More pics

This was intended to be a post about hypothermia, but as it turns out there are more lessons to learn here in McMurdo than those of cold weather and survival... Stay tuned and the hypothermia post will come soon.

Another important thing I have learned in my short time here is that static electricity really sucks. Not only does it give you a real nice shock anytime and everytime you touch something metal, but apparently it also fries electronics with ease. Case and point: A couple of days ago I sat down at my computer to plug in my Ipod and as soon as the connection was made, poof! The computer screen went black. As it turns out, static electricity (which is a never ending problem here) that had built up within me went from me straight through my Ipod and right into my USB port, effectively disabling the entire port. I now have nothing to plug my pictures into (or my Ipod for that matter) except the station computers, of which there are five of for all of us here on station.

This explains the lack of posts recently, as well as the change in topic for this blog. When I figure out how to upload my new pics I will certainly share.

The new topic will be "McMurdo: An electrician's perspective". How does that sound?

We'll start with the night flight. This might have been the most paradoxical night of my life. One description might be to say it was the most boring night of my life. Another might suggest that it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen; not to mention being witness to history in the making.

Basically, I spent seven hours sitting in a truck (so warm inside!!!) in order to witness about 3 minutes of aircraft activity. Those three minutes were amazing but was that ever a long night. A USAF C-17 (the same type that deposited us here) was attempting a nighttime landing, the first one in history on the ice, in order to test new technologies for possible future winter medi-vacs. Historically, getting hurt in the middle of winter here is a very bad idea, seeing as how there might not be transportation to a real hospital (New Zealand) available for up to seven months (worst case scenario). The United States Air Force is trying to change this by testing infrared landing lights on the runway that are not visible to the naked eye. Too bad I was not here last summer to help install these lights.

Anyways, they needed two electricians on call in case there was a problem with the infrared lights and the regular Nav-Aid lights needed to be turned back on. Of course the lights worked perfectly and I had absolutely nothing to do for seven hours but take pictures of the plane landing and subsequently taking off. It was still very much worth it, as it afforded some fantastic shots, as you can see. Most of the shots you see here were taken with my boss Shawn's camera. He has the most amazing camera ever but almost never takes pictures. I have been lucky in that he has let me run around with it quite frequently.

The first shots are of the night flight, obviously. After that you have the fish huts followed by one of the polar traverse tractors. This tractor, along with several others, will tow the fish huts you see along with several thousand gallons of fuel from McMurdo to the South Pole. Over a thousand miles at a rate of 5 mph. Can you believe that? Supposedly it takes about 70 days for a team of 11 to make it there and back. Raytheon and the NSF (National Science Foundation) swear that this is more cost effective than flying it. When you think about 11 people's wages for over two months, a reported $20,000 in food and $55,000 in fuel consumption just to get there and back, it is hard for me to imagine that is true. The project is a go October 21, so it must be... We the electricians have been wiring the fish huts for the team and were given specific instructions not to screw anything up. That is pretty much a direct quote from the boss. We can't have them losing power 500 miles from the South Pole and 500 miles from McMurdo, since there will not be an electrician on the team.

The last shots were taken from the summit of Ob Hill the second time around. Much nicer weather this time. Cold but almost no wind. A rarity!

The hypothermia post will hopefully be up soon, but I hope this holds you all over. Thanks for checking back!

warm weather!

Well for the first time since I arrived, the weather got close to zero degrees today (Sunday). -3F outside today. This is ambient temperature, of course. Still hovering around -20F with the wind chill. Anyways, whats the first thing on your mind when the weather turns practically sub-tropical outside as it was today? Hiking, obviously!!

It's absolutely amazing how a week of -25 to -50F weather can help you acclimatize. -3F is practically t-shirt and sweater weather. I even found myself going from the dorm to the gym wearing just my gym clothes. Anyways, back to the hiking. Ob hill (observation hill) sits just to the east, looming over McMurdo with it's constant plume of snowdrift blowing off the top. It called to me. I decided to try the ob hill loop. It's a short 3.7 mile loop the skirts the base of ob hill and takes you out to the edge of Cape Armitage. The hike was spectacular, affording views of the pressure ridges, Williams Air Field, White and Black Islands, Mt. Discovery, the Royal Society Range, McMurdo, and Scott Base.

Unfortunately, the wind was so severe I honestly started to think about frostbite. I'm sure it was a long way off, but it didn't feel like it. It was relatively calm in McMurdo so, like an idiot, I only brought my sunglasses and not my goggles. I'm not sure how fast the wind was blowing, but it felt very similar to the con 2 wind I was working in a couple of days ago which was sustained at 60 mph with gusts up to 85 mph. Of course, the direction I choose to do the loop in had me walking directly into the wind. That was the first mistake. Second mistake? Don't ever judge the weather outside by what it is like in our sheltered little oasis we call Mactown. Baaaad idea. While it is definitely cold here in town, half a mile in any direction takes you to places with significantly less shelter from the wind, leaving you exposed and vulnerable.

Speaking of places with significantly less shelter from the wind, I have had the pleasure of working out at Pegasus White Ice Runway, about 10-12 miles straight out to see (south) from Mactown. The feeling while working on frozen ocean 10 feet thick while surrounded by mountains 5,000-13,000ft tall is euphoric to say the least. After three days out on the ice runway, I still find myself staring at the dramatic coastline every chance I get. It definitely helps me keep my mind off the fact that it is usually 10-15 degrees colder on the ice than in town.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the pictures...

Weather comes to McMurdo

I had read it, I had heard it, but I hadn't seen it... Until today. They say that Antarctica is the windiest place on earth. Also the driest. With less than two inches of precipitation a year on average, Antarctica is technically a desert; the driest landmass on earth. It receives less precipitation than the Sahara Desert. Anyways, today I witnessed a rarity. Two events occurred within about 6 hours, one being extremely common and the other quite rare (especially for this time of year). The day started off normal enough, with clear skies and temps in the 15-20F below region (see first picture). Saying it's windy in Antarctica is like saying it's sunny in the Sahara desert. Understatement of the year! In McMurdo you are surrounded by very tall mountains (the Royal Society Mountains), and if the weather is coming from the other side of those mountains it will crest those mountains and be on top of you quicker than you can say "We need to get inside because I am FREEZING". Being a climber I have dealt with this scenario in the Sierras, among other places, but never to this extent.

With that being said, I would implore you to now look at the second picture. This was taken less then 40 minutes after the first shot. If you look carefully you will notice that they were taken from the exact same position, as we were trying to finish a project (more on that project later) before the supposed 'weather' moved in. Which brings me to my second point. 'Weather' in Antarctica is the second understatement of the year. If the say there is possible 'weather' moving in (which they do quite frequently), it means batten down the hatches. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, just get inside! Anything and everything else takes too long. I have now learned that the wind gusts of this particular 'weather' reached 85 mph, which, according to my research, put me in the middle of what was the equivalent of a category one hurricane.

To people that have spent any time here, this wasn't a very big deal. Wind gusts routinely reach 100+ mph here. Maybe that's why my boss said we stay until the job is done. What a day to be working outside! Nothing like some fresh air, right? Unless it is going into your nose at 85 mph...

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the other little problem with wind. It seems to have quite an effect on the temperature outside. When we finally did finish the project (which took 4 hours to do something it would take 15-20 min in L.A.) and went in for lunch, the weather report said -35F ambient temp with wind chill peaking at -58F. Let me remind you that at the start of the project it was -15F ambient, -20F with wind chill. Basically, the temp dropped 38 degrees in about an hour. The best part you ask? Since it did not reach -100F and visability did not drop below 25 feet (it hovered around 40 feet), this was not category one (in which case we all stay put in whatever building you might be in), but rather category two, and I got to go back to work after lunch. Thankfully there was work to be done in the shop, but just getting there was on ordeal in itself. When the shop is about 500 feet away and you can only see 40 feet in front of you, plus an 85 mph wind pelting anything that weighs less than 2-3 pounds into your body, including rocks, dirt and debris, and ice, it makes for a very interesting walk to say the least.

All in all, life could be worse, and it feels good to have gotten my first major storm under my belt. Tonight is Kiwi night, so, if it is possible (probably not) I am going over to Scott Base, which is run by the Kiwis (New Zealanders), for a drink.

Oh yeah. The second thing that happened today was the semi-rare part. It snowed! Usually this doesn't happen because when the weather is this cold the low pressure pushes clouds with snow farther north and leaves us with lenticular clouds that are associated with high winds. Not the case today! Almost 4 inches of snow fell in a 24 hour period which made for a very beautiful and serene setting. More on the snow later as well (next blog) as I have to get back to work...

I hope all is well with everyone back home and more updates soon!

The Big Day

Monday September 8th was the day of days for me. Not something I will soon forget. At 2:30am we leave the hotel and head to the airport. First order of business, getting ALL the ECW (see previous post) gear donned and the baggage weighed. My baggage clocked in at 114 pounds, not including my carry-on, and I was lucky that they let me adhere to the winter-over weight limit, as I am still an alternate for the position. After sitting in all that gear for about an hour, they tell us it is -65F on the Pegasus Ice Field, which means the engines of the USAF C-17 would freeze up upon descent into the ice shelf. They tell us -50F is the cut-off, and that is still pushing it. So we are forced to sit there and wait to see if conditions improve, which fortunately they did and a couple of hours later we were in the air.

If you have never been inside of an Air Force cargo plane let me tell you, it is impressive. The sheer size and power are awe inspiring. We sit in jump seats along the side of the plane with cargo taking up the center. It was a much more comfortable flight than anticipated, aside from the noise. All the ear muffs in the world wouldn't drown out the noise from those engines. Anyways, the USAF crew was very nice, and even let us into the cockpit for a few pictures during the flight. I waited until the end of the flight to do this, a strategic move on my part. As I was one of the last people allowed up (I almost missed my chance), I was afforded views out the cockpit window that truly made my jaw hit the floor. I waited because I figured (correctly) that towards the end of the flight we would for a short time be flying over the frozen continent rather than ocean, and it payed off with the spectacular views you see. Our flight path took us directly over the Trans-Antarctic mountains, which scrape the sky at 8,000-16,000 feet. These are the mountains that you see in the pictures.

When we landed the temperature had risen considerably, as it was a very comfortable (yeah right) -35F. There is nothing on the ice field to block the wind, so to me it felt like it was about -300F. But it didn't matter because here I was!!!! Less than 200,000 people in history had viewed what I was viewing right now! An incredibly overwhelming feeling had taken over, accompanied by mixed emotions of excitement and depression. How exciting to be here, but also realizing this was a point of no return to some extent. There are a lot of people I really love that I wont be seeing for quite some time kept running through my head. Namely, my parents and Jen. It was a very sobering excitement to say the least.

An hour later our shuttle deposited us in the town of McMurdo, which is surrounded by HUGE mountains and the only active volcano on Antarctica, Mount Erebus, at over 14,000 feet. Snow-covered mountains dominate the landscape as far as the eye can see, with nothing but 25 miles of the flat Ross Ice Shelf and lots of wind seperating us. Oh yeah, where we landed was frozen ocean, not the Ross Ice Shelf as I had thought. This was kind of scary because the Ross Ice Shelf is thousands of feet thick and permanent throughout the summer. The Pegasus Ice Field is on frozen ocean about 10-20 feet thick, and will not exist in a couple of months except to the penguins, whales, and seals. It is a bit unnerving to be in a plane weighing how many thousands of pounds and knowing the ice underneath you is maybe only 10 feet thick and will be gone in a few months!

Being surrounded by such large mountains, the wind in McMurdo is much tamer (relative to the ice field only) resulting in a bit warmer weather. -18F when we arrived in town, but it is so dry here that it doesn't feel quite that cold. Don't get me wrong, it feels really really cold out there, but bearable when not super windy. One quick orientation later and I was giving myself a self-guided tour of the station. Two gyms, one with treadmills and such (the gerbil gym) and the other with weights (the meathead gym) as they are affectionately known. Also a small climbing wall, indoor basketball court which doubles as a volleyball and small soccer court. They have a ceramics room too! I think with a gym, climbing wall, and wheel to throw on I am going to be able to pass time no problem. Also there is a greenhouse with a hammock in it, saunas in all the dorms, a library, and bowling alley (the oldest operating bowling alley in the world), but you have to set the pins up yourself... They tell me pinsetters work for tips.

When we landed it was about 1:30pm and the sun was just barely above the horizon, and by 2:30 or 3:00 it had set. (See third to last picture, taken at 2:35pm). Right now we get about 4 hours of daylight each day. (Maybe twilight would be a better description because it is not very bright). At six o'clock my self guided tour was in the pitch black. (COLD!!!!!!!!). Apparently two days before I arrived it was condition 1, which means -100F or worse with less than 25 feet visability. Nobody is allowed to leave the building they are in without permission from the firehouse if condition 1 is sounded. Right now it is condition 3, which is the best weather but still much too cold for my liking. It's 20 below outside and believe it or not I have seen people in shorts outside... These people are institutionalized.

I'll post more when I get a better feel for the place. I hope you all enjoy the pictures and thanks so much for all the comments everyone. I really appreciate hearing from all of you. Love you all.

Christchurch, New Zealand

New Zealand was everything everyone said it would be and more. Stunning views, great food, and some of the friendliest people I have ever come across. Within 2 hours of getting off the plane in Christchurch (finally, 25 hours straight in a plane or an airport) I was on a bus headed for the Port Hills overlooking the city. A 2 mile hike (steep!) got me to the top of the hills with fantastic views of Christchurch, Lyttleton, and the surrounding areas. Speaking of surrounding areas, the Southern Alps of New Zealand when viewed from the plane might have been the most spectacular thing I have ever seen (now that I am in Antarctica that might not necessarily be true... tough call). Anyways, from the top of the hills the town of Lyttleton and Church Bay beckoned, and before I knew it I was on a boat leaving Lyttleton and crossing the bay to a small island with a botanical garden on it, also rumored to have a great restaurant inside of an old Victorian house on a bluff overlooking the bay. The rumors were true, and the food and local beer were great, outmatched only by the astonishing views. There was a bachelor party (they called it "stag party") going on at the Victorian house, and before I knew it I was being invited to join them at a bar called Wunderbar (pronounced 'Vunderbar') back in Lyttleton. The bars never close here and before I knew it the sun was coming up, at which I decided it might be a good time to leave, although the others in the group showed no intentions of ever stopping.

Getting our ECW (extreme cold weather gear) was much more efficient than I had anticipated, and after about an hour and a half I was back in Christchurch with a free afternoon. I did some exploring in the city and then got ready for our flight to Antarctica the next morning at 5:00am. I can't wait to get back to New Zealand to do some REAL exploring.

Oh yeah if anybody has any idea of how to arrange the pictures within the post and/or put captions to the pictures, a few tips would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the unlabeled, out of order pictures but I haven't really figured this blog thing out yet as you can see.

The first picture is of a riveting chess match in Cathedral Square with said Cathedral in the background. Then you see the boat ride from Lyttleton to Church Bay and then the harbor at Church Bay. After that are pictures of the Victorian house at the botanical gardens while eating dinner. A couple of people from Raytheon are eating with me. The next shot is a view of Church Bay from my dinner table, followed by two views of the Southern Alps from the plane. Finally, pictures of the hike in the Port Hills which lead to the view of Lyttleton you can see. I hope you all enjoy the pictures and sorry again for the lack of organization...

Here goes nothing

Well, I've been on this stupid computer for a while trying to figure out the best way to go about this 'blogging' nonsense. Consider this post a trial run, as I am sure the look and feel of the blog will change once I figure this website out a little more. This is assuming that the internet at the bottom of the world is fast enough for me to even work on this.

So today was the beginning of orientation and, between you and me, I can't help but wonder if everyone here, including myself, is seriously lacking in common sense. I spent the better part of the day listening to how cold, dry, and generally miserable my life is going to be for the next half year or so. Honestly, listening to these people talk about their experiences made me think, "If that is really how you feel, why are you here getting ready to go again?" It makes me wonder about my own sanity levels because after hearing all of this I am still really excited to go. Go figure. There must be something more to it because here they are, ready to go again.

Anyways, two days and I'm off to New Zealand. Can't wait!