After that one day delay in Christchurch, our travel to Antarctica went incredibly smoothly. We took a shuttle to the United States Antarctic Program air terminal, where we picked up our ECW (Extreme Cold Weather gear, in case you forgot) that had been issued to us two days before, labeled our bags, and then checked in for our flight. Check in was very easy and pleasant since there were only 15 of us traveling and we weren’t at the commercial air terminal. Then we had a little pre-flight briefing, and had to put on our ECW before boarding the plane. Then we all boarded a C-17 full of cargo, settled in, and took off for a smooth 5 hour flight straight south to McMurdo.
The flight crew was delightful. We were all invited up to the cockpit (two at a time) for a little tour at the beginning, and were told we were welcome to come back up in a few hours when we could see Antarctic mountains. They also had some US Antarctic Program Operation Deep Freeze merchandise available for sale (I bought some stickers and a shotglass). We were provided with a sack lunch and were able to get up and walk around as much as we wanted. It was VERY loud on the plane, so we had to wear earplugs, but overall it was one of the least stressful flights I’ve ever taken.
The C-17 that flew us to Antarctica
Inside the plane
I took this photo from the cockpit - my first glimpse of Antarctica from the air!
We landed on a snow runway at Williams Field, about 7 miles from McMurdo Station. From there we were transported to the station in a Delta something or other, which took about an hour, and included a nice view of Mt. Erebus. [Ivan the Terra Bus has been retired, and we did see him on the airfield in Christchurch.]
A fuzzy view of Mount Erebus, the southernmost active volcano in the world. (Ignore the streak that looks like a shaft of light - that’s just a reflection from the bus window)
As soon as we arrived, there was an overwhelming amount of information to take in. McMurdo is the largest town in Antarctica, able to support about 1200 people at a time. We arrived, were whisked into an orientation, then assigned dorm rooms, then walked to Laundry to pick up our bed linens.
Since then we have had a LOT of trainings and field prep, including:
GPS training
Snowmobile training
Generator training
Outdoor Safety Lecture (required for recreational activities around McMurdo)
Science Cargo Training
Put-in Planning Meeting, for the so-called “put-in” of our field camp - a small team consisting of our two support staff and four carpenters will go out about a week before us to set up initial camp infrastructure
Medical equipment and Emergency Response Plan review
Still to come:
Field planning meeting
Antarctic Field Safety training
Deep Field Shakedown (formerly known as Happy Camper training, where your team goes out for an overnight camping trip near the station to test out all your equipment and cold weather gear)
Chainsaw training (I have volunteered to be one of our chainsaw people - we did a quick intro back in Oregon and chainsawing ice is FUN)
We’ve also had a lot of fun, meeting so many awesome people who live and work here, and attending events like karaoke night (yes I sang) and contra dancing (no I did not dance). There are interesting places to hike and so many beautiful views. I’ve seen seals out on the sea ice, viewing them from a telescope in the Crary Library, and a skua flying overhead. I’ve also heard reports of emperor penguins in the area but I didn’t get to see them myself.
Crary Lab in the foreground, Observation Hill behind
Mount Discovery, as viewed from McMurdo
If all goes well, we will be heading to our field site in the Allan Hills around November 17. The weather has been absolutely beautiful, clear skies and not too much wind, with the high around 12-18 degrees Fahrenheit.
Other things going on this week:
Eating: Shockingly good cafeteria food! We are very well fed here, and the rumors about the pizza are true (it is very good and it is always available). On Sundays, instead of separate breakfast and lunch, they serve a remarkable brunch which includes an amazing cheese selection.
Reading: I am almost finished reading The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern and I am already a bit sad that it is ending. A fantastic read!
Enjoying: Very quirky little things all over the station - here are just a couple of examples:
School science fair-style display on Why McMurdo Should Have a Station Cat, including a diorama
Flyer seen in the Science Support Center