gear. Some black lights were rigged up, giving everyone funky look. People were complementing me on my 'white' teeth though.

Finally we moved the party to the viewing lounge setup in the back galley seating area to watch Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Rainbow' (aka 'Dark Side of Oz). I had no idea how many Pink Floyd fans we had nor had I ever seen the Wizard of Oz from beginning to end.

Southern Exposure

2007-06-24T16:02:00.000+12:00

McMurdo has three 'bars' down here - 'Gallagers', 'Southern Exposure', and the 'Coffee House'. There's been much written about the history of these places so I won't go too much in depth. Just do a search on these words and you'll get plenty of info, check out this link. The administrative assistant down here, Tom, writes about it on his blog - bigblueglobe.

For this winter only one bar was kept open - 'Southern Exposure' (a.k.a. 'Southern's), which is the 'Smoking Bar', at least for now. Back when McMurdo was run by the Navy it was apparently called the 'Chief's Club', and it's got quite a bit of character with people's names on one of the main beams.

One of the former workers down here wrote a piece for the May issue of Men's Journal "Do Shots at the Bottom of the World" which was part of an article called "60 Real Adventures". Here's the print:

Established 52 years ago as part of something the navy called Operation Deep Freeze, McMurdo Station and its 1500 seasonal residents needs a great bar like few other places on earth. Actually it has three, but Southern Exposure is by far the best, a dilapidated yet funky wood-beamed drinking haven. Distinguished climatologists chain-smoke alongside hard-drinking lesbian heavy-equipment operators, while adventurous English lit grads, hired to work as galley dishwashers curse the decision that brought them here. There's nothing on tap, the pool table's warped, and most of the chairs, like half the hearts, are broken. But on Saturday nights the place jumps like a West Texas honky-tonk. The only difference being that outside there's nothing but the Ross Sea, a smokeing volcano called Mount Erebus and certain death by hypothermia. It's impossible to drink yourself into oblivion here; you can only drink your way out.

There's even a drink mentioned 'The Nacreous Cloud' which none of us heard of. Still it's nice to be noticed.

Hagglund ride

2007-06-24T15:57:00.001+12:00

5/26/2007

Tonight I took a 'boondogle' out to Castle Rock. This was an opportunity to get out of 'town' and check out aurorae. We took a Hagglund out. If you watched Eight Below, Jason Bigg's character talks about the Ferrari of snowcats. It was a nothing more than a Hagglund. The Antarctic Center even offers rides in these things. Amazing! The ones we have here have a new paint job, but are pretty worn out. As far as I know they get the job done, but I'll have to ask the mechanics.

Taken with my Canon Rebel XT

We had a full moon out, making it almost appear like daylight. This was another great opportunity to try out my photography skills.

Photo by Chad Carpenter

Aurora

2007-06-21T23:21:00.001+12:00

5/24/2007

Once more again I get to partake in viewing the Aurora Australis, which is mostly only viewable to the few individuals in Antarctica during the dark winter months. This time I brought down a Canon Rebel XT SLR camera I bought last year and read the manual along with the one for my Canon A610 PowerShot. I also utilized the expertise of a veteran photographer. Here's what I came out with:

Taken using my Rebel XT EOS - ISO 400, 30 sec shutter, f/2.0

A610 PowerShot - 15" shutter

The SLR allows for greater manipulation of the picture. As you can see I got more detail from the SLR camera. Since I didn't have a remote switch for the SLR to prevent camera shake, I used the self-timer, which was a pain waiting the 10 seconds and watching the LED blink before a picture was taken. Also it was impossible to focus - a dark image doesn't show up well in the viewfinder - so I had to make a guess. I'm quite impressed with my first 'go' at this. The A610 is still a versatile camera because it's easier to carry around than the bulky SLR. Also I can shoot .avi files with it, take it underwater with it's water-proof case, and have a wide-angle & tele-lens to go with it. Wow, I sound like a camera geek or at least a critic.

Scott Base Visit

2007-06-21T22:23:00.001+12:00

5/17/2007

Other than 'Radio Darts' on Friday nights, the New Zealand Scott Base allows McMurdo personnel to come over and socialize once a month or by special invitation. They are renovating their dining facility and bar so they have a temporary setup in their new Hillary Field Center.

Back when they had a bar, there was this sign on the door in Japanese. Whenever somebody (mostly American) came into the bar with their hat on they would ring the bell and proclaim to the guest that he had to buy a round of drinks. When the puzzled guest said he didn't know about about this rule, the Kiwis would point to the Japanese words and say, "Well it's written on the door!". Ah, well they didn't get that past me, because they never had someone who could translate it. In fact it doesn't say what they thought it meant at all, but literally means "Tell everyone someone's wearing boots."

This winter one of the projects the New Zealand base is working on, along with the Antarctic Heritage Trust is performing some restoration work on Shakleton's hut at Cape Royds. There are four conservators down here trying to preserve what little artifacts are left, and it's quite an amazing thing to see 100 year old boots along with canned food. You can read about the conservators work at London's Natural History Museum's website.

Seth, Pete, and Chris with Phillipa & Jason in back

Here's Phillipa, who works on restoring documents. She's currently working on a newspaper from 1911 along with the labels from all the canned food. You can read her blog - 'Six Months in a Fleecy Coat'.

Polar Plunge

2007-06-17T19:18:00.001+12:00

5/13/2007

Just like at the South Pole with the '300 Club', there's a tradition here to do the 'Polar Plunge'. Unlike the 'Polar Bear Clubs' that abound, the ideal way to do it is in one's 'birthday suit'. The NZ Scott Base obliged by hosting the event. They dug the hole and even had an unexpected visitor pop up.

So the whole event goes something like this. There's a hut to disrobe. One must put on a utility belt and get 'clipped' in with a rope for safety. The wind was calm, and after getting over the fact that I was doing something my mind said was absolutely nuts, I jumped in. Some people claim there are benefits to cold water swimming. As soon as I hit the water I wanted to get out. Little did I realize that the cold part was getting out and waiting to get 'unclipped'. Finally after what seemed like forever, I was free and ran back to the hut to get warm.

Photo by Keri Gardner

Well my night wasn't over yet. When I got back to McMurdo, we had a little surprise for our 'lineman' who repairs the power lines strung around McMurdo. Brian goes by the name 'Moose', and he's by far the biggest guy down here ~ 6'5" and 300+ lbs. As a belated birthday celebration we tied him up, carried him away (a hard thing to do), and made him wear a costume. Then the imbibing started and continued throughout the night. All in good fun.

Deviled Egg 'Moose' and Barb T.

After a day or so recuperating, he sent the following email:

The folks at home who have never deployed always wonder if I'm just a bit strange, or just completely psychotic for coming back here season after season. I tell them stories of some of the times I've had down here, but I don't think they can fully appreciate the day to day life we live down here. I think the best way I've found to explain it to my family, and friends back home is thus: The folks here are my second family. Without folks like you, Antarctica just wouldn't be even as half as fun as it is. That's reason enough for me to keep coming back here, year after year... spending my time amongst some truly fine people. It never ceases to amaze me that despite being locked away and isolated as we all are, we manage to have the fun that we do.

I extend a heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for making my 29th birthday a memorable one. Well, as much of it as I can remember at least! As always, it has been an honor, and a priveledge to have spent a season, or many seasons, with each and every one of you.

Thank you again!

Moose, the pretty pickled devilled egg

Land of the Lost

2007-06-17T14:07:00.000+12:00

5/6/2007

Another two day weekend! These are really special treats that only winter personnel get. Usually it's 9 hour days, 6 days a week, but we get a two day weekend at the beginning of each month. This reminds us a bit of the regular 40 hour work week back home. Hmmm, I wonder how I'll adjust when I get back to a 'regular' job.

One of the guys brought down the complete DVD of 'Land of the Lost'. I remember watching this TV series every Saturday growing up. Watching it now I can't believe I was a fan of it. The 'campy' look and simple special effects are just too funny to look at, but I guess it doesn't matter for a kid. Heck all I needed back then was my imagination.

Well the day's festivities continued with horseshoes at the Vehicle Maintenance Facility. It was a $10 buy-in with a lottery selection for partners. I'd never thrown before so I got there an hour before to get some practice in. Well I did OK, better that the guy I was paired up with, but we only lasted two rounds.

Me 'throwing' with Jim in the background

Scraping By

2007-06-16T14:58:00.000+12:00

5/1/2007

I just got done watching 'Cinderella Man', a small glimpse into the Great Depression. Both my parents grew up during that time. I can only imagine what it was like, but I remember my mother telling me how when my great-grandfather, who was a country doctor, died my grandfather set out to clear out the accounts. Many accounts were settled by trade, a pig for a delivery, etc. One one visit to a family my grandfather saw there was barely food on the table. He marked the account 'Paid in Full'.

Here I am without having to worry about how to pay the bills or when my next meal will be. My dorm room is better than my college lodging. I have a sink, cable TV, a refrigerator, and telephone. The only drawback is I have to walk outside to go to the dining hall, and I share a bathroom with another room. "It's a harsh continent!"

As for life back home, it's amazing how things have become. I spoke with a pal today who told me gasoline was over $3.00/gallon. For the past 18 months I put maybe 1000 miles on my vehicle. Now on the off chance I need to fuel a vehicle here I don't have to pull out my credit card to pay. In addition it's probably the cheapest, coming directly off a tanker, no middleman. I'm sure I'll have major 'sticker shock' when I get home.

Sunset

2007-06-15T14:08:00.000+12:00

4/29/2007

The sun is now below the horizon, but we have a few hours of sunlight, making for some spectacular sunsets. Here's one I took back at the beginning of the month.

Today I climbed atop Observation 'Ob' Hill to snap a few photos:

'Arrival Heights' with NASA radome & NZ radome in forground

Mt. Erebus with Castle Rock in the foreground

Looking south - 'Scott's Cross' in foreground with White Island, Black Island, and Mt. Discovery in background

ANZAC Day

2007-05-20T22:31:00.001+12:00

4/25/2007

Today I celebrated a New Zealand holiday - ANZAC Day. A few of us trudged over to Scott Base and mustered out at the flag pole to listen to two of the Kiwis speak about what the day meant for them. Afterwards we headed back inside for tea and ANZAC biscuits.

The whole episode made me think of the movie 'Galipoli'. It reminded me how utterly wasteful war can be and how 'leaders' can make the most stupid mistakes, just 'throwing' young lives away.

Condition 2

2007-05-20T21:01:00.000+12:00

4/24/2007

The last day we'll have a sunset is quickly approaching. I found a few websites looking around for a sunrise/sunset calculator. Here's a good one.

Unfortunately these last two days the weather has not cooperated with us. The plan was to go up to Arrival Heights, which is up on a ridge to watch the final sunset. Unfortunately these last two days the weather has not cooperated with us.

There are three weather classifications down here we use for work and travel:
Condition 3 - normal

Wind speed is less than or equal to 48 knots
Visibility is greater than 1/4 mile
Windchill temperature is greater than -75°F

Condition 2 - restricted travel

Sustained wind speed 48 knots to 55 knots
Wind chill temperature -75°F (-60°C) to -100°F (-73°C)
Visibility 100 feet to 1/4 mile

Condition 1 - Only 'mission critical' travel. Personnel usually restricted to buildings.

Sustained wind speed 48 knots to 55 knots
Wind chill temperature -75°F (-60°C) to -100°F (-73°C)
Visibility 1/4 mile to 100 feet

There's a 'Condtion 1' Pool that personnel buy into. $10 for each day, with part of the proceeds going to a NZ charity.

We went to Condition 2, here. It brought a smile to my face feeling the wind blowing the snow around because I was finally experiencing some true Antarctic weather. The International Antarctic Center in Christchurch, NZ has a weather simulator. Well that doesn't do the real thing justice. Here's a video of what 'Condition 1' is like.

Hello, is there Anyone There?

2007-05-03T22:41:00.000+12:00

4/21/2007

Well following up to the Internet problem from the day before, all of the USAP stations lost network connectivity back to the USA! The datacenter back in Denver lost power, thus everything went down. We still had AFARTS and could make telephone calls through Scott Base, but for over 8 hours yesterday we had no Internet connection.

Thankfully no one was bugging us about when it would be back up. I think if this was the South Pole, where people are Internet junkies, we'd be inundated with questions. Life and work went on as normal. I caught up on some reading.

Denver We Have a Problem

2007-05-03T22:17:00.001+12:00

4/19/2007

Ensuring Internet connectivity is one of the main functions of my job. Probably the majority of people surf the web, so when they can't get to their favorite 'http' site, I get a call. Today I got a few of those calls. Our satellite connection back to the states was fine, the problem was with our Internet connection out of Denver, which I didn't have the access to. This happened around 1 PM our time. Since we're 6 hours ahead of Denver, I had to contact someone after hours. Two hours later the problem was solved.

In other news Sandwich was written up in an article that was picked up all over: "Erebus crash blamed for Antarctica 'ghosts'"

VA Tech

2007-04-29T17:09:00.001+12:00

4/17/2007

I don't think I need to repeat the news information on this horrible incident. I remember back to 1999 when I was working for US West in downtown Denver when the Columbine shooting took place. There were some people at work from that area so it was a bit difficult for people to be productive.

Now this thing happened. Wow! Probably many reactions here were, "Well I'm glad I'm down here, away from all that craziness". However, Antarctica has had its share of craziness. Years ago at the Russian Vostok station, one of the men killed another over chess, one of the galley staff here at McMurdo attacked a co-worker with a hammer, which some attribute to 'Polar Madness'. I guess that's why we don't have guns down here.

Probably the worst part of this whole tragedy is the mind-numbing news programs that talk about nothing. About our only reprieve is we get BBC which puts a different spin on things than the US centric MSNBC, CNN, & FOX.

Easter

2007-04-29T16:18:00.000+12:00

4/8/2007

I opened my dorm door to find the Easter Bunny visited me and left a bag of goodies! In fact every door had a bag in front of it. How thoughful of someone. It just goes to show you what kind of a community you're in.

Among the festivities were Church services and egg coloring, in this case one of the bald guys here got his head colored as an Easter Egg.

I spoke with my Dad who mentioned there was snow back home in Texas. Amazing! Well here's what it looked like outside.

Dish Pit

2007-04-24T15:16:00.000+12:00

4/7/2007

I thought my days as a substitute Dining Attendant (DA) were numbered after leaving the South Pole. You'll probably find the most educated people working as DAs or janitors down here. There's not much work for people with a PhD in Literature in Antarctica, so if they want to experience it by working down here then sometimes the most unsatisfying jobs are about the only way to get a foot in the door. Here's one site I found about one person's experience as a DA - Antarctica Diary.

Don't get me wrong, someone has to clean the pots, pans, dishes, etc. I did it last year. Because of it's size McMurdo has more DAs and janitors, but this year with the reduced population to save $$, we only have 2 janitors and 1 'Lead' DA so everyone's taking a 4 hour rotation in the 'dish pit' every month. This is much better than at the Pole where we were assigned the whole day, but then wisely divided our shifts with other people so it wouldn't be so long.

At the Pole it was expected that everyone helped with cleaning the station and working in the dish room. For some it was a day off of their regular work, but if something went wrong with the Network, there was only one person to fix it - me. After a grueling day in the Dish Pit, I was physically exhausted. I'd be hard pressed to do it day in and day out. One guy during the summer down here made a video for the Film Festival. It showed someone waking up, dressing, going to work in the dish room, going back back to the room, undressing, and going to bed. Quite sad.

Still I think it helps us all appreciate what it takes to feed us, and in that sense makes us a bit equal. Some people would say it's an expensive waste of human resources such as having a medical doctor doing dishes.

Here's the job posting for this marvelous position:

Dining Room Attendant

Raytheon Polar Services – Experience Antarctica

Seeking a unique adventure as well as employment? How would you like to be one of the few people on the planet to have the opportunity to live and work at or near the geographic South Pole? Raytheon Polar Services is the primary contractor for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) U.S. Antarctic Program. We are currently looking for Dining Room Attendants to deploy to McMurdo, South Pole or Palmer Antarctic research stations for various periods of time.

Responsibilities

Responsible for providing customer service and performing duties that support efforts to produce and serve high quality food.

Displays a commitment to providing exceptional customer service, as outlined by the Supervisor, Food Service.

Performs daily tasking in an efficient and thorough manner, as instructed by Dining Room Attendant, Lead.

Stocks/replenishes all ancillary food items and non-food items, as detailed by tasking sheet, during and between meal hours; monitor quantities of items used and adjust stock levels according to usage.

Responsible for preparing and chilling sufficient beverages and frozen dessert mixes to support usage by the community.

Coordinates with Cooks to ensure timely transfer and scraping of dirty pots to pot-washing area.

Able to work in a team unit composed of diverse personalities.

Displays self-motivation in physically challenging and atypical work environment.

Performs other duties as required.

Requirements:

Education: A minimum of a High school education or equivalent.

Experience: A minimum of six months food service waitstaff and/or bussing.

Ice Radio

2007-04-20T23:37:00.000+12:00

3/31/2007

One of the nice things we have down here is radio, real radio. We've got two official stations: 93.9 FM & 104.5 FM, which are affiliates of the Armed Forces Network. A few of us 'happy campers' put on radio shows. Brian (a.k.a. 'Moose') and Matt host a show Saturday nights called 'Redneck Radio'. Don't ask me why they called it that, but its becoming an institution.

The whole setup is pretty archaic. The control board is old and must have a short in it because when you try to 'queue' a song the background leaks through the speakers. Instead of mp3 files on a computer we've got shelves of CDs along with vinyl records believe it or not!

Still it's cool to have something like this. I'm even considering taking up the opportunity to DJ myself.

Why are we down here...oh yeah...Science.

2007-04-01T15:50:00.000+12:00

3/29/2007

Every once in a while there's something to remind me what it is that I'm doing down here. Yes it's a job, and a Network Engineer is a Network Engineer almost anywhere else, but I was out at a remote site today bringing a Cisco switch online when I noticed the following label on a piece of equipment.

At the South Pole (a.k.a. 'Pole') the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) has a buried monitoring station 8 km away from the station to listen for nuclear explosions. Seeing this notice made me realize again what the heck I'm doing down here - supporting the further pursuit of science. It's easy to forget that at times. Some days it's just the 'grind', but then you remember why the United States government has a presence on this cold, remote piece of rock.

Sandwich anyone?

2007-04-01T10:01:00.000+12:00

3/21/2007

Life down here is a bit surreal. During the hustle and bustle of summer you'll see people wearing clown wigs around, grass skirts, 70's retro clothes, etc. Thank God there are a few of those 'free-spirits' around else life might be too boring down here.

Take for instance Allie, otherwise known as 'Sandwich'. She carries around a 'Peter Pan' lunch box she picked up at a garage sale for 50 cents everywhere she goes. No she's not weird, just setting herself apart I guess.

Note 'ears' on hat

This is her first winter down at McMurdo, but she's done two previous summers. Check out her site, read her journal to get a different 'spin' on things, and write her a note.

Better Dorms & Gardens

2007-03-29T08:40:00.001+12:00

3/18/2007

Even with a reduced population of only 119 people, it's difficult to get to know everybody. Thankfully someone organized an open house for Dorm 208, which is where I live. Those who chose to participate opened their rooms up, and it was quite surprising to learn the extent some people go in redecorating their room.

Twin Beds joined to make 'king'

Unlike most dorms where the are common bathroom facilities, the dorm rooms in my building are arranged so a bathroom is shared between two rooms. During the summer two people share a room making for tight accommodations. 'Lucky' or married couples are able to have a bathroom to themselves.

'Love Shack'

Although we're down here for only a few months, I can understand why people want to make their rooms as comfortable as possible. It was kind of hard to do so down at the Pole with everything so new, but here people move couches into their room, repaint, build shelves, and hang cloth on the walls to make it a 'home'.

Note Christmas lights and greenery

Bowling

2007-03-27T00:05:00.000+12:00

3/13/2007

Back in 1961 the US Navy constructed a bowling alley down here. Since then it hasn't changed much. The pin setting is done manually as is score keeping. If you look closely at the picture, you'll see the lanes are numbered '3' & '4'. I guess the first two lanes never got completed. The bowling lanes have got a unique characteristic. The pins are never set in the same place consecutively because the machine is probably out of alignment. Hey it's a harsh continent!

Luckily a few good friends wanted to sign up to play in the league so I finally got to bowl at the world's most southern bowling alley and probably the oldest. For the next few weeks we'll be matched up with other teams and doing some team 'bonding'. Thoughts of The Big Lebowski come to mind.

Castle Rock

2007-03-19T21:13:00.000+12:00

3/3/2007

Our first two day weekend. A couple of us got together and headed out to Castle Rock. There are a few recreational trails down here for us to enjoy. Because there are potential dangers all personnel are required to attend an Outdoor Safety Lecture (OSL). Some of the trails can be done solo, but the majority require us to file a 'foot plan' online then stop by the firehouse to check out and maybe take a radio.

The Castle Rock Loop, is one of the longest trails of the 'Ross Island Trail System' - over 7 miles. The highlight is climbing atop this outcropping

On the way back we stopped by the New Zealand 'Kiwi' Scott Base. Unlike the U.S., New Zealand claimed a portion of Antarctica, hence their station is considered New Zealand sovereign territory. This winter there are over 20 people at the base, double the amount from other winters.

Last Flight

2007-03-19T21:12:00.000+12:00

2/24/2007

Well the day finally arrived when the last of the summer crew departed, and the winter crew officially took over. The South Pole closed down a few days before on Sunday. It seemed like yesterday when I was there watching the LC-130 take off and buzz the station.

USAF C-17 Globemaster III from McCord AFB at Pegasus Runway

This time I was helping out at Pegasus by driving the last passengers out there while the rest of the community hung out at the NSF Chalet sipping champagne waiting to toast the last flight. The weather was very overcast, and the flight crew didn't think they'd be able to perform a 'fly-by', but the visibility near Ob Hill was clearer so they obliged.

All the runways down here are on ice so in order to get to them roads are groomed. When snow drifts flow in it can make for an interesting driving test. I'd done plenty of driving on ice before, but how many people can say they did it on a glacier. It was quite a drive back trying to follow the tracks of the vehicle in front and stay out of the drifts.

Here's me by 'Ivan' the Terra Bus. No I didn't drive this. It's a "all-wheel drive, three axle, 56-passenger, off-road bus" made by a Canadian company called Foremost.

Penguin in our Midst

2007-03-19T21:11:00.002+12:00

2/22/2007

One thing I looked forward at McMurdo and which brought me back down to Antarctica was the possibility to see wildlife unlike last year at the South Pole. My college bud Wade who came down in August at Winfly had seen wildlife up close and personal. Coming back on the tail end of summer, I wasn't likely to see much. Most of the penguins especially the Adelie had finished giving birth and were headed back out to sea. Still I hoped to see one close enough to touch, which by the way is not permitted. We are not supposed to interfere with wildlife. Doing so will result in termination.

However, my prayers were answered when a single Adelie was found molting near the dorms by Winter Quarters Bay

Usually you'll find penguins doing this thing together at the same time. For some reason this one was late in doing so.

Vessel Offload

2007-03-19T19:42:00.000+12:00

2/10/2007

Air Freight is by far the quickest means of getting things from one part of the world to the other. As far a volume goes, water transportation continues to be the cheapest. Once a year two important ships arrive at 'Winter Quarter's Bay' where Robert F. Scott first brought his ship the 'Discovery' - a fuel tanker (USNS Paul Buck) and a cargo ship (American Tern).

USNS Paul Buck at Winter Quarter's Bay

The whole reason we have icebreakers is to cut a path for these two important vessels to dock and unload. The US Navy sends down a battalion of support personnel to perform vessel offload. During this time all the bars shut down and safety is of the utmost concern. It's a 24 hour operation, and it's quite an 'orchestra' to watch.

American Tern at Winter Quarter's Bay - McMurdo Station in background

Distress Call

2007-02-12T17:11:00.000+13:00

2/8/2007

A few pagers around station went off an people dropped what they were doing and headed towards their designated staging area. This was the Search and Rescue Team (SAR). However, it wasn't a problem at McMurdo, but out at sea.

The environmental group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was out pursuing Japanese whaling vessels in the Antarctic waters. They lost contact with one of their zodiac craft with two personnel. McMurdo was notified because the coast Guard was in the vicinity and we had helicopters that were close enough to assist with the search. What's funny is when the environmental group issued a maritime distress call, the Japanese ships they were harassing had to help them search for the crew.

Needless to say, McMurdo didn't need to get involved, but it was a good reprieve from the norm. To read up on the story click here.

Life in the NOC

2007-02-12T14:13:00.000+13:00

2/7/2007

'NOC' stands for 'Network Operations Center' for those of you who don't know. This is where personnel manange the day-to-day computer and network operations. It's sometimes synonymous with 'datacenter' where all the computer systems are physically located.

It sounds profound and very official, yes? Many Network Operations Centers are staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They resemble a 'Mission Control' environment with large screens displaying mulitiple data feeds from news media to software that monitors the various computer systems.

This is where I work with five other guys plus three additional personnel who comprise the Help Desk. The nice perk from last year is I've got a window that looks out over the water. Of course in a few months the view is going to be swallowed up by the darkness.

Like all true datacenters, the flooring is 'raised' to allow for ventillation and ease in bringing electrical and data circuits in. The systems produce a lot of heat, so the environmental systems are designed to keep the room below 65 degrees F. In addition, a positive pressure atmosphere keeps things like dust and other particulates out of the room. McMurdo's a very dusty place so in order to keep things clean, we swap out our 'outdoor' shoes for 'indoor' shoes. We have shoe coverings like used in hospitals for guests to slip over their shoes. It's very 'Japanese'.

USAP Navy

2007-02-12T14:12:00.000+13:00

2/1/2007

In addition to maintaining three permanent Antarctic stations, the National Science Foundation conducts Antarctic maritime scientific reseach with two research vessels, the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer (NBP) and the R/V Laurence M. Gould (LMG). The NBP makes an annual port call at McMurdo. While in port they make use of our telephone system and data network through radio & wirelss technology respectfully. A Communications Tech (Comms Tech) usually performs this installation, but I went along as I was interested in seeing the ship.

Thetwo antennas had to be mounted at the top of the ship. There's an area called the 'Ice Tower', an enclosed 'Crow's Nest' that we climbed above to mount the antennas. Unfortunately it wasn't as easy as 'Plug 'n Play', and we spent many times going up and down the ladders and decks between the computer room on the 'main' deck and the 'Ice Tower' troubleshooting the problem so in the end it proved worthwhile that I came along.

I was surprised to run into a former Polie, Greg. He was the Comms Tech at the South Pole with me last year. Fortunately an opportunity presented itself and he was hired on the NBP.
Hmm maybe I might be lucky someday.

Sea Cruise

2007-02-07T18:41:00.000+13:00

1/28/2007

Robert Falcon Scott was the first to bring a ship down to McMurdo, naming the area where ships pull in now ‘Winter Quarter’s Bay’. Although C-17s fly in constantly starting in October, bringing in food and supplies, it’s the tanker and cargo ship that bring in the majority of ‘necessities’ to McMurdo.

In order to get down here, icebreakers must cut a channel from the Ross Sea. This year the Swedish Odin and USCG Polar Sea performed that duty. The Odin left by the time I got down here, but the Polar Sea was hosting two ‘moral cruises’ where they would take 200 people at a time. A lottery was done, and I luckily got to go on one of them.

It was a 3 hour cruise, which thankfully didn’t turn out like the S.S. Minnow. It was so nice to get out, away from McMurdo. In a few months I’ll be ‘Icebound’ once again. The surprise was the wildlife. I saw Waddell Seals, Minke whales, and even some Emperor penguins swimming in the water.

Unfortunately we had to return back. I felt a bit envious of the ‘Coasties’ who get to travel up to the North Pole.

Back in New Zealand

2007-02-04T10:58:00.000+13:00

1/23/2007

It was a strange feeling being back in New Zealand. There wasn't that feeling of being in a new and foreign place. I had just left here a little over a month ago so it was like returning back to something familiar, and yet not.

The one difference in my flight over was traveling Business Class. It cost me quite a bit in airline miles, but considering a 'Business' ticket costs nearly $6000, it was better than feeling like being in a clam shell back in Economy. The last time I enjoyed an upgrade I was 16, and flying back from London. Things have definitely changed since then. The seats recline all the way flat and put any LZ-Boy to shame with all the different positions and massage capabilities. Now if they ever put a spa in these 747-400s we'd truly be in luxury.

Going through NZ Customs was a different matter. I didn't think they'd let me in. Last time I said I was going down to Antarctica, and they passed me through. This time the lady grilled me. On top of that I didn't declare I was bringing in 'hiking boots', because last time it wasn't a concern. I wasn't going hiking in NZ, I was using them as work boots in Antarctica. That statement at least got me a reprieve, but in any case I got the third degree.

In Christchurch the routine started with the first stop at the USAP Clothing Distribution Center (CDC). I had learned my lesson about luggage. I unpacked anything I didn't need for Antarctica to leave in NZ. Anything I didn't need immediately I boxed up for it to get shipped down. Then all I took was a few things for my hotel stay in town, which is for two nights. Ah, it's so wonderful walking around with short sleeves, sun on your face, and 'green' all around.

Heading back down

2007-02-04T10:54:00.000+13:00

1/21/2007

I guess my year at the South Pole wasn't enough of an adventure because I signed up to go back down to Antarctica. This time I'll be at McMurdo for a change of pace and where there's more opportunity for wildlife spotting. One nice thing that I got out of my endeavors was a quote in WIRED magazine which "reports on how technology affects culture, the economy, and politics." To read the article, click here.

Since getting off the Ice back in November, I spent about a month in New Zealand's South Island. It's such a pleasant place to visit, and I know I barely scraped the surface. I wanted to see so much more, but in the end I really wanted to go back 'home'. It's amazing how much things change in a year. I arrived back in Colorado to see new buildings and things/people in a different 'light'. After 24+ hours travelling I opened the door to my place to see it exactly like I left it.

From then until now I've been trying to catch up with friends and along the way I starting dating someone of the female species which I'd been deprived of for so long. I got to enjoy an awesome day of skiing at Winter Park with fresh powder, go snowshoeing, and snow camp as if I hadn't gotten enough back down in Antarctica.

Colorado has been inundated with snow these last two months. The roads were pretty treacherous today on my departure date. It took us 2+ hours to get to the airport which is usually 40 minutes. Our flight was scheduled to depart at 4:20 PM, but it would take 1.5 hours before we pulled away from the gate and got 'deiced'. Finally at 5:55 MST we rolled down the runway, and my travel back down to the Seventh Continent began once again. This time though there was something tugging at me. I was leaving a girl behind, not to see her for months.

Stopover

2006-11-07T14:57:00.000+13:00

11/7/2006

I'm back in McMurdo, the great mining camp of Antarctica, although no mining occurs. Upon stepping out of the plane the first two things I noticed was the ease of breathing and the warmth, although it was only 20 F. We saw a C-17 out on the ice runway with the people who left the Pole on Saturday waiting to board. Too bad we couldn't join them and be back in Christchurch, NZ that night.

However, I was looking forward to seeing my old college chum Wade who came back to McMurdo during Winfly as an electrician. I also stopped in to visit with the McMurdo IT personnel and my possible future boss if I come back.

Well we're slated to leave here around 7 PM, which will make it a late night getting into Christchurch. I'm excited yet a little sad to be leaving.

Station Opening

2006-11-05T12:13:00.000+13:00

10/31/2006

It finally arrived! One other guy and myself shaved our beards as a means to 'rally' the planes here. I guess it worked because four planes touched down unloading personnel and taking away a few Winter Overs. I collected $10 on a bet that the planes would land today.

In retrospect it was 50 years ago when the first plane landed at the South Pole. At 8:34 PM the US Navy R4D Que Sera Sera 'skied to a halt atop the Antarctic ice sheet at 90 degrees South latitude. For more on that event and information on the south Pole station, click here.

Since the temperature was about -48 C, and the LC-130s leave their engines running to prevent them from freezing up, contrail form. With no visibility the mechanical loader operators cannot get to the rear of the plane to unload/load cargo. Instead a combat offload is done (pushing the pallets out the back while the plane is taxiing) to get the cargo off the plane.

It was strange seeing familiar faces returning for the summer as well as FNGs looking 'green' and clueless. Someone said, "We're no longer Winter Overs, we're now 'Left Overs'!"

No planes Yet

2006-10-28T08:03:00.000+13:00

10/27/2006

Station Opening was set for last Saturday October 21. Unfortunately (or fortunately for some here who don't want new arrivals) the weather has been too cold for the LC-130s to land. It needs to be -50 C or warmer before the LC-130s will land, and it's been hanging just below -55 C. The meteorologists are probably the most sought after personnel on station - "Hey Don, how's the weather looking?". It's like watching little ducklings following their mother. I jokingly told the new IT Manager who was waiting in McMurdo to fly down on the first flight that I'd see him in Novemeber.

At our Monday morning Safety Briefing the EH&S (Environmental Health & Safety) officer said "If we're here next Monday, the topic of discussion will be suicide and mass murder prevention." I think that about says how some of the people feel. There's the long stare and the obligatory "I don't give a F#@%!" among other things.

On Tuesday night word got out that the Basler (DC-3) was coming in the next day with 18 people and take out 14 Winter Overs. It was still too cold for the LC-130s to make it in, but this venerable, old airframe could do it. The outbound passengers were joyous, liquor flowed freely, people began parting with possessions they didn't want or couldn't take back. Unfortunately, the next day the Basler was canceled. I think everyone resigned themselves to waiting until the planes officially get here.

In other news, I found out my job sequence # is 1334 and my Winter Over # is 1125 out of 1153 (total number of people who've wintered at the South Pole since the first station was opened). Another bit of trivia, our potable water comes from a well that we drill in the ice. I say 'drill' but there's not a drill bit involved. Instead hot water is used to create a large cavity in the ice. When that is used up, a new 'rodwell' is made, and waste water is used to fill the old one. A few years ago CRREL (Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory) did a study called the 'Stratigraphic and Physical Property Measurement of the 202-meter core drill at the South Pole' which dated the water in the rodwell. Here's a depth vs timeline which shows we're drinking 'ice' that was deposited back in 500 AD.

And then there were 62

2006-10-25T12:49:00.000+13:00

10/20/2006

Today a modified DC-3 called a Basler and a Twin Otter from Ken Borek Air flew in from the penninsula. They came all the way from Calgary, Canada. During the summer they operate out of McMurdo, and unlike the LC-130 must come over the Antarctic continent, hitting fuel depots due to their limited range.

Everyone rushed out to meet the Basler. It would be the first time seeing another human being in eight months. A crew member came over, and I was the first to shake his hand.

One of the guys I came down with, Craig needed to get out early because his daughter is getting married. The 109th NYANG who fly the LC-130s are due to fly in tomorrow, but there was room for two guys on the Basler, so Craig and one other guy got to go. It wasn't until later we learned that the other guy hadn't even cleaned his room before he left. It was a disaster area. One poor soul had accepted $20 to do the cleaning, but upon opening the door knew he had been 'taken'. We snapped photos of the biohazard area and displayed them on the TV screens in the Galley.

Craig & I in front of the Basler

Station Opening Work

2006-10-25T12:42:00.000+13:00

10/17/2006

One of the drawbacks (some people would consider it a benefit) of my job is that there's not a lot of manual labor. With all the snow drifts that occurred over the winter months, there are lots of opportunities to dig stuff out. I volunteered to go out and help shovel snow out of the outlying buildings. In addition the things we took down now have to go back up like the runway markers.

However, I didn't get to do this. Instead I walked out to RF to get some systems online. There was a UPS that needed to get plugged in. I attempted to move it and instead cut a gash in my leg that went through my trousers and thick long johns. 123 lbs was just a bit too heavy (I looked up the weight online). I didn't realize I'd cut myself until I felt something warm running down my leg a few minutes later.

I bandaged it up and headed back to the station, knowing I'd probably have to have stitches. It turned out that only 3 were needed. Still it was recorded as a 'Reportable Injury' which went against our safety record. There were people to notify and paperwork to fill out. In the end I couldn't 'go out to play'.

For a report on the boondoggle of putting out runway markers, see Heidi's blog.

Seconds Anyone?

2006-10-25T12:38:00.000+13:00

10/13/2006

They say an army marches on its stomach and the best way to appease people is to keep them well fed. I can't find any complaints for the culinary delights we've enjoyed down here. It's too good!

So, here's what the 64 of us have consumed so far:

5428 pounds of Beef
22720 Eggs
1527 pounds of Fries
3948 pounds of Pork
2811 pounds of Poultry
2457 pounds of Seafood
82 case of Cold Cereal
1590 pounds of Cheese
1170 pounds of Butter
2638 pounds of Canned and Frozen Fruit
24300 slices of Pre-Made Bread
418 lbs of Meatless Protein (Tofu, Tempeh, TVP…)
39 gallons of Ketchup
11520 blue cups worth of Orange Juice (blue cup is 16oz)
8450 blue cups worth of Milk (blue cup is 16oz)
432 gallons of Ice Cream (after air is added by the ice cream machine)

Assuming everybody ate the same amount, here's the breakdown per individual:

84.81 pounds of Beef
355 Eggs
23.86 pounds of Fries
61.69 pounds of Pork
43.92 pounds of Poultry
38.39 pounds of Seafood
1.28 cases of Cold Cereal, so about 18-20lbs
24.84 pounds of Cheese
18.28 pounds of Butter
41.22 pounds of Fruit (This doesn’t count Freshies from beginning of winter)
380 slices of Pre-Made Bread
6.53 pounds of Meatless-Protein (But of course this number is much higher for those that eat it, since most don’t)
0.6 gallons of Ketchup
180 blue cups of OJ
132 blue cups of milk
6.75 gallons of Ice Cream

Moving Day

2006-10-25T12:37:00.000+13:00

10/11/2006

Well some of us must vacate our Winter digs to make room for the incoming 'Ice Vetrans'. I'm going into the new A4 wing where the rooms are smaller (the same size as my 'Summer' room), and once again I got an inside room instead of a window which I wanted. It feels like living in a hole at times, but it's only for a few weeks.

I'll slowly start to move my belongings over, finishing up on the weekend. Since the room is smaller, the move is forcing me to pack up my things for my eventual departure. We only get 140
lbs to fly out with, and that includes our carryon, checked-luggage, and ECW gear. I plan to travel as light as possible, so I'm shipping anything I don't need for my New Zealand travels.

Balloon Launch

2006-10-25T12:30:00.000+13:00

10/8/2006

Weather is perhaps one of the biggest scientific research at the South Pole. The South Pole Meteorology Department (MET) and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) make atmospheric observations using balloons. Because the balloons are so big and difficult to handle by one person, volunteers are sought to help launch the balloons.

Earlier in the season I helped one of the meteorologists launch a 3000 gram balloon. Today I would assist with launching a NOAA balloon to measure the ozone depletion. When NOAA launches their balloon, the MET Department piggybacks on it since Helium is a precious commodity.

I got an in-depth explanation on the instrumentation used by both the meteorologist and NOAA tech. During the winter the ozone level is pretty stable. It's only with the coming of the sun, which activates the chlorine in the upper atmosphere that breaks down the ozone between 13,000 and 21,000 km. I remember hearing all the news stories about the ozone hole over Antarctica, and here I am! For more information on the ozone hole and NOAA's work down here, click on this link.

South Pole Invitational Golf Tournament

2006-10-15T14:22:00.000+13:00

10/1/2006

I know of people playing 'Winter Golf' and of 'Winter Rules'. Some of the guys down here discovered some golf clubs and balls. They put together a 9-hole course. It was pretty elaborate, and it helped give us something to do on the last day of our last two-day weekend.

I volunteered to film the spectacle, and that it was. After about 4 holes, the batteries in my digital 'still' camera and the video camera had lost power due to the cold, which was about -80 F. After getting done, one of the guys said, "That's probably one of the dumbest things we've done!". Still I'd have to say it was still fun.

Oktoberfest

2006-10-08T15:01:00.000+13:00

9/30/2006

Well when you've got a Bavarian on station and this German holiday comes up, he's not going to let you miss it. Over the 'All Call' came this loud yell. We all popped out of our rooms wondering if the fire alarm went off. No, it was only Robert.

Robert's been coming down five times at the South Pole. He has a physics background and works as the science tech for the University of Chicago at MAPO where he flies his Bavarian flag. Some of the other things he does is photography, which he is quite accomplished at, and paragliding.

Robert Schwarz & Mrs. Janice Martin

Surise - Spring Equinox

2006-09-30T12:45:00.000+12:00

9/23/2006

According to Wikipedia the Equinox occurs when the sun is directly over the equator. In our case, it signifies 'Sunrise'. A few days ago it peaked above the horizon, and it looked like it was perculating there.

In any case it was cause for celebration. Two whole pigs were roasted, the galley was decorated, and I brought out my tropical shirt again.

Talk Like a Pirate Day

2006-09-25T13:54:00.000+12:00

9/19/2006

Hmm, I don't know if I even need to mention this day, just go to the website below. In any case, this was started by two guys who basically wanted to foster a 'care-free' attitude which they thought was emulated by the 'pirate life'. One of the guys here brought down their book, which mentions priates in Antarctica. I leafed through it early in the season.

I had no idea this pirate thing was so big. Check out http://pirates.meetup.com/. There's even an entry for the South Pole.

Coincidentally I brought down the pirate flag used in our Kinetics races. I flew it at the Pole marker and it's now decorating the galley.

9/11

2006-09-24T16:20:00.000+12:00

9/12/2006

The first plane hit at 08:45 EST, which makes it 12:45 AM on September 12 here at the South Pole. We didn't hold any service or moment of silent. About that time everyone is already silent in bed. I remember my mom telling me she remembers where she was when President Kennedy was shot (way before my time). There are two events I recall where I was and what I was doing:
1) The Gulf War (1991)
2) 9/11/2001

I was on my way to work in Downtown Denver on the bus when someone mentioned the Twin Towers were hit. Being in Denver I think many of us didn't know what the person was talking about. It wasn't until I got into work that I learned the whole story.

My parents were flying out of Denver that day, so I called them and told them they probably wouldn't be flying today or until the end of the week for that matter. I think it was a few hours into work, that the powers that be decided to evacuate our building. We all went home, and for the next few days we reflected on the day's events and were awed by the silence in the skies.

Sunrise Art Show

2006-09-22T16:09:00.000+12:00

9/10/2006

The cardboard window coverings started coming down after months of use keeping the station light from interfering with sensitive experiments and also helping with insulation. The artistic coverings in the galley also had to go, but to allow for a transitional phase instead of just pulling the shades aside, letting in the flood of light, we had an art show.

I remember in grade school doing fingerpainting and making pottery. I can't imagine what went through my mother's head when I would hand her my latest creation, and she'd smile and say how wonderful it was, while trying to figure out what it was.

Some people don't have that problem. Some people used wood (making bowls, cups, and frames), others used metal, and a few turned to weaving.

Fun and Games

2006-09-22T15:04:00.000+12:00

9/2/2006

Another two-day weekend to help us recuperate. Only one more left. Sigh.......

My plan was to sleep and read my Lonely Planet guidebook to plan for travels once off the 'ice'. Instead we had a plethora of activities, starting with the Scottish Games on Saturday where 'meat pie' was eaten, 'scotch' was brought out to drink, 'Scottish Dancing' was watched, and the 'Caber Toss' was performed.

One of the guys tried to trace everyones geneology back to Scotland. I did find my family crest on my mother's side which goes back to England so I guess I can count myself lucky unlike a few who came from other backgrounds than Great Britain.

An assortment of Scotch with myself & cook Michael Rehm

The late afternoon brought fourteen of us down to the 'Dodgy Bastards Bar' for the second 2006, South Pole Poker Tournament. The buy-in was $40. I think I was the 7th one out. Oh well, a good learning experience. I guess I need to watch 'Rounders' again.

Sunday was no better as I joined another Fantasy Football League one of the guys down here started. As if I wasn't already trying to figure one out already, I had to go ahead and add more extra curricular activities to my plate. Just shoot me! At least we used an online league through Yahoo Sports.

I finished the day off my playing 'HALO 2' into the wee hours of Monday morning. At least it's out of my system! I gave it back to the guy who brought it down and told him not to give it to me again.

Fantasy Football

2006-09-20T16:26:00.000+12:00

8/28/2006

Well it's slowly getting brighter and brighter outside. I got an email from a buddy back in Colorado to join his Fantasy Football league. Today was the draft. I haven't kept up with the teams and players for years, not to mention this was the first time joining a league.

My introduction to fantasy sports was working a few months for a small firm in Boulder, Sportsware. I knew that by participating I'd 1) learn a lot about Fantasy Sports, 2) get caught up on all the NFL players, and 3) see much of my free time spirited away.

A little over 2 hours later the draft was done! It was all done online, with people throughout the US. I of course was the celebrity being thousands of miles away. I got a few good players, but I hit the 'auto pilot' at the end, thinking the satellite link would be down before finishing. I got two extra QBs which I later dropped for some free agents. We'll see how it goes especially since $$ is involved.

"Earthquake Hits Near South Pole"

2006-08-24T15:35:00.000+12:00

8/21/2006

This was the headline in the news today on the People's Daily Online. Fox News also reported the earthquake. Well I didn't feel the earth move because the quake happened over 1000 miles away. Someone needs to retake geography!

Penguins were probably the only Antarctic land creatures who got frightened from the event. The USGS has instruments down here, one measuring seismic events. Here's a link to the IRIS site displaying this informaiton.

About the only other development was a huge aurora display courtesy of sunspots.

*Photo by our Bavarian science tech working for the University of Chicago.

Twilight

2006-08-22T13:47:00.000+12:00

8/16/2006

Believe it or not there is light at the end of the tunnel. In my case it's at the edge of the horizon. Last week we started to see a sliver of the sun. Everyone's all giddy now. You can see a spring in people's step and a glow in their eyes.

I walked out to some of the remote buildings to check on some network devices - MAPO (Univerisity of Chicago), ICECUBE Temporary Counting House (University of Wisconsin), and ARO (NOAA). It added up to about 2 miles. Since it was pretty clear out, I decided try to take the shorter route instead of follow the flag line back to the station and then back out to ARO. The hard part was the massive drifts and sastrugi.

I also just learned that I'm tentatively set to leave this place outpost at the Bottom of the World on November 2. Yes, I'm quite excited!

Dirty Work

2006-08-04T12:03:00.000+12:00

8/5/2006

Unlike McMurdo, which swells to over 1200 people during the 'summer' months (November-February), the South Pole station only gets up to a little above 250. McMurdo has janitorial staff. We do not. So every Saturday we do something called 'HouseMouse'. Every department (and science personnel) have an assigned area to clean. During the 'wintertime' we rotate through the various rooms, hallways, etc. It amazes me how dirty the floor gets when there is no dirt here.

In addition, during the summer, we'd have 3 DAs (Dining Attendants) who help keep the Galley area clean, wash dishes, etc. Sometimes after work I'd help out. Well for the Winter we don't have these, so the 64 of us rotate through. It's a change from the daily routine, but at the end of it everyone is exhausted from his/her day in the 'Dish Pit'. This last Tuesday was my day. The shift runs from 10 AM to 8 PM. Most people sleep in, but I still have work to get done, so I was working from 7 AM. As usual on these days, I fell into bed. Hopefully that was my last time in the kitchen.

What I do down here

2006-07-30T15:24:00.000+12:00

7/26/2006

After reading my Blog, a friend of mine wondered if we get any work done. It seemed we were reliving our college days. Well what's wrong with that.

Work is just that, it's 'work'. Just because I'm doing it at the South Pole makes it unique although sometimes there are some unexpected situations. As the Network Engineer my work is mostly indoors, except for when I need to head out to remote buildings to perform work, which I welcome. Other workers do a lot more outside, and sometimes get frostbite.

Here's an excerpt of my job responsibilities:

The Network Engineer will be primarily responsible for supporting the station’s network infrastructure, including Windows 2003 servers running Exchange, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and Veritas backup. There will also be some day-to-day maintenance of the Cisco based gigbit network, wireless network, Call Manager, and VoIP telephones, as well as administering Solaris and Linux servers. Additionally, the new South Pole Station is under construction, and the Network Engineer may have an opportunity to participate in the installation and configuration of new servers and network equipment. This is going to be a one of a kind network environment that will not be duplicated anywhere in the world.

So if you didn't understand all that basically there's a Help Desk person who takes care of general computer issues, a System Administrator who does the next level of computer assistance, and then there's the Network Engineer who has to know it all. There's a whole bunch of systems in the new station, unlike under the Dome, where there was only a small room with just a few servers. It's almost overwhelming at times, but also a great opportunity to learn things that would have taken years. I'm learning stuff like Cisco Call Manager, which uses the same lines used by computers for phone services - VoIP. This technology allows us to make calls back to the U.S. Additionally I'm getting a chance to study all different Microsoft platforms, Cisco networking devices, LINUX operating systems, network security, video/web conferencing, data storage technology, and network management.

Will all this help me get a job when I get back? Who knows, but I can wait to say in the interview, "So, tell me where you worked for your last job?".

Christmas in July

2006-07-29T12:47:00.000+12:00

7/22/2006

We celebrated another tradition down here - 'Christmas in July'. The galley again was wonderful, roasting whole turkeys, a ham, and all the trimmings. It's always nice to see everyone showered and dressed up. I searched through my luggage to find the Santa cap I brought down and wore in December.

I ended up sitting at one of the ends of the table and was put in charge of carving the 'bird'. Placing all the tables together into one long row really put into perspective just how many people are down here.

Later we had a 'White Elephant' gift exchange. Of course we didn't perform the rules properly. Instead of stealing an opened gift or choosing one, when a name was called, the person chose a gift, opened it, and either kept it or traded it. I swapped my gift, which I then had taken away, then the next one stolen, and finally ended up with a cribbage board. I've always wanted to learn, so it didn't turn out so bad.

300 Club

2006-07-10T11:36:00.000+12:00

7/10/2006

At 0502 NZT, we hit -100 F. Jeff, one of the meteorologists, called me around 0520 to let me know the news, and that he was heading out around 0600. I was just getting up to go workout, so this was kinda perfect. Still I had lingering reservations about shedding my clothes and running outside with fellow Polies as part of a long-time Winter-Over tradition. Was this modesty?

In any case I got part of my workout done, grabbed my robe, and with nothing more than my socks, shoes, and a towel around my waist, I headed for the Sauna. There were already a few hearty souls who had already returned from their quest. I waited with others for the temperature to reach above 200 F. After building up a sweat, we headed out down the hallway, out to the 'beer can', and then finally outside to the Pole marker and back, all in our 'birthday suits' - OK, except for shoes, socks, a neck gator, and cap.

Am I crazy or what?

*Jeff posted pictures on his site.

ARRL Field Day

2006-07-09T14:25:00.000+12:00

6/25/2006

A few weeks ago a Ham Radio class was started. I was always interested in it, so now I didn't have an excuse not to participate. We're hoping to get our 'Technician' Class license, but who knows. A well-known ham operator and author of many traning manuals Gordon West wanted to send us textbooks, but we had to inform him that we couldn't receive them for a couple of months.

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for Amateur Radio operators. Every year on the fourth full weekend in June, they host a "Field Day" where operators try and contact as many 'stations' as possible within a 24-hour period. We were hoping to get quite a number of calls from the US. Unfortunately, propogation, just wasn't on our side.

Hash House Harriers III

2006-07-09T13:55:00.000+12:00

6/24/2006

Well another month and another installment of Hash House Harriers. This time I was a 'hare' along with Neal. He thought up a good trail, and the fun part was doing all the prep work which we did a day or so ahead of time.

The trail would take people outside where they had to choose two paths. One was a dead end, the other took them into the Dome where they had to climb up to a hatch, walk across the snow to another hatch which took them down a spiral staircase into the buried fuel arch, then outside again.

We had to dig out the fuel arch hatch which is the opening to a vertical tube that sticks out of the snow. During the summer one could open the hatch (door) and the snow was level with the threshold. It only took a few months for snow to bury the hatch, which is on the windward side. As we walked around the outside, I fell into the 10 foot drop on the leeward side of the structure. It spooked Neal seeing me beside him one second then disappeared the next. It's amazing how snow settles around structures. It doesn't build up level with things but instead accumulates on one side while the other remains free of buildup.

Since it was dark outside, we used green food coloring to make a trail from the Dome hatch to the Fuel Arch hatch. During one of our times at prep work, I lost my mitten and spent considerable time looking for it. Neal did not complain, but I feel he may never want to partner up with me again.

After everyone gathered for the evening's festivities, we were given a 20 minute head start. We walked part of the trail, and added last minute signs which we couldn't do before. As we headed back to the station we saw the runners outside with lights bleeding into the night. Neal and I fell to the snow, worried they might see us although they were 100+ yards away. As they disappeared we raced back into the station, placing the last few signs, and then coming to rest at the finish. We listened on the radio as the runners went through the course. We laughed at their comments to the trail, especially when the lead runners thought they had gotten to the end and were told to go back 200 yards.

Finally everyone found the finish and the 'down-downs' began. People were named. I was not one of them. I'm quite dreading what name they will come up with eventually.

The Shining

2006-07-09T13:02:00.000+12:00

6/23/2006

Another tradition down here is watching Steven King's "The Shining". Believe it or not, I've never see the whole thing. The isolation, the 10,000 yard stare, it kinda makes you wonder about the other 63 I'm living with down here...... One guy sat down to watch it with a fire axe.

No worries, we all had good fun. If you've never seen the movie, here's a quick synopsis, re-enacted by bunnies The Shining in 30 seconds. For those who have seen it, someone re-cut the trailer to make it totally different - The Shining Redux

WHIFF

2006-07-09T12:36:00.000+12:00

6/21/2006

I don't have a creative bone in my body, so it amazes me to see the videos some of my fellow winter-overs produce. Some though inundated us with quantity like Bob C. I made it into a few with my beard - "I heard you were allowed to grow a beard at the South Pole, so that's why I came." and "The Talking Pen."

Our hosts (critics) playing the parts of Siskle & Ebert were Don (the weatherman) and Patrick. The free beer helped get through some of the films or at least bolster our confidence to heckle the hosts.

A few of these movies were posted up to Google Video, someone even posted the video I sent to Jimmy Buffet.

8 o'clock news
Fire On Ice

Jimmy Buffet Video
Party at the Bottom of the World

Summer Video
Frozen Time

Mid-Winter

2006-06-18T12:17:00.000+12:00

6/17/2006

It's a tradition since the beginning of Antarctic exploration that a Mid-Winter celebration is held. Since June 21, is in the middle of the week, we celebrated on Friday and got another two-day weekend! As most people did, as soon as work was over, I used my precious shower allotment and dressed in semi-formal attire. The Galley crew went all out serving us a five-star meal, see the menu below.

People helped in various other ways, setting up, serving, pouring wine (me), and then clean-up. As a wine pourer, whenever someone toasted we were obligated to participate. Needless to say the toasting can get quite excessive! We went through 13 bottles of wine. I'm sure we would have gone through another 13, but many brought their own 'poison'. The food was so beautifully presented people went around taking pictures of it, which reminded me of my Dad.

Afterwards there was dancing, with many of the male personnel trying to get dances from the few females on station. A few of us (myslef included) brought out 'top shelf' whiskey we'd saved, and savored the smooth, delightful Irish & Single-malt Scotch until the wee hours of the morning. What a harsh continent!

South Pole

WINTER DINNER EXTRAVAGANZA

HAND-PASSED HORS D’OEUVRES FROM 6-7 PM

SERVED PLATED DINNER BEGEINNING AT 7:00 PM

APPETIZERS

SMOKED DUCK BREAST

With a Jack Daniels infused fruit chutney

STEAMED LOBSTER TAILS

Sweet corn cake and lemon butter

SOUP AND/OR SALAD

SOUTH POLE BOUILLABAISE

Shrimp and scallops simmered in a saffron-tomato broth

GRILLED ASPARAGUS SALAD

With Basil vinaigrette,

roasted red peppers, blue cheese and spiced walnuts

ENTREES

CHICKEN ROULADE

Stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese

accompanied by a button mushroom Marsala sauce

GRILLED SALMON

With tarragon beurre blanc (white butter sauce)

BEEF WELLINGTON

Wrapped in shiitake mushroom duxelle and puff pastry

CHICKEN FRIED STEAK

Special Requests

All Entrees served with Garlic-chive mashed potatoes or Wild rice pilaf

And Green beans Almandine or Steamed broccoliast!

DESSERTS

Mike Hole’s Kiwi Vanilla Custard Squares

Dark Chocolate Decadence

…and a glass of champagne to toast!

Party at the Bottom of the World

2006-06-10T13:11:00.000+12:00

6/9/2006

A few weeks ago I sent an email to Radio Margaritaville to say ‘Hi’ from the ‘Party at the Bottom of the World’. That email slowly made its way up through the various channels until someone contacted me, and said Jimmy Buffett wanted a brief video. Since Jimmy’s concert tour and new song is titled “Party at the End of the World”, it kinda makes us unique. Together with Craig (fellow Parrothead) we made a short video of everyone saying ‘Hi’ to Jimmy and sent it on its way.

After the satellite came up, I clicked on Radio Margaritaville. They were broadcasting his Cincinnati, OH concert. The next thing I heard left me speechless. He mentioned the South Pole, that we had a bar down there, and then he launched the video. So I guess I can say I was on stage with Jimmy!

Cinco de Montho

2006-06-10T13:10:00.000+12:00

6/5/2006

I’ve slowly updated my blog. I almost let the whole month of May go by. My compatriots Neal & Patrick are almost religious in keeping theirs up. Of course the rumor is Patrick’s trying to woo a blogger who’s commented on his site, which is why he’s keeping fresh material up. You might want to check their sites out for some humor. Also you’ll note that Neal has quite a fan club, so if you’re reading this blog, please leave a comment here or two so I know it’s getting read

It's about 5 months until the first plane arrives, so somehow we've got to keep our eggs persevered else I guess we'd be having powdered ones. I never heard about 'oiling' eggs to preserve them, but that's what we all did tonight. The galley bought 'cervezas' and we went through cases of eggs, oiling them to seal them and rotating them to keep them from compacting on one side. Supposedly it's great fun, but I think the beers brought everyone in. Then the comrade spirit kicked in.

Where did the weekend go?

2006-06-09T19:05:00.000+12:00

6/4/2006

This weekend was one of our rare two day weekends. We get the first weekend of every month, and we’ve got only three of them left. We’re approaching mid-Winter (June 21), and the half-way point of my tour here has come and gone. Here’s a group picture of the 2006 South Pole Winter-Overs, minus a few people.

We’ll the weekend started off with a jaunt down to the Dodgy Bastards Bar, where yours truly joined in the musical ensemble to ‘Changes in Latitude’, then a game of Twister ensued. I think the next time I participate there better be an equal male/female ratio.

After sleeping in on Saturday, which felt wonderful, I had to get a switch setup for ‘Frag Fest’ which was an all out computer gaming festival – Quake 4, Doom 3, Medal of Honor, Civilization 4, Rome, etc. I sat down and started playing Quake 4 around 2 PM, and the addict I am, I played until I finished – 12 hours later. Arghhhh! That’s why I don’t buy any games or own a Xbox or Playstation.

Memorial Day – South Pole Style

2006-06-07T23:06:00.000+12:00

5/29/2006

Ah Memorial Day……Time to get out the grill, run the Boulder Bolder, or head out to the Mountains to commune with Nature. Back home it was a rite of passage into summer when pools would open, and poeple would pack the highways trying to get out of the city. Wait a minute; I’m at the South Pole. I don’t have Monday off like the rest of the U.S.

I guess we celebrated Memorial Day yesterday. OK we didn’t hold service or reflect on those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. We got up, had a leisurely brunch thanks to our esteemed Michael Rehm who's trademark is the "Biggest Breakfast in Antactica". We then had a giant blowout sale of store items. Many people loaded up on T-shirts and items for others back home. Later I went and watched Antarctica videos from the library and played Playstation. I'm getting addicted to this thing, especially a game called 'Soul Caliber' whom two other people on station love to play. However my relaxation was interrupted when I was urgently called to the kitchen to perform surgury. OK, they needed me to filet fish for 'Sushi Night'.

Yes, it's a harsh continent down here!

BF5K

2006-05-10T23:10:00.000+12:00

5/7/2006

The days march onward, and sometimes it's the same old drudge work, although there's some new technology that I'm just itching to learn, which will only help me when I get off the 'Ice'. I know in the back of my mind that if I don't plan out things, it will be September with nothing accomplished. I opened a notebook that I skua'd which had the following on the first page:
"Work keeps us from three great evils: boredom, vice, and poverty.-- Voltaire"
I think that says it all for us down here.

On another note, this weekend was one of our rare two-day weekends. Usually we work Monday-Saturday, so this felt like work back home. There was an organized run on Saturday called the BF5K. It was started last year by one of the guys here - Kevin, who's nickname is 'BFK'. As you might guess, he's a little on the heavy side. Anyway it was a theme run. Runners had to wear a costume and also needed a 'sponsor'. We ran the length of the 1st and 2nd floors of the station 18 times. Every 3 laps our 'sponsor' had to drink (beverage of choice).

Later in the evening we had a Scotch tasting event. Can you see a pattern here with alcohol?

A Normal Day at the South Pole

2006-04-21T17:43:00.000+12:00

4/20/2006

This morning I walked out to the satellite dish (OK, it was the shack next to the satellite dish, which we call the 'RF Building' housing satellite and computer equipment) to do some work. It was -50 F with 26 knot winds. As I left the station with the wind to my back, I could faitly make out outlines in the environment. On a clear night (It's always night now), I can see the beacon atop the satellite dome. That was nowhere to be seen, but I made good progress.

Returning was something else. For one thing the wind is now blowing in my face and I could barely make out the outlines of structures. What I thought was a straght line was really a zig-zag. I look backed at the RF Building to figure out where I was and where I need to go. My headlight's red light (we have to cover our lights with red film to reduce the spectrum output on light sensitive experiments) helped with footing and illuminated what's around some. I made it halfway when I saw beacon lights, but which ones were they? I wasn't lost, but just need to get my bearings. I thought about the guy who was lost the other day off the Antarctic research vessel Laurence M. Gould. I had a radio, and I had shelter around me. Not a problem. 25 minutes later I was back in the station. Not bad for 3/4 mile trek.

Party Time

2006-04-21T00:31:00.000+12:00

4/16/2006

I think I said before if there's any excuse to have a party, we have one. Last night was a Costume Party in celebration of April Birthdays. I thought of going to the Skua pile, but instead decided on the Red Green theme. Of course no one got it nor even heard of the show, so I ended up being a Canadian lumberjack. Heck, I'm half Canadian.

Bill the safety guy showed up in a quasi space costume, our Bavaian research associate had on Liederhosen, we had the Flying Nun who took a dive, and of course guys in togas. Patrick, the System Administrator posted a picture of me on his blog site. He's got a wicked sense of humor. Then you must check out one of our esteemed science technicians, Neal, who was able to fit into a white liesure suit. What a pimp!

*Skua - a scavenger gull type bird. The name is used to denote a collection of items (clothes, electronics, etc.) left for others to use.

Hash House Harriers

2006-04-15T03:08:00.000+12:00

4/9/2006

Last night I was introduced to the wonder of being a Hash House Harrier. If you don't know what that is, check out the link. It's more of a social mixer steeped with tradition, but it's also known as "A drinking club with a running problem." If you're into political correctness, you won't find it here, everything to the songs to the stories. All newbies are called 'Virgins', after the first 'run' you're called 'Just (your name)' until you get a name, like 'Farking Icehole', 'Inchworm', 'Trust Driver', etc.

Three of us ran outside all the way to where the passenger terminal stood, thinking we were on the right trail, when we came upon the 'UBF' sign. Well we headed back down the trail to pick it back up. Finally making it to the end 'On-In', where the 'Down Down' ceremony took place. Those of us with infractions had to drink out of a bedpan.

Oh and if you're wondering if we're all becoming alcoholics down here, let me set you straight, alcoholics go to meetings, we just get drunk.

BBQ - South Pole Style

2006-04-11T21:29:00.000+12:00

4/2/2006

A true Texan will tell you there's 'barbecuing' and then there's 'grilling'. A ‘Texas’ barbecue (a.k.a. BBQ, Bar-B-Que, Barbeque, etc.) is when you slow cook meat over a smoldering fire for a long period of time which infuses the smoke into the meat. Then a red, spicy sauce is applied. Anything other than this process is plain old ‘grilling’.

However, I wasn’t about to explain this misnomer to Alan, the Australian metal worker for MAPO. He was kind enough to prepare and marinate lamb chops, chicken, and steaks for one of the rare two day weekends we have off. There wasn’t mesquite wood to cook on, but hey, this is the South Pole. We made due with wood scraps. It’s too bad we couldn’t harness the heat somehow.

Oh the taste of meat, fresh off the grill!

Sunset

2006-04-10T01:52:00.000+12:00

3/21/2006

Today is the Vernal Equinox, which marks when the sun is directly over the equator and the days and nights are equal around the world. OK so that doesn’t fit for down here. Still it was an excuse to have a party. Here’s what was on the menu:

Brazilian Por Quilo
Tapas
Sangria

With a telescope we reflected the sun's rays onto a white board (since you don't want to look directly at it), with some amazing results.

Not so Average Saturday Night

2006-04-07T00:10:00.000+12:00

3/5/2006

Sundays are our days off. However, today didn't feel like a day off. Since I'm working when the satellite link is available partaking in the station social activities is difficult. What ends up happening is modifying my sleep schedule into 4 hour blocks. Yesterday there was an Australian wine tasting event. The alcohol flowed freely, there was a musical string ensemble, and plenty of cheese, crackers, and other hor' de vours. It's amazing how creative people can be down here.

Afterwards most of the crowd headed down to 'Upper Berthing' in the Dome for the 'Long and Skinny' party dedicated to the retirement of that historical place. People who had lived up there opened their mostly empty rooms and hosted drink concoctions like 'Road Dog' punch and 'Milky Milks'. I was pretty amazed at some of customization in the rooms. Orginally two people were assigned to a room. Pretty cramped quarters!

I did get time to sqeeze in reading Nicholas Johnsons's "Big Dead Place" which chronicalizes his time spent down here working for Raytheon Polar Services Corp, mostly in McMurdo. It gives quite a jaded side of what it's like working down here at the 'highest, driest, coldest, and most desolate continent'.

Southern Most Bar

2006-04-06T23:58:00.000+12:00

2/26/06

Last night the 'Dodgy Bastards Bar' was christened, although I think it still remains to be named. The South Pole has few area for smokers, which I'm not one of. There's the 'Summer Camp Smokers Lounge' and under the Dome is the 'Black Box'. The original design of the new station had a smoking lounge, but the powers that be decided it would be best if that didn't happen, probably for the best because who knew if the air system could properly filter it out. In any case, smokers are banished to heading outdoors to get their 'fix'.

However, the old gym was turned over as a haven for smokers. Individuals seized on the opportunity like ravaged animals starting with a 'painting party', running electrical conduits, etc. In the span of two weeks the bar is now a reality. It's amazing how fast people will accomplish something if they really want to. Some people were commenting that they never saw a project finish this quickly at the Pole before. In any case everyone is somewhat pleased that we now have a real social gathering place. There used to be a bar under the Dome called '90 South', but it was demo'd last year.

The evening started out mellow with three Polies playing and only a few individuals around. Eventually the place got going with more people trickling in. As Neal S. posted in his blog (www.nowhere-to-go-but-up.blogspot.com), "almost every female resident of the south pole passed through (10/13 ain't bad)."

I headed out before 11 PM and stopped by the galley where some people were watching a movie. Then it was time for the shower to get the smoke off me. I was just getting ready for bed when Rob, the satellite tech called me and said there was something wrong with the network. The satellite connection was good, but there was no network link back to the U.S. He wished me well and said he was heading back downstairs to the party at the bar.

After looking at the problem a bit and calling White Sands, NM where the satellite signal terminates. I concluded the problem was back in the satellite tech's lap. I put on some clothes and walked back down into the bowels of the tunnels to the bar to drag Rob back. Four hours later the problem was resolved. The technicians at White Sands hadn't thrown the correct switch.

Last Flight

2006-04-05T01:09:00.000+12:00

2/21/2006

Well it finally happened. Originally we had a 'soft' close of the South Pole station on February 15, but the NSF & NY ANG were going to keep flying through the 24th. Two flights were scheduled today, the last one being the passenger flight. At the last minute things were switched and the 9 or so people that were heading out had to scramble to get prepared. We watched them depart and waved. As we watched them go, I bumped Lt. Koes (NOAA officer). We looked at each other and without saying a word knew that was it. Winter just began for us. We were stranded for the next 8 months.

Usually the last flight is a day of relaxation, but it was business as usual. However one tradition continues - watching "The Thing" - both the original and John Carpenter's. I'd never seen the black & white one. It's kinda funny and has some interesting sexual banter. I'd seen the John Carpenter one, but I saw it in a new light after being down here.

As for work, I'm trying to work more during when the satelite link is up, which is from 8 PM until 7 AM. Kinda brutal hours. Because of my EMT background I was placed on one of the two trauma teams, so I'll be splitting time between Fire & Medical. It's all volunteer as we have no dedicated fire personnel like McMurdo.

New Years - Party in Every Time Zone

2006-03-29T17:51:00.000+12:00

1/1/2006

It's the morning after the big party. A few of us gathered in Old Comms (under the Dome) to start the festivities. The NSF Ops Rep was 'cutting the rug' with every available female. Next we set off for the Vehicle Maintenance Facility aka 'The Heavy Shop' which was turned into the party house. Outfitted with a stage, dance cage, and parachute drape, everyone turned out and enjoyed live band performances and drank alcohol poured down a slab of Antarctica ice. Dancers had to get used to the oil slick floor. I guess kitty litter was never brought down.

At midnight the 'ball' dropped and we all raced out to the Pole for pictures.

Ice Tunnels

2006-03-28T20:33:00.000+12:00

12/28/2006

One of the things you don’t always think about is how we get water and get rid of waste water. The first South Pole station melted snow. Well when more volume was needed they came up with a solution that involved drilling a giant bulbous well using hot water. This is called a ‘rod well’. When the water is used up, waste water is pumped into it. These long tunnels were dug out to carry the water to/from the station. Utility personnel (known as UTs) inspect these tunnels every so often.

Some mementos are left down there such as this pig’s head.

This sturgeon was given to McMurdo in 1995 by a Russian ship’s crew. It was left about for a year or so until it started stinking. A kind soul hand carried it to the South Pole and entombed it here where it will remain.

Race Around the World

2006-03-27T22:24:00.000+12:00

12/25/2005

It's a tradition every year at the 'Pole' to host this event where people run, ski, walk, etc a course around the pole marker. How could I come down to the bottom of the world and not do this. You might think this is crazy in this frigid environment, but it was still quite warm (for the South Pole). The hard part was trying to run through parts which were soft, thus slowing down one’s pace. There was even one person on stilts! Others participated by zipping around on snowmobiles or other vehicles. There was one black mark on the event when one person got injured from one of the vehicles.

Later we trudged over to where the Traverse Team was parked to check out the equipment.

Christmas

2006-03-26T02:27:00.000+12:00

12/24/2005

Yesterday a historic event occurred. The first overland traverse from McMurdo arrived, delivering heavy equipment and snow removal equipment with a total weight that would have required approximately 11 LC-130 flights. They left McMurdo the same day I arrived back in November, so the whole trip took just shy of 45 days.

Happy Camper

2006-03-26T02:18:00.000+12:00

12/18/2005

Down in McMurdo, all personnel that might work in remote camps or outside must go through snow survival school, a.k.a. ‘Happy Camper’. Things like how to walk about in blizzard conditions, build a snow cave, cut blocks of snow to make a wind break, pitch a tent correctly, etc. are taught.

For us Polies there’s not much need for this since we don’t have areas where we go far from the station. However, as another ‘boondoggle’, instructors are brought up from McMurdo to teach classes. Unlike McMurdo, we don’t get time off to partake in this, and so it occurs during our precious time off.

We drove out about 2 miles from the station and setup camp. We were the last class of four, but we still had to erect tents and boil snow. I imagined what the early explorers - Shackleton, Amundsen, and Scott as I helped make camp. By the time we were done it was midnight, but in the land of 24 hours of sunlight, you never know unless you look at your watch. I turned in, and for the first time since I arrived, I got over 8 hours of uninterrupted, restful sleep. Not many people can say they slept out outside at the South Pole!

Ice Challenger

2006-03-25T03:19:00.000+12:00

12/12/2005

Throughout the summer months many expeditions and private tours come to the South Pole, which is called Non-Government Activity (NGA). Most of them ski in, but here was an interesting story. The Ice Challenger is a customized van that drove from the Antarctic coast to here. Wow!

They ended up staying longer at the Pole than anticipated because they were waiting for fuel to be flown in. Apparently the warm weather we had slowed them down and caused them to use more fuel than they expected.

Snowstakes

2006-03-25T03:16:00.000+12:00

12/4/2005

Unlike other stations like Palmer or McMurdo, there isn’t much opportunity to get away from the South Pole station known as ‘boondoggles’. However, once a year the meteorologists must take measurements of snow stakes placed every ½ km for 20 km which measure snow drift. There’s about six trips total, and six people can come along for the ride. We used one of the tracked vehicles, this one being a Pisten Bully, which we rotated through driving.

Thanksgiving

2006-03-25T03:15:00.000+12:00

11/26/2005

I’ve had a few Thanksgivings away from home, some of them just by myself. This time it was different because it felt more of a community. A few days before people came into the galley to help peel vegetables and make pies. There were sign up sheets for three seatings since it was impossible to fit 250+ people in the galley at once, and volunteer wine stewards.

The night before ‘summer camp’ hosted a party. It’s an area about ¼ mile from the station where most of the ‘summer’ workers live. The buildings are called ‘Jamesways’ which look like Quonset huts, but instead of fabricated metal, canvas and wood are the materials.

I hoped my additional clothes would have arrived by now so I could properly dress for the occasion. Instead I wore jean and a flannel shirt, but I wasn’t the only one. Before each meal, hor devours were served (brie, salmon, shrimp, etc.). The science groups had purchased all the wine, which there was plenty of. The food was great as was the company.

Side Trip

2006-03-25T03:14:00.000+12:00

11/17/2005

Today I went out to SPRESO (South Pole Remote Earth Scientific Observatory). It's an area the USGS has instruments buried in a vault about 6 km away from the station. We took a LMC 1800 tracked vehicle called 'The Wrench' out to it. In this picture the station is a spec in the far distance.

We climbed down into the vault to fix a problem CTBTO (Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization) was having. It's amazing that there are instruments down here at the South Pole checking for nuclear testing. In any case we replaced a malfunctioning hardware so Vienna could access the systems.

The South Pole!

2006-03-25T03:13:00.000+12:00

11/15/2005

Once again we boarded the LC-130 for this our second attempt for the Pole. Since everyone took pictures the day before, most of us just read or tried to sleep. Still I though I needed to take a 'squirrel' shot.

We cheated death once again, landing at the South Pole. There to greet me was my boss Bill, Chris (whom I was replacing), and Tanya who I knew from working at ING with back in 2000-2003. We went in for lunch, then grabbed our luggage and went to our 'berthing'. Mine was in the elevated station although I kind of looked forward to staying under the Dome, which would be the last season it would hold residents.

Next we had an orientation to go to where the Doc talked about acclimating to the elevation – taking it easy, no working, etc. Well that was not be for me since the guy I was replacing was leaving in a week or so.

ms.

Boomerang

2006-03-25T03:04:00.000+12:00

11/14/2005

We boarded the ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules aircraft the 109th ANG unit out of NY is tasked with flying to support the US Antarctic effort. I looked out at the Transantarctic Mountains and set my eyes upon the Beardmore Glacier, which is the largest glacier in the world (over 260 miles long) . What an awe inspiring view!

3 hours later we were over the station, which I could see below. However due to weather we could not land and so we returned back to McMurdo. So our 3 hour flight in the noisy, cramped, LC-130 turned into six hours. After getting back to McMurdo, we found out we wouldn't get our rooms back. Instead we were assigned to the 'Hotel California'. The accommodations there were bunk style instead of the dorm room we had before. Oh well, we'd only be there for a night.

Layover

2006-03-12T06:07:00.001+13:00

11/13/2005

Yesterday we were supposed to fly to the 'Pole', but the weather had other ideas so we were guest of McMurdo until Monday. Well we decided to make the most of our layover in McMurdo. I hiked up Ob Hill and checked out the landscape.

McMurdo Station (USA)

Scott Base (NZ)

Next Stop, Antarctica

2006-03-07T00:04:00.000+13:00

11/11/2005

Arriving back at the CDC, we got into our ECW gear and slowly did the 'bag drag' which involves taking all our luggage and shuffling along to weigh all our check-in bags (4 for me), our carry-on bags, and ourselves with our 'hot' ECW gear on. After watching a video and grabbing some breakfast we got onto busses and headed out towards the tarmac where our C-17 awaited.

After boarding the C-17 aircraft, the biggest concern for us was getting 'Boomeranged', which means having to turn around. However after a six hour flight, we had to do a couple of 'touch-and-gos' at McMurdo's Ice Runway to burn off fuel, but we made it! This was my first sight of McMurdo:

On our way to our dorm rooms, this truck pulls off and starts honking at our group. We're all wondering what's the problem. The guy inside is pointing at us. Then I talk a closer look and it's my old college friend Wade Cunningham!

We've had a brief tour of the Station, if you've ever been to a mining town, McMurdo is pretty close to that along with a college dorm style atmosphere. Truely amazing!

Far Side of the World

2006-03-05T23:44:00.000+13:00

11/10/2005

Well I skipped the 9th crossing the International Date Line. Flying over New Zealand I was awestruck by how green everything was. Then we touched down in Auckland.

Because our LA flight was delayed an hour - the plane had to wait to take off against the wind and therefore traffic - we had only an hour to get through Customs in Auckland and make our 0830 AM flight to Christchurch. Like most airports, the international terminal is separate from the domestic terminal. We each had our luggage on carts and made our way the 1/2 mile or so to the domestic terminal, following the 'red' line on the ground. When we got to the domestic terminal, we noticed Marijke wasn't with us. Apparently she got held up in Customs. We waited for her, but the plane was leaving. She'd get the next flight.

As we were waiting for Marijke I eyed this girl who was on the flight from LA with us. She looked familiar, so I told her that. Great pickup line right? Well it wasn't because she thought the same thing. So we started with Colorado, but when I learned she was doing the Southern Traverse adventure race I figured out how we knew each other. She'd been at Lake Tahoe in 2003, for the Subaru Primal Quest adventure race. This is a picture of her (right) with her friend Renee.

After saying goodbye to Shannon & Renee, Kevin, Chris, Craig, John, & I headed over to the Clothing Distribution Center where we spent a good hour trying all our 'Extreme Cold Weather Gear' (ECW), which totaled 50 lbs. Afterwards, we had only half a day in ChristChurch, but it was still a sight! The architecture reminds me of Bermuda in a way, but bigger. We first headed over to a bar called 'Bailey' which is frequented by those heading down or coming back from Antarctica. I didn't really suffer from jet lag, but just the travelling wore us out so we all turned in around 1030 PM.

Departure

2006-03-02T20:46:00.000+13:00

11/8/2005

Well I left my parents at the hotel where Raytheon had put us up, and headed out with Chris, Craig, and Robert in SUVs to DIA. There we met up with the other individuals who were at the orientation yesterday. While we were waiting I borrowed a cell phone and made some quick calls to friends to say some last minute goodbyes. Marijke was able to sweet talk the security people into allowing her husband escort her to the gate. They spent every last moment together. It would be 3-4 months before they saw each other again.

On the flight out to LA, I sat near Kevin who was a vetran of McMurdo. He previously was a science diver, but this time he was working for Raytheon at the airfields. He told me his 'war' stories and about swimming under the ice, which kinda made me want to go for that commerical diving certificate or at least a dry suit one.

At LAX Chris lost his boarding pass so we waited for him to get a new one. Next we hit the Duty Free store where Marijke was buying liquor her boss in McMurdo asked her to get. We were acosted by 'charity' organizations. I'm glad there's none of that in Denver, then we waited at the Security line to get in. Chris passed through, but we were told we needed new boarding passes. Argh! We looked at the line at the ticket counter and rolled our eyes knowing our plane was leaving soon. Hand it to a woman though, Marijke went around and spoke with an attendant. She waived at us to come over and we bypassed the example of old Communist Russia.

I can't say much for the flight though because I had a window seat, crammed next to people I didn't know. I remembered back to my flights to Japan, which were more comfortable. I think I got up only twice during the flight.

Orientation

2006-02-27T04:38:00.000+13:00

11/7/2005

It is the day before I leave for the seventh continent. I showed up at Raytheon Polar Services HQ in Centennial, CO for orientation where we went over HR, Finance, Environmental Health & Safety, as well as a few other. It was here I ran into fellow Polies - Chris, Craig, and Rob along with those who were only going as far as McMurdo.

What an amazing few months it's been. Back at the beginning of September I was down in Houston, TX, as part of a DMAT helping out with Hurricane Katrina's aftermath. After coming back to Colorado, I began seeking out companies for a job. After hearing three friends were going down to Antarctica I applied on Raytheon's web site, thinking I'd get a call back for next year. Instead I got an interview. I was interviewed by many people including the galley cook. He asked me one question, "If the world was going to end tomorrow, what would you want for your last meal". Without having to think about it, I replied "Fugu". I think that sealed the deal. Of course I had no idea what an ordeal physically qualifying (known as 'PQ') for deployment would involve. There was a Psych Evaluation, an ultrasound to check my gallbladder, a blood test, a physical exam, and a dental exam. The dentist recommended nine fillings since I would be gone for a year, and having the medical doctor try to do the fillings wasn't the best. That set me back about $900. Hmm, maybe he also had a new set of golf clubs to pay off.

Next the other hurdle was getting my condo cleared out. I went down to Wal-Mart (OK I'm not a converted shopper. I just knew they'd have what I want) and bought a couple of 30 gal containers to store clothes and stuff in my garage. God, what a bunch of 'crap' I had laying around. I was so appreciative for my folkes coming out to help me. Well it's done know, and if I forgot something I can either live without it or ship it down. The only thing on my mind now is the adventure ahead.