(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)