I thought I was frozen in time....guess not.

It came to my attention today that I have 16 days left of this amazing journey! I feel like I just hit my stride and I can keep going. I have come to enjoy the simplicity of life here at camp and of course the magnificent beauty that makes you smile through your chattering teeth. I think I am some how adapting to the cold. Last night I slept in one layer of bottoms, two layers of tops and no socks. That's pretty much naked in Antarctica! Showering used to be a must morning ritual. I never felt awake until I took a shower. Now as soon as the sun and the cold hit my face I feel instantly ready for the day. All of the things we think are so necessary for our existence I have come to realize I can do without even hummus (the hummus bucket and I are at odds now due to a not so pleasant effect of the powdered hummus). Before leaving on this trip I feared I would lose my mind on this trip. I pictured myself sitting in my tent shivering and having panic attacks. The thought of being in such a remote place, isolated and removed from society completed terrified me. After being here I realized that the weather was more my enemy than my own thoughts. Time and time again I am surprised at just how adaptable humans are, how adaptable I am.

I find myself oddly saddened by the thought of this project winding down. Sure it will be nice to come home and see my friends, family and co-workers and once again enjoy all the wonderful things NYC has to offer but yet I have come to really enjoy life here.

Certainly during Happy Camper School I never would have expected to walk away from this experience with a very positive outlook but with each day I grow more found of this place. I want to do Happy Camper School again and show the forces of nature I have overcome!

It's not over yet though. I have two weeks left and I fully intend to enjoy my last days here. Who knows if I will ever return to this part of the world again.

Tomorrow I am heading back to McMurdo for some videoconferences. I am super excited for us to start videoconferences again after our two week hiatus. We still have 3 weeks of VCs left. In fact our last videoconference will be on the same day I leave Antarctica. What a way to sign off!




Penguins Rule!

So fresh and so clean clean

On Tuesday I hit the one week without a shower mark. I felt alright and like I was going strong. I don't sweat and in general I exude a very pleasant smell even while wearing the same 4 layers of clothing all day every day. The only thing holding me back from being Ms. Antarctica 2008 was my hair. I normally wash my hair every day if I don't it just becomes a hot greasy mess. So now imagine my hair after a week without being washed. Let's just say you could power an alternative fueled car with the oil. Shakira saw the sad look in my eyes ever time I looked a my hair. So she offered to help me out. Here's how it went.




David was there to document this historic event.



We grabbed a basin and filled a measuring cup with hot water. Shakira gave me a nice scalp massage and lathered up my mop with shampoo and then combed in conditioner.


The water was a yukey gray! Who knew?


After that I felt like a million bucks and was ready for week two without a shower! The moral of everyone at camp really improved after my hair was washed. The breath of normalcy and pleasant scent just seem to lift spirits especially mine!

Just The Tip Of The Iceberg

5:30 AM- Alarm clock goes off. I'm wrapped up like a mummy in a fleece blanket, hat and eye mask in my sleeping bag. My alarm clock is buried in my bag. I struggle to find it and hit snooze. Call it an Antarctica phenomenon call it what you will but my alarm never went off again!

6:30 AM- I pop outta my bag and run to the dining tent to film Luci preparing breakfast. I'm late.

7:00 AM- Breakfast time. Yogurt and granola just like home.

9:15 AM- GNG conference call

12:00 PM- Lunch time! Left over soup and Luci's special cheesey bagels.

1:00 PM- Trip to the iceberg with Luke and Shakira to get ice and take product shots of our Polycom unit.

2:45 PM- 7 PM Internet and editing time!

Other highlights include....the bathroom tent was moved! We sealed up our potty hole and moved on to another.

Just another day on ice.


Yeah it's pretty big



VC Poster girls

Camp Logistics

The Offshore New Harbor Camp is located on 6-meter deep ice on the McMurdo Sound which is part of the Ross Sea. We are about 70 km from McMurdo Station and look right down the Ferrar Valley which is part of the continent.



Camp- View from Helicopter


There are 16 people at camp. Everyone sleeps in an unheated Scott tent, two to a tent. I share my tent with Kirsty Tinto, whom I also roomed with at McMurdo Station. Kirsty is a native of Northern Ireland who is a Grad student and resides in Dunedin, New Zealand. She is quite funny and pretty experienced in the way of Antarctica and expeditions. I have been learning a lot from her and could not have asked for a better tent mate. Plus she doesn’t snore, picks up my slack and has awesome nicknames for me like tiny, stumpy, dopey and sugar bear. Nicknames are a big part of camp life. We all have very official camp nickname like meat box, sausage tickle, noodle, goober, wet rope, cheese slab, windy crack, mad dog, captain skidoodle, warm bosom, uncle gravity, Cruella de Vil, sunshine and peaches. I am known as hummus bucket.



The Kiwi Drillers made ice steps in the entry way of their tent and fly their flag.


We have two heated structures which serve as our dining tent and science tent. Our toilet is located in a Scott tent and consists of a whole in the ice with a toilet seat on top. There is also a shower located in a Scott tent which consists of a solar shower bag which you fill with warm water and a propane space heater to warm the tent. The dirty water goes into a rubber containment burm and is then dumped into the gray water hole. I have yet to use it since I commute to McMurdo almost every week. No need to shower more than that. In fact most camps don’t have showers and people will go up to a month without showering. So a shower at camp is quite a luxury.



Diesel heater used to heat the dining and science tents. It also serves as the heat source for making all camp water.



Bathroom tent and pee flag for the men folk.


Trash is heavily sorted in waste bins inside the science tent and dining tent. When the bins are full the trash is brought outside and tossed into large boxes. All of our trash will be going back to McMurdo and eventually shipped back to the U.S. Waste water from brushing teeth and washing dishes is dumped in a whole in the ice.

In terms of food we have everything we will need for the entire time we are here. Before leaving McMurdo everyone pitched in to help our cook, Luci gather and box up all of the food. There are opportunities get some restock but the majority of the food we will be using is here and stored outside on the ice. Ever day Luci goes into the food boxes and pulls the food she will need which then has to thaw out. The goal is to eat everything and try and bring back as little as possible.

We have many types of fuel here to keep camp operations and our vehicles running. The types of fuel are diesel, gas, oil, pre mix (gas and oil), kerosene and propane.



Fuel and storage area for food, waste and other camp materials.



Fuel



More fuel


For electricity we have two solar panels and a generator. We use a combination of the two. Since there is 24 hours of daylight we try and power the camp using only the solar panels but during times of high usage we also run the generator. Luke, our camp manager, rotates the solar panels every time he walks by. He uses a sundial to find the exact point at which the sun gives the most power for charge.


Solar Panels


In terms of communications we have wireless internet, satellite phones and radios. We have a phone which gives us a local McMurdo Station extension. This phone uses a radio bridge as opposed to telephone lines. The satellite phone is Iridium and that is pretty self-explanatory. Mostly, while in the field we use VHF handheld Motorola radios. The radios work off a system of repeaters. The internet also works due to a similar set up of repeaters. All signals originate from McMurdo Station.

No videoconferences this week so i will be at camp for a full 12 days before returning to McMurdo for our next set of videoconferences. This will be my longest stretch out here and without showering!

Life on Ice

Well I have had quite an eventful first 5 days on ice. It all started with my helicopter ride which I some how made it through without losing my cookies…just barely though. Our pilot, Murphy decided to take us on bit of joy ride since Shakira and I were both first timers. We started off cruising out around the back and over Scott Base, which is run by the Kiwis. Then he thought it would be fun to fly us up in the clouds and rotate the chopper from side to side as we weaved our way through a mass of whiteness. We dropped back down below the clouds and flew over a bunch of icebergs, pressure ridges and few other field camps. To top it off he landed us on an iceberg before dropping us off at camp.



The Chopper


Getting Pukey


McMurdo Station from the helicopter


Scott Base from the helicopter


Ross Sea Ice Shelf


Pressure ridges from where the sea ice meets the ice shelf


The iceberg we landed on/camp water source


Our backyard- Ferrar Valley


After the ride of my life I arrived at camp! What a site it was. Everyone was outside taking pictures and helping us with our bags. It was a pretty sweet homecoming especially since everything was all set up since we arrived fashionable late.



Camp


Dining tent and Scott Tents for sleeping


Inside the science tent


The first night I did not sleep at all. I was pretty cozy in my Arctic Storm Storm Storm sleeping bag but just could not relax enough to sleep. At 6 AM Steve, our fearless leader blew a conch to wake us up, yes I said that right a conch. Much like when I was at happy camper I was so ready to get out of that tent by 6 AM.

Breakfast was at 7 AM and by 8 AM everyone was scurrying off to the field for the day. I had the privilege of staying back to adjust and get myself set up. Since I was staying back at camp I was designated to take care of some camp chores. I did the team’s dishes and then cut blocks of ice to make water. Our water source is an iceberg that’s about a mile from camp (the one we landed on in the chopper). Just about everyday someone rides a snowmobile out there with a sled and cuts large chunks of ice off the iceberg. The blocks of ice are then brought back to camp to be chopped into smaller pieces for making water.


GNG Antarctica


Morning Chores- Chopping Ice


After dinner I went cross-country skiing with David, one of the grad students from Montana. We took off from the back of camp and headed towards the iceberg. It was gorgeous. The light, the mountains and the feeling of gliding across the sea ice was amazing. It was a prefect was to end my first day.




On day two at camp I was sent out with the team to start work on the seismics. We had a very productive morning but then by the afternoon things started breaking. It’s not worth getting into but let’s just say we have had lots of problems with equipment on this expedition. So my afternoon was spent going back and forth between standing around trying to figure out what was going on and hanging out in the back of the Piston Bully (Antarctica vehicle).

Day three was a day of rest for all since there was a lot of broken equipment. We all spent the day writing, watching movies, doing camp chores or fixing equipment. I also went out with our camp manager, Luke who went kite boarding. As he let the wind pull him over the ice on his snowboard I followed behind him on a skidoo (snowmobile). I helped him untangle his kite as needed but mostly just road around on the skidoo or as I like to say I skidoodled around.

Then by day four it was time to catch a chopper back into town (McMurdo Station) for some videoconferences. Before heading into town the moment I had been waiting for arrived….I saw my first penguin! The day I arrived at camp I found out that just about every day penguins had been coming up to camp. Since I arrived I had not seen any and thought they were purposely not coming around anymore. As I sat and waited for the chopper I got a call from Luci (our cook) and Luke saying there was a penguin. I ran outside and could not see a thing. I looked harder and off in the distance was a black dot. Could that really be a penguin? I grabbed my coat and off I went charging toward the dot. As I got closer I could start to see the shape of the penguin emerge. It was glorious. The penguin was indeed the cutest little creature ever. It walked right by us and made it’s way towards our camp. It waddled around by our tents and then took off.

Penguins are pretty much awesome!






Today I am heading back to camp for few days and then back to McMurdo for VCs next week. I am loving the back and forth.

Helo Offshore New Harbor

In about an hour's time I will be on my very first helicopter ride! Shakira and I are the last to leave McMurdo for the Offshore New Harbor camp. Since the first team left on Monday I am sure they are pretty situated by now. I can't even imagine what the first couple of days have been like for them. I am excited to be reunited with the rest of the team and of course anxious to see what life on the ice is like. Let's just hope I don't lose my lunch or my head on the helicopter ride there!

Pic of the day....

'Ice on the Move' Videoconference

Today we had our 3rd week of videoconferences. This week's topic was 'Ice on the Move'. Grad student/gravity expert/knows a thing or two about ice, Kirsty Tinto co hosted with Shakira.

We decided to change things up a bit and broadcast from outside instead of in the Crary Library. Needing internet, electricity and not frozen cables we set up shop on a loading dock at Crary. The equipment and myself were inside while Shakira and Kirsty were outside. Our goal was to try and give the students the feeling that we are actually in Antarctica and not just in a library. So Shakira and Kirsty suited up in their extreme weather gear (ECW) and showed the students just how cold it really was.



Location, location, location. Science Cargo Loading dock at Crary.




Kirsty answering a question.



Talking to kids via Polycom Mobile Responder.


Shakira and Kirsty having a good time.


Eric on camera and freezing his toes off.



Shakira and Kirsty's experiment. Which will freeze first, salt water or fresh water?


The team post videoconference and pre gng conference call. I turn around for a minute and this is what happens....Slackers....

Unit One Out

Finally, the weather is looking picture perfect so unit one of our team is heading out to the Offshore New Harbor Camp. Today seven people will be doing a 5-7 hour traverse by snowmobile and piston bully. Two teams are left at McMurdo. One being me and team education who will head out by helicopter on Wednesday and Thursday and the other being team Thundersled. Team Thudersled, has been working night and day trying to finish construction of the house like structure that will be the main work space for the seismic study. They will traverse out to camp once construction is complete which will hopefully be any day now.

For now i am working on editing of our video footage and preparing for tomorrow night's videoconference. Hopefully i will have some videos posted today.

Because pictures are fun.....


My very first iceberg! It's a bit locked up by ice though.


My way cool wolverine gloves to protect by digits from the bite. I don't think any animals were hurt in the process of making my gloves but I can't be too sure.

The Bite

For those of you interested or concerned about my frostbite....




This is it. I have an ET finger tip. Comes in handy to call home.

Antarctic STORM STORM STORM!!!!

The storm is still a brewing. It's been snowing on and off and there is very low visibility out on the ice.

No one from the team has been able to leave. Something new every hour of every day.

The latest rumor for me is that am going to stay back till Thursday because of our videoconferences.

Here are some pics from the first VC (videoconference).





For this week's VC we will be broadcasting from outside at McMurdo! We are going to set up on a loading dock at Crary (science building). We are hoping that this will help give everyone back in the U.S the feeling that we are really here. Let's hope for good weather.

The not so happy camper and the most beautiful place on earth

Well folks today I should have been off to the Offshore New Harbor camp but due to inclement weather we did not depart. So here I am still at McMurdo.

Over the course of this past week I have battled the harsh weather and have seen some of the most beautiful landscapes on this planet.

To start, I spent last Friday and Saturday at Happy Camper School. Happy Camper is a two-day survival crash course. A group of 20 people are taken out onto the sea ice to learn the skills necessary to survive outside in Antarctica. In other words they stick us outside with a few tools and see how we fare....and I did not fare well.

We were driven 20-30 minutes from McMurdo to the Happy Camper training grounds. From the moment we stepped outside survival was not a game or a topic of discussion it was very very real. The temperature was well below freezing. Humans are surely not built to endure that sort of weather. So there we were learning how to pitch tents, make water from ice, cut ice blocks, build shelters all while trying to stay warm. Although really the two go hand in hand. You have to move around to stay warm. I tried the best I could to move around and help the team with the various tasks but with 3 layers of clothes, a very large coat, huge boots, foggy goggles and large gloves my coordination was completely off. I felt like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. To say the least I was not the most helpful member of the team. Lucky for me I was with a lot of people that were very outdoorsy and experienced in the way of cold weather activities. If it weren’t for them I surely would not have survived.

The team manager to get all the tents up and make hot water for hot drinks and our freeze-dried dinner. After all of the chores were done all I wanted to do was crawl into my sleeping bag and get some sleep. As I lay in my sack wearing every article of clothing I had and hugging a hot water bottle between my legs I noticed I couldn't feel my fingers. I tried warming them up and slowly regained some sensation. I wiggling around to get warm but to no avail. I was absolutely bone chilled cold and could not sleep. All I could do was sing "Moving Right Along" from the Muppet Movie over and over again in my head as I shivered and counted down the hours. As soon as I heard our 6 AM wake up call I was up and out. I had just survived the hardest night of my short life. I felt cold like no one should ever feel. It is beyond the realm of the definition of the word.

We broke down camp and headed to the heated hut where we were spending part of happy caper day 2. As i sat in the hit I was overcome with joy by the warmth but something was terribly wrong. I still couldn't feel most of my fingers. I kept working on them but they were numb particularly my right ring finger. It was then that I realized that I had the bite... frostbite.

I didn't take any pictures because it is not something I want to remember. All you need to know is that is went from looking normal just numb to swollen and hard to black to a big blister. Right now it is still a big blister. My typing without my ringer finger has improved significantly over the past week though.

Yes, being cold and getting frostbite was not the most comfortable experience but in the midst of it all the site of Mount Erebus smoking right before my eyes was breathtaking.




After a day of rest we hit the ice again this time for Sea Ice School. Sea Ice School is a one-day course in which you examine the ice for cracks, take measurements and learn about the nature of Sea Ice. We spent the day driving around the ice searching for cracks and ended the day with a trip to an ice cave.

The ice cave is probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. We climbed up a wall of ice and crawled into the cave through a small opening. After passing though a tunnel like entrance way we emerged into a room of glowing blue ice crystals. Think Superman just a bit smaller.






From my short amount of time here I can tell you that being out in the harsh weather can be completely awful but at the same time the landscape can bring icy tears to your eyes.