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Week 1 - October 30th to November 3, 2002
Date: 11/03/02
Latitude: 77 degrees, 51 minutes South
Longitude: 166 degrees 40 minutes East
Temperature: –4°C( 25°F)
Wind speed: 0 to 6 knots
Wind Chill: –4°C( 25°F)
Wind direction: Northeast
Meters of ice collected: 0
Notes on daily life:
Things have been quite a bit of fun so far in McMurdo!. Dan and Jim found some excitement last night by attending the McMurdo Station annual Halloween bash. The gym was decorated, costumes were improvised, and the music was playing as community members of "Mac–town" gathered to celebrate. It was quite an interesting look into the culture of McMurdo which is quite an eclectic mix ranging from teenaged ironworkers to middle aged astrophysicists. We have discovered that in McMurdo jargon all the ITASE members are considered "beakers," the slang term for anyone down here doing science.
Well, after the festivities we retired to our rooms where we encountered the unique experience of trying to sleep with the sun up (the next sunset isn't until February 20th!). We found it difficult to sleep. Our bodies thought it was daytime since the sun was still up.
This morning, we all met for brunch at the cafeteria. The meal was rather impressive with omelets and waffles made to order, roast pork, eggs, veggies, and a truly tasty delicacy of smoked salmon. The only difference noticeable between brunch back home and brunch in Antarctica is that bagels and muffins were frozen solid! We had to break them open and put them in the toaster just to make them edible.
After brunch we stopped by the store to buy a few odds and ends that had been overlooked such as vitamins and soap and then it was off to the cargo yard. In addition to coming down early for survival and safety training Jim, Dan, and Betsy have to begin sorting and unpacking all the gear that was sent down earlier in the season. We located all of our cargo and got started sorting through a few of the boxes. Betsy struck gold when she successfully located her cross–country skiing equipment.
She has been quite antsy to try the trails surrounding McMurdo and now she will finally have her chance to get out and exercise. Dan and Jim are just going to spend the evening setting up their room and organizing personal effects, maybe even head to one of the films or lectures that are going on this evening. That's about it so far, things are going well and we're enjoying McMurdo and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the rest of the team members.
Date: 11/02/02
Latitude: 77 degrees, 51 minutes South
Longitude: 166 degrees 40 minutes East
Temperature: –15°C( 5°F)
Wind speed: 8 knots
Wind Chill: –30°C( –20°F)
Wind direction: Northeast
Meters of ice collected: 0
Notes on daily life:
Tonight we are in McMurdo.
As I write this journal it is 9 pm and the sun is low in the sky. This journal will be short since I am getting tired from the long day of travel and excitement.
Our Day began at 7 am with breakfast in New Zealand. We arrived here at 7 pm. The day included dressing in all the ECW gear for the travel. A final weigh–in was next, which we all passed with no problems! Once we received our boarding cards we had a safety briefing. When that was over, all 66 passengers squeezed on to the plane with our sack lunches in hand.
After take off, everyone struggled to get more comfortable for the long flight. I sat across the isle from Jim and Dan. It was impossible to find any room for our feet in the giant blue boots, since Jim wears a size 14 shoe. As the cabin temperature rose, we shed our warm parkas and boots. The aircraft was so noisy that everyone has to wear earplugs, limiting the entertainment to reading or sleeping for the duration. After about 4 hours we knew we were past the point of safe return and would be going to Antarctica for sure. It was an exciting moment. The point of safe return is where the pilots make a final check to see if all the conditions are still safe for a landing in Antarctica. If a storm is blowing in, then this is where they would turn the plane around while they still have enough fuel to make the trip back to New Zealand. The veterans call this a "boomerang flight".
On the ground (ice) in Antarctica we posed for several pictures in front of Ivan the Terra Bus, but were told we had to rush, so that we would make dinner. Tonight is also the annual Halloween bash and everyone who has been here for more than a day was getting prepared for the big event! More briefings, and we were issued our room keys for the dorms. We wandered off to dinner, still in our big boots and parkas. At the dining hall the Halloween spirits began to emerge. How very odd it was to be in such a foreign place, jet lagged from the travel and to see a guy dressed in a white bunny suit getting orange juice or a Dracula helping himself to a cup of coffee.
It's great to finally be here. Now to figure out how to get some work done!
Date: 11/01/02
Latitude: 43 degrees, 5 minutes South
Longitude: 172 degrees 6 minutes East
Temperature: 19°C( 66°F)
Wind speed: not given
Wind Chill: not given
Wind direction: not given
Meters of ice collected: 0
Notes on daily life:
Betsy Youngman writes:
My adrenaline was running high after the Antarctic Clothing experience of yesterday. I returned from the CDC and carefully checked my personal gear bag for the twenty fifth time. Once I was sure I had everything, I zipped it shut. I carefully laid out my clothes for the morning, filled my water bottle and went to bed.
I slept fitfully; worried I would not awake in time to make the shuttle at 5 am. I awoke every hour to check the clock, finally falling into a deep sleep at 3:30 am. At 4, a knock came on my door. I bolted up from bed. Had I missed the alarm? Was I late? I pulled open the door. In the dim light of the hallway I saw our hostess, Sandy. "Your flight is delayed 24 hours," She whispered. I said " what?" she quieted me and said, "you can go back to bed, your flight has been delayed" "Bummer", I muttered as I closed the door and returned to sleep.
Several hours later at breakfast the veterans seemed amused at my surprise and began telling stories of very long waits for the weather to clear. I hope we don't have to wait too much longer for our trip to the ice, I thought to myself. But quickly the conversation turned to how we would spend our bonus day in New Zealand. A plan to head out to the coast was hatched. Thanks to the suggestion of our hostess, several of us packed up our daypacks and caught a bus for the coast. A glorious hike through incredible countryside awaited. Today was easily the most beautiful we have had yet as we hiked through fields and flowers, watched the surfers below the cliffs on the waves.
I hope a weather window opens up and we are able to travel tomorrow, but if not, I am sure some other fascinating event will unveil itself.
Date: 10/30/02
Latitude: 43 degrees, 5 minutes South
Longitude: 172 degrees 6 minutes East
Temperature: 19°C( 66°F)
Wind speed: not given
Wind Chill: not given
Wind direction: not given
Meters of ice collected: 0
Notes on daily life:
Hello and welcome to this year's expedition logbook. So far Betsy Youngman, Dan Dixon, and Jim Laatsch are the only ITASE members in New Zealand. Carl Hess, Lynn Peters and Andrea Isgro, our mechanics, camp manager and cook are already in Antarctica. We heard that Lynn and Carl are supposed to fly out to Byrd Surface Camp tomorrow.
We've come down early so that Betsy and Jim can go to "snow school" – an Antarctic safety course, and so that Dan can get started preparing his equipment for the expedition. The three of us all met up in Christchurch, New Zealand at the International Antarctic Center, headquarters of the US Antarctic Program.
The first order of business was to head to the Clothing Distribution Center where we were issued our Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear. Approximately 35 of us arrived at our appointed time of 14:00 hours to undergo our fashion fitting experience at the CDC. The fashion experience began with a demonstration and definition of all the clothing to be issued. This is the stuff that is going to keep us warm and safe in Antarctica so the folks at the CDC take their jobs pretty seriously. This was followed by a short video lesson that reminded us of the importance of well–fitted clothing and the dangers of hypothermia and frostbite, which awaited anyone who did not try on all of their gear. We had to try on every article of clothing we were issued to make sure it fits right and is in good shape. I can't believe how many layers we're going to have to wear! No easy task, there are 6 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of boots, 3 jackets, 1 pair of bib overalls, 4 sets of long underwear and multitudes of hats and mittens! It was quite an ordeal just trying it all on, but soon enough it's going to be the norm to have all that bulky gear on every day.
Fortunately of the thirty–five people undergoing this event, only five were women, which made it much easier for Betsy to move around in the fitting rooms. Our group included several veterans of the ice who were very helpful in their pointers as to how all of this very bulky stuff was supposed to fit. All of Betsy's gear was gigantic, so the experience went from mildly frustrating to hilarious as she tried on and exchanged each piece several times. The best were the bib overalls, which could have fit three of us. Betsy kept wondering, 'what were they thinking when they chose these clothes for me?'
Dan and JIm both decided to ask for some extra long underwear since we won't have a chance to do any laundry on the traverse. We still had to make some tough choices in picking what extras to take, though. There will be little space to store clothing and personal effects on the traverse and cargo weight is always a constant concern when flying in the Antarctic. We're only allowed to take down 75 lbs. of gear per person so that they can fit enough gas and cargo onto the plane from New Zealand to Antarctica. That might seem like a lot at first; but it sure adds up quick considering all the heavy, warm clothes and books we wanted to take down with us.
Well after the three of us got fitted out with our ECW gear it was back to the hotel to start paring down what we would take to the ice and what we would leave in storage at the Antarctic Center in Christchurch. The whole process took several hours, but in the end we now each have two neatly packed orange bags awaiting our departure to the ice. We can hardly wait to put it all on when we arrive back at the airport tomorrow for the flight to Antarctica. We feel so official in our big red parkas with our name emblazoned on the chest pockets.
The three of us then headed out for dinner and a little taste of the New Zealand nightlife before we fly out tomorrow morning (that is if the weather holds). Here's hoping that our next update comes in from McMurdo Station, Antarctica.