Happy Camper, that’s me!

Snow School – what I’ve been waiting for! I’ve heard from many Happy Camper alums all about the excitements and trials of Snow School, and now I’ve survived my own, so I can tell you first-hand what it’s really like. 

So, Snow School is a two-day survival school, where you learn how to survive in the Antarctic if you are in the field or in the unfortunate position of being stranded and need rescue. My Snow School class was made up of 20 eager students and was led by 2 very capable instructors. We started out the school by going over risk management, cold weather injuries (such as frostbite, hypothermia, foot immersion, and dehydration), and proper gear use. After these class room talks, we loaded up into ice trucks and headed out to the field. Out in the field, we learned how to light a stove, pitch tents (Scott tents – especially designed for the Antartic cold, normal mountain tents, and dig snow trenches – for the case where you have no survival tent), use High Frequency Radios and Very High Frequency Radios, build snow walls to protect from the wind, and practice survival scenarios. It was really a great experience. But I think instead of babbling on, it’s more interesting to see the pictures so you can see for yourself!

 Here we are, arriving in the field. Our instructor is obviously instructing us. She's emphasizing how in the field, team work is really important.

 Learning to light a stove.

 Pitching a Scott tent. A heavy duty tent designed to protect people from the tough Antarctic weather.

 Pitching a mountain tent. A tent typically used by most campers.

 Building a snow wall to protect the mountain tents from the harsh Antarctic winds.

Preparing dinner.

 Taking a break from all that work. Building a snow wall is really difficult! Those blocks are heavy!

 Eating dinner. Soup in a bag. yum.

My shelter for the night. All of the Happy Campers could choose where they wanted to shelter for the night. We were taught how to pitch tents and build snow trenches (basically trenches in the snow that provide shelter if you are in a survival situation without a tent). I decided to pitch in with a friend and build an igloo. Unfortunately, our igloo collapsed and we had to turn our igloo into a makeshift trench. Luckily it held well.

 Here's the inside. We covered the top of the trench-igloo with sleds and then packed that with snow for insulation.

 It was quite cozy. It was very important to pack all of the holes with snow in order to keep out the wind and prevent spin drift (basically whipping winds inside the shelter).

 Here I am, the next morning. Now who can say they've spent a night out in Antarctica - a real night out in Antarctica (without a tent).

 Hooray! We survived the night. And what a night it was - a snow storm hit, but I didn't even know it - the trench-igloo was really well insulated.

 Almost white out conditions at some points.

 Hooray Happy Campers!

 Later that day we had more trainings on survival gear.

 Learned about radios.

 We actually set up an HF radio and called South Pole station. The weather deteriorated a bit (here I believe it's Condition 2).

But we survived! Here we are in an ice truck, heading back to McMurdo.

Back at McMurdo, we had a final training on helicopter safety, and that was the end of Snow School. One of the key lessons I've learned here is that in survival situations, team work is really the key to survival. And, having a good team of people really made this a great experience. I've met people who I'll remember for the rest of my life. There are some things you do that you just have to bond over, and this was one of them.

Tomorrow I’m slated to head off to the field! Our helicopter flight is arranged for 1435 (military time for 2:35p). And then, it’ll be 4 weeks before I’ll be in contact with the rest of the world again. I hope things go smoothly. I guess I should say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! See you in 2011!

McMurdo Station

So, this is my second day in Antarctica, and I’ve finally had a chance to settle down and explore the station a bit. McMurdo is basically a small town. There’s a post office, a store, a large cafeteria, several dormitory buildings, an information building, a science/lab center, a radio center, several warehouses for gear, a chapel, several administrative buildings, a coffee shop, two bars, a gym, a weight room, and a rec center. The population of McMurdo is 1,100 people, with 72% men and 28% women. A large portion of the community is scientific, but a large portion is also composed of support personnel. Many people who are interested in coming to Antarctica but aren’t able to in a scientific capacity come as support personnel, such as helicopter pilots, kitchen staff, mechanics, radio techs, training personnel, waste disposal crew, or vehicle operators. The community here is very small and great. It’s a really interesting place – something I’ll probably never encounter again.

 Me in Antarctica!

 Town!

 The view from Crary Lab (the main science building in McMurdo)

Although it is the summer (and the sun shines all day here), it is still quite cold. It’s roughly -10C on average, though it can get much colder with wind chill (roughly -20C). But the cold is not terrible because we are located on the coast (which tends to be warmer than the interior of the continent – the South Pole is roughly -40C right now!). The dryness is actually much worse. Because Antarctica is so dry (remember it’s actually just a huge desert), my skin is constantly cracking. And with a runny nose, I am constantly blowing my nose, so my face is really quite tender. I’ve started putting thick lotion on every day and re-applying to protect my skin. I’ve also been drinking a lot of water – it’s surprising how dehydrated you can get when it’s cold and you forget to drink!  

McMurdo is located right on the coast, next to the Ross Sea. There are a number of mountains in the region that provide a really scenic landscape. It really is beautiful here.

In the distance you see the sea-ice landing strip and the Royal Society Range in the background.

Because the weather in Antarctica is very unpredictable, it is constantly under surveillance, especially to keep an eye on those working out in the field or around the station. There are 3 designations for weather: Condition 3 is good visibility weather; Condition 2 is poor visibility weather; and Condition 1 is very poor visibility weather (~5ft) and all personnel are required to stay under cover. So far the weather has been great – all Condition 3. I hope the weather stays ok because tomorrow I head off to Snow School! Hope I survive!

On the Ice!!!

I am on ANTARCTICA!!! And it’s AMAZING!!!! This is actually a dream come true!!! 

But first let me tell you how I got here. My day started at 6:00 AM, when I got ready for a 7:15a shuttle ride over to the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) aircraft hangar. At the hangar, I checked in my 2 orange bags of gear, keeping with me my windpants, Big Red (the red parka), goggles, wind hat, balaclava, wind proof down gloves, and boots for when I actually got off the plane onto the Ice. 

Here, I am, pretty excited.

At the hanger, I watched another training film about the flight down to Antarctica and what to expect, and then I boarded a bus and headed over to the C-17 military aircraft taking us down to the Ice. I’ve never been on a military plane, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I don’t think I could have ever imagined this….

 

It looks almost like a spaceship!

Obviously, it's not quite as plush as a commercial flight. In fact, everyone had to wear ear plugs because it was so loud! The flight itself was almost 6 hours long, so they gave us bagged lunches with two sandwiches inside (in case we boomerang). I slept through most of the flight, waking up towards the end to catch our first glimpse of Antarctica (the Antarctic Peninsula!) and some sea-ice. It was pretty incredible!

Finally, we could feel the plane touching down on the Ice. Everyone was pretty excited! 

 A very big smile.

 Putting on all our gear! Ready to de-board.

 WHOOOHOOOO!!! ANTARCTICA!!!

There was a flurry of picture taking before we were all loaded up on ice trucks and taken up to McMurdo Station. I didn’t know it at the time, but we actually landed on the ice covered Ross Sea!! When I think about, I’m really amazed. The sea ice at this time of year is only a couple meters thick – and then it’s just icy cold waters of the ocean below…..it really is incredible how strong the sea ice is!

Once at McMurdo, we were again hustled into another orientation. We were introduced to the layout of the station, oriented to the science labs, ordered into our housing units, and given a schedule of more mandatory orientations. It looks like I’ll be heading out to Snow School on Dec 3!! I’m really excited! Snow School is a mandatory field orientation to those heading out to the field for research, and it is essentially basic survival training in Antarctica – it’ll be my first real taste of Antarctica! I can’t wait!