(Season 1): The Ice Runway

Well here we are again, entry number five and the half-way point of the season (our team has started our transition to night shift). I apologize for the delay, but it has been a very busy month. In the time since my last post I had the opportunity to work three weeks at the "ice runway" which was a welcomed change from being in town.

A typical day consisted of checking out/fueling vehicles as needed, uploading the first missions of the day (hercs flying to south pole, WAIS, BYRD, etc), lunch, downloading the same hercs as they returned from their missions, and shoveling snow on occasion (we had three big storms during our time at the runway). In addition, certain days of the week also included a C-17 which brought in cargo that usually needed to be loaded up and driven back to town.

One of the highlights at the strip was having the opportunity to help offload a brand new heli from a C-17 for the Kiwis. Once it was removed from the aircraft, workers attached additional rotor blades from a crate and made a (seemingly) small number of other adjustments. At this point, a couple of Kiwi pilots hopped in and flew the heli right off of the ramp and over to Scott Base.

*Note 1: I still have not seen a penguin (but I have a good feeling about our next rotation).
*Note 2: I was fortunate enough to spot three seals (from a distance).
*Note 3: As of this writing, all airfield operations have been moved to the Pegasus runway.

(Season 1): Snow School aka "Happy Camper"

[Pictures at top, videos at bottom]

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Well, earlier this week I was told that I had been scheduled to go to Happy Camper school (survival training) which didn't seem like too big of a deal at the time. The weather, which had been cooperating up to that point, seemed to be holding and I thought it wouldn't be too bad camping out for a night. It wasn't until the night before when I learned that a low pressure system was moving in and condition 1 & 2 weather was expected for my two day trip (figures).

On the day we were scheduled to leave, everything was fine as we sat through a couple hours of instruction & training. We were eventually loaded up and transported to our camp site and even then, the weather was holding (although it was slightly overcast). However, once we were all seated in the main facility (an over sized blue tent seen in the first video) and given a rundown of the equipment we would have available to us, things started to deteriorate dramatically. The wind blew so hard that it popped the ends of the main building and snow began to drift inside.

With only ten people in the class, I was chosen (along with a few others) to travel to the next building and put together sleep kits for everyone (a duffel with two foam mats, a sleeping bag, and a fleece blanket). Upon exiting the first building, I was nearly knocked flat by a massive gust of wind... that was the moment when I realized how difficult the next twenty four hours would be. We all had to lean sideways (literally) into the wind as we made our way to the supply building and it only got worse from there.

We loaded up our camping equipment (shovels, tents, saws, ice axes, etc.) into sleds and pulled them over to our camp site where we immediately began constructing what would be our home for the remainder of our time there. We used Scott tents as the ends of the wall (the two large tents seen in one of the videos) and two smaller mountain tents in the middle. This proved incredibly difficult due to the fact that each tent acted as a sail, dragging all of us along the ground until we were able to get each one staked down and anchored. Once this was complete we constructed a quarry and built a wind-wall out of snow blocks (it actually worked quite well). While some of us finished the wind-wall, others dug out a kitchen directly behind it (complete with steps leading down). As we all ate dinner and turned in for what turned out to be a rather long night, the wind began to settle and led us to believe that the worst was over... we were wrong.

During the night the weather dropped from condition 2 to condition 1 and our site was absolutely hammered, creating a snowdrift on our side of the wall. At first, I could see the snow collecting along the sides of the tent and would knock it down periodically, but the point finally came where I hit the snow and it didn't move an inch... the snow had engulfed us like a sturdy cocoon of wintriness and misery. In the morning, Kevin (tent-mate/fellow cargo handler) and I decided to get up and start breaking down camp. It was about this time that we were greeted by a wall of snow behind our front door and the realization that we were going to have to dig ourselves out (first photo). Someone from the larger tents later admitted that he went outside and thought we had already taken ours down, I can only assume that this was due to the fact that we had been buried alive. Fortunately, things had returned to condition 2 by the morning and, although it was still VERY windy (as seen in the third video), we had some visibility to work with. Unfortunately our kitchen fell victim to the snow drift, taking our food and portable stoves with it.

It took about four hours to break down camp (we had to dig everything out), after which we participated in a whiteout simulation (not that we needed to simulate anything). This involved Kevin and I wandering around outside with a rope attached to us until we found the outhouse (mission successful by the way). Oh yes, did I forget to mention that we had to wear buckets over our heads (complete with carefully crafted faces). After that, we participated in another simulation (involving a plane crash and radioing for help) followed closely by the waiting game. There were brief talks of the possibility that we would have to stay another night (I had already begun laying the groundwork for staging a coo) but, luckily for the instructor and his loyal subjects, the SAR team (Search and Rescue) mounted a mission to... well... rescue us. They drove in using "haglands" (as seen in the last picture) and brought us back to town. To say that it was difficult would be an understatement, but now that it's finally over with, I can honestly say that it was still terrible.

Note 1: The camera work is a little "Cloverfield-ish," and I apologize profusely, but I think I deserve a pass due to the fact that it was difficult enough just trying to stand, let alone handle a camera.

Note 2: Winds were in excess of 50 knots with even stronger gusts (from what I've heard).

Note 3: The outside videos were taken during the "milder" parts of the storm.

Note 4: Upon returning, I learned that all of my coworkers had spent the last two days pitying Kevin and I (in-between fits of laughter)... what are friends for?

(Season 1): Trip to LDB

A few days ago I was given the task of taking a loader and escorting one of our deltas (think moster truck meets semi) to the LDB site. I was very excited because along the way there are fantastic views of pressure ridges (places where the sea ice has buckled and shot skyward) and Mount Erebus (the southernmost active volcano in the world). It was an incredible drive but took some time due to the fact that LDB isn't what you would call close, not to mention that our vehicles are not exactly built for speed. Of course, I shouldn't complain since I was able to kick back and eat cheese & crackers with the heater blasting.

Although this all sounds great, the catch was that it was my job to offload a 3 million dollar stratospheric balloon from the delta and move it to the science team's cargo bay. The offload went smoothly (much to everyone's releif) and, just when I thought I was in the clear, the resident NASA guys asked me to move a 2nd multi-million dollar balloon and various storage crates that had previously been delivered to the facility.

Once the job was done I grabbed a glass of hot chocolate for the road and it was right back to the air strip to get ready for the C-17 that was expected after lunch.

Note 1: Yes, I am aware that I suffer from a permanent case of bed-hair.

Note 2: The kangaroo is anatomically correct.

(Season 1): Welcome to McMurdo

Well it's the weekend again, and that means I have time for another blog entry. I've decided to take this opportunity to include a couple of pictures from around town and explain my job a little more. There is a great shot of the harbor (frozen naturally) as well as a look at the pseudo-sunset as seen from work. I should also note that the buildings you see in the distance of the harbor shot make up the ice runway that we are currently using. All of the buildings are movable so that they can be relocated as the sea-ice begins to melt during the summer months.

The job of an ATS (Air Transportation Specialist) involves many tasks which often include the loading/offloading of cargo from aircraft, creation of pallets (varying sizes & weights) to go on said aircraft, shipping & receiving, as well as deliveries around the station. The work can be hard at times but also quite a bit of fun. There is a size comparison of me next to a few of our loaders to help give you an idea of the vehicles we operate.

Weather is always an obstacle (we spend the majority of our time outside) but I've never worked anywhere with a warmer atmosphere among coworkers... where else can you heckle your bosses after completely and utterly embarrassing them at beer pong? Just to clarify, this took place after work hours at our department-wide ATO get together last night (a kind of farewell before we all split into night/day shifts). There are some great pictures floating around which I hope to get a hold of soon.

(Season 1): Voyage to "The Ice"

In case you haven't noticed, this is the first official post of my blog... a long time coming to say the least. Although I have technically been at McMurdo Station for four days now, I finally have the opportunity to sit down and reflect on what it took for me to actually get here.

My journey started on the 7th of October, traveling 2.5 hours to Denver where I spent the greater part of two days making several new friends (also headed to the ice) and sitting through an in-depth orientation at the RPSC headquarters (Raytheon Polar Services Co. in case you were wondering). On our last night, I stopped by a friend's room real quick and was instead greated by a less than welcoming voice asking "WHAT IN THE $#%&" I wanted. I had knocked on the wrong door and, upon realizing this mistake, I did what any mature individual of my stature would have done... I fled. Not only did I flee, but I did so in a manner where anyone caught in my path (man, woman, or child) would have surely been trampled and left to their fate.

On the 9th of October I boarded another short flight to LAX and proceeded to wait around for four hours, only to board a 15 hour international flight to Sydney. The sight of this plane was very humbling... we're talking a full double-decker jumbo jet with televisions on the back of every seat and a vast aray of programming to choose from. I watched Transformers 2, Angels & Demons, Terminator Salvation, The Hangover, and a couple of other movies in one sitting (in addition to the first 10 minutes of Star Trek). Upon arrival in Sydney, I was promptly herded to my next flight to Christchurch where I was greeted by a futuristic (albeit compact) hotel room (and an alarm that incorporated the TV & played soothing music).

The city was terrific but my demeanor during my two nights there would best be described as... "antsy." I was ready to get to the ice and I was sick of being coralled into various planes for hours on end. Fortunately this problem was resolved by coralling me into another plane for five more hours... the difference being that this gem was a C-17 military cargo plane. This meant uncomfortable seats, no televisions, no windows, and a cabin so loud that hearing protection was mandatory for the entire flight.

By now you're probably thinking that I am a complete idiot for willingly putting myself through this (and rightly so), but give me a moment. I must confess that these thoughts of idiocy and regret crossed my own mind more than once, but it was all wiped away and replaced by sheer awe in an instant when I was allowed to enter the cockpit and finally get a glimpse of the outside world.

Once I saw the ice for the first time I immediately fell in love and my body, which had been beaten down by jet lag and cramped quarters, was completely re-energized. After an eternity we finally touched down and the doors flew open, providing a majority of us with the chance to take our first steps onto a continent that people often overlook. When my boot came down on the 12 feet of ice we called a runway, it really sunk in that that was the first step of a once in a lifetime adventure.

...at which point I was crammed into a juiced up bus for 45 minutes until we got to the station.

(coming up next: Welcome to McMurdo)