Thursday, December 30, 2010

Celebrations



What a week of celebrations it has been, and it's not quite over. Last Wednesday was Ema's birthday, so of course I had to track down a picture of bacon and turn it into a birthday card to go with the surprise cookies at work. I also discovered the burger bar where you can order a vegetarian burger with, you guessed it, bacon. Kind of silly to shell out $3 for dinner when you can eat for free, but the fries alone are worth it.

The next day had a nice break in the work day with a gift exchange mid-afternoon. I just watched this time, which was just as well because there were no Sweet Valley High books for my dog to constantly try to eat. It was rather entertaining to watch folks fight over bad bottles of wine and nerdy science books.

Christmas Eve was the town Christmas party, hosted by the Vehicle Maintenance Facility in a massive warehouse. They have lots of pictures on the walls showing large vehicles that have fallen through the sea ice or otherwise gotten mangled. Santa was there, as were cookies, bacon quiche, mozzarella sticks, and jalapeño poppers. I also spotted the third inflatable penguin I've seen in town, possibly the largest I've ever seen (one in the Crary lab pictured above). On a cross-country road trip about 7 years ago, I became slightly obsessed with spotting inflatable Santas. I think that may have been the first year they were widely available, because I have pictures of them from New Orleans, Breckenridge, and several other places. I still think they are odd, but at least they're of the slightly more appropriate penguin variety down here.


Weddell seals on the sea ice

On Christmas day, it was gorgeous and sunny, so we went on a hike near town. The traditional route to Castle Rock included a stream that would guarantee getting wet to your knees, and we really weren't quite in the mood for such an adventure. Instead, we headed up past Scott's hut, and spotted some wildlife, Weddell seals and skuas (which, for you Toolikers, are in the same genus as those parasitic jaegers we used to run away from).

Skua

After the hike, we had a large meal with all of our friends. Unfortunately, not one, but two planes "boomeranged" in the days before, one of which was only 5 minutes away. We had precious cargo on those planes, namely "freshies" and mail. So no beer, no fresh vegetables, and no presents. But, we still had it better than the kiwis who were denied their Christmas turkey dinner. I have a feeling we shared our food with them, because it's just not right for nearly 1,000 people to enjoy lobster tail, sirloin, and roast duck while 30 or so people down the road were missing their turkey because of the possibility of ice crystals in a cloud layer.


Artwork cataloging stuff in people's pockets at the MAAG

In the evening, the annual McMurdo Alternative Art Galley had its opening. The creative talent here was hinted at before with the craft show, but the MAAG was art of the broader variety from conceptual to performance, sculptural to two dimensional. The majority of it was also interactive, with a photo booth and several games inside and outside. There was even a fashion show of wearable art, but the carpenter's shop was getting crowded and we opted to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and view of town below.


Mactown on the night of the 25th

After all the celebrating, Sunday brought a much needed day off to rest and take stock. So often when you are out in the field, you end up working every day, even if just for a little while. I think that Christmas and the day after were the first two "real" days off I've had in a long time- at least since summertime. Of course, taking a couple of days off did mean that I'd have to work even harder this week to get everything finished on time, but sometimes sanity does insist on being indulged. If you have the luxury of really leaving work at the end of the day, enjoying every weekend, and taking at least an annual vacation, make sure that you fully appreciate it. If you've chosen a life like mine, you have to soak up moments like these to carry you through and find entertainment where you can.

The past few days have been dominated by lab work once again. Today we were supposed to head back out for a short couple of days in the field, but the weather seems to have different plans.

Only one more day of 2010 here! Have a happy New Year!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

It's a harsh continent

Apparently I need to clarify. The titles I use here are not meant to indicate that I don't like it down here, rather, last week's and this week's titles are references to common phrases down here which are used in both a serious and a joking manner. For example, if it's a particularly gorgeous day with amazing views, you might say, "just another cold day in hell". If your tent got torn to shreds by 65 knot winds (~75 mph), you might say, "it's a harsh continent". The same phrase could be used when you're gorging on a ridiculously tasty dessert and fill your belly too full.

View from my new tent at Bonney camp

Our last days at Hoare were quite busy, and even a dance party on Saturday night did not interrupt our schedule of being up at 7 am to get out onto the lake. Consequently, we were back at the main house before people were rolling out of bed on most folks day off. Instruments and packing were topped off with a full, dairy-rich, German meal, complete with homemade cheesecake and New Zealand ice cream (thank you, Lactaid). On Monday, we moved back to Bonney camp, which felt strangely like coming home. With no other groups "ruling the roost", we basically get to make up the rules, and decide when we want to do chores (generally when they needed doing). At Bonney, my main contribution seems to be cooking along with some other folks, but since we lost most of our frozen goods (including our chicken) when our sling loads were stuck at Fryxell for a couple of days, the cooking chore required a bit more creativity. Asking the former vegetarian to come up with meat-free meals isn't exactly rocket science, but the lack of freshies (onions, etc) was a bit challenging. Some how we survived on Italian, Mexican, and Thai dishes with a few soups, and delicious breakfasts and desserts as always.

The tent that got away, with Bonney camp in the background

The biggest change at Bonney camp was the tent situation. Forty knot winds at Hoare translated to 65 knots for the same wind storm at Bonney. All four of our tents fell down, and two of them blew away, but not due to improper securing. One tent broke its lines where they connected to the tent, and another had all the poles pop out. The one that was carried 1/2 mile south on the lake had several broken poles, but everything was recovered and half of the tents were salvaged. The rest had to be packed up to be returned to the field center, where somehow these things get patched back together. With our extra tent and a borrowed tent, we were back in business after a few hours.

Taylor Glacier from West Lobe of Lake Bonney

The lake ice was a little flatter, the moat was starting to melt, and the weather was warmer this time around. We also "adopted" a grad student from another group and I was introduced to the Big Bang theory TV show. Other than that, it was hijinx as usual. Spurred by the promise of town for the weekend, we decided to forgo our day "off" and did back to back limno runs, with 4 am and 7 am followed by another 4 am and 7 am set of days. I headed back to town with samples for an experiment on Friday afternoon and promptly discovered why there is usually a day off scheduled in between. When I sat down at dinner, it suddenly felt as though I hadn't slept in a month. Sleep only brought reminders of the physicality of our job, with aches and pains setting in. A few days later and I'm good as new, but in hindsight it seemed a bit silly to rush back.

Crack in the Ross ice shelf, open water beyond

Summer solstice was earlier today, precisely at 23:38 on the 21st of December (UTC). Since we're on New Zealand time, it works out to midday, Wednesday the 22nd of December at 12:38 pm. Unlike Toolik, there's not been a word about any costume parties or bonfires (other than a Mad Max themed party I missed last Saturday out of exhaustion). Rather, people are ramping up for birthdays, alternative art galleries, and Christmas dinner reservations. If you are wondering how they decorate for the holidays in Antarctica, think "penguins". Edit: the music show at the waste barn last night did include a few folks in costume, including a bearded lady for the theme of county fair.

I've got plenty more stories, but it's already taken me a day to get this far on the post. I think it's time to upload a few photos and I'll try to revisit some missed activities later on. Safe travels everyone!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Just another cold day in hell

The bona fide day off was quite enjoyable, with mostly mellow tasks like laundry on the list for heading back out into the field. A craft fair took place in the afternoon, where people from the station set out tables of homemade wares to sell. It was almost like being at a farmer's market, with a wide variety of items from buttons, to photographs, felted hats, jewelry, wooden bowls, even hand cream. It wasn't clear to me what had been made at home versus what was made on station, but it was a lovely diversion for a couple of hours. A cone of chocolate frosty girl ice cream topped it all off, since the fair was in the galley.

Melting moat at Lake Fryxell

Monday morning we finished hauling our ever increasing pile of gear and supplies down to the helo pad in preparation for our flight out. Right after one last shower and an early lunch, we headed down to wait our turn. The flight across to the Dry Valleys was gorgeous as always and soon we were at Lake Fryxell. On first impression, Lake Fryxell camp is somewhere between the Lost Boys feel of Bonney camp and the clean and structured atmosphere of the camp at Lake Hoare. Nestled on the west side of Canada Glacier, the camp has the largest number of lab buildings out of the Taylor Valley camps, but they are the smallest.

Fryxell's fancy facilities (not a laboratory)

When we head out into the field on multiple day trips, we have a regular schedule of travel and prep the first day, up at 4 am to sample the chemistry of the lake followed by hours of filtering and processing samples, with the third day allocated for retrieving incubated samples and using instruments to take profiles of the water column for things such as light and temperature once the water column has re-stratified or recovered from our sampling. If we are changing camps, the third day is also spent re-packing all of our equipment in preparation of repeating the cycle. So this trip we had the schedule of Monday = travel to Fryxell and prep for sampling, Tuesday = up at 4 am to sample and filter, Wednesday = finish profiling the water column and pack to move.

Solar panel at Fryxell camp

Our time at Fryxell was over in the blink of an eye. It was relatively crowded there, and some other groups arranged their schedule to accommodate us, so we were in and out as fast as possible. I seem to have picked up a little cold bug when I was in town, and it kicked into high gear when we got out in the field. Thankfully, only 3 people were needed for sampling and I had the luxury of missing the 4 am alarm clock call to head out onto the lake. There are simply no substitutes for sleep and water to get better, although some borrowed cold medicine helps out considerably as well.

The view on instrument day at Lake Fryxell.

Thursday was a day trip back over to Lake Miers, for a chance at sampling redemption. Luckily, the weather cooperated and we had a lovely day out. Our ride back to camp even came early due to complications with other folks on the schedule, so we got to show the pilot and tech how to sample a lake. Even our ride to and from Miers was gorgeous as we got to head over the Ferrar and associated glaciers between the dry valleys. The best part of the ride though was my co-worker explaining her new key chain to everyone. It's a little plastic cow that "issues" little round chocolate candy. I think I was in tears from laughing so hard.

My commute (on the way to Lake Miers, not my hand)

After the day trip, we headed not back to Fryxell, but to Hoare. Ever efficient, we combined a day sampling trip with a moving day. Processing the samples from Miers wasn't too bad and we were able to start unwinding around midnight. Unfortunately, the katabatic winds kicked on out of nowhere (well the polar plateau in actuality), so I spent most of the short night trying to keep my tent on the ground. Around 8, I finally decided to get out of the tent to evaluate the situation and ended up retying lots of lines and adjusting rocks. Somehow, I managed to continue napping until around 11 am and rolled out of bed. I still have not gotten used to the roar of the high wind and corresponding tent flapping and turn into a light sleeper when I'm in Taylor Valley. Combined with early mornings, it's only a few days before sleep deprivation sets in. Luckily, Friday was a mellow day, with only preparations for sampling Lake Hoare on the list.

Lake Miers has been conquered.

The upside to katabatic winds is that they generally increase the temperature considerably. Rumor has it that we actually broke 40 degrees! I guess it's summer after all. The other evidence of summer time here is the melting of ice. The lakes in the Dry Valleys melt only partially every year with many feet remaining in the center of the lakes, leaving an open moat around the edges. Some of the lakes even have layers of water and sediment within the ice layers, such as Miers. But ice does not melt in a uniform fashion, making lots of various structures to navigate between shore and our sampling sites, which are over the deepest part of the lake near the middle. Come December, it's time to hop over open bits of water, choose which candle ice looks most stable, and cross your fingers that the ATV doesn't cause a chunk of ice to collapse a few feet and knock you over (because that ice is not only slippery, it's hard!).

All set to sample Lake Hoare

Tricky navigations aside, sampling at Hoare went quite smoothly this morning. The early start is never pleasant, but high winds overnight again meant that come 4 am I wasn't exactly sound asleep anyway. By 9 am, we were back and cooking up another fantastic "limno breakfast". Usually a bowl of oatmeal fits the bill, but on days we sample we come back and cook a big breakfast. Today's was pancakes, scrambled eggs with cheese, and a pound of bacon. The latter was scavenged by other folks staying at the camp and apparently the scent of bacon greeted the two documentary film makers that came in for the day.

After breakfast, it was back to work filtering water and processing samples. This basically means dividing our water samples from various depths into subsamples and preserving them until they can be analyzed. Whether it's by freezing, filtering, or adding a chemical, everything has to be done right away. Today's samples were fast to do and we were done by 4:30 this afternoon!

Canada Glacier and the surface of Lake Hoare

To put icing on the cake, our personal bags finally arrived from Fryxell and I was able to take a shower. Generally, the "shower" is only available at Hoare camp on Sundays, but since there will be 22 people here tonight, the two people who run the camp decided to start showers early. Due to a miscommunication, I nearly missed my chance for the day, but a couple of guys from the streams group were nice enough to make sure I got to hop in before dinner. After the communal saunas at Toolik, the concept of a sign up list still seems foreign to me, but I suppose it makes sense. Who'd have thought people in the Antarctic are more reserved than those crazy folks up north? In reality, I think it's because usually there aren't enough people in a camp at once to necessitate a "bulk bathing" option like Toolik had. I do miss that sauna on the lake though, there's nothing else on earth like it.

Care package #2 arrived! Somehow it managed to find me out in the field. Courtesy of my aunt and uncle, who incidentally sent me my first care package in college eons ago, thank you! This one arrived in a week, considerably faster than the other one which took about a month. So, if you are thinking about sending me something (hint, hint), envelope type packages generally travel faster and you're taking your chances if you mail anything much later. Fingers crossed, I'll be back in New Zealand within a month. Also, I've heard from lots of folks that you are reading the blog. Feel free to feed my ego and leave some comments or ask questions!

Friday, December 03, 2010

Trials and tribulations

Home sweet home next to Canada Glacier

The fiasco field day of which I last wrote, was followed by an absolutely fabulous Thanksgiving. Of course, because I'm on the limno team, we still did a bit of work, but it was still a relaxing day. People came from all over, by foot and by helicopter from other camps in the Dry Valleys. All told, I believe there were 28 people gathered at Lake Hoare for the feast. The camp manager had some friends from "town" fly in the day before to help her cook, and what a spread it was. Turkey with gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, Jessy's savory cornbread pudding, Dottie Mae's sweet potato casserole, roasted pumpkin, cranberry sauce, cranberry chutney, peas, pumpkin dinner rolls, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, and walnut pie. Plus wine of various variety which seemed to appear out of thin air. Of course, I ate so much that post-dinner coma turned into a nap. Eventually people returned to whence they came, and those of us staying at Hoare had the place to ourselves again. The evening was rounded out by a rather loud game of Scrabble Apple.

Thanksgiving dinner at Lake Hoare

The day after Thanksgiving was our chance to prepare things for our next trip into the field and to pack up to head back to town. Weather delays messed with the schedule a bit, but we were still able to catch our helo ride. They combined our trip with another pair's, so we were packed like sardines, quite cozy for the half hour ride across the sea ice. Those big red jackets make for nice pillows. The best part of Friday was coming back to the lab to be greeted by Ema, who had been out in the field some of the same time as us, but she had been two valleys away, at Lake Vida, without internet! My roommate Anne was still sleeping, so I had to wait for her to wake up, but there were lots of familiar faces in town this time, quite a bit different from my first arrival. Friday night there was a huge dance party, with "local" bands playing lots of good music. It was good to let our hair down (post shower, of course) and relax after working in the field.

Heading back from Scott base

Our time in town has been dominated by processing samples from the last trip and preparing material for the second round of field work. Basically, we sample the lakes in Taylor Valley and then go back and do it again, and again, with a week or two between each round. Each trip is successively shorter with less time required for drilling and melting holes, and the very last run is a subset of samples collected. So, the weekend after the big party was relatively relaxed with bottle washing and sample processing on the list, with a quick trip over to the store over at Scott base.

Where to catch the shuttle to Scott Base (dorms in background)

Monday we had to say goodbye to Dr. Anne. Off to New Zealand for more adventures! She was quite the ideal roommate, especially compared to some of the horror stories I've heard floating around. There are snorers, people that type on their computers all night, and folks that never turn off the light. A bit like being back in college.

McMurdo infrastructure

The rest of the week has been fairly benign, mostly putzing around the Crary lab combusting bottles and setting up my heat block while the rest of the team anxiously awaited the opportunity to sample Lake Vanda. Originally, we were going to have two trips out, so I was going to be on the second trip. Unfortunately, I ended up missing out seeing Vanda entirely, but the rest of the team brought me back lots of water to play with (i.e., run lots of experiments on). They had another rough and windy day out, but the pictures sure look like it was worth it.

Temperature experiment set-up

One thing you might not realize about biological experiments is time sensitivity. With samples arriving back here around 6 pm, I was up until 3:30 am setting up an experiment. Not the end of the world, until I found out at 11 am that there had been a power outage after which one of my water baths did not turn back on, ruining the 20 hour long incubation. So, yesterday I got to set it up again, although it went much faster the second time around and it was up and running by dinner time. Not an unusual thing in the world of science, but quite taxing when you are already fighting off of a cold of sorts. Today I am ending the experiment and setting up a longer term growth incubation to run while I am back out in the field with the team starting on Monday.

Leopard seal skull

Luckily, it looks like tomorrow might be a bona fide day off, one I currently plan to spend sleeping and watching movies (with a break to see the big craft show). Thanks to a care package from my friend Kathy, I now have two "new" movies to watch, since it didn't occur to me to pack any dvds!

Yay!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Field day

I love field work. I find it the most challenging, the most fun, and the most rewarding aspect of what I do. Being able to improvise when things don't go according to plan is a key skill, as is always having a multi-tool and a roll of duct tape close at hand. But some days are harder than others. It's easy to enjoy a day out when the sun is shining, there's no wind, and everything runs smoothly.

ATV loaded with field gear

But sometimes, you have less time than you need, and everything goes wrong. Instruments that don't feel like working because they are too cold, no matter how much cajoling you do can really slow you down. And at a certain point, you have to decide if it's worth proceeding, will you be able to cross that threshold of sampling enough to make another trip out unnecessary. Today was one of those challenging days. Lots of hauling equipment, riding in helicopters, and problem solving, with only 2 samples to show for it (requiring another trip back out next week). It's time to just count your blessings, because things could always turn worse. No injuries, and we didn't have to spend the night out due to the weather. Today was a good day, because we're back in camp, warm, and waiting for dinner.

Re-fueling the helicopter at Marble Point

Arrival at Lake Miers

Trying to convince one of the instruments to work

Line of snow in one of the valleys on the way "home"

One side effect of a day out in the field

We're back at the Lake Hoare Camp now. As soon as we set foot here yesterday, it felt as if I had just left the land of the Lost Boys over at Bonney camp. The manager here runs a much cleaner ship and best of all, cooks us dinner. It was fun to have the communal cooking experience at Bonney, but I can't say no to fresh focaccia.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Lake Bonney lies over the ocean

It's day 4 here at Lake Bonney camp. Seems like ages ago that we left town. On Monday, we moved all of our stuff to the helo pad, so once that was finished, we had some time to remember everything we forgot to pack, do some computer work, and enjoy a last evening in town. With all the bars closed on Mondays, there was no trip to Gallager's, but we still enjoyed a bottle of wine and some lovely Amstel light with my roommate in the evening. Our ride out to the Dry Valleys wasn't scheduled until lunchtime, so we were able to sleep in a little and grab an early lunch before heading out. I suppose I should have taken advantage and squeezed in one more shower, but really, when you're going for over a week without a proper shower, one more day won't make that much of a difference.

My green duffel bag looked a little sad sitting in the bottom of my wardrobe all by itself, and I was a little amazed how the same amount of stuff can expand. I had packed both of my issued orange bags to go on the helicopter, and I ended up with a last minute bag as well (purple, if you must know). Granted, none of the bags were full, but I still managed to forget my sneakers. Somehow, I thought I'd be okay with just my two pairs of boots, but when I saw everyone in camp with their sneakers, I asked my roommate to go on an adventure to have them sent to me on the next "flight of opportunity". My boss said it was a FNG move, but I didn't care- I am wearing sneakers instead of boots right now and sometimes that makes a world of difference. As the saying goes, "there's the right way, the wrong way, and the Antarctic way".

Flying over sea ice.

My fellow team member let me have the front seat on the way out to Lake Bonney. For those of you that haven't been in a helicopter, the front windshield extends down, so that it almost looks like you are flying on your own. We also got to ride in the Kiwi helo (the one that arrived with us on the C-17), so that meant I was sitting on the right side which was quite bizarre! Anyway, it was an exciting flight with gorgeous views. Without any familiar landmarks, it was hard to tell how fast or how far we were traveling. Soon we were coming up over the ridge into Taylor Valley and spotted the series of lakes. As he swung around into the wind to land, I still couldn't believe we had arrived at Lake Bonney camp.

Entering the Dry Valleys

Stepping out was a bit like landing on the moon. There are pretty much three colors here: the white of the glaciers, the blue of the sky, and the brown of the rocks. The lake ice contains all three. Erratics dot the landscape and large boulders appear as if they would move any second. The camp itself consists of few buildings including the large Jamesway (our kitchen, dining, living room, and office), three small labs (each with a different purpose), a fuel and generator shed, and a couple of outhouses. Little yellow and blue tents dot the surrounding area, within a designated boundary to minimize our impact on the area. Minimizing impact also means shipping out absolutely all waste, segregated into corresponding containers.

Lake Bonney camp

Much of our time this week was spent preparing. Preparing tents, sampling gear, and drilling through the meters of ice so that we could sample the lake. Sampling day came early Thursday morning and we were on the lake by 5 am. By lunchtime we were back in camp processing samples, which took until late last night (Friday). At dinner, I was asked how we could make our process more efficient, especially in comparison to having worked on arctic lakes. Honestly, I'm not sure. It seems odd to take an entire day just to punch through the ice, but holes have to be melted to fit equipment in, and certain things just take time. About the only way to make it faster would be to have more people. Unfortunately, logistics takes up most of the personnel down here, and despite there being a population of over 1,200 people at the station, they are anticipated being swamped by (only) 300 scientists this season. Makes for a very different way of doing science, and I'm still wrapping my head around it, especially having come from a very "a la carte" system in Barrow.

East lobe, Lake Bonney

Looking out the window, I still can't believe where I am. Here in the field camp, we live a very different existence than when we are in town. We cook our own meals, wash our own dishes, and run our own machines. Helicopters and the occasional repair guy or gal have been our only visitors. Basically, we've been thinking, eating, drinking, talking, and occasionally sleeping science. I say occasionally because suddenly I've become a light sleeper. The wind likes to howl up this way, and my tent likes to flap back. I think the fly wants to see some new scenery, because it's doing what it can to escape the rocks it's tied to. The constant daylight is the most easily fixed obstacle, with a knit hat pulled down over my eyes, and my head tucked into my fleece liner and super thick sleeping bag. But waking every two hours was the norm this week, only fixed by a 3.5 hour nap last evening, and a solid night's rest last night. Amazing how exhaustion will fix your sleep schedule.

Tomorrow we are sampling the other lobe of the lake, so it will be even earlier with an ATV ride to get there. But today is for resting, melting holes, and preparing supplies. Maybe even a hike to see the ventifacts.

Word of the day: Katabatic winds
Entertainment of the day: Lightning McQueen

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Happy camper

It's been a whirlwind getting settled in here. Much of the past week was spent taking classes and attending briefings on everything from how to go on a recreational hike to maintaining ATVs. Wednesday night there is a science talk open to everyone and this week's was about penguins and if they alter their foraging behavior in areas with predators. Turns out that getting out to see penguins might be a bit difficult, so don't be too disappointed if the only penguin pictures I end up with are of stuffed ones. After the science talk, I ran into my roommate who was out wandering around, and we decided to check out the coffee house. "Town" has three drinking establishments: the Coffee House, Gallager's, and Southern Exposure. Apparently, back in the military days, Gallager's was known as the Erebus club (named after nearby Mount Erebus) or the E club because it was meant for only enlisted men. Southern was one of the officer clubs, as was the coffee house. The coffee house now shows movies and serves wine and shots of liquor. We were barely able to get a seat at the bar, it's quite a popular spot. Gallager's was hosting a Jimmy Buffet night of sorts with cheeseburgers (in paradise) and margaritas, but sadly I have not experienced that bar yet. Anyway, at the coffee house, I got to meet a co-worker of my roommate and I did what I could to minimize the talking shop.

Me at Scott base

On Thursday, in addition to more classes, we overheard that the Scott base hosts an "American night" at their bar, and allows us to come overrun their small pub. After dinner, we piled into a series of shuttles and made our way down there, just in time to pop into their store before closing. $10 was a little much for a patch right now, but come January I don't know if I'll be able to resist the one that read "A woman's place is in Antarctica". The pub itself was exceedingly clean yet still charming. For some reason, the Kiwis were dressed in costume, so either they think that Americans are 50s doo-wap singers or trannies or they were just looking for a reason to dress up. Right when we were about to leave, my roommate spotted Ben Fogle, who is apparently a minor celebrity here to film some sort of documentary with the BBC. Thankfully, she listened to my prodding and got her picture taken with him and proceeded to dance about the halls for the rest of the evening.

Tents at Happy Camper

The most exciting and entertaining of all of the classes was on Friday and Saturday, Snowcraft I, aka "Happy Camper". For two days, 20 people from all different types of jobs learn basic survival techniques for Antarctica. What to do about cold injuries, what's in a survival bag, how to troubleshoot using a stove, how to set up tents and tie knots so that you can stake your tent in snow, etc. We used snow walls to help block the wind while sampling around Barrow last April, but I can't say that I knew the intricacies of building a snow trench or making a kitchen and dining area out of snow before. After the instructors left us for the night, most of the group continued digging their graves (or trenches, rather) and some folks played monopoly. A few us of headed over to a previous class' structures and broke into an igloo. It took some digging to clear out the entrance, but it was quite beautiful and roomy inside. We also ventured over to an "apple" or round green warming hut off of one of the nearby trails, just to take a look. It looked very much like a space ship.

Warming hut

The next morning came early, and after camp was broken down, we headed back to the instructor's hut to play out scenarios such as a helicopter crash and rescuing someone from the outhouse during a white out (with buckets on our heads). It was quite a fun experience and we were lucky to have nearly perfect weather. The best part of it was working with and talking to people we wouldn't otherwise have met. The majority were really interested to hear about the science we were doing and it was clear everyone was in it for the adventure.

After a hot shower and laundry, I received word that the boss was in town and looking for me. I dragged my poor roommate over to his place and we discovered a bit of what we've been missing. Apparently, some of the dorms here have saunas, pool tables, and big screen TVs! His had a semi-private bathroom and a small tv, plus a couch. I guess when it's your 26th season, you go up on the list a little bit. We're just happy that our third roommate hasn't shown up yet. Post dinner, my roommate went to collect a co-worker and we headed to Southern, which used to be known as the smoking bar. I discovered the hard way that my wrist is not ready for foosball. But, it can still lift a can, and we spent the rest of the evening stacking up cans in various designs. It was also fun to note that I am starting to recognize people around from either the plane ride, various tours, or classes.

Crates at Scott's hut

Sundays are days off here, and I was more than happy to sleep in to a reasonable time. Generally, things start early here, with breakfast over at 7:30 am and classes and meetings start around 8 am. Likewise, things end early. On Sunday, the galley puts on a huge spread for brunch. I thought the dining hall was really quiet until I turned the corner and discovered that the food area was filled to the brim with lines of people, baked goods, and a bewildering array of options. After eating too much food, we headed out to Scott's hut and the observation tube. The hut was built in 1902, and is quite eerie. Crates, cans, and carcasses line the walls and decay has been slow, giving a vivid picture of what the early explorers faced. The place vaguely reeked of rotting seal, and I imagine it would be far worse on a warmer day. The observation tube down the hill is set into annual sea ice, and you go down a metal hatch where there is a window under the ice. You can see divers and fish, but unfortunately we ran out of time and had to leave before I got a chance to go down there. Hopefully, I'll have another chance to get down there tomorrow, because I'm sure it will be melted out by the time I get back from the field.

McMurdo and Scott's hut from Vincent's Cross

The reason I had to get back to town was that we had visitors! A group of Kiwis had come south on the plane with my boss a few days ago and wanted to speak with us about our work. Imagine my surprise when I found out that one of the visitors was someone I knew from Toolik! A small world indeed. It was great to catch up with her and to meet the other visitors. My co-worker remained envious of their black and orange gear which has a very stylish logo of penguin and fern.

Which brings us to now. We're heading out to the Dry Valleys on Tuesday, so there are lots of last minute preparations to be done. Unfortunately, with Sunday being a day off, there's not too much to be crossed off the list today, so tomorrow will be busy I'm sure. Hoping to squeeze in a visit to Gallager's before leaving, and maybe another shot at the observation tube. Next post will be from the field!

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Between then and now.

Here are a couple of posts I wrote on my computer without internet access. Lots of pictures to share and will try to post about "town" more before I head into the field early next week.

~1 pm, 9 November 2010

Despite promising to become more succinct, this is going to be a long one, so hang on to your britches. I'll try to add in some pretty pictures to keep you entertained. All downtime in Christchurch seemed to be taken up with important matters of recovering after the journey, and I already could feel a shift in priorities. I wonder if it will continue. Three hours into a 5.5 hour flight on a C-17 from New Zealand to Antarctica, here is what I can recall from the past few days, assisted by a couple of notes typed on my ipod. Gone are the days where I diligently hand wrote the day's adventures in a notebook dedicated to whichever country I was traveling through.

The last minute preparations were a whirlwind, only made possible by borrowing a couple of people's cars and begging rides. It took the generosity of more than a few people to enable me to make the insane turnaround time between poles. By my count, only the mailing of some samples was postponed because I chose to wait to mail them until Friday, the very day that the building of the rest of our department was shut down without warning due to the discovery of asbestos. For all the havoc they caused, I do hope it had been knocked into the air supply late the night before and was not simply present in some undisturbed ceiling tile. Although I strongly suspect the latter. At least it was not the building where our lab was located or I might have panicked slightly.

The first couple of flights were relatively standard, and every time I fly over the Utah Rockies, they seem to become more striking. This time, they were topped in a bit of snow and the sunset shown on the smaller hills as if they were painted by Georgia (O'Keefe) herself. Immediately, I regretted bringing pencils instead of paints with me, but the fact was that it had been months since I even picked up a paint brush and my cameras would likely be put into more use than pencils (not to mention the likelihood of paints freezing and the mess they would generate which would then have to be removed from the continent). Fodder for the winter when I return, I suppose.

Arrival into LAX soon turned into weaving through a labyrinth of trying to get from the domestic terminal to the international. Strangely, (or perhaps not) LAX felt like a foreign county, complete with initial disorientation and visitors from all over the globe. Once I finally found where I was supposed to be, with a boarding pass for a middle seat in hand, I discovered that at least that portion of the airport had neither free wi-fi nor easily accessible power plugs. How passé!

The 12.5 hour flight from LAX to Auckland was surprisingly pleasant. Food service took a bit longer than I would have liked as it was about 12:30 am for the last time zone I was in by the time we took off. Just as I was contemplating the sleeping pills my boss had recommended, the plane hit turbulence and with the recent Qantas Airbus incidences, I decided quite irrationally that if something were to happen, I wanted to be conscious. So, the pills stayed in the bag and out came the complimentary eye cover and my trusty ipod.

With a solid 5 hours sleep and many shorter naps, the 6534 miles ticked away on the flight tracker screen. I was either wedged or nestled (depending on my mood) in between two guys on the flight. I knew that there were several of us heading south and I imagined that the one to the right looked to be a contractor while the one on my left I figured was a Kiwi. Turns out I had them backwards. The thin, younger man with longish hair to my left was headed to the South Pole (second trip, as I recall) while the larger, rough looking fellow who slept a solid 11 hours on my right was likely an Aussie, judging from the roughness of his accent.

As we proceeded off of the plane, through baggage claim and customs, and out to look for shuttles, the folks headed to the ice managed to sort out and find each other. People I had figured were on holiday are in fact on the plane with me right this minute, with jobs ranging from kitchen staff to drillers to geophysicists. Funny thing is, we all looking strikingly alike. The majority of the diversity on the plane right now comes from the Air Force crew flying us, cargo, and a kiwi helicopter. Yes, directly in front of me on the plane is a helicopter, bigger than the ones we used to ride in back at Toolik out to field sites. My guess is that once we land in McMurdo, the pilots sitting next to me will fly the bird over to the Scott base, just a few miles away.

Across from me on the flight from Christchurch to McMurdo.

Back to Christchurch. Everything had been quite the production up until that point, but now it was morphing into the machinations of a well-oiled machine. Slowly, the scale of logistics required to move around this herd of sheep became obvious. With a day and half in between flights to ensure that delays stateside did not make anyone miss their "ice flight", we had time to shower, sleep, and roam about town, with only about two hours required the next day for the clothing pull.

Christchurch, New Zealand.

The clothing distribution / computer check / last minute flu shot (yes, they know who you are and will come get you mid-changing of thermals to poke you with a needle) was nothing short of amazing. Two orange bags waited for us on arrival, labeled by name. Apparently, if you have a Ph.D., everything is named "Dr. So and so" and was slightly embarrassing, but still exciting. People's gear was already sorted to be appropriate to your job, so I had an assortment based on working at a field camp. I was a little surprised that nothing other than the infamous big red parka was anything out of the ordinary. In fact, I was a little envious of some of the crew that were issued the lined Carhartts I wear in the Arctic. But, the lighter wind pants are certainly more comfortable (and more adjustable). Unfortunately, the Carhartts vs wind pants also makes it all the more easy to identify the beakers (scientists) if the "Dr" on the name tag wasn't enough. Oh well.

After exchanging sizes, getting poked, and rescuing my computers, we finally headed back to town. The shuttle we hopped on was full of folks from the airport, and it took about an hour to get back to the hotel. The highlight of the trip was the kiwi sitting next to me mumbling about how climate change was due to cycles in the sun and had nothing to do with CO2. So far, that has been one of the only negative interactions I've had with the kiwis, who seem to be amazingly laid back, mellow, and friendly. He and his wife were dropped off at some fancy hotel, so I can pretend I misinterpreted his accent and that he is from some other Commonwealth country.

Children's librarians in New Zealand wear pirate earrings.

New Zealand feels like Scotland. Maybe with a touch of California or Hawaii thrown in. I can't help but wonder if such a first impression will be held up after travels I am planning after the field season in January. But with that, it feels so much like home, possibly the most familiar country I've visited so far. (For my own notation, the list now includes England, Japan, The Netherlands, Tanzania/ Zanzibar, "Kenya", Germany, "Belgium", France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Costa Rica, Panama, Scotland, New Zealand plus Canada (Newfoundland, British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta) and Mexico.) Christchurch even has possibly the best bed and breakfast I've stayed in. The Windsor is actually a bit like a hotel in terms of rooms, but the carpet is spotless, the mattresses comfortable, and the place has charm. Shared water closets of showers, basins, and toilets ensue more privacy than if they had been attached to rooms. Breakfast was delicious, and they are so used to dealing with folks headed to the ice, that they delivered snacks in lieu of breakfast they knew we would be missing today. Town is very walkable and we were very close to the botanic gardens, museums, and art centre.

Springtime at the Botanical gardens.

Last night, while my travel companion opted for a nap, I headed out to dinner with a friend from my Toolik days. It was great to catch up with her and hear not only about grad school and life in New Zealand, but also to see how her time with the Peace Corps in Senegal has changed her. It's funny, but the bravest people you meet, you would often never expect. I have much respect for such people who lack bragging egos and instead quietly lead amazing lives. Even if Biz can still get us lost walking to a restaurant five minutes away from the hotel.

Mt. Erebus is in sight! Time to get ready to land.

View from the flight deck, shortly before arrival.


9 pm, 9 November 2010

I think I have a new candidate for the longest day ever. After a disorienting landing, we all bundled up and headed out onto the ice runway and were greeted by spectacular sunshine and blue skies. Soon, gloves and hats were disappearing as people tried to take the obligatory arrival pictures while being hollered at to get on the bus, “Ivan the terra bus”. Considerably less agile with our big red parkas, we awkwardly squished into seats for the painfully slow and dreadfully hot ride into “town”. After a series of orientations, some of which I remember bits of, we were released to the great gravel expanse. Town is odd, it’s a bit like Prudhoe Bay, a bit like Barrow, a bit like Toolik, but inside the industrial looking buildings, everything is much cleaner and more updated. Still haven’t finished wrapping my head around it, but my British roommate just pointed out that “it’s a bit like being on a school trip”, having just attended a class on where you can and can not hike, along with sleeping in dorms, and set meal times. Of course, without such things there would be mass chaos and people falling into crevasses. Not really a fan of falling down, and I seem to be making it a habit, so I’ll stick to following the green and red flags.

Me on arrival at McMurdo.

There’s far too much to write about tonight, I think things need to marinate and the sharing of it will be a bit more coherent after a good night’s rest. Just as long as I don’t wake up at 4 in the morning again!