tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16981862259283666052024-03-14T21:02:08.305+13:00All Signs Point NorthAn excellent adventure to 90S.All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-33641534432414526142011-06-08T16:55:00.001+12:002011-06-08T17:04:34.099+12:00Well hello again...<div class="MsoNormal">Oops. I’ve been TERRIBLE about updating my blog! Luckily, its actually a blessing in disguise – or something like that! I have been so busy that the blog has once again taken the back burner. Definitely a good thing in my mind! If I was bored, I would not be having such a good time down here. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I actually can’t believe we are already over a quarter of the way through June and less than two weeks from mid-winter! The time down here is going unbelievably fast! Some days of the week seem slow, but it seems like Saturday comes more and more frequently – definitely a good thing! So some of the things that have gone on since April…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Darkness!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Its dark now! When I checked this morning, the sun was almost 22.8 degrees below the horizon. For those of you that don’t remember your Earth Science, the tilt of the Earth is about 23.3 degrees. What that means down here is that the maximum degrees the sun will ever be above or below the horizon is 23.3 degrees. The apparent motion of the sun overhead is a sine wave – for us this means it appears to rise or sink fastest when it is crossing the horizon, and seem very slow when we are near the peaks and troughs. Right now is one of those slow times. It will take another 13 days for the sun to sink the remaining 0.5 degrees below the horizon. On the solstice we will be at our lowest point and begin to rebound. Amazing stuff.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the meantime, this week is about as dark as it is going to get all winter! The sun is lowest, and there is no moon. For having absolute darkness, it really isn’t all that pitch-black. I had imagined that I would navigate mainly the sound of the flags flapping along our flag line, but this is certainly not the case! The starlight and auroras are actually quite bright. On most days, I can ‘clearly’ see the station from ARO, and vice versa. And when I say ‘clearly’, I mean that there is a black smudge in the distance that can only be the buildings. The darkest days are when we have clouds and wind obscuring the sky. Then it’s a bit dark. Still, navigation has been much easier than I would have thought. Luckily, I have ‘laser eyes’ and my night vision was not affected by lasik over a year ago. Some eyes don’t adjust well to the dark here, and many of the station crew use head lamps with red lights to navigate. We can’t use white light because some instruments would be impacted by the entire spectrum. It turns out red is a pretty good color (except for an instrument or two on top of ARO) and it allows your eyes to stay mainly adjusted even with the light being used. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It is beautiful here in the light, but I think the real beauty of the South Pole is the night sky. Unlike every other part of the world (other than the North Pole), we see the same stars all day and all night – nothing rises or sets besides the moon, sun, and planets. Going outside several times per day, you really get to know the sky. For the first time, I am able to pick out several constellations. I only recognize one constellation from home, and it is only partial. We Orion down here – usually I can pick out the three stars which make up his belt, but down here they aren’t visible. Instead, all we see is his legs sticking out of the snow. Its actually quite funny. The most prominent and easily-recognized constellation is the Southern Cross. It’s the constellation I use to navigate from time to time if the flags are difficult to see. Its almost directly overhead and points in the different directions as the day progresses. I have fallen in love with the Southern sky.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The auroras are INCREDIBLE! WOW. We had several amazing shows last month overhead. I had only seen faint auroras in Alaska before – now I laugh at how excited I was to see the faintest hint of glowing green in the sky. Our auroras are ‘full-on double rainbow’ auroras! You just want to should into the sky, ‘What does it mean?!?!’ I can totally relate to what the Double Rainbow Guy felt during that hilarious YouTube clip. (If you haven’t seen it, check it out ASAP.) Most of the time there is at least a faint aurora streaming overhead. Every once in a while it gets very bright and energetic. The auroras vary in their intensities over a time scale of seconds. It literally looks like a green glowing river flowing through the sky. Sometimes when they are realllly energetic, red or purple is visible. For several auroras, I saw streaks of purple flowing through the bright green auroras. They move and vary so much that I always expect to hear a sound associated with them! The crazy part is how low the auroras appear – this phenomenon actually occurs hundreds of kilometers above our heads and can be seen from space, but they appear to be hundreds of feet above our heads! I am in awe every time I step outside here. Just seeing the auroras makes the whole winter experience worth it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In contrast, when the moon rises (the moon spends two weeks up, two weeks down), it is freakin’ bright! I haven’t cursed the moon’s brightness since it used to wake me up shining in my window at home, but WOW it is bright here! I get a little bummed because it completely washes out the auroras. It is nice, however, to be able to walk from building to building seeing your footing, your path, and the actual destination clearly. In the darkness, you end up stumbling a lot over new snow drifts that appear overnight – and sometimes you end up wandering off the beaten path as well. I actually ran square into a flag the other day. Its hilarious. The moon eliminates these problems. And we can perform some readings on the total column ozone that can’t be completed in the darkness. The moon has its plusses and minuses. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Station Events</div><div class="MsoNormal">Club Deep Freeze – in an effort to throw awesome dance parties, a few us organized ‘Club Deep Freeze.’ We essentially took one of the TV lounges on station and pimped it out with great lighting and sound. On the club nights, we have great speakers, a designated DJ, a mini bar, black lights, laser lights, strobe-ish lights, and a disco ball set up. Its wicked awesome. The first Deep Freeze night had a 90’s dance music theme. The second was funk. The next party is going to be 80’s, right after mid-winter dinner. Love it!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">BF5K – This past weekend the station participated in the 7<sup>th</sup> annual BF5K, a 3.1-mile race through the station. The catch is that it was a costumed race. It was hilarious! You could either race as an individual or as a team. My team all wore lovely dresses, our competition wore matching ‘Life is Good’ garb, the women’s individual competitor went as the Log Lady from Twin Peaks, and the sole male individual runner started off as a valkyrie (I apologize for my spelling!), changing mid-race to a cheerleader. All-in-all, it was a blast. A good-sized crowd came out to watch and cheer on the runners. I’m glad I was part of a team – running 3 miles in the station is brutal! To start off with, you’re at about 10,000-11,000 ft physiological altitude, there is essentially 0% relative humidity in the station, and the floor is not forgiving. After the race, I was coughing up a storm and I could feel my usual foot problems starting to come back. Rawr. I miss running outside! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">ARO Movies – I started ARO movie night back up last month. I got a little burnt out my weekly ARO movie night this summer. It was lovely having a break. Now I’m holding it every few weeks, which is much better! So far the movies have had a Soviet theme going. Our first movie, by request, was ‘Red Dawn’, and the second requested movie was ‘Hunt for Red October’. I think for the next movie, I’ll probably move on to a different genre. Who knows!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Twin Peaks – About 10 of us have been watching Twin Peaks every Sunday night. The lovely Ashley, our amazing host, has also been making pie, coffee, and home-made donuts for the show. Its incredible! I remember seeing the Sesame Street parody of Twin Peaks, ‘Twin Beaks’, when I was little. Its very interesting watching the real series. Its seriously messed up! Just when you think you understand something, the whole situation changes and you’re left completely in the dark again. Our little group has gotten really into the show. Its not uncommon to hear someone mention Laura Palmer, Bob, or the one-armed man during week.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">P90X – We have graduated from Power 90! We completed our 90 days and moved on to P90X! I’m reallllly glad we decided to finish Power 90 first before starting the next set of ‘Tony’ DVDs. P90X is significantly more difficult. If we had jumped into P90X, we would have either died or quit. It is great though – you’re in pain most days, but it’s the good kind of pain! The bad thing about this new workout plan is that we need to start at 0500 instead of 0530. Its amazing how much of a difference 30 minutes makes! I think its completely mental as well – there is just something wrong about waking up at 0430-0440 to work out. I firmly believe that if the time of day has a 4 in the beginning of it, I should be sleeping (using military time here, people). The three of us are now halfway through the third week and still going strong – that’s a good sign!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Knitting – Although this may not sound particularly exciting, I finished my first knitting project! Instead of ending up with a normal cowl, I’m calling it a ‘sneed’ (Lorax reference). Its HUGE – I can wear it as a cowl, hood, dress, skirt, you name it! Hahaha. I think it will be great for just keeping in the car. You never know when you’ll get a chill. It can probably even be a lap blanket. I’ve learned my lesson – always test your gauge when knitting to see how many stitches you need! With that lesson in mind, I have started my second knitting project, which is significantly harder. I’m making a hat now – I can’t give too many details because it is a Christmas present, but it is comprised of two new stitches and actually has a real pattern to be followed. So far I’ve started the test patch for my gauge twice and am now working on my third row. Hahahahaha – this one project is going to take the rest of the winter! I have been doing crochet projects on the side to keep myself sane – Christmas is pretty much completed except for this knitted hat. I’m also starting to run low on my nice wool yarns. It’s a good thing we only have five months left on the Ice! I need another trip to Knit World in Christchurch! If it is still standing, I’m planning on stocking up on my nice yarns and sending them home. I’ll probably find a nice little project to work on during my 24 hours of flight time home too. Ugh. That’s too far in the future to start planning!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">5 & 1 Pizzeria – Twice since the station closed, a group of 6 of us have run a pizzeria on days the galley crew has off. Its been a blast – we start early making the dough and then reconvene after lunch to create about 25-30 pizzas, to be ready by 1800 dinner. We are starting to get it down to a science. Last time the pizza-making coincided with a ‘drive-in’ movie night in the gym, so we did pizza delivery to the movie-goers in the gym. We had our awesome machinist create a rack for the bike and then attached a decorated box to carry the pizzas. We’re a pretty serious operation, ya know. Unfortunately, most of the audience was actually eating pizza in the galley, so we delivered to about 5 people, but we had a blast doing it! Maybe next time… </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Life is good at the South Pole! Sorry to everyone about not keeping in contact well these past two months – our satellite window has shifted and now I will either be calling the States super early in the morning, or super late at night! And it’s the same here – when I call I either have to get up BEFORE P90X to catch the window, or stay up waaaay late past my bedtime! It will be better in a month or two – I’ll be able to call everyone again! I miss you all! Thanks for all your support! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-36847369551885156372011-04-14T07:17:00.001+12:002011-04-14T07:17:18.646+12:00Auroras and Iridium Flares<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Okay, sunset and the green flash were cool, but can you guess what is way cooler?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The auroras!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw my first Aurora Australis (aka Southern Lights) a few days ago!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On my way back to ARO from lunch at the Elevated Station, I passed Johan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He alerted me to keep my eyes to the sky – he had seen faint auroras on his walk to the station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Auroras!?!?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This early?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took me FOREVER to walk my way back to ARO – just imagine me walking in the dark, looking up at the sky, stumbling over sastrugi and snow drifts, nearly running into our flag line, and trying not to fog my goggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It must have been hilarious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My awkward walk was fruitful – I saw my first auroras!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took me a few moments to figure out that what I was seeing was an aurora and not a cloud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With it being still fairly light outside, the green auroras are very faint and don’t appear very green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew I was seeing the aurora because it was oriented in the opposite direction of the rest of the clouds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, it was moving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, its brightness changed over seconds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Definitely auroras.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was so excited to see a faint green ribbon of atomic oxygen giving off visible light hundreds of kilometers above my head that I screamed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Literally screamed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point I was extremely excited, but also a little worried that someone had heard my excited squeal and misinterpreted it for a scream of fear, pain, or general distress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I heard someone screaming outside, I would probably be forced to activate the ERT team, or our Emergency Response Team (the ‘T’ is redundant when you’re speaking in acronyms, I know).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So worried that all my peers would come running outside to rescue a fellow Polie in distress, I quieted down my excitement and joy associated with the first real auroras of the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout my walk to ARO, the auroras danced overhead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pretty amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Last night I saw a phenomenon called an ‘Iridium Flare’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a comprehensive constellation of Iridium satellites overhead that provide a 24/7 voice and very limited data connection to the real world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s basically our satellite phone connection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had Iridium phones on RAINIER.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They never seemed to work very well, given the mountainous areas we usually surveyed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The little portable phones were more of a hassle than a help quite often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless, there are a lot of Iridium satellites up there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the satellites are orbiting the Earth and are overhead, the sun sometimes hits them at the correct angle, reflecting sunlight that is visible to a viewer on the surface.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These reflections are bright!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Iridium Flares are very predictable, as we know the orbits of these satellites very well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they are visible, like they were last night, you can see an Iridium Flare every 9 minutes and 10 seconds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What you actually see is a ‘star’ that’s moving at a decent clip through the sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it reflects more sunlight toward the surface, the ‘star’ gets brighter and brighter, until it’s a ‘flare’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It stays very bright for a second or two, and then fades back out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s very cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not as cool as the auroras, but I like them because they are so predictable and easy to spot once you know what you are looking for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to get a shot of this phenomenon as well at some point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yesterday we also had a momentous event at ARO – we made it officially winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“How can NOAA employees influence and control the seasons?”, one may ask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simple!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We brought in the last of the summer solar instruments from the roof yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once they are safely inside, basking in the warmth of the building and settling in for a 6-month hibernation, we hit the ‘Winter’ button on our data acquisition system, ceasing the recording of non-existent data and causing the winter to officially begin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so exciting – I had heard about this button MONTHS ago and was super stoked to push it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was even more of an event than imagined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I was feeling sick yesterday, this brightened my day just a bit.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Stay tuned for pictures of the auroras and iridium flares – once I figure out how to work my camera in the dark and cold with a tripod without freezing my fingers off, I will be sure to post a few photos!</div><!--EndFragment-->All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-88020392644148309282011-04-08T09:14:00.003+12:002011-04-08T09:19:36.078+12:00Sunset and Such<o:smarttagtype name="State" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="City" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Okay, yes. It has been a while since I last posted… and a lot has happened! The last time I wrote we were having our sunset dinner. Well since then the sun has set! What a dramatic event! We were very lucky – the weather gods smiled upon us and granted us clear weather to view the sinking of the sun below the horizon. I love all sunsets, but this one was particularly spectacular a) because I haven’t seen a sunset since January, b) because it takes several days for the sun to actually leave, and c) we saw the Green Flash!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Green Flash is a brief ‘flash’ of green or blue light seen on the top of the setting sun. Its rare to see – you need a clear view of the horizon. It is often seen from aircraft, high altitudes like mountains, and at sea. The green flash occurs because of the refraction of light through the Earth’s atmosphere. Light is curved going through the different densities of the atmosphere. Green and blue light curves (refracts) more than the reds and oranges – you end up seeing these colors being bent as the other colors have already sunk below the horizon with the sun. (That’s a very basic explanation – there are better explanations available on the interwebs) Because the sun sinks so slowly here, the Green Flash persisted for HOURS, not seconds. It was fantastic. I literally took hundreds of pictures when the sun was ‘flashing’ and I actually got a few decent shots. So lucky!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPIyEL7BTa0Oo1lhhMOpkQBayQJbUrMMlbrp4SeVGe1RdWpnexaoHQ7jV4D7NOldt2X3noY9MIdDBuI0IgVgegXqJ-DpqfsmV3z9Ax32k6XNkRRxfsknpsc7-pvLwPOFd3z4V6F4BO8WA/s1600/GreenFlash.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPIyEL7BTa0Oo1lhhMOpkQBayQJbUrMMlbrp4SeVGe1RdWpnexaoHQ7jV4D7NOldt2X3noY9MIdDBuI0IgVgegXqJ-DpqfsmV3z9Ax32k6XNkRRxfsknpsc7-pvLwPOFd3z4V6F4BO8WA/s400/GreenFlash.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Each day is getting darker now. Although the sun is gone (it actually popped up above the horizon a few times after it set), it is still fairly light outside. We are now in civil twilight. In a few weeks we’ll leave official period of twilight and just be in plain old night. That is very exciting. We are starting to see stars and planets – Venus is very bright, as are Serius and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Canopus</st1:city></st1:place>. That’s about the extent of my astronomical knowledge. One of our awesome scientists is teaching an astronomy class, so he points out the stars to us. I’m slowly picking it up. Very soon we should start seeing the auroras! That is what I am really excited for! I’ve seen the auroras twice in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Alaska</st1:state></st1:place> and they were so faint that they looked the looms from a large town or city. I knew it had to be the auroras because we were sailing in the middle of NOWHERE. No towns for hundreds of miles. Bring it on!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Things are starting to settle into their winter schedules. Many departments have been working extremely hard getting things winterized and finished outside before it gets too dark and cold outside to stay out for extended periods of time. There’s been a lot of trash and refuse moved and contained, lots of inventorying outside, and getting vehicles ready. Here at ARO we have started bringing in our solar instruments. We brought in four right after sunset, and next week we will bring in the rest that get to hibernate inside. A few instruments just get to hang out in the darkness and chill until the sun rises again. Its also gotten colder. We’re averaging in the -70F range. Yesterday the temperature dipped around lunch time – we hit -87F. Later in the evening it hit -90, which is the coldest we have seen so far. So close to the 300 Club! I still haven’t brought out the Big Red jacket (except for an emergency drill outside and walk to the Dark Sector, which is farther than I usually walk – I was dying of heat on both occasions I wore the jacket). Hardcore!!!!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We’ve had a few events on station. One was Bingo night – if you came dressed as a pop culture icon, you could play with 4 boards instead of 3. Well, I wasn’t too into getting dressed up as anything until I thought of the perfect costume – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Oh yeah. So I was making my costume in the arts and crafts room, happily cutting away at some scrap felt I found, when I had another turtle join in my idea. I ended up making two costumes, while my turtle friend made our weapons. We were so awesome! We both had green shirts and sewed some ‘turtle abs’ I constructed out of felt and markers, bandanas which had eye holes, arm and knee pads in the appropriate colors, and weapons our characters always used. When we were done, we spent some time sneaking around the station like ninja turtles trying to test out our outfits. Unfortunately it was a quiet night and there weren’t many people around. We managed to sneak up on three people, giving them all a start. The costumes were a hit at Bingo – we had our arch-nemesis, Jean Claude Van Damme to battle. Also in attendance were Dolly Parton, the Swedish Chef, Luigi, Gigi the Giraffe, and Sherlock and Watson. Fantastic! Bingo aside, we had fun in our costumes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We also had a night where we played Paper Telephone – it’s a South Pole Summer classic game where instead of whispering phrases around a circle, you draw them. Every player gets the same number of pieces of paper as there are players. On your first sheet of paper you write down a common phrase – one of the better ones from the night was ‘Beam me up, Scotty.’ From there, you put the paper at the back of the pile and pass it on to the next person. That person looks at what you wrote and then has to draw it. The next person it is passed to only looks at the drawing and writes what they think the phrase was. Depending on how many people you have and what their drawing abilities are, the results can be hilarious! By the time all the piles of paper reach their original owners, the drawings are ridiculous and the phrases are completely wrong or make no sense. It was another fantastic night at the South Pole.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Other than that, things have been pretty quiet. There are more events on the horizon which will spice things up, but I’ll cross those bridges when I come upon them!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Stay warm back home… or cool? Spring is here!</div>All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-69761144618316679062011-03-21T10:57:00.000+13:002011-03-21T10:57:37.305+13:00Sunset Photos!<div style="text-align: center;">Here are a few photos I've captured of our sunset over the past few days. More will be uploaded over the next few days, and definitely more on facebook!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuG277uWv2mp2VAV_hvIWtU1Wk0wDArFyt2OCzKuebwHUpgWWSDIvrHUl_9XwkWgbFTsF8HKSGS3Z_T_7jPawONFAm2_pNdvn5A1txVA_tJOjB37uVuYtBIEZ00jpg7ySjavm1nuUmXsWB/s1600/DSC_0072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuG277uWv2mp2VAV_hvIWtU1Wk0wDArFyt2OCzKuebwHUpgWWSDIvrHUl_9XwkWgbFTsF8HKSGS3Z_T_7jPawONFAm2_pNdvn5A1txVA_tJOjB37uVuYtBIEZ00jpg7ySjavm1nuUmXsWB/s320/DSC_0072.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Frosty Station</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6pH5Op8PUnhK_7lTZknCRwNEjbzt31TVQpar6R334dNd0zBxBtCtL36kgCzrFiwgJYJoOoLiLWL8sxJ9WG91Bmydon8-_ZL7vClpQKnqugeUUYB56or8N5Lxgabui5dIATUeqne-i3Rt/s1600/DSC_0077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6pH5Op8PUnhK_7lTZknCRwNEjbzt31TVQpar6R334dNd0zBxBtCtL36kgCzrFiwgJYJoOoLiLWL8sxJ9WG91Bmydon8-_ZL7vClpQKnqugeUUYB56or8N5Lxgabui5dIATUeqne-i3Rt/s320/DSC_0077.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Station and sunset as seen from ARO deck</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dCaYujLf5JDxDRKxQCdL16saEUfiwHlvDb4NQybbReh1s5s5ZW9_gs3PQGIv1F55uHrAF3SIcgOwBcSZ7DvOIHdVXFbWP6UrXHBUxgbm6bxHfIQYvDXa7O3xGnGJ_uB-ip_TTZDn0Rbw/s1600/DSC_0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dCaYujLf5JDxDRKxQCdL16saEUfiwHlvDb4NQybbReh1s5s5ZW9_gs3PQGIv1F55uHrAF3SIcgOwBcSZ7DvOIHdVXFbWP6UrXHBUxgbm6bxHfIQYvDXa7O3xGnGJ_uB-ip_TTZDn0Rbw/s320/DSC_0120.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>Sunset seen from one of ARO's Dobson windows <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpT2RhjCimG3uGaIaSBs8ShK7pIEodi8hkZ1d4Sb1LYE93GVUXAZ4L0BK-SQNpcWzTGMQ5iiGpCHqFFC0p8Wsapwa2mWgmY67qfWiaXdNv-E-WNGLw_1IX76D96FFcQXJ9zZFin1DoeK-/s1600/DSC_0170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpT2RhjCimG3uGaIaSBs8ShK7pIEodi8hkZ1d4Sb1LYE93GVUXAZ4L0BK-SQNpcWzTGMQ5iiGpCHqFFC0p8Wsapwa2mWgmY67qfWiaXdNv-E-WNGLw_1IX76D96FFcQXJ9zZFin1DoeK-/s320/DSC_0170.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>View from the 'front stoop' of ARO <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_nymoH1-XnFEFwyJMESV0s_wGShaRFYiDW4GVP3wuiaY369ZCSF5G5KMDbUg6Qn6FjMLhf8sOrTBZblPPwMoEVUj57PxchRyU-SDecSOjuRPPybLYSH5Fz2b2_LIwtXPLqXMMSacOhB4/s1600/DSC_0249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_nymoH1-XnFEFwyJMESV0s_wGShaRFYiDW4GVP3wuiaY369ZCSF5G5KMDbUg6Qn6FjMLhf8sOrTBZblPPwMoEVUj57PxchRyU-SDecSOjuRPPybLYSH5Fz2b2_LIwtXPLqXMMSacOhB4/s320/DSC_0249.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Super Moon, MAPO, and Ceremonial South Pole <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdxUDQ7-F_GthKjMOCghRybQwfsealA_TEnhSmhSukyj_rHlzPjL6bWx74-P94D3J9XFkIPgGI9bR0ovkb7nu65zu0L1nICSdBUmjFiphufseHfOaiaApJ7QtKbzHfZ8dkPNPwVVE5fIG/s1600/DSC_0255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdxUDQ7-F_GthKjMOCghRybQwfsealA_TEnhSmhSukyj_rHlzPjL6bWx74-P94D3J9XFkIPgGI9bR0ovkb7nu65zu0L1nICSdBUmjFiphufseHfOaiaApJ7QtKbzHfZ8dkPNPwVVE5fIG/s320/DSC_0255.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>ARO and Super Moon <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZNb-Dd6Y01ngcwfAujemZlApumeGJFpbFqVhOcAMsN2X93bjYNVZSnE00R7jY3Tthffqc_B1HOXjjoKjrK8RtiIH8eWerP82WdUpRnNsobu_l2DimdaVKMYVsyV30wRa7JSBaZRT_EQk/s1600/DSC_0333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZNb-Dd6Y01ngcwfAujemZlApumeGJFpbFqVhOcAMsN2X93bjYNVZSnE00R7jY3Tthffqc_B1HOXjjoKjrK8RtiIH8eWerP82WdUpRnNsobu_l2DimdaVKMYVsyV30wRa7JSBaZRT_EQk/s320/DSC_0333.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Station and Super Moon<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Wspxni8z1pL0qUHik5e_KkzsMgebBVMocALJ9Bd1_1gpkmeZQ6k_lAYnUtbxoeJETyLt1Ym9dacpZXoCPajsnUZBmeK1EbLIjUQt3Y1Zx7nRQztwEk7TWuiY57wO8EvkJGqCFfwI37Ma/s1600/DSC_0181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Wspxni8z1pL0qUHik5e_KkzsMgebBVMocALJ9Bd1_1gpkmeZQ6k_lAYnUtbxoeJETyLt1Ym9dacpZXoCPajsnUZBmeK1EbLIjUQt3Y1Zx7nRQztwEk7TWuiY57wO8EvkJGqCFfwI37Ma/s320/DSC_0181.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Sunset Dinner cocktail hour in the galley lounge<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGXcBr7TtTBYQjtY5L65leX-xHhDBc1dLTsYac8bSN19keBZbkay77Z4a6QsVfTxM1cq3J4Zgna4QaVtLNRy5pIxwjbxfWccs8fAgS2vyLpsC0ayg6D_M_LOwGrakbQKxueA78BO0-mOE/s1600/DSC_0189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGXcBr7TtTBYQjtY5L65leX-xHhDBc1dLTsYac8bSN19keBZbkay77Z4a6QsVfTxM1cq3J4Zgna4QaVtLNRy5pIxwjbxfWccs8fAgS2vyLpsC0ayg6D_M_LOwGrakbQKxueA78BO0-mOE/s320/DSC_0189.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>Sunset Dinner table in the galley <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTe-iriK98-3UWJRvZQoGADKYuJ8ZElss6lAP2ZgiXYrHl7RYL2z-bP1rNbbZ4qhg61tqISuu6lnUphTx5zSohCoT4zd2XDyIE1ZHf6HYOMucXEBo3TYsviAqTfzfKtGLB7YOZal1iFte/s1600/DSC_0208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTe-iriK98-3UWJRvZQoGADKYuJ8ZElss6lAP2ZgiXYrHl7RYL2z-bP1rNbbZ4qhg61tqISuu6lnUphTx5zSohCoT4zd2XDyIE1ZHf6HYOMucXEBo3TYsviAqTfzfKtGLB7YOZal1iFte/s320/DSC_0208.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Our amazing Sunset Dinner main course... beef tenderloin, lobster, pumpkin!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-44629698368248608132011-03-16T09:02:00.001+13:002011-03-16T09:35:01.286+13:00Baby, it's cold outside!-86F – It keeps getting colder and colder! I love it! I really hope once the sun sets we’ll hit our -100F quickly, much like what happened down here last year. Our facilities engineer thinks he’s jinxed because the two previous winters he’s spent here have been warm – the Pole never reached -100F. I’ve had some friends from home suggest that we kick him out of the station when it gets near the century mark so that his bad vibes don’t affect us, but I’m not sure the weather gods will be fooled. -100F is so special because it is the temperature when you can become a member of the 300 Club. Much like Mount Washington’s Century Club, where they need to survive 100mph of wind, we need to survive -100F… naked (on MWN, they are fully-clothed). So where does the 300 come from? Welllllllll, we heat up the station’s sauna to 200F first, stay in there as long as possible, then toss the clothing (except for the essentials – foot covering, probably glove liners, and a neck gaiter for your face? I need to check my details and rules.), run down the ‘beer can’, out the door, and make a loop of the geographic South Pole before returning to the warm station, and most likely the sauna. We’re lucky this year. The geographic Pole moved about 30 feet closer to the beer can door, making the ‘run’ slightly shorter for us. Believe me – at these temps, every second counts. I’m psyched! Sorry… I will NOT be posting pictures from this event!<br />
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In my last post I explained how I hated the Big Red jacket and how I’m planning on holding out as long as possible – today may be the day I actually break it out. Rawr. I’m not enthused, but its becoming necessary. The soft shell I wear over my down layers is really not the right piece of equipment for these temperatures. I nearly broke the zipper this morning taking it off when I reached ARO. I was only outside for about 15-20 minutes, but the zipper was completely frozen and stuck. I definitely struggled getting out of it. The zipper is sealed to prevent water from getting in at temperatures where liquid water actually exists. Apparently this rubber-ish gasket-like seal doesn’t like temperatures over 100 degrees below the freezing point of water. Oops. When the wind blows, the down layers are not going to be enough to keep me warm. Plus, when I put on about 20 layers of clothing to avoid the Big Red, I feel like the little brother from ‘A Christmas Story’. Yiiiikes. <br />
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Tonight I am going to attempt to learn how to knit. One of my many projects down here for the winter is making next year’s Christmas presents for friends and family (at least until I run out of supplies). On R&R in Christchurch I spent a long time at Knit World, the most amazing yarn store in the world, picking out the perfect yarns to go with projects for family. I picked up crochet when I was home last Christmas (wow – two Christmas’ ago? Where does the time go?) and have already finished my sister’s presents. Now I have a great knitting pattern I want to try and make for my brother. If I can become a proficient knitter, so many doors will open up for me, as far as online patterns go. There are a ton of crochet patterns out there, but about ten times more knitting patterns than crochet! Verrrrry exciting! So tonight is the weekly ‘Stitch & Bitch” meeting, South Pole Chapter. The other Polie, who is the host of the event, is a knitter. She has made some beautiful items, including her own amazing socks out of merino wool. Sooo nice! So I’m going to corner and have her start to teach me. My first project is going to be something very easy. I’m planning on knitting a neck cowl – yet another layer I can wear when I go outside. It is like a neck gaiter, but very loose. It’s a nice layer to accompany more low-cut shirts (not that I’m wearing low cut shirts down here, but I’m talking about any shirt that isn’t a turtleneck). This project involves basic stitches and basic principles. I think it’ll be perfect to get my feet wet. Plus its something that I can use down here. Then I’ll continue to tackle Christmas! I’m very excited about my yarn purchases and can’t wait to give out the finished products!<br />
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Happy Stitching!All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-61883139622099466072011-03-15T10:46:00.001+13:002011-03-15T10:46:04.724+13:00A Quick Note on ECW<o:smarttagtype name="country-region" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="City" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">First of all, Happy Pi Day! Gotta love the ol’ 3.1415926…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Second of all, this is the coldest day I have experienced on station so far! We have officially hit -81F! Wow! At these temperatures there are very few vehicles we can actually use outside, and your soda is chilled pretty quickly sitting on the deck. I have had several friends from home asking how you can possibly stay warm at these temperatures and how long you can safely stay out. Hopefully this posting answers some of those questions…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">ECW. Those three letters are ingrained in every Polie – Extreme Cold Weather… gear. When we pass through the Clothing Distribution Center (CDC) on our way through <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Christchurch</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">New Zealand</st1:country-region></st1:place>, we spend a lot of time getting our issued cold weather gear (ECW). Everyone is required to pick up a basic number of items, ranging from rubber ‘bunny’ boots, ski goggles, and thick socks, to the classic and iconic ‘big red’ down parka. You can spend hours trying on clothing items, checking zippers, and looking for other sizes. Depending on what job you have in Antarctica, how long you will usually spend outside, and how long you are staying at your station (summer vs. winter vs. short visit), you are issued different items. Since I’m a winter-over, I got it ALL. Also being a winter-over, we are issued at least two of everything. We have an emergency cache of ECW that is stored away from the station just in case (heaven forbid) the station burned down with all of our gear inside it. If you came to the Ice without any of your own personal gear, you’d be perfectly warm and happy. Snug as a bug in a rug.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Personally, I’m not a huge fan of some of the gear that is issued. Being a bit of a gear fanatic (and snob, I may add – hey, don’t judge), I brought down a lot of my own cold weather items. And I’m pretty glad I did – you can never have too much ECW down here. I came prepared with my own long underwear, fleece layers, hats, glove liners, gloves, balaclavas, neck gaiters, goggles, winter boots, socks… can you possibly put anything else on your body? Now I wear a mix of my own gear and the issued gear. Here’s how a normal trip outside goes:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">First, I put on a pair of medium-weight long underwear, thick socks, and a t-shirt. Next is my insulated pair of Carhartt bibs. These bibs are serious – I highly recommend them. I am actually going to invest in a set when I get home. They are heavy-duty, warm, and have a million pockets. They would be great for hanging around outside in the winter – I’m thinking ice fishing here… The boots are next – I bought a pair of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Sorel</st1:city></st1:place> boots rated to -100F before I came down here – they’re a life-saver. The boots we are issued (bunny and FDX boots) don’t have great ankle support and tend to have slippery soles in cold weather. I loveeee my <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Sorels</st1:city></st1:place>! Next comes a fleece hoodie and a medium-weight down vest. Before I zip the vest, I put on a wind-stopper fleece balaclava. Zip! The bottom of the balaclava gets snugly sealed into that first layer of warmth. Next comes my medium-weight down jacket (that I got from Patagonia – I swear I’m not getting paid to say this, but it’s the best jacket I’ve ever had. If you are looking to invest, this is the jacket for you.) and a fleece neck gaiter. I have a black gaiter I brought from home, but I like to wear one I purchased in the store here at Pole. It’s green, has gold decorative stitching, and clear sequins. You’ve gotta feel like a girl every once in a while, right? It might as well be when you’re headed outside. After the gaiter, I put on a beautiful wool and fleece hat my parents gave me right before I left for the Ice. Then my hood comes up, keeping the wind from sneaking down my neck, and my dark-lens goggles over it all. The goggles I brought are pretty much worthless down here – they fog up so fast! I have put duct tape on the bottom foam of my issued goggles to try and keep out my breath, but it’s not perfect. Lastly, the hands. I’m still working this situation out. I have several different kinds of glove liners, gloves, and gauntlets. Today I wore a pair of fleece wind-stopper glove liners and my huge ‘bear paw’ leather insulated gauntlet gloves. I used to wear just the glove liners back in the summertime when it was -20F. It’s amazing what a different 60 degrees makes! I think when it gets really cold (we’re talkin’ -100F here), I’ll probably opt for a pair of wool and possum liners I bought from Scott Base (Kiwi station near McMurdo), the insulating layer from another pair of mittens, and my bear paws. And maybe hand warmers if I’m planning on staying out longer than my usual walk to ARO and tour of the roof to check instruments. Today I actually added a soft shell jacket to my normal ‘ensemble’ to try to keep a little more of my heat from escaping. I think it works, but the funny thing is that soft shell material sounds like a crinkly plastic trash bag at these temps. Weird.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">How long can we stay outside? I’d say at these temperatures, a normal person should probably stay outside for about an hour before coming in at least for a few minutes to warm up. Our Materials folks are mainly working outside on the berms, where things that aren’t currently needed are stored. They dress a lot warmer than I do because they are out there so long. You could stay out longer if you had to, but you would definitely need hand warmers and foot warmers! And move around a <st1:place w:st="on">LOT</st1:place>!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s funny, because once you reach cold temperatures, it doesn’t feel much colder, even when the mercury drops. The main difference is that you get colder faster. Earlier this morning I ran out to the roof of ARO to check on some instruments in just a fleece and Crocs before checking the temperature. Sure, it was chilly, but it didn’t actually feel different. I was amazed at how quickly I felt the cold, and then knew something was up. Over the summer I could stay on the roof for several minutes at a time without a jacket, hat, or other ECW. I would even go out in a t-shirt! (I know I’m crazy though – the temps were still well below zero) Now I at least make sure my face is covered. Air this cold is horrible for the lungs – you can damage the tissues by breathing it, giving you a horrible cough for a month or so. Balaclavas are your friends! I’m much more careful going outside these days.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Speaking of going outside, I’m headed back out to work on the Skua Shack, continuing to move clothes, random appliances, shoes, and costumes (we found a gorilla mask last week) into the station for the winter. Since the Skua Shack isn’t heated and I’m planning on being out for a while, I’m definitely going to use hand warmers! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Stay warm at home </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt;">J</span>All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-39731029075898774512011-03-12T12:16:00.004+13:002011-03-12T12:23:49.847+13:00Fire Extinguisher Fun<o:smarttagtype name="country-region" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Today it really does feel like the sun is setting! There are clouds on the horizon, obscuring most of the direct sunlight. No real sunset colors yet, but you can feel that those are just around the corner. The wind has also returned, thank goodness – for the past few days it has been too light for me to complete my scheduled air sampling. It is very frustrating waiting for conditions to change! Every morning at breakfast for the past few days I look at the weather displayed on the scroll, sigh, and wish for wind. This is counter-intuitive for most people. Wind equals cold, so why would you want wind? Sometimes I feel a little bit backwards. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixu_p8VHz029ZAEBZgBiAQudFlIzdJlt0_GDaLbwt1gOkOjC44RBivn9XKaJzrI0WHmLBG2ai7UK1UTS-l2T-xtE_LlV8s2KMvFE5iMvDUhVf7AM41GR_jlmpVigfqknkWr9jaEzapOaqQ/s1600/IMG_1183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixu_p8VHz029ZAEBZgBiAQudFlIzdJlt0_GDaLbwt1gOkOjC44RBivn9XKaJzrI0WHmLBG2ai7UK1UTS-l2T-xtE_LlV8s2KMvFE5iMvDUhVf7AM41GR_jlmpVigfqknkWr9jaEzapOaqQ/s320/IMG_1183.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">By the time I'm at ARO I'm a little frosty. And I'm only outside for 10 minutes!</div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It has been a fairly uneventful week, as far as life in the station goes. Everyone has played it pretty low key. Yesterday the fire team had equipment training – we went over how to operate the O2 sensor (used to see if we have an atmosphere that can support breathing during drills and events) and fire extinguishers. Before this training, I completed a good deal of research on fire extinguishers and learned some interesting things. Did you know that the first patent on a fire extinguisher was filed in 1723 by an English chemist? I bet you didn’t. This first fire extinguisher contained gunpowder and a fire-extinguishing fluid. To work the extinguisher you had to light a fuse – the gunpowder explosion scattered the liquid out of the extinguisher and onto the fire. Its just my opinion, but I think it’s a little counter-productive putting gunpowder near open flames. I wonder how many additional fires this started compared with the amount that it actually extinguished. But I guess if you already have one fire, what’s one more?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tonight we are having a double-feature at the ‘drive-in theater’, aka gym. The matinee is ‘Tron’ and the real feature (at least in my mind) is ‘Black Sheep’, the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Zealand</st1:place></st1:country-region> zombie sheep movie classic. ‘Black Sheep’ was a hit at ARO this summer, with a record amount of viewers flooding the lab. We even had to pull out a mattress to put on the floor. And people sat on our wicked hard wooden bench. That’s dedication right there. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">There’s some weather moving in, so no real opportunities to take photos for a few days. Hopefully when it clears I will get a few good shots of where the sun is so you have a better idea of what I’m actually talking about! Stay classy, non-Polies!</span>All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-6661071236928068672011-03-09T10:28:00.004+13:002011-03-09T10:39:07.844+13:00Polies Donate to NZ Red Cross... and other station happenings.<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">As some of you may have just seen from Facebook, the South Pole’s contributions to the New Zealand Red Cross are now officially $10,000! For many Polies Christchurch is like a second home, and it was devastating watching another crippling earthquake hit the city two weeks ago. One of our crew here collected donations, found a donation-matching opportunity, and got our total contribution up higher than I would have ever imagined! $10,000 is small in the big scheme of things, but every little bit helps. It felt good to contribute something to the disaster, given our huge distance and inability to help with relief. We are also considering shipping a large quantity of lightly-used clothes to the Red Cross in the spring from our ‘Skua Shack’. That’s a long way off though…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Things have continued as usual at the South Pole. The biggest thing happening on station is the imminent sunset. Only about two weeks away, the sun is verrry low on the horizon and is very noticeably sinking each day. Its fun to sit at breakfast and have the outside look like a sunrise. The same is true at night – it looks like a normal sunset. The strange thing is having the sun setting mid-day. When I walk back to the station for lunch around 1200, I always think I’m walking in for dinner and wonder where the day went. It is an odd feeling. The fact that the sun is departing for six months is really starting to sink in. We will have several weeks of twilight before it actually gets dark, allowing us to adjust to walking around at ‘night’ and without the light to guide us. Just crazy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another big highlight (other than the setting sun) of last weekend was the crepe extravaganza. Two of our wonderful crew took all their practicing and made the crepes a reality on Sunday night. Wow. I have to get the recipes! They made both sweet and savory crepes to order. It was amazing. I had the vegetarian savory crepe to start with, which was a crepe filled with cooked spinach and portabello mushrooms sautéed and reduced in white wine. The crepe was then topped with a reduced red bell pepper sauce and pine nuts. (I think this was the filling and topping anyway – I may be getting some of the details wrong!) Simply heavenly. The dessert crepe was a crepe made with a yeast batter, giving it a slightly fermented flavor which complimented the Nutella and pureed banana filling. We are so spoiled down here!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For the most part, everything is running smoothly at ARO, giving me time to dedicate to other things such as planning fire team training and cleaning out the Skua Shack. When all of the summer Polies left and donated items to Skua, there was absolutely no organization. Literally, everything was piled up on the floor of the small wooden shack on skis. What a mess! This past weekend a few of us hauled out about 8 garbage bags worth of items. Most of them were worth keeping, but many items had to go. I’m going to be continuing this process for the next two weeks. At sunset, Skua gets dragged out to weather the winter months with the other small mobile buildings at the “End of the World”. All of these buildings get moved downwind of the station and stored in a row to minimize the amount of drifting we need to shovel out at the beginning of the season. Why make several large drifts when you can just make one really large drift? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We have made it to three weeks of our 2-a-day workouts and we’re still going strong! One additional person has joined our little group, making a support group of three encouraging eachother daily. Its great! Its amazing what 1-2 hours of exercise makes daily! I think next week we are going to try moving on to Level 3-4 of Power 90. It should be interesting. Also a good thing. We know all of Tony’s quirks on the first DVD and I’m not sure how much more we can make fun of the people demonstrating the workouts. Doing the workouts everyday, we can recite the dialogue along with the DVD. At least we have added our own music to our workouts. Freija and I have compiled our most trashy workout music possible – we have a lovely mix of 90’s club music, Dutch rap, and just plain terrible modern pop. Love it. </div>All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-39357216494910140952011-03-03T09:44:00.001+13:002011-03-03T09:44:40.428+13:00Tours and Crepes<o:smarttagtype name="City" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Two days ago I got to take a tour of the entire station and surrounding areas with our facilities engineer, Weeks. It was an excellent tour! It was advertised as a ‘3 hour tour’ (I know – very Gilligan’s <st1:place w:st="on">Island</st1:place>), but it actually went to almost four hours. And on top of that we skipped the Dark Sector and other outlying science buildings. The tour started out going through the station – mainly the rooms we don’t normally have access to, and special features of spaces we occupy all the time. We were able to poke around fan rooms, electrical rooms, the emergency power plant (EPP), subfloor (the space under the floor where the pipes for our utilities run through), etc. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After thoroughly roaming through the station, we proceeded down the Beer Can to the New Power Plant (NPP). We saw where our water gets treated – the water we are currently drinking is melted ice from around year 100 or so. It is extremely clean. It is actually so pure that the water is caustic and needs to be treated – we add chemicals to regulate the pH so it doesn’t destroy our pipes and literally leach the minerals out of our bodies. It is amazing. We also saw the ridiculous amount of CO2 we have for the power plant fixed fire suppression system. If all the CO2 was released at once, it would fill all the spaces at that level to 6 ft – this includes the power plant, ice tunnels, LO arch, and garage if it was open. How would we ventilate all those spaces? Good question! Moving on, we saw all the generators – we have 4 in all. Three are large generators that we normally run off of (one is running, on is standby, and one undergoes repairs at one time), and a smaller generator that is known as the ‘peaker’ or the ‘kicker’. If we draw more power than our normal generator can handle, the little guy kicks in and provides the difference. If we run over the capacity of those two generators, non-essential things get turned off.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">From there we went into the LO, the Logistics Arch, where all of our food and materials not outside are stored. We proceeded to the Fuel Arch, which holds 450,000 gallons of fuel. The walls of the arch are covered in beautiful ice crystals. The emergency exit from the back of the fuel arch is a spiral staircase which goes up to the surface. This space is also encrusted in ice crystals. It is just gorgeous – I need to go back there and get some good shots with my big camera…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We jumped in an LMC after going through the garage, and Weeks took us around the rest of the station – through Summer Camp, to RF where our satellite dishes are located, the fuel pits, the Otter pits (where the twin otters park), the berms, cryo, and the rodwells. I could explain more about these places, but it would also take three hours! I’ll explain a little more in later blogs… It was a great tour!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yesterday was a typical day. I have been waiting for the wind to be from the right direction and the right speed for flask sampling for two days now. First it was too light (under 5 meters per second), then it shifted out of our Clean Air Sector, and now its back in the right direction, but too light. I just can’t win! Hopefully this afternoon it will pick up a bit. Or at least tomorrow. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Last night was wonderful – Freija, Susan, and I did an hour of yoga. From there I went straight to the sauna and then to the shower. Wow. I am going to be so spoiled when I leave here. I may need to find an apartment when I get back to the States that has a sauna. After that I ate dinner, watched a movie, and passed out at 9:00. Just lovely.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This morning at breakfast there was a group making crepes. They were testing out their recipe and technique today in anticipation of making them Sunday night for dinner and dessert. The dessert crepes were AMAZING. Wow. Just as good as the crepes we always ate in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Seward</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">AK</st1:state></st1:place>. Very, very goooood! The savory crepes were more of a challenge. I asked to help and they let me try my hand at crepe-making. This is definitely a skill I am going to bring home with me next November… Needless to say, I’m looking forward to the weekend! Someone is taking it upon themselves to make brunch on Saturday and we have crepes on Sunday. Is it the weekend yet???</div>All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-77908977369573862472011-03-01T10:05:00.001+13:002011-03-01T10:21:48.991+13:00The rest of summer -and- 'I Think We're Alone Now...'<o:smarttagtype name="PlaceType" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="PlaceName" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="country-region" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="City" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Okay continuing with the summer…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">New Year’s was a <st1:place w:st="on">LOT</st1:place> of fun at the South Pole! A few days before the end of the year, the Austrian/Norwegian ski race made it to the Pole. This was a huge event – the whole unsupported cross country ski race from the coast to the Pole was filmed for an Austrian documentary. The documentary support vehicles arrived at Pole a few days before the skiers and set up camp. The skiers made it just a few days before the holiday. The Austrians won – Hermann Maier, the world-class retired downhill skier was on this team. It was pretty neat hosting a celebrity here!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For New Year’s Eve, there was a large party at the Austrian/Norwegian camp, which was about a half mile from the station. The weather was beautiful – a crystal clear evening with light winds. We got so hot walking out the camp that the ladies and I that were hiking there shed most of our layers down to long-sleeve fleece. What stellar weather! At the party, one of the vehicles was running and had Bob Marley music pumping out of the speakers. The two teams and Polies mingled, hearing about the race across. I got to speak with one of the drivers of the vehicles. He said it was a great drive until they came to an area where they needed to steer 12 hours out of their way to preserve scientific data and clean air. Upon further questioning, I discovered that he was talking about the Clean Air Sector, which is the ‘wedge’ of clean air I sample from and protect here from ARO. I thought that was hilarious. I definitely thanked him for going out of his way to keep my data clean!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We didn’t stay too long at the party – I wanted to see midnight at the geographic pole. So the ladies I arrived with and I had our obligatory photo with the awesome arctic trucks and then made our way back to the station. Back in the elevated station there was much merry-making occurring before the turn of the year. I hung out with my friends and waited for midnight. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A few minutes before midnight a large group of us ran out to the Pole. It was a little odd celebrating the new year in the middle of the night with the intense sun shining. It was an experience. We counted down the new year in front of the geographic South Pole marker and cheered when we hit midnight. Very cool! There was much kissing, hugging, and photo-taking. I must say it was strange celebrating New Year’s very much ahead of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place>. When it was midnight here, it was 6:00am on New Year’s Eve at home. Strange, but overall a great time! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Because New Year’s was technically on a Friday, it was a work day and our party was postponed to Saturday evening. During the day on Saturday the gym was transformed to a concert venue. It was amazing – I didn’t recognize it when I walked in during the evening. It was better than a high school prom that transforms their gym. (Okay – I may be biased.) An elevated stage was set up at the far end of the gym with a full setup for the bands – a professional setup for the instruments. A professional sound system was also constructed and a killer light system. There were professional lights suspended from the ceiling (spotlights, lights projecting patterns, etc.) that really set the mood. Christmas lights were hung around the perimeter of the gym, sparkly décor, and a curtain on crepe paper that covered the door. Mike from Ice Cube created a bar that was a table suspended by two carved wooden penguins. It was amazing – I am totally commissioning him to build me a penguin table when I get back to the states! There were snacks, Mardi Gras beads, hats, and tiaras outside the gym for people to grab on their way in. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Three bands played during the evening for us: a bluegrass band, a Grateful Dead tribute band (Cold Dead Polies I think?), and a band that played rock music. As the crowd grew, the dancing started and lasted all night. Even when the bands were finished with their sets, we switched to music mixed by our awesome IT staff. That lasted well into the morning. I think I called it quits around 2:00 or 3:00am. After dancing all night and staying up late the previous night, I was exhausted. It was a great New Years!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The rest of the Summer flew by. I’m not actually sure where the time went. The highlight of the remainder of my summer was my trip to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Christchurch</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">New Zealand</st1:country-region></st1:place> for R&R. USAP likes to give their winter-overs the opportunity to get off the Ice one last time, rest up, soak up the sunshine, live in humidity, and eat real food before settling in for 9 months of winter and isolation. It was a lovely getaway. I literally did NOTHING. I left January 19<sup>th</sup> with five others going on R&R. Unfortunately, we got stuck in McMurdo for 3 days waiting for a C-17 to transport us to NZ. We waited anxiously for three days, seeing delay after delay and eventually cancellations. It was okay though – I got to do some hiking, saw penguins and seals, visited with friends in McMurdo, caught up on my sleep, and toured the icebreaker that was in port.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Zealand</st1:place></st1:country-region> was beautiful. It was surreal stepping off the C-17 into a downpour. It was about 55 degrees, wet, and full of sounds and smells I hadn’t experienced in 4 months. I experienced a little bit of culture shock. I can’t imagine what its going to be like in November… crazy. After clearing customs into <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Zealand</st1:place></st1:country-region>, we dumped our winter gear at the US Clothing Distribution Center and then made our way to our respective hotels. I stayed at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Crowne</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Plaza</st1:placetype></st1:place>, which was a great 80’s upper-scale hotel. Concierge and everything. I chose this hotel because I heard it had a great bathtub. While I was there, I took at least one bubble bath everyday. It was wonderful.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I spent the week wandering around <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Christchurch</st1:place></st1:city> seeing the sights, eating excellent food, drinking excellent coffee and chai tea lattes, and generally relaxing. The Paralympics was in town, as well as the International Busker Festival (street performers), so there were TONS of people hanging around and tons to do. I didn’t leave <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Christchurch</st1:place></st1:city>, which was just fine. If I couldn’t walk there, I wasn’t going. I’m actually glad I stayed in CHC and experienced the city, considering the earthquake the devastated the town on February 22<sup>nd</sup>. It will be strange going back in November and seeing a completely different city.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Returning to the South Pole was like going home. I was relieved to return to my routine, my work, and my friends. The next few weeks flew by even faster than those between New Years and my trip. Everyone not spending the winter had major senioritis. All we could talk about for weeks was what they were going to do in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Zealand</st1:place></st1:country-region>, where they were going to travel, what foods they would eat first, where they would find dogs and kids to play with, and their plans until they would return to the Ice next season. It was a very exciting time.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the blink of an eye, the middle of February arrived. Within a week, the station went from a population of over 200 people down to 80. On February 14<sup>th</sup>, Valentine’s Day, I got to marshal in a C-130 (basically park the plane). Since it was V-Day, I waved huge hearts to bring the plane in to their correct position. I was so giddy to bring in the C-130! It made my day. It was incredible standing directly in front of the gigantic plane skiing directly at you. I watched the fuelies to take my cues and finally stopped the plane at the fuel pit. Very very cool. I was buzzing the rest of the evening from that experience! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And suddenly it was February 15<sup>th</sup>, the day of station closing! How did that happen? Two planes were scheduled to bring us a little more fuel and take away the last of the summer folks. The first plane was loaded with our galley staff and other support staff. It was difficult saying goodbye to my good friends! I was very excited for them, though. They were all so happy! When the plane departed, the turned around and did a low fly-by almost directly over us. Verrrry cool! At airshows you see the fly-bys, but this was a LARGE plane and it was LOW. Amazing! The second plane was much more difficult for me. It was my very best friends leaving. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry. Luckily I was prepared with tissues. Unfortunately at -45 F, your goggles fog and freeze very quickly when you cry! My goggles were pretty much useless. I hugged them all a million times and finally had to watch them walk over the fuel line, in front of the last C-130, and then out of sight as they boarded. It was completely surreal. Then winter-overs brought in the remaining equipment, and the plane taxied (or skied, rather) away.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFQ9ISBFVUXDaXVOLD9qEnA8fYue-U275aIvlJo8Z3-Mm4C-udkduOWIYjma8T6CZZ-YHjWDf9BsKZKWMObmKry1BO1yPCvQ7J_36NVfYZUX2B40HJRYALeQnAy9lpUq3tq6y-QxuaoXT/s1600/IMG_1094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFQ9ISBFVUXDaXVOLD9qEnA8fYue-U275aIvlJo8Z3-Mm4C-udkduOWIYjma8T6CZZ-YHjWDf9BsKZKWMObmKry1BO1yPCvQ7J_36NVfYZUX2B40HJRYALeQnAy9lpUq3tq6y-QxuaoXT/s320/IMG_1094.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We all looked at eachother and basically had the same thoughts outloud: Well, we’re stuck with eachother now! There was a lot of joking, laughing, and jumping around when the plane started its takeoff. By this time, the visibility was reduced, so we didn’t actually see them takeoff at the end of the skiway. There were a lot of cheers when we saw the plane emerge from the blowing snow on the ground and bank right. It took a while, but we finally saw them returning far on the horizon. This time, they came in low and fast and made a HUGE turn right over us! These pilots are awesome. You would never see a plane in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> do that! They were only a few hundred feet above the ground, making an extremely steep turn. Later I heard from my buddies who left on that flight – they said it was one of the best roller coaster rides they had ever been on!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When the plane was out of sight, we all wandered back inside. At that point we had been outside almost 3 hours and were FREEZING. I went back to my room, crawled into bed and warmed up before returning to work. It was funny because seeing the planes taking all our friends away was extremely surreal, but as soon as they were gone we all jumped back into the routine. It felt very natural. Although the station was now deserted, it felt as if this was the way it was supposed to be. The summer was the exception to the rule. In a way it is. For only 4 months, there are 250 people on station. The rest of the year the population is under 50.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That night we watched ‘The Thing’ in the gym. I must say that it was an extremely stressful day, so I was exhausted. I fell asleep near the end of the movie (Kurt Russell version) – right when they were exploding everything in their station. I must have been tired! I woke up for the credits and hauled myself back to my room. The original ‘The Thing’ was played next, but there was no way I was making it through that one! Oh well – I’ll have to rent it at some time from the store this winter and finish them both! All I can say is that this station does not have a flame thrower. I think this is a huge oversight and I’m not sure how we will make it through the winter without at least one for our defense against malicious aliens.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The station has been officially closed for two weeks, but we are already into a great routine and almost settled in for winter. There has been a lot of effort put into closing the station thoroughly. We cleaned out Summer Camp, got the rooms completely ready for next season (linens and all), and winterized the Jamesways. The fuel line was pulled in from the skiway in only four hours (a record, I hear), and our maintenance folk are still working hard to winterize the outbuildings before the sun sets. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On a personal level, we are starting to set up winter non-work activities. Freija and I have started a great workout routine: in the mornings we get up at 5:30 and do Power 90. In the evenings we do yoga. We’re eventually going to work up to P90X. Its amazing how much more difficult working out is here. Combining our altitude (feels over 10,000ft) and lack of humidity, an easy workout at sea level is a killer one here! Its great! Other than working out, we have our crochet and knitting sessions (called Stitch & Bitch), Thursday Comedy TV nights with Rachel and Rob, astronomy lessons every Monday, Ladies Night monthly, and parties every weekend. My social calendar is packed. Literally.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We had our first fire drill yesterday morning. We simulated a fire in our emergency power plant (EPP). The EPP is in B-Pod, our emergency pod on station. There is a fixed CO2 system, throwing some interesting complications and solutions into the mix. With a fixed CO2 system, if the CO2 is released, you cannot enter the space where it was released for 20 minutes. This gives the CO2 a chance to completely smother the fire before it is dissipated by an open door. However, if a door is open to the CO2 space or if there is a leak in the door, CO2 is hazardous in the quantities we use. It displaces oxygen, causing someone exposed to high levels to feel woozy, drunk, and eventually pass out and suffocate. We take huge precautions with CO2 releases in our enclosed station. The 20 minutes is nice because it gives us a chance to assess the situation, turn off power and heat to the space, and prepare our firefighters for entry.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For our first drill, it went very well. There were three people ‘tagged in’ to the EPP, meaning we potentially had three victims trapped in the space. When it was ‘safe’ to enter, firefighters were sent in to look for victims and any fire that wasn’t extinguished. There was a smoke machine inside the EPP that was supposed to completely smoke out the space, but since power was cut to the pod early on in the drill, it was free and clear. Lucky for us! Muahaha. The fire did a great job making sure the fire was out (it was) and bringing out the two victims we discovered. Overall, all teams did well working together to handle the emergency. Almost half of our team was brand-new, since the summer people had left and many winter-overs hadn’t spent the summer on station. I think we are going to have a great response team this winter!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The sun is now very low on the horizon. Its just under 9 degrees above the horizon. If you take your hand, hold it out at arms length, and hold your hand out horizontally, the sun is about 4 finger-widths above the horizon. Its insane. Sunset is only three weeks away! With the sun at such a shallow angle, very little solar energy is making it to the surface to warm us up (plus the snow reflects 90% of sunlight anyway) – its getting a little chilly here! Today the temperature is -64F. With an 8 knot wind, the wind chill is -93F! I think that’s just a little colder than it is at home. Its not so bad walking outside in these temperatures. I still get overheated walking to ARO from the station. The difference now is that no skin can be exposed. I wear a balaclava, neck gaiter, hat, and goggles everytime I go outside. I also wear two sets of mittens and a pair of liner gloves. I can no longer completely remove my gloves to adjust and maintain my outside instruments. If you touch something metal, you will immediately get burned and probably leave some of your skin on that piece of metal. Everyone has to be careful about how they are dressed when they venture outdoors. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We have also all put up our flag lines that will guide us to our laboratories when it gets dark outside. Our flags out to ARO are spaced about 15 paces apart. Its important to know the distance because sometimes in the dark when the moon isn’t out, you navigate by sound. The flags flapping in the wind (its almost always windy here) are a good guide. If you know your number of steps and listen for the flags, you’re good to go. Apparently its also good to navigate by the stars. The Southern Cross constellation is right above us, spinning around itself during the day and night. If you know what direction you need to go and glance at the Southern Cross, you can maintain that direction during your walk and not get turned around. There are a lot of tricks to learn!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Hopefully this blog post makes up for my lack of writing lately! With less going on here during winter, I’m trying to write more often! Stay classy in the Northern Hemisphere, friends…</span>All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-17827778101397337102011-02-03T13:23:00.000+13:002011-02-27T13:25:00.879+13:00Back on the Bandwagon?<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have definitely fallen off the bandwagon, but I haven’t fallen off the face of the Earth!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t believe I haven’t written in almost two months!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The time has absolutely FLOWN here!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My New Year’s resolution was to keep my blog up to date this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, since that didn’t really work, I’m making that my ‘winter resolution’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Winter, when the station officially closes, is going to feel like a completely different year, so I’m making resolutions for that instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t make up for two completely silent months in this blog, but I’ll do my best to write the gist of what has happened here during the second half of the summer at South Pole…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Air Drop</div><div class="MsoNormal">About a week before Christmas the annual air drop took place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Air Force gets to use South Pole as a guinea pig for new supply air drop procedures and inventions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also get in some good training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year, sixteen pallets of food were shoved out the back of a C-17.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About a week before the actual event we began the preparations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I am on the winter air drop team (just in case we need emergency supplies in the winter, we have a team set up to lead the ground logistics), I got to help with preparations and learn the differences between summer and winter air drop procedures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The winter team went out the day before the drop and planted flags at the corners of the winter drop zone where we would place burn barrels to mark the area in the dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the winter drop zone was in place, the Air Force wasn’t authorized to drop a package there – the winter zone is directly on the skiway – I’d hate to see a pallet crash land and put a huge crater where our planes land everyday!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The actual air drop was amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The summer drop zone is almost two miles away from the station,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>near the ‘southern’ end of the skiway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day of the drop, the skies were clear, but there was an abundance of ice crystals precipitating which created the most amazing halos and other optical displays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point, there were two halos, prominent sun dogs, and several other points of light shooting out from the sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The optics made for some dramatic photos, but the ice crystals obscured the view of the air drop from the station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, the C-17 first did a low and slow pass right over the skiway where the winter drop site was located and the ground crew couldn’t even see it!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After the first ‘buzz’ of the station, it was drop time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plane had some mechanical issues which delayed the drop for several minutes, but they finally got it together and made the approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of our close proximity to the drop site, the direction and speed of the wind, and low altitude of the C-17, it looked like the aircraft dropped the packages right over the top of us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eight pallets were deployed at a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the first pass, two parachutes became tangled around eachother and did not fully deploy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pallets weighing several hundred pounds without parachutes drop like rocks!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the other packages with parachutes experienced a slower descent and relatively ‘soft’ landing, these two crashed into the snow, creating huge craters!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second pass went better – only one ‘chute failed to deploy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That one again rocketed out of the sky and made contact with the ground in a cloud of snow, deeply burying itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the two passes were completed, it was time to get to work.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Parachutes attached to packages are dangerous on the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are HUGE, heavy, and can remain ‘inflated’ on the ground in the wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is important to remain safe and recover the parachutes quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, by the time we arrived at the drop zone, all the parachutes were completely deflated and were patiently waiting to be recovered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Folding a parachute is a job which takes several people – these chutes have a lot of fabric and cord, so they weigh a lot!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fabric is ‘cigar-rolled’ and folded around the parachute cord, which is first ‘daisy-chained’,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>which is pretty much a chain stitch in crochet (nerd alert!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was easy to recover the parachutes which deployed, but those which didn’t were thoroughly buried in the snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the packages landed, they didn’t land upright and the parachutes were wrapped around and pinned underneath the boxes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ugh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was too much work to do by hand – heavy machinery was brought back later to dig out the doomed packages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A few goodies were dropped down to us from the C-17 crew – on the first package we recovered, a large stuffed-animal penguin was attached!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We named him ‘Winchester’, after the term used by the Air Force to indicate an aircraft has dropped its entire load.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At our second pallet we recovered, we found a pair of ski goggles that were accidentally dropped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to give these back to the two C-17 crew members who were on the ground with us to assist with operations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pretty funny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the boxes that were dropped were left in the snow for the night and were recovered later on.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Christmas</div><div class="MsoNormal">A few days after the air drop was CHRISTMAS!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I have never been away from home at Christmas, this was definitely an experience for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The week leading up to the holiday brought many preparations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christmas Dinner is one of the biggest events for the galley, so there was much food prep. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had potato peeling parties, bean snapping parties, brie-making parties, cookie baking parties, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of food parties!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On top of the food, the ‘Race Around the World’ is traditionally on Christmas Day, so there was much prep to do for the 5K race around the station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I am a runner, I decided to ‘ride’ in this race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My best buddies at the Pole, the fire fighters, operate a large tractor called ‘Elephant Man’ and use it as their fire truck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a name like Elephant Man, what else are you supposed to do besides dress it up like an elephant for Christmas?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This might seem like a strange way to ‘run’ a race, but this race is special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can run, walk, ski, bike, ride, slide, or any other possible way of propelling yourself around the station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought it would be fun to do it in style!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few days before the race, Jason and I spent a few hours creating our elephant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took some extremely heavy-duty cardboard and cut out gigantic ears, eyes, and a trunk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then used construction paper and watercolor paints to complete the elephant look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day before the race I sewed a gigantic tail to affix to the ‘rear’ of the elephant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was awesome.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The day of the race we got up early and created our elephant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jason got the rig running (not always easy when its chilly outside) while I started dressing our elephant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We used twine to attach all the parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It worked out really well, except for the fact that its quite difficult tying knots with gloved hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brrrrr!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An hour later, our elephant was complete!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(photos to follow when we have more bandwidth!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We picked up some green and red flags from the Carp Shop, grabbed another fire fighter, and proceeded to the starting line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We weren’t the only ones riding in style in this race – there was an assortment of motor vehicles at the starting line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Ice Cube van, a van with tracks instead of tires, was pulling a huge Roman chariot filled with Polies wearing Roman helmets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were several snowmobiles pulling some fantastic sled ‘floats’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One snowmobile pulled a snowboarder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were several other vehicles sprinkled into the decorated rigs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the runner side, a huge crowd showed up to participate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of our Polies is a professional runner, so he took the lead and was the front of the pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most runners were out for fun, not polar PRs, so there were many costumes and fun accessories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best outfit was a complete body suit of white sparkly spandex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This brave runner wins for that in my book!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He blended in pretty nicely with the snow…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The race was a blast – when they started the race, the runners and skiers took off, and the drivers and riders sprinted to their vehicles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately it was really only a race for the runners and skiers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a little too dangerous racing huge bulldozers, tractors, vans, and snowmobiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to stick to the 10mph speed limit, so it was more of a parade for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so much fun!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The course for runners ran right next to the vehicle course, so I spent most of the ride yelling out the window at the runners – encouraging them, of course!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also a lovely tour of the station, going to some of the outer areas that I don’t usually get to see or drive by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the race, we parked at the finish line and cheered on the runners and skiers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a wonderful way to spend Christmas morning!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Immediately after the race, it was brunch – easily the best meal at the South Pole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The galley went all out with the food – delicious!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After eating brunch with friends, I ran out to work to complete my normal daily tasks and calibrations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as I was done with work , it was time to run inside and get ready for Christmas Dinner.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Dinner was amazing – even better than Thanksgiving!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had beef wellington that was to DIE for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After dinner, the evening was pretty chill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a large dance party in the galley, but I didn’t attend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, I spent the evening in the lounge playing pool and visiting with friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a lovely Christmas!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ll write more later… running out of interweb time!</div><!--EndFragment-->All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-1230568190191677512010-12-17T17:08:00.002+13:002010-12-17T17:08:29.673+13:00Bombs Away!<div style="font-family: inherit;">The air drop finally occurred last night! </div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Yesterday afternoon the entire air drop crew assembled at Cargo for a safety brief – this included the entire Cargo department, plus the seven of us winter-overs that make up the winter air drop team. It was a full house! During the meeting, Paddy briefed us on what to expect, the sequence of events, and what was expected of us. Our C-17 crew, Mike and Scott, also gave us an inside perspective to the air drop – what we would see if we were in the air, and what we should see from the ground. We then waited for the plan to depart from McMurdo, but in the meantime the crew enjoyed a hearty plate of nachos. Those Cargo folks don’t mess around.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, we got word that the plane had left. We departed soon after to make our way to the drop zone. The C-17’s commute from MCM to NPX (McMurdo to South Pole) is much shorter than the C-130. It takes a Herc approximately 3 hours for the transit, but the C-17 accomplished the trip in less than two hours last night. Since we are super-slow in our tracked vehicles on the ground, we must leave at least an hour before the scheduled drop. This gives us half an hour to travel to the site, and then half and hour on the ground to prepare. Once the convoy consisting of the LMC, Pisten Bully, and snowmobiles arrived at the drop zone, our preparations consisted of hanging around, staying warm, playing in the snow, and enjoying the spectacular sun dog show that the blow snow and ice crystals provided. </div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Finally the plane made it near the station… and then a Twin Otter squeezed in ahead of the C-17 to land. This delayed us by a few minutes. When the Twin Otter was safely on the ground, the C-17 made its first pass. Since they weren’t authorized to actually drop a package in the winter drop zone (on the skiway!), they practiced a fly-by instead. Of course, at this point in the evening, the visibility had dropped significantly. From where we were about two miles from the station, not even the farthest buildings from the station were visible. Our view of the flyby wasn’t great. They came through fast and low to simulate the drop – the pilots were telling us that they would approach the station at about 800 ft, even in the winter without the same visuals. It was quite impressive.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Then it was our turn. We waited for them to turn around and line up on the summer drop zone. And we waited. And waited. How long does it take to turn a plane around? It turns out they had some sort of mechanical issue on the plane that delayed the drop for a while. Finally we heard that they were ‘go’ and were headed our way. Authorization to drop was given from the ground crew, and the drop proceeded. Because of the direction and speed of the wind (it was picking up!), it felt like the plane dropped the packages right on top of us! Really, they were offset a little bit, but it was still quite exciting. They came through at an altitude of approximately 1000ft, opened the back, and slid out 8 pallets at a time. On the first deployment, two parachutes got caught in eachother, so the packages fell connected at a very fast rate. It was quite the explosion of snow when they reached the ground! On the second pass, one pallet’s chute didn’t deploy at all. That was another spectacular finale for that package! Once the packages were dropped at the plane was ‘Winchester’ (nothing left to drop), the C-17 did a few more flybys of the station before departing. Then it was our turn to go to work.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">The crew jumped back in our vehicles and proceeded into the drop zone once it was declared safe by the C-17 crew. There were a total of 16 boxes to recover. Last night we only recovered the parachutes. There was no DNF (do not freeze) cargo dropped, so there wasn’t too much emphasis or urgency with the recovery. To recover the chutes, we broke up into teams. First, the chute must be detached from the package. This entails removing a shackle. Then the parachute is ‘cigar-rolled’ to control its huge mass. The parachute lines are bound together and daisy-chained to contain them as well. From there, the whole thing is rolled up and put in a box dragged on a sled for transport. On one of the parachutes Grace and I picked up to take to the box, it unraveled halfway across – I ended up tangled in the parachute and lying in the snow once we arrived. It was hilarious. We also recovered some other items from the drop – the crew sent a large stuffed penguin down with the first package my team recovered (he was later named ‘Winchester’), and we also found a set of ski goggles that one of the C-17 engineers lost by accident. The recovered goggles were sent back with our C-17 ground crew back to their owner.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Recovering the failed parachutes was a little more interesting. On the two that tangled together, the crew had to dig down about four feet to free the parachutes. On the chute that didn’t deploy, the box obviously did some crazy aerobatics and crashed upside-down in the snow. We dug down through the crater to the box, but there was no way we could remove the parachute. Instead, we marked the location for someone to later return with heavy machinery to pull it out. Yikes. All the packages will be recovered this weekend with loads of help – and big bulldozers!</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">All-in-all, the air drop was a fantastic experience. Not only was it amazing to see the accuracy of the Air Force with their air drops, but it was also important to get a feel for what to expect in the winter if we need an air drop. Winter air drops are strictly used for emergencies, so we really hope we don’t need one. Plus, although yesterday’s drop was a blast, we had perfect conditions. -17 F, sun, and about 17 kts of wind is much different from winter conditions where it will be -80 to -100 F in the dark. Keeping ourselves warm will be difficult, finding the packages will be difficult, and recovering the packages will be difficult. A fun maneuver in the summer is quite dangerous in the winter. </div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Although its not officially the weekend, it feels like it. With the air drop over, that’s a lot less stress on everyone. Our mass casualty drill was also postponed until next week, taking a large load off my shoulders. We have a busy flight schedule for the next two days, and we need at least 2 hours between flights, since we’ll be on the skiway. Add in the nasty weather that’s bearing down on us, and its not a good time for a drill. </div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">This weekend is going to be fun – tonight there will be a rousing game of paper telephone, quite possibly the most amazing and hilarious game in the world. Tomorrow is Round 2 of James Brown Bingo (a crazy event not to be missed), and then a screening of ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ in the gym – costumes included. I’m excited to wear the wig I brought down. I was told a good wig is an essential item to pack for the South Pole. Good stuff.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Have a great weekend, everyone!</div>All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-14233671254951584182010-12-15T11:30:00.001+13:002010-12-15T11:30:23.632+13:00December Happenings<link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CNOAA%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><o:smarttagtype name="country-region" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Ahhhh! Again I slack at the blogging. I apologize! Things have been quite busy here since Thanksgiving – the Pole is definitely in the full swing of the summer season!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Things have been good at work – all of our instruments have been running well (knock on wood!), we are starting to receive cargo, and we’re also starting to ship out cargo. Life is good. Andy left two weeks ago to spend the holidays at home. Patrick has replaced him, but leaves next week. Its been really nice having friends rotate through – not only is it great to see various people, but its also wonderful to pick their brains for useful information. Over the last few weeks we have also an increase in visitors. There have been several people who have come out to see what we do at ARO from the station. Additionally, we have had several groups of distinguished visitors (DV’s) on station. The <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region> Ambassador to <st1:country-region w:st="on">New Zealand</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on">Samoa</st1:place> came out to ARO for a tour. The National Science Board also paid a visit to the Pole, but unfortunately they weren’t able to make it out to see us; instead we brought a mini presentation and clean air samples to them. Most recently, we had an Air Force C-17 pilot and load master check out ARO. More on them later…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The weather has been BEAUTIFUL, so we have gotten a lot of work done outside. Andy and I raised all of the 2-meter meteorology instruments on our tower. After several years the snow accumulates, burying buildings, towers, and instruments. Every so often the instruments must be raised to maintain the 2-meter distance off the snow. Yesterday Patrick and I raised our albedo rack. This is a T-shaped stand stuck in the snow that holds 3 solar instruments which look at the albedo, or reflectivity, of the snow. It was easy to raise our instruments on the tower – that only required wrenches. The albedo rack was a little more fun. Patrick and I (ok mostly Patrick) dug a huge 8-foot hole in the snow in order to expose the bottom of the rack post. It was quite the job. Once we were at the bottom, we were lucky to have Marco and Joselyn assist us in lifting the entire rack. We shoveled and packed snow under the post until it was at the correct height. Then we filled it all back in. This whole project took from about 10:00am to 3:00pm (including a lunch break). We were blessed with sun and little wind, so working outside was easy. During the shoveling I stripped down to liner gloves, a hat, and no jacket. I never thought I would be so hot outside at the South Pole in -20 degree weather! After all that shoveling yesterday, I’m a little sore!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On this past Monday the Air Force was supposed to conduct two air drops: a winter and a summer drop. The main differences between the summer and winter drops are the air drop locations, how the packages are dropped, and out of which hatch they are dropped. In the summer, we send packages grid South of the station, but in the winter we would direct a plane to send the package over the skiway. The summer drops are routine because the C-17 is able to open its rear cargo bay hatch and send out the packages by gravity on their sliding mechanisms. This procedure is well-practiced and is fairly easy for the crew. The winter is a little more complicated. The hydraulics don’t work well in the temperatures we are talking about here in the dead of winter (-100F), so the cargo bay hatch cannot be opened. Instead, cargo is physically pushed out of the paratroop door (the door on the side of the plane parachutists jump out) on the side. There is no gravity assistance, and its COLD! To matters more interesting, a winter air drop is done in the darkness. This is not a problem for the C-17 crew – they are used to this stuff! It’s a little more difficult for us, the crew who has to pick up the crashed cargo. Last week we had several meetings to discuss how we would run a winter air drop, how we would set up, and how we would recover the cargo. In preparation for this week’s drop, the air drop crew learned how to light the burn barrels that will illuminate the winter drop zone. We also planted flags at the surveyed locations which indicate where our burn barrels would be located. It was a lovely boondoggle in a pisten bully out about 2 miles away from the station. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, Monday rolled around and the air drop was scheduled for 1800 (6:00pm). During the day the drop was put on delay, then mechanical delay, then indefinite mechanical delay before being cancelled all together. Today was their next opportunity, but it turns out the C-17 needs a part shipped in from the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> and there is no way that part will arrive today. Tomorrow perhaps? In the meantime, the C-17 air crew (pilot and load master) who came to assist on our side of the air drop are loving their mini vacation at the South Pole! They are a great group of guys, and we are very glad to have them!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The ERT team (emergency response team) is in full prep mode this week. On Friday we are scheduled to have our annual mass casualty drill. I can’t speak too much about the prospective incident, but I know it will involve a mock plane and several people down. It is going to be a real test of the system we have set up. I’m nervous for the event, but I’m also pretty excited for it. We’ve put in a lot of hours hashing out how we would handle several serious injuries at once, including initial response and transportation, so I’m looking forward to see how everyone handles it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Other than work and emergencies, I’ve continued to have a lot of fun down here. The weekend after Thanksgiving there was an Open Mic night at Summercamp. It seems half the station crammed into the Summercamp lounge to see our fellow Polies show off their musical talents. And a talented group we are (myself not included!). I was completely blown away by my co-workers, friends, and peers! I was very much inspired to continue my goal of learning at least a little of the guitar this winter. We had extremely talented guitarists, a keyboard player, a banjo player, and a few other types of instruments. There were soloists and groups that performed. It was wonderful. The music ranged from folk to bluegrass, to classic rock, soft rock, you name it. I had a moment of “Whoa. Here I am. In a tent. Its -40 degrees outside. I’m listening to awesome music with my friends. I’m at the South Pole!” I have those moments every so often where I have to take a step back, assess my situation, and remind myself I’m at the bottom of the world! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve also kept up with my swing and salsa dancing. We’ve been learning more and more advanced moves, but we are also gaining attendance during class. I think a lot of people think dance lessons would be silly or stupid – but that’s until they try it. I was able to convince several friends to attend a class, and now they are hooked. Or at least they are having fun and don’t feel so silly. It was awesome the other night at the Carp Shop party – a rock song was playing (I forget, but something on the hard side of rock), and my buddy and I were able to salsa dance to it – and I think we looked pretty good! I was impressed with our ability to make the salsa fit into that situation and not completely screw it up. Dancing is definitely a good skill to have.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><o:p></o:p> Christmas, although it doesn’t feel like it down here, is right around the corner! Some people have done a little decorating: the galley dish pit is very festive, and Comms went all out on their side of the building! Its nice that Christmas is on a weekend this year so we can actually celebrate it on a weekend. Like Thanksgiving, there is a feast and a party. But before all this happens on Christmas Day, there is the Race Around the World, a race around the station and grounds. This is a crazy race: you can either walk, run, ski, bike, board, ride, or whatever you can think of. I am trying to convince the fire fighters to let me ride on their rig for the race. The fire ‘truck’ is named ‘Elephant Man’, so we’re going to decorate it like an elephant. I think I know what I’m doing Sunday. A little sewing, anyone? I want to make a big trunk to strap to the front! Plus ears and eyes. And probably a tail. Nice! Christmas, although not at home, is going to be a blast, I think! <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tonight is ARO movie night and we are showing a modern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Zealand</st1:place></st1:country-region> classic: Black Sheep. This is not the 1996 Chris Farley Black Sheep. Oh noooo… this is the 2007 zombie sheep flick. Basically, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Zealand</st1:place></st1:country-region> has more sheep than it has people. Imagine the sheep becoming infected or genetically changed, and craving human flesh. It is going to be fantastic! I’m secretly glad the C-17 is still missing parts, so the film can be shown tonight!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That’s about all that is currently going on around here. We’re free from the Christmas buzz at the South Pole. There are no radio or tv commercials, no ridiculous holiday displays at stores, and so far no real Christmas music. I hope you’re all enjoying it back home!</div>All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-16250075818214804352010-11-28T07:23:00.000+13:002010-12-01T07:24:29.723+13:00Happy Thanksgiving!<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Thanksgiving at the Pole was FANTASTIC!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Holidays are a community effort down here on the Ice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone pitches in to help out and make things run smoothly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The week before the big dinner, there were several sessions of community preparations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One night about 15-20 people pitched in to bake pies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We baked in epic proportions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I helped out with the pumpkin pies, as those are my favorite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never added gallons of pureed pumpkin to a bowl before!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it was definitely not a bowl – more like a cauldron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stirred the filling with a HUGE whisk, and it required two hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was awesome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next night there was the potato peeling party, which was more like vegetable cutting and prep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Last night was our Thanksgiving dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were three different shifts because we have so many people on station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in the first seating with the majority of my friends – it was a blast!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before dinner, the ladies got dressed up and it felt like we were going to the prom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found some killer red pumps in skua and tested those out – success!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone arrived in the hallway outside the galley 30 minutes before the start of dinner for h’ours d’oeuvres (sp?), music, and mingling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we proceeded to dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was shocked by how beautifully-decorated the room was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All it took was some lighting, table cloths, candles, and a fake fire on our tv displays to turn the galley into a fancy banquet hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The food was served buffet-style and we had wine and pie stewards running around keeping our glasses and plates full.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite different than my normal Thanksgiving dinners and was quite a treat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I loved it!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After our seating, I took an hour off to work off the delicious turkey dinner with a few games of fooseball in the lounge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After some play time, I returned to the ‘hall’ to help clean, get another seating ready, and serve wine and pie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a blast volunteering, but I think next time I am going to work in the dish pit cleaning dishes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They really had a party going in there – disco lights and all!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The party migrated later on in the evening to SummerCamp, where the dancing didn’t cease until after 4:00am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, it was a great event!</span><!--EndFragment-->All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-25359809005264464802010-11-23T07:21:00.000+13:002010-12-01T07:23:10.841+13:00Ok... its been a while!<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As has been pointed out to me by several people, I have totally fallen off the blog bandwagon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sorry!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its actually a good thing though – things have been great here!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where to begin?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well to start off with, my baggage made it here!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was amazing unpacking everything and then picking out an outfit the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boxes I shipped myself also arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My bed is officially the most comfortable in the station!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a memory foam bed top, down comforter, and flannel sheets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seriously!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bad part is that it seems that ALL my boxes arrived at once!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had several people ask me how many winters I plan on staying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ooops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After living so long with so little, I realized how overboard I packed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there are more boxes on the way… oh well!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I plan on making a large donation to skua at the end of the winter (the community pile of odds and ends free for all).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The previous NOAA winter crew left!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Andy and I have been flying solo for several weeks at ARO without major issues!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve fallen into a good routine, and I’m feeling pretty comfortable with the basic job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a good thing – Andy leaves in a few weeks and Cully comes in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I’ll be alone at ARO for a few weeks – over Christmas and New Years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Emergency Response Team has been working pretty hard here the last few weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are ironing out all the bugs in the system and getting trained up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a lot of experience on the team to draw from – its fantastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The aircraft fire fighters have also been awesome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are excellent teachers and have been an integral part of our training!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have also stood in and observed our drills, giving us constructive criticism in our drill debriefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are slowly coming together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had the opportunity to test our system in real life a few nights ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 2:00am on Sunday night we had a fire alarm trip in the garage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all jumped</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">People arrived!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TONS of people!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I first got here, there were about 80 people on station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now there are 232!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its just crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The station is full, and the Jamesways are near their capacity as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rumor is that we are going to top out at 250 people this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its amazing seeing how many people it takes to support the science that occurs here – and its really cool being a part of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have plumbers, carpenters, electricians, dishwashers, chefs, HR, heavy equipment operators, fuel specialists, cargo experts, materials personnel, grub luggers, utilities technicians, professional fire fighters, station engineers, power plant mechanics – you name it, we have it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone is fantastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have met people from all over the county and all over the world since I’ve been here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone has a fascinating story as well – you don’t get down here by having your run of the mill lifestyle, hopes, and dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its wonderful talking with the people sitting next to you at meals, hearing where they are from, and what they have experienced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Aside from work, there is TONS to do here, recreation-wise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Volunteers teach classes every morning and night of the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re bored here, its strictly your own fault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been taking part in the dance classes – I’ve been swing and salsa dancing several nights every week!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a blast!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There aren’t too many of us, but it’s a lot of fun to just let loose and learn something new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have also been hosting movie night at ARO every week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Attendance has been improving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week’s film is going to be ‘Strange Brew’, a classic Canadian comedy about two brothers on a quest for free adult beverages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This movie is a little nostalgic for me – we used to play it on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rainier</i> when we were cruising through Canadian waters on our way through the Inside Passage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the station is currently out of beer (good beer, anyway), I thought it was the perfect choice this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saturday nights have been movie night in our Communications Shop – they have a projector, disco ball, and bubble machine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last Saturday night was the 10<sup>th</sup> annual James Brown Bingo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an evening of bingo and craziness hosted by our top chef.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pretty insane!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a cream pie fight, at least one shirtless guy, and enough yelling for me to begin losing my voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t wait for the next bingo night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This morning a bulldozer finally made it out to ARO to clear the HUGE drift that was in front of the lab.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can’t get cargo in or out with the snow in the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For about two hours, the dozer pushed snow away from the cargo deck and smoothed out a nice ramp for forklifts to nudge up and take away our boxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was like watching an artist work!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The equipment operator was a PRO!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She did a fantastic job clearing the small mountain and then using the blade of the dozer to make a nice smooth ramp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the aftermath of the clearing, there was the perfect setup for a snow fort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what did I do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I grabbed large blocks of snow created by the dozer and began stacking them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I plan on building a little more each day until I have a superior structure which provides excellent shelter from incoming snowballs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that anyone throws snowballs other than me… but maybe I will when I start ambushing visitors to ARO.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first test is going to be tomorrow night when my friends come out to watch the movie… Muahahahaha!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We had an Indian traverse group arrive on station yesterday – they came in three GORGEOUS Toyota Tundras retrofitted for Antarctic travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They run on jet fuel, have huge tires, and are outfitted to haul huge trailers and complete science during their trek across the continent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure where they started, but they made it here in only 10 days from the coast!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crazy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our traverses which bring fuel take at least a month to get here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These guys were HAULING. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw two of the trucks driving around the Pole for a photo shoot, and they were amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These things are definitely built to float over the snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ride looked a little bumpy, but not terrible!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t imagine traversing the continent in less than a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the way, they are completing several studies, including looking at aerosols, glaciology, and other things – I can’t remember what their scientists told me this morning during our conversation!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thanksgiving is this weekend!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes – I said this weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We aren’t celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday with the rest of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of breaking up the week with a day off and then having Saturday being a normal working day and Sunday off, Thanksgiving was shifted to Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This way, the Raytheon crew gets a solid two days off in a row.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone is pretty excited for that!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this week is chock full of preparations for the 232-person feast this weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m helping bake pies on Thursday evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is also a huge potato-peeling party on the same night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will be three different seatings for dinner itself – two for the day crews and one for the night and swing shifters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m helping serve wine at the last seating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am attending the first seating, where a good chunk of my friends will also be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should be a lot of fun – I’m excited to put on a dress, do my hair, and wear makeup!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the little things…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That pretty much sums up how things are going here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m loving life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until next time…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">PS – Hello Ben’s Dad!</div><!--EndFragment-->All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-14084815517516737042010-10-31T19:54:00.001+13:002010-10-31T19:54:32.631+13:00Happy Halloween :)<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">31 October 2010</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Happy Halloween!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Happy Halloween from the South Pole!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today marks my one week anniversary at 90 South, and we are still blissfully happy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay… lame, I know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Truthfully, everything is still great down here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a week of turnover with Johan and Nick, I’m feeling pretty good about them leaving on Wednesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are still things I’m shaky on, but at some point you just have to start doing things by yourself.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Since many winterovers were sure they were leaving Saturday, there was no Halloween party planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were supposed to have two Hercs arrive on station, but two unfortunate events occurred that day: a French helicopter crashed somewhere on the Ice, causing one of our Hercs to be deployed for the recovery mission, and the second Herc suffered an engine casualty soon after takeoff from McMurdo and had to return to the airfield immediately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both events left the winter-overs stranded at Pole for Halloween.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the last minute,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a few of the science techs banded together and created their own party.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The party was a lot of fun!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The party supplies down here are pretty awesome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had serious lights (strobe, disco, different colors) run by a real light board, and a serious sound system!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About half the attendees arrived in costume.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had: 2 pirates, a shark, Indiana Jones, Lucifer, and a man with a beautiful blonde wig.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite funny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from the winter-overs and a few new summer guys (myself included), the flight crew from a Canadian twin otter that spent the night joined in the fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good times!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today was busy, busy, busy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On top of the instruments I am brushing up on, we had to do a little fixin’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I left Boulder, I was given a few replacement parts for the Nephelometer, an instrument which measures aerosols and their scattering properties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I brought with me several photomultiplier tubes and filters for the unit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the components of the instrument was getting incorrect readings – hopefully one of these parts would be the fix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We first installed the new filter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This involved shutting down the acquisition system, shutting off the nephelometer, completely unplugging it, disconnecting all of the air intake and exhaust tubes, and taking it down off a high shelf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we took off one of the covers, swapped out the filter and re-assembled the instrument.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once it was up and running again, we were able to look at the data and see that the problem wasn’t fixed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next we replaced the photomultiplier tube through the same process with the same result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Darn!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve all the trouble-shooting we could do down here for the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now we just have to wait to hear back from Boulder this week with more ideas…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So we think tomorrow is the BIG DAY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aka the first Hercs will probably arrive!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are four flights on the schedule – two with passengers arriving, one taking passengers away, and two presumably with fuel and cargo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very exciting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of us that arrived by Basler (about 50 of us) are anxiously awaiting our luggage (as I’m sure you gathered from my last few posts).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m also excited to see the friends I made in fire school!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep your fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate in McMurdo and that the planes actually run!</div><!--EndFragment-->All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-76348985010187573522010-10-29T18:55:00.001+13:002010-10-29T18:55:31.235+13:00Hooray for showers!<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">The ozonesonde launch went well yesterday – it was wonderful having the entire process thoroughly explained and then launched in one sitting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also fantastic seeing the data which resulted from the launch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ozone hole is still depleted over Antarctica, but it is showing promising signs of its annual breakup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very cool stuff.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today I took my first shower since I reported to Pole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may think that’s disgusting and unbelievable, but water is very scarce here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are allocated two showers per week, two minutes each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazingly enough, it is so cold and dry down here that you really don’t get THAT dirty in a few day’s time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Contrary to popular belief, we don’t all smell like Appalachian Trail through-hikers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even when you’re working hard, its still -40 to -50 degrees outside, so your body is pretty much maintaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It did feel wonderful to wash my hair though!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like any 2-minute shower, you have to have a plan of attack going in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found it worked well to soap up as much as possible sans water, jump in for a few seconds, lather, and then spend the rest of the allotted time rinsing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never put so much thought into a shower before.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After my shower, which was by far the highlight of my day, I spent the rest of the day at ARO continuing to learn the ropes with Johan, Nick, and Andy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel much more comfortable after today’s time out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its all coming back and I’m beginning to have a decent grasp on the job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a good thing – Nick and Johan leave next week!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our bakers made the most AMAZING dessert tonight:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a chocolate and raspberry truffle cake with white chocolate icing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought I had died and gone to heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t wait until my body has adjusted enough to the altitude so I can hit the gym!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The forecast looks decent tomorrow for flights – could this be our day?</div><!--EndFragment-->All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-43085137418445412562010-10-27T20:14:00.001+13:002010-10-27T20:14:00.252+13:00Crazy Daze...<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Day 3 at the South Pole – wow, was it busy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day started sleep-deprived (it is seriously hard to sleep here since it is SO dry!), but at a decent hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was an 8:00am meeting for all Emergency Response Team members in preparation for today’s drills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as the large planes (‘Hercs’) begin flying in, our winter-overs from last year will be headed out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And with them, they take a year’s worth of emergency response experience and information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now is the time to train with them!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At 10:30 we had our first drill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pass-down drills were scheduled to get us newbies into the groove and see how things work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The alarm sounded in the station (surprisingly not jarring, like the insane bell alarm on the ship) and we heard on our radios that there was smoke and fire detected in the B-3 section of the station (right near the main entryway), first deck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once it was announced where we would muster, the new guys shadowed the old hands during the drill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because there were twice as many people as normal responding in a tight space, it was a bit crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the fire team lead, I shadowed the crew member who was coordinating the victim search and fire attack teams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite interesting, and a lot to keep track of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fire team sent in an initial team to rescue the one victim we knew we had down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once she was safely removed and transported to medical, the same fire team entered to fight the simulated fire (smoke simulation and all!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A ventilation team entered the space once the fire was secured and removed the smoke from the building with fans that blew the air out of the main doors (yes – into the -55 degree F weather).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the scenario was secured, we broke for lunch and then it was our turn.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The simulated smoke again set off the alarm not too long after lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other teams mustered immediately and the fire team donned all gear necessary to enter a scene with a fire (the ‘red zone’, as we are calling it).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Donning our gear seemed to take FOREVER.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know our speed will come with practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once everything was on, we reported on scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my firefighters was suffering with the effects of the altitude and was having difficulties breathing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since there are only 3 of us new fire fighters at the station, we quickly changed roles within the team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I transitioned into a fire fighter on the primary search team, while our other member who could not enter the space took over command.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a last minute change, it went quite well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The new fire team lead had good control over the situation and great radio presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Myself and the other fire fighter, a summer crew member without any fire training, entered the space, rescued the victim, and then responded to fight the fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conditions we had were not ideal, since there were only 3 of us on the fire team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any time a pair of fire fighters is sent into an incident, they need an equal or greater amount of people as backup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These backup members are there to rescue any fire fighters which may become victims, and bring in additional resources to the main fire attack team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was simulated today – it will be really nice to have a full compliment of team members in a week or two!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Although the fire drills were insane, confusing, and a little frustrating at times, I think we did a decent job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I received a few compliments myself, so I’m optimistic that we’ll pull together our response teams pretty soon and will be a cohesive team in a few months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We normally drill once per month, but in November the station will have a drill once a week so we can get in additional practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although drills are stressful, they are also a little fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fire alarm really gets your heart pumping!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After my morning and afternoon of fire fighting, I ran out to ARO – okay, I walked slowly out to ARO – and went through the daily instrument checks with Nick, Johan, and Andy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is so much to learn!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m really looking forward to when things calm down just a bit and I can get into a routine with these guys!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the daily checks were completed, Johan, the Ozone Master, showed me his zen techniques he uses to operate the Dobson spectrophotometer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Dobson is an instrument which measures the total amount of ozone in the air directly above you, from the surface to space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This baby was invented in the 1920’s and is still the standard for total column ozone measurements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the design of the instrument is a little antiquated, it has definite quirks and must be run by a well-trained technician.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Dobson is different than the ones I have used in the past, so there is a bit of a learning curve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is fun to use though – it feels like real science!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tomorrow Johan (also the ozonesonde Master!) is showing me how to properly launch ozonesondes at the South Pole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An ozonesonde is basically a weather balloon with two instruments attached:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>one is a small chemical sensor which measures ozone in the atmosphere, and the other is a unit which transmits the ozone data back to the earth, plus additional temperature, pressure, and altitude data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve only seen 3 launches, so I am quite eager to learn how it is done down here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to use different balloons in the winter because the air temperatures are so cold, and we also have to pay close attention to the temperatures of the sensors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve heard there is a fine balance that must be taken into account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good stuff!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One other wonderful thing I discovered tonight was one of our ‘Skua’ locations in the station!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A skua is a scavenging coastal Antarctic bird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At McMurdo station, if they see you walking outside with food, they will attack you to get at what you have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can be quite aggressive!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the winter months at McMurdo and Pole, people are ready to get rid of the items they have not used and will not be taking with them to the States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these wonderful things get dumped into several boxes and new guys on station can take what they want.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found a huge stash of wonderful lotions!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may sound trivial, but I must reiterate how incredibly dry it is down here!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought Boulder was dry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No way!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I now have a great cache of lotions that will beautifully supplement the ones that are on their way down here in my luggage and boxes I sent months ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you, skua!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So ends another exciting day at the Pole!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully we’ll be getting more people in here soon and will fall into the Summer routine quickly!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goodnight, all!</div><!--EndFragment-->All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-21728535762468986222010-10-26T19:11:00.001+13:002010-10-26T19:11:53.284+13:00Made it to the Pole!<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">26 October 2010</div><div class="MsoNormal">Good morning from the SOUTH POLE!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were lucky on Sunday and were able to sneak Basler #3 away from McMurdo and all the way to the Pole!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a fantastic journey!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Basler aircraft are privately-owned and operated DC9s converted specifically for polar travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are beauuutiful aircraft!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are tail-draggers on skis, not fully pressurized, and took only 16 of us from McMurdo to Pole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ride from McM to NPX (McMurdo to Pole) was about four hours long – without toilets!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eeeesh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, I didn’t have any issues… We took off at 0840 in the morning, about 20 minutes early of our scheduled departure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All we were allowed to take with us was a personal bag with our electronic equipment (computers, etc) and a small bag of personal items (a few days worth of clothes and toiletries).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of our gear is probably sitting out on pallets in the snow at McMurdo waiting for the Hercs to start flying (LC-130s) – those planes are workhorses and can take muuuuch more cargo than a Basler.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">About an hour into the flight we climbed high enough in altitude that it was necessary for passengers and crew to wear oxygen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the plane ride was a ‘low altitude’ ride, we still had to get pretty high to clear the Trans Antarctic Mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we got up to about 14 or 16,000ft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately we were in the clouds and our windows were completely frosted over, so there was no view within 15 minutes of takeoff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four hours later, we took off our nasal cannulas supplying oxygen and landed at the Pole!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was amaaazing to land in the middle of nowhere in a tiny plane and then have to ski around to taxi to our off-loading area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pilots had to give the plane a lot of power and really muscle her around to get her to move on the ground.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Nick, Johan, and Andy were waiting for me just off the plane with hugs and a camera!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a wonderful welcome!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was about -35 to -40 F when we landed, but I felt extremely overdressed for the weather!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those big red parkas they give us to wear here don’t mess around! I can’t to get my gear and downsize to a jacket more suited to these temps and my activity level!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My first few hours here were getting settled in – watching an orientation video, getting my room (which is HUGE, by the way), figuring out the layout of the station, and getting acquainted with my lab, ARO (Atmospheric Research Observatory).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we are at 9,300 ft here and there is less atmosphere at the poles of the Earth than the Equator and midlatitudes, it feels more like 11,000ft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Breathing up here is a little difficult – you get winded pretty fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The air is also extremely dry, making breathing even more interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been very fortunate with my acclimatization so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t suffered any headaches, nausea, or any ‘hangover’ symptoms that accompany a huge leap in altitude like the ride in the Basler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve just been tired – walking out to ARO (the 5-10 minute trek through the snow) is a cardio workout, and its been difficult sleeping in my dry stateroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t wait for my humidifier to arrive on station that I sent out a few months ago!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">ARO is really really cool!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a lot more impressive than I had expected!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a two-floor, multi-room facility that is laid out well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is plenty of room inside the station to spread out and not interfere with the equipment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are tons of windows to allow natural light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its great – I’ll have to explain more later!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yesterday was my first full day on station and it was spent at ARO.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We completed 3 sets of flask samples for different groups within NOAA, went over some of the equipment in more detail, and completed daily checks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its amazing how different the Pole is from the training I had in Barrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every station has its quirks – Pole definitely has its own complete set!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will take a lot more coaching to get it down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today I’m getting fit for my SCBA mask (for fire-fighting) and we’ll probably start the hand-down of duties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been assigned as the fire team lead, so there is a LOT I have to learn about not only how things run down here, but the physical aspects of the station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just like a ship, I need to know the spaces inside and out, know what hazards are in each, and how to fight a fire in each space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whew!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a lot of stuff for a sleep and oxygen-deprived week!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, I’ve gotta run and start my day… have a great one, guys!</div><!--EndFragment-->All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-76022766279258233022010-10-23T19:09:00.000+13:002010-10-26T19:11:03.384+13:00Last Day at McMurdo<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">23 October 2010</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today began like the past few here in McMurdo: up at 5:45, put on clean(ish) clothes, brush my teeth, trek over to building 155 and check my emails, get breakfast with Freija and Jens, head to Crary lab to get some work done… and then things got interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was snowy and windy with limited visibility, but we saw movement at the airfield.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To our amazement, Basler #2 loaded up, taxied out, and took off!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather at Pole was beautiful!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very cold, very sunny, very little wind!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the second Basler made it, delivering a fresh crew to staff the summer months!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what did this mean for me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My plane is next!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And will probably go tomorrow!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After this great news, I attended the Outdoor Safety Lecture, which is mandatory training for anyone who wants to engage in hiking, skiing, and other recreation away from the station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learned about the dangers encountered outside the confines of the station and how we can mitigate our hazards and be prepared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a decent lecture for someone who was brand new!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a huge lunch, Freija, Jens, and myself decided to put our new knowledge to use and hiked the Hut Point Loop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This 3-mile loop takes hikers past Scott’s Discovery Hut, out to the point, up a ridgeline, and out to Arrival Heights before returning them to McMurdo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a gorgeous hike!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The views were simply breath-taking, especially since the snow had cleared and the sun had come out since lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was amazing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We thought this trail was going to be a walk in the park, but it actually was a decent workout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hills were sizeable, and when you factor the difficulty of movement and weight of all the outdoor gear required to be outside in Antarctica (even in McMurdo) for 3ish hours, it was more work than we originally expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to see Black Island, White Island, and even Mount Erebus in the background!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mount Erebus is an active volcano and one of three volcanoes in the world with an exposed molten lava pool at the base of its crater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was smoking the entire time we were hiking and had a ring of clouds midway up the mountain that made it look like a scene from Lord of the Rings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amaaazing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hiking terrain is interesting – it is all volcanic ‘soil’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are basically walking on a mix of snow, snow drifts, volcanic dust, and small volcanic rocks like pumice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It makes for interesting footing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was very happy that I chose to wear my normal hiking boots for this trek and not the extreme FDX boots which are issued to us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The FDX boots are seriously insulated, but they do not have the traction required for this type of hiking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My poor companions could have used crampons for the scramble up some of the sections!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing I noticed during the hike is how the snow sounded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the very squeaky, crunchy snow you usually get on the coldest days in New England.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The snow is very fine, it is very cold, and very dry here, making this sound everyday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some sections (when we were walking on the edge of the glacier) the squeak of the snow almost had a hollow sound to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pitch and quality of the sound changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t fully describe it, but the difference was striking.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our hike and extensive photo session outside left us pretty tired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After dinner, the three of us found a Scrabble board and played a game in one of the lounges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am definitely out of practice with Scrabble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My opponents were from Belgium and Germany (not native English speakers) and I just barely won.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eeeeesh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My dear friend Stephanie would be very upset with me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully I’ll manage to get a greater command of English over the winter and win some games against Americans too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As ridiculous as it sounds, one of the highlights of my night was taking my first dose of medication to combat altitude sickness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means I am probably almost on my way!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Medication is prescribed to Polies because the South Pole Station is at approximately 9,300 ft, but it feels much higher because less atmosphere is physically over the Pole (Earth spinning & centrifugal force is pretty important).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m allergic to the normal meds, so I was given a low dose of steroids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This treatment is commonly used by high altitude backpackers and mountaineers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just hope there aren’t too many side effects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suddenly feel the need to go pump some iron…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hopefully tomorrow I will be writing from the South Pole instead of McMurdo!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep your fingers crossed….</div><!--EndFragment-->All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-14738862277870949112010-10-22T14:52:00.000+13:002010-10-22T14:52:27.552+13:00I'm in ANTARCTICA!<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">I’m in Antarctica!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I’m here, it’s time to really knuckle down and start this blog!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot has happened since my last post…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The last time I wrote, I was just starting training in Denver with my fellow Polies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a great two weeks!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first week was some orientation stuff, Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), Peer Counseling, and Wilderness First Responder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was all really fantastic training!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must say during the CISM and Peer Counseling training with the psychologists, we all started analyzing ourselves and had some interesting conversations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most memorable was our conversation(s) about rage – specifically how they told us that rage could only be dissipated through destruction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Believe what you want… but rage is serious!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did a lot of hands-on work, including using makeup to simulate injuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point, I had a compound fracture on my right shin that looked quite real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Week #2 was firefighting at the Rocky Mountain Fire Academy in Aurora, CO.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, I had mentally prepared myself well for this slightly claustrophobic feeling and had no problems during the Aurora training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I loved the fire training!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a lot like being a kid!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The training was excellent – the staff of the fire academy were fantastic and extremely helpful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had all skill levels to deal with and worked everyone’s individual comfort levels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The training I had here was not even comparable to the training I received at BOTC (basic officer training class) in New York.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One of the highlights of our firefighting class were crawling through a trailer that was a maze of wires, boards, and tight spaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a lot of work with all the gear on (plus air) and a ton of fun!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did a lot of pitch-black search-and-rescue that was a blast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We just threw on random gear and ran up and down the tower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ladies lost on a technicality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also went into the burn room and experienced a 500-degree fire and smoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal">The COOLEST thing I did all week was drive a fire truck!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All week I had been salivating over the trucks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last morning, our instructor called two of us out of the room to ‘help’ him with something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked out on the drill ground to the truck and I was told to get in the front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked what he meant, and he told me sternly to get in the front!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I hopped in, put on my seatbelt, and the three of us drove around a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was told that if I saw the chief I should throw the truck in park and jump in the back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very illegal!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So my fellow New Hampshirite and I got to drive the truck!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The firefighters tried to recruit me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So basically if NOAA ever gets rid of me, I can always start a new career as a firefighter in Aurora.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good stuff.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So that takes me up to my departure from Colorado.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mom flew out and we drove from CO to NJ in 2.5 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was wild – we drove about 13 hours each day and just banged out state after state!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were machines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At home, we had a going away ‘penguin’ party with friends and family that was fantastic!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also got to be in my best friend’s wedding the day before I departed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a way to leave the states!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a super-nice plane (ginormous and new) with the nicest crew of New Zealanders you’ll ever meet!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kiwis are so wonderful!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a long flight – 13 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got to watch a movie and some tv shows and take cat naps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could have been a lot worse!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was blissful arriving in Auckland, New Zealand!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt like I had been at sea for weeks – land!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Solid land!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cleared security in the beautiful Auckland International Terminal and hauled my 150 lbs of luggage (yes – I overpacked) to the domestic terminal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there, I boarded one more plane and made it to Christchurch!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the meantime, a 5.5 earthquake had hit Christchurch and messed up things at the Antarctic Program Offices a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hauled my stuff over to the Clothing Distribution Center (CDC) and picked up all the cold weather gear you could ever imagine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s what happens when you’re a gear junkie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t get my flu shot at the CDC because the nurse had left to help with the earthquake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At this point I was extremely exhausted and I just wanted to rest!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I caught a shuttle to my beautiful hotel in downtown Christchurch and took a much-needed shower!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The next morning I was back at the CDC by 0600 and re-packing all my luggage for the flight to Antarctica.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took our bags through security at a small terminal at the Antarctic Program Offices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all piled onboard, strapped in to our seats (airline seats!), and took off!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The flight was wonderful!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got 3 hours of sleep, got to go up in the cockpit, and read a little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Five hours later, we put our seatbelts on and landed on the icefield at McMurdo station!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The runway is actually on ice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sea ice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s frozen ocean!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a huge kick out of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t feel any different than asphalt when we landed and taxied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We threw on our ECW gear, grabbed our carryons, and disembarked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Snow!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My first impression was how white and bright it was!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Holy Snow, Batman!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As far as the eye can see, there is snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I now understand snow blindness!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sunglasses are essential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked away from our C-17 and onto “Ivan the Terrabus”, a big red bus with huge snow tires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ivan took us to the ‘Chalet’ in McMurdo, which is an office building that looks like a chalet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was another, more comprehensive, orientation in the chalet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of my amazing firefighting skills, I am the lead of the primary fire team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This should be interesting…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">McMurdo reminds me a lot of Barrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am quite comfortable here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a lot of small buildings on stilts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The roads are snow and dirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone shuffles around outside between buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Huge trucks and heavy equipment rule the streets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone pays a lot of attention to the comings and goings of the airplanes and helicopters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to be creative and make your own fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are about 1000 people on station, and you can definitely tell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meals are insane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is one huge galley, but it’s a madhouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its hilarious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is your seat?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sorry!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t see your name on it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just kidding – its not that bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is going to become even more crowded in a few weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bunk beds are being put in every room in the next week to help accommodate the extra population.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I can’t wait to look back at this blog in the middle of the winter and see how much my attitude has changed!)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s good news!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bad news is that Basler #3 was scheduled to leave yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Basler #2 still hasn’t left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flights go sequentially, so there is still some time to wait here before I can get to Pole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The poor guys who were scheduled for Basler #2 have been here for a week and are getting quite sick of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Essentially, it means that all you have is a small carry-on to last however long it takes for you to fly to Pole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could be a day, it could be two weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plan accordingly!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So you really have to think hard about what you will need for several weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a lot like camping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in the Antarctic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I’ve done a pretty good job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a lot of socks, underwear, and techwick shirts that I can wash in the sink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m good to go.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Last night was “American Night” at Scott Base, the Kiwi research station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little did I know, they are about 10 minutes from us by vehicle (van, snowmobile, what have you), just over the hill!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their facilities are beautiful – McMurdo looks pretty dumpy by comparison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scott Base is much smaller – only a few people winter over there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the buildings are connected, so you don’t need to walk outside to get between major areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have a decent store (which was a main attraction) and a huge bar!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I poked my head in there to check it out, but didn’t stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was a little tired from my flu shot the previous day and still a little jet-lagged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took some pictures and caught another shuttle home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good night!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today I’ve mainly done work all day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a few odds and ends to tie up from the States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That sounds so strange!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to get as much done as possible while I have decent internet access.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People complain about the internet here, but its faster and more reliable that it was on the ship!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m just waiting for Pole – it’ll be much different, I’m sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Live on a ship for a few years, and you’ll see the world in a new light!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tonight I’m planning on going to a yoga class offered at the chapel here on base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its much-needed after my airline and bag-drag adventures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yay!</div><!--EndFragment-->All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-61816711237813211612010-09-22T14:31:00.000+12:002010-09-22T14:31:35.632+12:00Finally Training with the Crew!Yesterday was my first day of training in Denver with the South Pole crew. There are about 30 of us here from around the country (and the world!) completing two weeks of trauma, first aid, and fire training. It is great finally meeting some of my future co-workers and family members for the next year! The crew attending this training was split into two groups - my half of the group is doing the safety orientation/trauma/first aid training this week while the other group is fighting fires. Next week we'll switch and head over to the fire academy.<br />
<br />
Training has been fascinating so far. We began with the safety systems at the Elevated Station. Compared with the ship (and most other non-spaceship structures), the fire detection, suppression, and other systems are amazing! Here are some fun facts and statistics we learned:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>SPO (South Pole Observatory) potable water is made by pumping warm water into holes drilled 800-1,000 ft deep in the ice. The water melts surrounding ice and creates a 'lake' under the ground. </li>
<li>SPO water is the most pure water in the world - if we drank it untreated for a long period of time, it would kill us because the water contains zero minerals. It would eventually cause minerals to leach out of our bodies. Luckily, it would take several years. Needless to say, our water is treated.</li>
<li>What happens with the wells that are completely depleted? We use it for 'outfall'... *ahem*... solid waste.</li>
<li>The daily usage of water at the Pole is about 18 gallons/person/day.</li>
<li>It costs about $25 to create one gallon of water.</li>
<li>There is a 3-year supply of frozen food at the Pole. An emergency 3-month food cache stored in the snow is rotated every ten years. Yummmmm. </li>
<li>The station is powered by diesel generators - three 750 kW generators and one 239 kW generator. One generator runs at a time and they are periodically switched. The lower-rated generator takes up the slack if the maximum load for one generator is exceeded. All generators run on JP-8 jet fuel.</li>
<li>Fuel is delivered to the station through two means: 50,000 gal are brought to the station via fuel traverse (35-day trip across the continent with snowcat-like vehicle towing fuel sleds) and by siphoning off 2,000-3,000 gal of fuel from each airplane landing at the station. </li>
<li>Aircraft cannot land at the Pole if the temperatures are below -57 degrees F.</li>
<li>Although its a little chilly outside, the Elevated Station is kept at a balmy 65.</li>
<li>Up to 250 people live at the South Pole in the summer - about 100-150 people live in tents (aka 'Jamesways') outside the station. Hard. Core.</li>
<li>If the station lost power, you would be able to see your breath inside in 2-3 hours.</li>
</ul><div>Today's training consisted of dealing with traumatic incidents - the main take-away message is never tell someone to 'calm down'! ...Or tell them they need to calm down! It was very interesting because they were involved in cases such as Columbine and the incident at Virginia Tech. The psychologists had a lot of experience. Hopefully we won't ever need the tactics of handling critical incidents during the year on the Ice.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So far so good! The training continues tomorrow with wilderness first aid... </div>All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1698186225928366605.post-84297304958608738882010-09-04T17:36:00.000+12:002010-09-04T17:36:38.337+12:00Info, dates, and other such fun thingsHello all! Thanks for tuning in to my blog! I'm not really a diary/journal/blog person, so bear with me here. Hopefully I'll remember to post something cool every once in a while!<br />
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Ok. Here's the skinny. I have just over a month left in Colorado - two weeks at the office and two weeks of fire fighting/trauma training near Denver. From there, I will be driving back East to spend time with the family and attend my best friend's wedding! The unofficial/official deployment date is October 17. I'm still waiting on a plane ticket, but I've its in the works. Once I fly to New Zealand, crossing the International Date Line, I'll have an afternoon in Christchurch to get my cold weather gear, and then I'll hop on a plane to McMurdo station. And THEN if all goes well weather-wise, I'll be at the South Pole the day after. Yikes. <br />
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I'll be on the Ice for just over a year, returning to the states in December 2011. The last flight out of Pole should be mid-February and we will be 'marooned' there until late October/early November. If you want to send care packages (hint hint*), let me know soon and I'll send you the address - no more mail after February (which means send it now!).<br />
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More later....All Signs Point Northhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02272714619768099099noreply@blogger.com0