The last couple of weeks have been a blur of near-final preparations.
I, along with all four of my wisdom teeth, was declared to be Physically Qualified (PQ) to deploy to Antarctica. That’s a whole process that I should write about sometime, involving very extensive medical and dental exams. I am very pleased to learn that at 51 years of age, I am perfectly healthy.
We received our tickets to Christchurch, New Zealand, as well as our visas which allows us to enter the country without a return ticket (they don’t book your return ticket for you until you are literally on the plane leaving Antarctica, since delays are super common).
I have been practicing tying knots, since apparently tying and untying knots will be a major part of my life in Antarctica. The website https://www.animatedknots.com/ has been invaluable. I like the Bowline knot.
I’ve been lifting increasingly heavier and heavier weights, since another major part of my life will be lifting ice cores that weigh up to 100 lbs.
My bags are packed, except for a few last minute items. My two giant duffel bags are about 80lbs together, and my carry-on backpack will be 10-15 lbs - more weightlifting practice, I guess.
We depart for Christchurch on October 31! Sadly, that means I will miss Halloween, which is a real bummer - my neighborhood gets hundreds of trick or treaters.
I have developed a habit of checking the McMurdo Station Webcam daily. I saw a couple of big snowstorms in the last week or two - apparently this is more snow than they usually have this time of year. It is summer down there now, and there has been 24 hours of daylight a day since early September.
I think I am about as ready as I am ever going to be. It is hard to leave home for so long, especially over the holidays. But it is undeniably exciting to be so close to realizing a long-held dream!
This little picture was inside my Lush bath bomb last week. The bath bomb was called “The Girl in the Whirlwind.” Seems appropriate.