I'm in ANTARCTICA!

I’m in Antarctica!  Since I’m here, it’s time to really knuckle down and start this blog!   A lot has happened since my last post…

The last time I wrote, I was just starting training in Denver with my fellow Polies.  It was a great two weeks!  The first week was some orientation stuff, Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), Peer Counseling, and Wilderness First Responder.  It was all really fantastic training!  I must say during the CISM and Peer Counseling training with the psychologists, we all started analyzing ourselves and had some interesting conversations.  The most memorable was our conversation(s) about rage – specifically how they told us that rage could only be dissipated through destruction.  Believe what you want… but rage is serious!  Our first aid class was great – our awesome instructor was from Portland and had a lot of great experience as an EMT to back up all of his lessons.  He did a lot of hands-on work, including using makeup to simulate injuries.  At one point, I had a compound fracture on my right shin that looked quite real.  I took a photo and texted it home… apparently my family thought I had really hurt myself for about 10 seconds before they saw the caption that went along with it… oops!

Week #2 was firefighting at the Rocky Mountain Fire Academy in Aurora, CO.  I was slightly concerned about this training going into it because the last time I had fire training, I hadn’t been comfortable in the SCBA’s we had to wear (self-contained breathing apparatus – the regulator and tank system which allows fire-fighters to breathe in burning buildings and smokey conditions).  Luckily, I had mentally prepared myself well for this slightly claustrophobic feeling and had no problems during the Aurora training.  In fact, I loved the fire training!  It was a lot like being a kid!  We got to play dress-up in the turnout gear, crawl through tight spaces, look for people in the dark, play with hoses, get dirty, and play with fire.  Good stuff.  The training was excellent – the staff of the fire academy were fantastic and extremely helpful.  They had all skill levels to deal with and worked everyone’s individual comfort levels.  The training I had here was not even comparable to the training I received at BOTC (basic officer training class) in New York. 

One of the highlights of our firefighting class were crawling through a trailer that was a maze of wires, boards, and tight spaces.  It was a lot of work with all the gear on (plus air) and a ton of fun!  We did a lot of pitch-black search-and-rescue that was a blast.  We also did a relay race (ladies vs. gentlemen) where we had to put on all our gear and run a lap of the fire tower (5 stories).  The kicker was that when we weren’t looking, our neatly-laid-out gear was all thrown in a HUGE, messy pile and no one knew who belonged to what.  We just threw on random gear and ran up and down the tower.  The ladies lost on a technicality.  We also went into the burn room and experienced a 500-degree fire and smoke.  We fought a car fire with water and a wood fire in the burn building with fire extinguishers (realistic, since we only have extinguishers at the Pole!). 

The COOLEST thing I did all week was drive a fire truck!   All week I had been salivating over the trucks.  One of my fantastic colleagues had probably gotten tired of me saying all I wanted to do was drive the truck, and he told one of the instructors.  The last morning, our instructor called two of us out of the room to ‘help’ him with something.  We walked out on the drill ground to the truck and I was told to get in the front.  I asked what he meant, and he told me sternly to get in the front!  So I hopped in, put on my seatbelt, and the three of us drove around a bit.  I was told that if I saw the chief I should throw the truck in park and jump in the back.  Very illegal!  So my fellow New Hampshirite and I got to drive the truck!  The firefighters tried to recruit me.  So basically if NOAA ever gets rid of me, I can always start a new career as a firefighter in Aurora.  Good stuff.

So that takes me up to my departure from Colorado.  Mom flew out and we drove from CO to NJ in 2.5 days.  It was wild – we drove about 13 hours each day and just banged out state after state!  We were machines.  At home, we had a going away ‘penguin’ party with friends and family that was fantastic!  I also got to be in my best friend’s wedding the day before I departed!  What a way to leave the states!

5 days ago, I boarded a plane in Newark, flew to Dallas, flew to LA, and then got in a huge Airbus A320 and few across the Pacific!  It was a super-nice plane (ginormous and new) with the nicest crew of New Zealanders you’ll ever meet!  Kiwis are so wonderful!  It was a long flight – 13 hours.  I got to watch a movie and some tv shows and take cat naps.  It could have been a lot worse!  It was blissful arriving in Auckland, New Zealand!  I felt like I had been at sea for weeks – land!  Solid land!  I cleared security in the beautiful Auckland International Terminal and hauled my 150 lbs of luggage (yes – I overpacked) to the domestic terminal.  From there, I boarded one more plane and made it to Christchurch!  In the meantime, a 5.5 earthquake had hit Christchurch and messed up things at the Antarctic Program Offices a bit.  I hauled my stuff over to the Clothing Distribution Center (CDC) and picked up all the cold weather gear you could ever imagine.  Besides the big down coat with a HUGE hood, serious ‘bunny’ boots, and super-lined Carhardtt overalls, I was amazed to see that I own all the other gear.  That’s what happens when you’re a gear junkie.  I couldn’t get my flu shot at the CDC because the nurse had left to help with the earthquake. 

At this point I was extremely exhausted and I just wanted to rest!  I caught a shuttle to my beautiful hotel in downtown Christchurch and took a much-needed shower!  I checked my email and saw that a few friends were meeting for dinner nearby, so I ran out the door again and had my last non-Antarctic meal with the Polies.

The next morning I was back at the CDC by 0600 and re-packing all my luggage for the flight to Antarctica.  We took our bags through security at a small terminal at the Antarctic Program Offices.  From there, we watched a quick orientation video, jumped on a bus in all our Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear, and drove across the street to our Air Force C-17 waiting on the runway, engines turning.  We all piled onboard, strapped in to our seats (airline seats!), and took off!  The flight was wonderful!  I got 3 hours of sleep, got to go up in the cockpit, and read a little.  I was expecting a rough ride in a military transport, but it was the smoothest ride of the 5 I had taken in the past 36 hours.  Five hours later, we put our seatbelts on and landed on the icefield at McMurdo station!

The runway is actually on ice.  Sea ice.  It’s frozen ocean!  I got a huge kick out of that.  It didn’t feel any different than asphalt when we landed and taxied.  We threw on our ECW gear, grabbed our carryons, and disembarked.  Snow!!!  My first impression was how white and bright it was!  Holy Snow, Batman!  As far as the eye can see, there is snow.  I now understand snow blindness!  Sunglasses are essential.  We walked away from our C-17 and onto “Ivan the Terrabus”, a big red bus with huge snow tires.  Ivan took us to the ‘Chalet’ in McMurdo, which is an office building that looks like a chalet.  There was another, more comprehensive, orientation in the chalet.  We also got our room keys for our dorms in McMurdo, I got my flu shot, and everyone who was at the training in Denver got their assignments for the South Pole Emergency Response Team.  Because of my amazing firefighting skills, I am the lead of the primary fire team.   This should be interesting…

McMurdo reminds me a lot of Barrow.  I am quite comfortable here.  There are a lot of small buildings on stilts.  The roads are snow and dirt.  Everyone shuffles around outside between buildings.  Huge trucks and heavy equipment rule the streets.  Everyone pays a lot of attention to the comings and goings of the airplanes and helicopters.  You have to be creative and make your own fun.  The main differences are that the food is awesome here (and free) and that people take care of the environment – there are no derelict snowmobiles or piles of animal bones along the roads.  There are about 1000 people on station, and you can definitely tell.  Meals are insane.  There is one huge galley, but it’s a madhouse.  The people who have been here a while (flights have been coming here since August) constantly complain about how many people are here and how they don’t know the rules!  Its hilarious.  This is your seat?  Sorry!  I didn’t see your name on it!   Just kidding – its not that bad.  It must be a shock to have your quiet home invaded by a bunch of loud newbies who don’t know how things work and mess up your established routine.  It is going to become even more crowded in a few weeks.  Bunk beds are being put in every room in the next week to help accommodate the extra population.  I’m glad I don’t have that much time here – I’m looking forward to getting to a place with a slower place with less anonymity.  (I can’t wait to look back at this blog in the middle of the winter and see how much my attitude has changed!)

I was originally scheduled for Basler flight #4, but some strings were pulled somewhere along the line, and I was bumped up to Basler #3.  That’s good news!  The bad news is that Basler #3 was scheduled to leave yesterday.  And Basler #2 still hasn’t left.  Flights go sequentially, so there is still some time to wait here before I can get to Pole.  The poor guys who were scheduled for Basler #2 have been here for a week and are getting quite sick of it.  On top of it, we do the ‘Bag Drag’ the day before our flights are supposed to leave – this is weighing and packaging all non-carry-ons for flight.  Essentially, it means that all you have is a small carry-on to last however long it takes for you to fly to Pole.  It could be a day, it could be two weeks.  Plan accordingly!  On top of it, even if a Basler gets to Pole, luggage flies in on the Hercs (C-130s which can carry much more cargo).  So you really have to think hard about what you will need for several weeks.  It’s a lot like camping.  But in the Antarctic.  Interesting.  I think I’ve done a pretty good job.  I have a lot of socks, underwear, and techwick shirts that I can wash in the sink.  I’m good to go.

Last night was “American Night” at Scott Base, the Kiwi research station.  Little did I know, they are about 10 minutes from us by vehicle (van, snowmobile, what have you), just over the hill!  Their facilities are beautiful – McMurdo looks pretty dumpy by comparison.  Scott Base is much smaller – only a few people winter over there.  Most of the buildings are connected, so you don’t need to walk outside to get between major areas.  They have a decent store (which was a main attraction) and a huge bar!  I was surprised.  I poked my head in there to check it out, but didn’t stay.  I was a little tired from my flu shot the previous day and still a little jet-lagged.  I took some pictures and caught another shuttle home.  A good night!

Today I’ve mainly done work all day.  There are a few odds and ends to tie up from the States.  That sounds so strange!  I want to get as much done as possible while I have decent internet access.  People complain about the internet here, but its faster and more reliable that it was on the ship!  I’m just waiting for Pole – it’ll be much different, I’m sure.  Man.  Live on a ship for a few years, and you’ll see the world in a new light! 

Tonight I’m planning on going to a yoga class offered at the chapel here on base.  Its much-needed after my airline and bag-drag adventures.  With any luck, the weather will clear in the next few days and I’ll be able to complete my long trip to the Pole!  Yay!