McMurdo, Antarctica (USA)

Sorry for the lack of updating in the last few days. Internet access here is limited at the best, and it's difficult to get to a computer during non-peak hours where the connection is not completely bogged down. This should hopefully only be a temporary problem which will be resolved when I finally get on shift work.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I finally made it down to the Ice. In one word, it's spectacular.

After our first flight was cancelled on Monday morning, we again woke up at 0400 for our second try at making it down south. This time we suffered from no delays at all. We arrived over at CDC (Clothing Distribution Center and also the terminal for Antarctic flights) a bit after 0530. We then got into our ECW (Emergency Cold Weather) gear and proceeded to get in line for "bag drag", the process for checking in for the flight.

After checking in, we sat around and watched a few more training videos regarding some aspect of something important that isn't particularly memorable at this time. After a quick breakfast and some lecture related boredom, we finally boarded the RNZAF buses for our short ride to the C-17 that would carry us down to the Ice.

We were then herded aboard the monstrous cargo aircraft and found our seats. Now, a few words about my new favorite form of flying transportation. Many of you may think that a military cargo aircraft would be the worst way to travel anywhere, but you would be very mistaken. In addition to the airline style seats mounted in the front of the aircraft, there were individual seats facing the middle of the aircraft along the walls and also seats facing the sides of the aircraft facing the sides of the plane. These side facing seats are not only more comfortable that most airline seats I've had the misfortune of occupying, but due to the design there is an exceptional amount of leg room available to people (such as myself) who are sitting in these seats. This combined with the amazing boxed lunch provided to us helped to make this flight one of the most enjoyable I've ever experienced as a passenger.

The only drawback of the C-17 is the fact that is lacks windows that passengers can enjoy. There are small portholes in or near each of the doors, but they don't provide much of a view of anything and were typically crowded with people searching for our new home. It also made it a little difficult to tell if we had actually touched down on the Ice, though a few gentle but solid bumps finally confirmed our arrival.

After touching down, we were all required to put on the rest of our ECW gear before we could step off the plane. After being bundled up to the point where you couldn't tell who was who aside from their name tags, we were again herded outside of the aircraft. I was stunned by the bright white of everything. The airfield that we landed on was nothing more than a slab of groomed ice in the middle of the frozen ocean. Also, the cold hit the one exposed body part that I had left, my nose. I could instantly feel the hairs in it start to freeze.

Again, with more herding, we were gently guided into the Deltas, a type of articulated giant wheel Antarctic bus. The ride into town was quiet and cold, the windows quickly icing over. When we finally made it in, we were again sent to another training lecture.

Once it was felt that we were lectured enough, we picked up our room keys and bags and proceeded to move into our new homes in Mactown.

Building 201 is now my new home. It is very much like most dorms that you'd find back home in the States. All the rooms are doubles, there is a well equipped lounge, and quiet hours are strictly enforced. The only unusual thing about it is the fact that our entire building (almost) exclusively houses the fire department. This works out exceptionally well, however, as once we conclude our training and go from daywork to shiftwork we will essentially be living in a single room with two beds. Each of us was paired up with a firefighter from the opposite shift, so when I work, my roomate has the room to himself for 24 hours and vice versa. I'm a fan.

Our working experience has been limited so far. They're trying a new form of training this year where they are taking us as a group and putting us on daywork in a classroom environment for about two and a half weeks. For most of us, this is unbearably painful, though. We've been itching to get out and actually do something since Denver, and this is just another frustration. The only thing that works as perpetual motivation is the fact that I'm getting paid to do fire department training.

We recieved our gear and pagers so far, so in a pinch, they can put us to work if need be. Though I hope nothing bad occurs, I wouldn't mind having to actually go into the station to at least stand by.

As I've been getting a fair number of questions about it, I will add some of my observations about the conditions down here.

Yes, it is cold. Our highs so far have been hovering around zero and our lows in the negative twenties. The funny thing is, as long as you're in the sun and the wind isn't blowing, it really isn't all that bad. In fact, I have been running between buildings with just my trusty hoodie. Additionally, I went out to the "gerbil gym" today with a t-shirt, shorts, and my trusty "Big Red" (my issued red parka) and wasn't really bothered.

Also, as far as the environment, I've never seen anything quite as beautiful. When it's clear, you can see for miles on miles. The mountains stand out in the distance and provide the most stunning silouette for our sunsets. I know one person in particular that I wish I could have see this in person, as I know she'd certainly appreciate it. I don't really have adequate words to describe it. It's just stunning and you need to see if for yourself. My camera can't even do it justice.

As for the town itself, it is a little interesting. I've heard it described as a mining town, and that's partially accurate. It has it's share of old, beat up buildings, but it also has some incredibly modern structures (including the Crary lab). Another interesting feature of the town is that everything has a name. The dorm that I reside in has a sign calling it the "Salmon River Inn". The dorm with the cafeteria is called the galley, the VIP and top-boss dorm is known as the "Mammoth Mountain Inn" (also known as MMI), the quad type area by a few of the dorms is known as "Derelict Juntion", there is a forklift called "Heckler", the small green forklifts are called "pickles" and we're warned to avoid them as they're prone to running people over, and there is even a Delta named "Scharen". This isn't all of the names by far, but enough for right now.

This place is certainly different, and I'm starting to see why some people fall in love with the Ice and never leave. It's cold, miserable, and desolate, but the beauty, mystique, and eclectic community have a strong appeal.

Sadly, I am again running out of time. I'm finishing up an Irish coffee at the Coffee House and getting ready to sack out for the night. Being on daywork is certainly a drag. My apologies if this is a bit convoluted and poorly edited, but I didn't get a chance to go back over it. Also, I will try to get a few pictures up soon. It may prove difficult because of the bandwidth limitation, but I should be able to at least get a few up.