Antarctica, Never a Dull Moment!: November 2011

11/17/2011

Flight down was nice but I was dead tired the whole way. Slept most of the time and never did feel refreshed. Not sick either. I was so tired any time I started to relax I fell asleep.

Flight to L.A. Was on a little commuter jet (American Eagle). I was surprised that it was so small going to L.A. Maybe 90 people total capacity. Layover in L.A. Was the usual. Had an added 30 minute delay due to weather preventing the flight from leaving N.Y. On time to make L.A.

From L.A. To Auckland NZ it was just about a 12 hour flight this time.

11/19/2011

Auckland has been renovated from last year. Renovations were in full swing so the airport was a bit trashed. Lots of changes to the international and domestic terminals. Auckland airport is pretty nice now.

Customs in Auckland was uneventful. Easy to clear. Not sure if it was because I was attached to the U.S.A.P. (United States Antarctic Program) or because I was on a cane this trip. I re-injured the right foot on Tuesday trying to do a “Tornado” kick for one of the requirements for next belt. I injured it in June and it's been hard healing all this time.

Flight from Auckland to Christchurch took a little over an hour.

Hotel I was assigned to in Christchurch was called the “Sudima” and was within 500 yards or so of the airport and within a block of the CDC (Christchurch Deployment Center?). Wasn't much nearby, no restaurants. Good thing the airport had a decent food court and not too expensive. The hotel was a bit pricey but they usually are for their food. I didn't feel like jumping on the local public transport (Buses) to head into Christchurch to go shopping.

11/20/2011

Today is very overcast and threatening rain. The streets were wet when I woke up so must have rained last night. Humid, not used to it coming from Denver. I need to go to the airport later for razor blades for the shaver. I purchased the wrong ones in Parker as they don't fit the handle I have and I don't feel like letting the beard grow for a couple of months.

Razor blades and new handle at the airport came to a whopping $58.50 NZ. OUCH!

The weather has gotten worse in the afternoon. Sun came out and it got pretty humid, sticky and warm. Reminds me a of a mild day in Okinawa. Gear issue is at 1PM.

1PM – 4PM: Gear issued.

Took me the longest as I was determined to make sure everything fit well or comfortably. Last year I had a few items never used as they were slightly too small or uncomfortable. Everything fits nice this year. Coming later in the season (End of main-body) sux as the gear has been mostly issued and they are short on a lot of common sized items (Like boots, windbreakers, long underwear and gloves). I did get issued a brand new parka though and brand new Carhart jacket (Insulated). Both still had the tags on them. This year I took leather mittens rather than the military style gauntlets that fit over a sleeve of your parka. Those gauntlets just aren't very usable if you have to work with your hands. Great if you just walk around and don't hold anything though.

Rest of the day was spent having a few beers (NZ beer) and meeting the people I will be stationed down there with this year. All new people to me as all the people I know already are on station.

11/21/2011

Got up at 3:40AM to get a trolley for hauling all my gear and luggage to the CDC where it will be checked to fly down with us on the US Air Force C17. It's raining, not hard but enough to soak you in about 10 minutes in it. Showered and headed to the CDC (In the rain) running and pushing the cart to not get so wet. We are supposed to report there at 5AM and I left the Sudima at 4:45.

Went into the gear issue, dressed in our ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) gear for the flight down and then checked all other luggage and bags to be loaded on the C17. You are required to wear a minimum of ECW gear on the flight (Parka, Gloves, Balaclava/hat, insulated coveralls, boots, goggles) in case the plane goes down and you live through it. I kept back an extra set of heavy socks just in case my feet did get cold or damp from sweating. I also get either the blue boots or the brown . I will not wear the white, rubberized mickey mouse boots I had in Korea.

Makes one think that someone is Jone's-ing as you are flying over water almost 99% of the way and could only land on ice the last hour (maybe) of the flight. You'll freeze to death in the water in 15 minutes with or without the gear.

We then went to the CDC center for breakfast at 5:30AM, we have a training film (one of many over the next few days to a week for some) “Welcome to Antarctica” on what to expect, what to do in case of emergency and general orientation about you trip and time in Antarctica. We had a SPECIAL guest join us. The King o Malaysia is headed down to the ice for a look-see at the Kiwi base (Scott Base).

Next we all gather all our gear and back through NZ security to get on the C17. Same as any other airport. Drug dogs, no knives on the plane, everything gets x-ray'd etc.

Then once we clear security we get loaded onto a bus for the short ride across the street to the waiting C17.

Off the bus, grab a water and sack lunch on the way into the plane.

You are filed into the cargo bay of a military C17, handed ear plugs (Yes, it's LOUD the whole trip down) and directed to sit as if you were in the military. On these military planes you either sit along the wall in long lines,

or in the middle where they have loaded passenger pallets (with seating attached) into the middle.

Now you have decent leg room even with the large carry on bags full of ECW gear you will be packing. Another good thing is if you are really tired, after the plane is in the air you can take your parka and go lie down between the cargo pallets and sleep.

Our C17 only had 78 people on it. It was packed with cargo though. A pallet of pallets and a pallet of alcohol. Probably 10 more pallets of stuff but I saw those two since they were right in front of my seat.

Once we were in the air the King started going around attempting to greet everyone. Nice enough guy in this situation. But I wonder what he is really like since in his country they cane people for spitting on the street or chewing bubble gum in public. He had a couple of photographers (Bodyguards) with him too. They were bodyguards as their ECX clothes were tight on their 5'10” frames. They were as built as Arnie used to be. The king tried to talk to me but I couldn't make out much of what he was saying due to the noise of the engines. I just nodded and smiled and told him where I was from. Must have said something right as every time I passed him on the plane after that he was grabbing my hand and shaking it or putting an arm around my shoulder.

I listened to music off the Droid X almost the whole way down. The Sony ear buds helped filter out the jet noise. Unlike the ear buds I had last year, they didn't so I had to use ear plugs.

I also checked the flight crew for “Operation Deep Freeze” hats but they had sold out the previous trip.

We arrived on the ice runway just off Scott Base and had a short ride into town.

We had a “Welcome to McMurdo” orientation and then received our room assignments.

I got assigned to bldg. 210 (yea, I know, like you are supposed to know or care what that means) into a 2-man room.

Room mate is cool, older and quite pleasant. After unpacking (maybe 30 minutes) I went down to bldg 159 (Comms Shop) to see if there was anything they wanted me to do right off the bat.

Stupid me, of course not. I'm a permanent person intruding on the contractor domain. I did get asked to find some gear I had stashed away the previous year (Iridium data modem). Found it for them the next day in bldg 120, Comms/Electrical supply.

11/22/2011

Joe got me signed up for the push course for Happy Camper. Means I only sped 4 hours going over what they have to do in two days out on the ice in the cold. Also refreshed the “Sea Ice” course even though I never had it before. Makes you aware of what is involved if you travel across the sea ice in vehicles or on foot.

11/23/2011

Recreation course at 7PM so I can go off base hiking on the marked trails. Restrictive, yes, but you don't want to take chances hiking across the glaciers on unmarked paths if you don''t know what you are doing. There are crevasses all over the glaciers and average temperature in the bottom of the cracks is never over -10F. Now the info will slow. Work prevails. I will hike and work out when I can in the evenings.

I have been meeting a lot of people I briefly met last year. All are friendly and somewhat surprised to see me back. It isn't that I complained any last year, just the opposite. I like it here. It's both exciting and challenging working in an environment like this. It's more these people that have been here year after year don't expect newcomer's (FNG's) to come back. HA! Little did they suspect, my lifestyle has run across worse places than this many times and I liked those locations also. This place is easy and fun to work just part of the year.

I am also going to offer to teach a women's “Awareness” course. Can't call it “Self-Defense” because it will have no contact. It will just be escapes from holds and grapples. After that they are on their own.

Will be posting pictures to match some of the above info.

And I have gotten out already (Been here three days is all) and already gotten some decent shots....