Today is Saturday. This is the day the station celebrates Thanksgiving. Since I did not reserve a seating slot because I was out of town I asked what I was supposed to do. I was told to attend the 7:00 PM seating. I will meet up with a co-worker at the 7:00 PM seating since he just got back into town after 10 days at WAIS (West Antarctica Ice Sheet) deep field camp. The day after he got back to McMurdo he went up on top of a new repeater site mountain called Mt. Aztec. Everything keeps moving around here, especially the Comms guys.
The experience out at Taylor Dome was something worthy of deep reflection. It was more harsh than I originally expected. I am surprised a little that I didn't expect it to be as harsh as it was, but it was. The camp was not totally organized as it might have been (definition of a camp I suppose). It reminded me a little of what someone tells you what a visit to Sub-Saharian Africa is like. It always seems deeper and worse than can be adequately described. The pictures show something different than what you feel. I was exhausted from altitude, cold and exertion. It was between -30 and -40 in that picture of me next to my tent. It was snowing and blowing (and this was a nice day) I took my hat off for the picture. Of course there were discussions of what it must have been like for the early explorers dragging their man sledges day after day after day and setting up and tearing down camp everyday.
Walking on the polar plateau is very similar to the conditions on the Ross Ice Shelf. It is an interesting experience for the senses. You walk along on what feels and sounds like styrofoam. It is loud and squeaky with quite high pitched noises eminating very much like when you twist a piece of solid-dense styrofoam. When a tractor or a heavy piece of equipment comes by the vibrations are felt for perhaps 20 or 30 meters or more if it is particularly heavy. Often the surface appears quite smooth although there are small ridges of what is called "sastrugi". The waves of sastrugi are filled in with the softer fresh blowing snow that often looks identical to the the very hard older snow. Your feet get a little wobblely since your brain does not get a visual warning of the surface density. Your boots sink in 0 to 4 inches in the area where we were.
The third picture down is the ITASE kitchen (not to be confused with a galley). it is on skis so it can be towed along with everthing else. There were 12 of us eating in the kitchen. There are bunks, a stove, DNF (Do Not Freeze) provisions, bunks and other stuff in there.
The plan for this years traverse I believe is halfway to pole. Science is conducted along the way.
I got on my manpack SSB radio out at Taylor Dome. Nothing. I spent some time today at the hamshack. So far today, nothing. The radio is amazingly quite when the bands are not open. I will be back in to try and find the band open up. It does open on 20 meters but it has been fairly unpredictable. I will be on 14.243 MHz and 40 meters around 7.290 MHz. The callsign is KC4USV.
I hit it off with one of the lead scientists. He is using his special RADAR to profile the ice below. The RADAR operates at 3 MHz. He has been doing the traverses since 2000. http://www.stolaf.edu/other/cegsic/itase2/
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am thankful for the family and friends I have back home. I am thankful for the molecules that bring warmth through combustion. I am thankful for the molecules that make me warm through digestion. I am thankful for water that gives rejuvination. I am thankful for the person that lifted the other side of a load when they saw I was struggling. I am thankful for being there so I could help someone with a load when I saw they were struggling. It is that simple.
I am back at McMurdo Station, (AKA, Mactown, The Rock, Mud Town and others.)
My experience out at Taylor Dome was extreme. It was an experience I shall not easy discard as I make decisions and realize what is important. It was a focusing experience. It was a part of a peak experience.
McMurdo is not Antarctica. Antarctica is out there in the deep field camps.
I slept out in my tent on the polar plateau at -30 degrees. I worked on the roofs at -40 degrees. I got the radios installed, worked on some solar stuff and generally "got 'r dun."
The weather was a little dicey (common saying). But the plane successully landed at Taylor dome and I am back from my awesome twin otter flights to and from 8500 feet elevation on the polar plateau. The attitude effects are amplified due to the rarified air and ambient cold temperatures. I had a bit of a headache and fatigue, but nothing else. Help is along way off at these sites. Basically, if something bad happens to you. You will die. There were 12 people at camp. The cook fed us all in a shelter on skis and a few have to stand while you eat. It is very tight. The flight back to Mactown was going to happen Friday morning or the next weather opportunity was looking like next Tuesday.
I have two days off here at McMurdo now for Thanksgiving.
The reality has finally hit. I will be away for the holidays. We will all get through it that's for sure, but reality has a way of resisting all other thought. Not only will I be away from home and NY, the United States, I will even be away from "Antarctica". I will be at the very small camp at Taylor dome almost for sure. In actuality is is probably better to be out in the field camp (tell ya the truth) than here. The culture and customs are very strong in Mactown. It is like having your holiday at a stranger's house (not by their invitation).
I told my boss about what I had heard the temperatures were at Taylor dome and he assured me those were windchill temperature. That doesn't count. I go by real temperatures. It probably won't be colder than -25F. I feel a lot more confident.
Work is going well. I get the chance to fix all sorts of electronic stuff. I was working on solar panels, transmit combiners and PRC-1099s today.
My ankle really went around the bend today (pun intended). It is almost totally better. I almost signed up for a Thanksgiving 5K run but decided I had better wait. The ground is very rocky and irregular around here. It is a dangerous place to run even if you are not having issues with ankles.
These are some recent pics of diving right next to the ice shelf just outside of town.
Weather hold again. This time we made it to the shuttle van to go to the ice runway. I heard that it is between -40 and -70 degrees F at Taylor Dome and the heater is not working in the living module. I am ready. Getting my ECW on and taking it off is a pain in the neck. A small price to pay. There is a possibility we will fly this afternoon.
Here is a really nice picture of an adelie at Cape Evans.
I have to start getting into my ECW gear for the flight. That takes a while. Maybe we won't cancel today. It seems ok here at McMurdo.
Weather cancellation again. The weather is quite unpredictable here. We are going to try again Tuesday. Rumor has it that we will fly Thursday. Who knows. We celebrate Thanksgiving down here on Saturday so we can have two days off in a row. During the summer season we get three two-day weekends. One of these is for Thanksgiving. The other two are for Christmas and New Year's.
I spent the afternoon at the Crary Laboratory. These critters, yes living, are in the scientific aquarium. I was encouraged to pick them up and hold them. I jumped at the chance. I also spent time with the seabed cores just brought back by the Andrill project. They are currently at 200 meters into the seabed. They are trying to get down 1200+ meters this season.
I went into the shop today to cut a dipole antenna special for 14.243 MHz. I will be transmitting with a solar recharged manpack transceiver from my tent. I will be using the callsign KC4/N2TYQ.
I probably won't post tomorrow morning before my flight. Unless my flight is delayed or cancelled again I will be back in town Wednesday or Thursday.
