THIRD PLACE!!

On Ivan, the Terrabus: (I'm in the lower right, listening to Pearl Jam's Ten)


The starting line:


The race began around 9:20 am, this Sunday morning and about 17 runners were lined up on the starting line beneath dark cloudy skies and about a 15 knot wind. The clouds we liked in that it would keep the snow firm, but we did not look forward to facing the wind for what would amount to about 8 miles, starting at the half way (turn-around) point. The call to begin was given and within 20 seconds my recently tied right shoe lace came undone. I was determined to use this frustration to my advantage. There was also more than 26 miles yet to run, but I had slipped to the back of the pack. (My chosen outfit was, of course, the NOLS wind pants combined with the red EMS wind breaker. They never fail me.)

I ran about nine minute miles and finally was able to catch some forerunners once we turned the corner for eight miles with the wind. I felt good these first thirteen miles. Then I turned around to face the oncoming Antarctic wind. Immediately, I put back on the hat, the windbreaker and the liner gloves, and chowed down on some dehydrated bananas that were delicious (THANKS LID!) My friend Mark (a helo-tech) asked me if I wanted to draft and I, as heartily as I could, responded in the affirmative. So for the next eight miles we drafted, the runner up front would pick the path through the path to get the good snow, while the rear runner would count the flags that we passed. Ten flags then switch. The switch was not looked forward to, though the fall back was an excellent reward for ten hard flags. It was as if the forerunner's vortex would suck the rear person along.

We finally made it through the eight long miles and then turned to be abeam the wind for the last five or so. At this point, my legs were feeling worked, but I had the remainder of the dried bannanas and drank a good bit of the water from my camelback to avoid the dreaded "bonk" of depleated energy. The miles flags that I had planted slowly passed by going the opposite direction and I gave all I could those final miles and finished in 3 hours 55 minutes. I was shooting for under four hours and was very happy to hear that I was the third runner in.

Twenty-six miles. Well, hopefully, I won't have to run that distance for a while. I am very happy to have it behind me and I can now go forward knowing, to quote Rocky Balboa, that "I've gone the distance." All the cooler to run my first in Antactica on the shelf ice. My legs are still sore of course, much stretching and hydration to come before the day is out. I shall sleep well tonight.

Another view of the route:

Pre-Marathon

This sunday, I will attempt, for the first time, to run a marathon, 26.2 miles. The run all on the ice shelf and starts near New Zealand's Scott Base, then runs out to Willy Field (where the ski-equipped C-130s take-off and land) then out to Pegasus Field (where the wheeled C-17s take-off and land) then back again. I spent a long day out there in a Pisten Bulley measuring the route and putting in flag mile markers (I was working for the Rec. department that day) so I'm happy to be very familiar with the route. I've been visualizing the race every night before drifting off to sleep. Well, not really, but i'm happy to have no questions about the route since I made it. The edge is mine...

Having never run a marathon before, I'm very much looking forward to it and am trying to get lots of rest and sleep this week. Ran for 3 hours and 20 minutes last sunday and now I've been taking it easy, trying to stay loose and doing lots of stretches. I'd love to finish under four hours, but it all depends on the snow conditions. If it's too warm, it could be slushy, too cold, and it could be slippery. We're all (15 of us) hoping that it stays cold and then warms up during the race. We shall see. Very much hoping most of all for no wind. That would be excellent, but again, we'll have to just wait and see.

That is all from McMurdo!

Two Weeks at the Bottom of the World

Holding up the world, with fellow Mac Town GA, Tracy:

I am back in McMurdo now, but the South Pole was fantastic! I worked for a project looking for neutrinos and involve drilling holes more than two kilometers down through the snow and ice, and then putting 60 instrument pods on a string to do the looking. My job mainly consisted of trenches: the digging of them, the laying of cable in them, the part filling in of them, the laying of electrical warning tape in them, and then filling them to the top. It was all hard work, and it was much the same each day, but I loved it. I was working with good people, had a good boss, and loved being outside in the cold (generally about -16 F with a 10 knot breeze), keeping warm by the physical exertion.

I awoke at 5 am for a 6:30 work start time. My commute was on a sled towed by a snow mobile across the runway, facing backwards with my workmates to avoid the cold blast of air as we cruised to our worksite. Back to the station for lunch and then out again for some more trenching. I was exhausted by the end of the day because of the cold, the work and the altitude, but I was very happy. At the end of the day, I was always happy to be back in the jamesway number 5, room number 9 (J5-9). I had forgotten how nice it is to have my own space. I spent many nights reading about the South Pole or just contemplating where I was. All I need is a quite room, my journal, my books, and my thoughts and I seem to be able to amuse myself for hours. Any lack of sleep at the pole was surely felt, so I did my best to be asleep by 9 pm each night - though sometimes I was more successful than others.

The social highlight of the two weeks was BINGO! It was Saturday night, 8 pm. And it seemed like the whole station was there, in good no-work-tomorrow form. The prizes for different games amounted to water bottles, binoculars and money among other things. On game number two, I was sabatoged by some "polies" when they told me, on purpose or not, that the game was for a cross (not a plus sign). So evenutally I filled out the pattern of a cross with the letters and numbers called and they all told me, "you've won, you've won!" And so I called BINGO, stood up, got my board checked only to have yelled over the mic, "Not a winner!!!!!" Thankfully, the game was only in its second round and the crowd had not gotten to its later quite rowdy state. Otherwise, I think I might have had rotten tomatoes thrown at me (if there were any vegitables that had not been already eaten). I'm now promptly going to do my best to forget about the embarassing incident.

During the two weeks, numerous folks came skiing in from various international expeditions arriving at their destination. A wonderful group of four English military men spent a bit of time at the pole waiting for the winds to change so that they could put up their kites and ski-ride back to the coast from where they came. They spent their time volunteering in the dishroom - much appreciated by the galley staff and the leader of the expedition even sang with the New Year's Eve band. They were excellent guests and anyone who's interested in their whereabouts can check out: http://www.polarquest.co.uk

One afternoon I got a tour of the ice tunnels (permanently -55 F) that hold the water and sewage lines. The station water comes from pouring superheated water into the snow at tunnel level - this melts the snow down to about 100 feet and makes a little pond. Hot water is kept circulating and the pond evenatually gets so deep that the pumps can't pump the water up. At this point, the underground space is switched over to act as a sewage tank. Fascintating snow engineering.

The sun spent the day circling us in the now familiar counter clockwise manner. The moon was sadly absent for most of the time, but during the last few days, it graced us with its presence and proceded to climb in the sky as it moved toward the sun. Being at the pole was like I was in a celestial laboratory. I can only imagine my excitement if the winter stars were out! I did talk to some folks about wintering there - not this year, but something I shall keep in mind.

On my last evening there, I borrowed some skies and boots and "skied to the south pole." Yes, my ski was only about five minutes worth, but nonetheless, I have now skied to the pole, just like Captain Amundsen and have also skied around the pole, which is to say, that I have skiied around the world! All in less than an hour!

The flight back to town was excellent. Despite the loadmasters unfriendly look when I asked if there might be a chance I could go up into the cockpit, I was allowed to join the cockpit crew and stayed there for the whole flight. On this return trip, I was thankful that the skies were clear and it was incredible to fly over the trans-antarctic mountains. They are beautiful and I could clearly see the Beardmore Glacier that Captain Scott took on his journey to the South Pole. The pilot gave me her chart, so I spent most of the flight, standing behind her, chart in hand identifying the big peaks and glaciers and other interesting features.

Above you can see the ceremonial pole marker (barber striped) and the actual pole marker (to the left). As the station is on an ice cap that is moving, the geographical pole marker is moved each January 1 (about 24 feet per year). I was thankful to be a part of the ceremony and happy that the pole was exactly where it was marked to be. I had fun putting my head over the pole, and thinking that for the first time, my head was not moving anywhere except for where the earth is moving. Yes, so fascinating.

So that was the pole. I shall forever be thankful for the opportunity to go there. I have wanted to for many years, and I spent more than a moment looking at the sign commemorating Amundsen and Scott, telling myself that I was really there - at the South Pole. I already have thoughts of returning, but I don't know when that might be.

It's good to be back in McMurdo where I have lots of friends, constant internet access, can take more than two 2-minute showers a week, (though I secretly took four 1-minute showers per week) and can enjoy the near 40 F temps.

I hope the new year is treating everyone well. All the best to you. And thanks for reading.

Arrival at the South Pole!

The South Pole. At last, I have arrived. Ninety degrees south latitude. No further south to go. My means of travel were a far cry from the dogs and sleds that took Scott and Amundsen here almost a hundred years ago, but I am here, where they were, nonetheless. I boarded a C-130 this morning at Willy Field (where the ski-equipped planes land and take-off) with one other passenger. Being that there was only two of us, we were invited to make the flight in the cockpit with the pilots, engineer and navigator. Needless to say, I was quite excited and the crew did very well with my usual barrage of questions. Unfortunately, we were flying over clouds the whole time so I did not get to see the cross section of the continent from above. Perhaps another time.


Temperatures are -20 F, with a light wind. I still do not know where I’ll be working and have been told to check my email later on. I will be sleeping in a little curtained room in a Jamesway in an area called “Summer Camp” near the main station where all the summer residents live.

I am now at almost 10,000 feet elevation, with a physiological elevation of about 12,000 feet – this is due to the high latitude, among other things. Doing so in only a matter of hours does not let the body gradually acclimatize. But I’ve been hydrating like it’s my job and careful not to exert myself too much. It is fortunate that I have a few days off to acclimatize before the new year’s work begins. The McMurdo doctors highly recommend the medication Diamox to help speed up the acclimatization process, and though I took it in case I start to feel worse, I am choosing to tackle the altitude with water and rest. A friend of mine took it last month and now highly discourages it as his face was numb for three days. It was very interesting to speak with the McMurdo doctor about altitude illnesses before I left. Good knowledge for being on Denali this upcoming May.

There are about 245 people here right now and it feels strange to be a new guy again, after establishing myself in Mac Town. I like to see how stations work and this one feels like a big ship. I know a few people who are here on loan from Town and it has been very nice to see their friendly faces.

I’ve been told that there are ski expeditions arriving periodically last week and this week. I am interested in seeing these modern travelers.

All in all, I’m very happy to be here, hope to settle in quickly. I am also enjoying reading “The South Pole” by Roald Amundsen – the first human to ever set foot on this place – while I’m here. I’ve wanted to come here for many years, and it is unreal to think that I’m actually at the South Pole. The spin axis of the earth.

A note on time: We stay on the New Zealand daylight time that we were on in McMurdo but all time zones are roughly based on every 15 degrees of longitude. That usually works for everywhere on the globe, however, at the South Pole (and at the North Pole) all meridians of longitude converge on a single location. There is no daily high point of the sun, like there is everywhere else. It just circles and slowly climbs with the approach to the summer solstice (around the 21st of December) and then slowly descends afterwards. So a “day” with respect to the sun is 365 normal days long. Dawn comes on the spring equinox (21st of September for the Southern Hemisphere), noon is on the summer solstice, dusk is on the autumnal equinox (21st of March), and midnight is on the winter equinox (21st of June). Being just past the summer equinox, I’d say that makes it about 12:30pm

The geometry of the South Pole fascinates me to no end. The C-130 that flew me here is part of the only air unit that still regularly uses celestial navigation. Walking down the station earlier, trying to “get my bearings” I asked myself, “Where is north” only a second later to remember that everywhere is north. To make navigation easier, the polar convention is to use Grid North which is set on a line from the south pole towards Greenwich, England and the prime meridian. When facing grid north, 90 degrees to the right is grid east, to the left is grid west, and opposite is grid south – though they all, when at the geographic South Pole, point to the geographic North Pole.

Well that is that, I am here. Hope the geometry doesn’t bore folks. Pictures to come later. Hopefully my fascination will continue after the work really begins. A very happy new year to everyone wherever you are.

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A White Christmas

Today is Christmas in McMurdo and we are in the midst of a luxurious two day weekend, and yes, we're having a white christmas. The festivities began on Saturday. The GA's spent all day decorating the VMF (Vehicle Maintenence Facility) with xmas decorations, a place to take pictures with Santa on a snowmobile, an area for a slide show, and in another corner, a spot for swing dancing. The party was a lot of fun - lots of dancing, carrolling, friends and good cheer.

On Christmas Eve we had a wonderful dinner with everyone dressed up. And Christmas day began with the "Up Ob Hill," a race up Observation Hill. It was cold and windy out there this morning and my hands felt like blocks of ice on the way to the summit. Seven minutes and 44 seconds after the call had been given, I arrived at the summit cross, commemorating Scott's lost party. I was the first to arrive and shortly thereafter, GA Ragnar, who took, what now should be called the "Ragnar Direct" route, had arrived. The twenty or so of us all made it to the top and took a group picture. During the picture I was concerned that I was going to throw up and I had to concentrate very hard on the descent. I had not eaten anything, so that I would no thow up but I was feeling quite spent on the way down, and later in the shower, my legs had the shakes. I am fully recovered now, except for my lungs in that when I take a deep breath, I feel like a smoker. Just warming up for the marathon on January 21.

Yes, 26 miles on the ice shelf in one month. I have been training on the ice, cross training by skate skiing. Feeling fit. I've always wanted to do one and figure running on snow has to be better on the knees than pavement. We'll see if I'm ready by race time. Not committed yet, but I'm hoping I feel ready.

In other news, I am off to the Amundsen - Scott South Pole Station after the new year begins. I will be there for 2-3 weeks as they need an extra General Assistant. I am extremely, extremely excited to go to one spot on the plantet, where every direction points to North.

Among my after plans, an attempt of Denali, Mt. McKinely, the highest peak of North America is in the works for this May, with two other NOLS instructors. I am quite excited. Preparations are beginning, the adventures will continue.

I hope everyone has a wonderful christmas time, that the stress level is low and the family and friends are plentiful. All the best from McMurdo.

The Sludge Plant

Been back in town for a little over a week. One of my first assignments was at the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Yes, I would finally know what happens to the water, among other things here, that go down the drain. That's the "beauty" of being a GA - we really get to know how this station works.

My job was in the "Cake Room." To get there, we had to walk above all the waste water tanks. It is a somewhat smelly area with brown liquid in huge tanks all below me. Do not drop anything, I reminded myself, wondering if I should be wearing a respirator. Hoses were tied to the rails and spraying a mist that kept down the waste water foam building up on the tanks.

Into the machine room we go. The waste water "sludge" gets pumped to this machine, the water gets strained out, and then it gets further dehydrated by being mashed between two belts around huge roller bars. Then it gets scraped off the belts and falls into the room below it to be packaged in and shipped to California. My job: the packaging part.

Into the cake room. I built the "tri-wall" cardboard boxes, put metal strapping around them, double lined the things with huge black plastic bags, taped the edges and let the games begin. At this point the sludge has already been processed by all the organisims that break the bad stuff down, and the regulars there were handling the stuff with their bare hands. I still took precautions by wearing safety glasses and gloves to keep any flying debris off me. The boxes took about an hour to fill up, and periodically the pile would need to be evened out. In between, the levelling I had the luxury of time to read (Shackleton's The Heart of the Antarctic.)

Three boxes were made but then the machine started to not get all the water out, so more processing was aborted. After everything stopped the last thing I had to do was clean out all the solid debris from under the machine. Needless to say, I did laundry and took a long shower after finishing that job. Oh, the life of a General Assistant.

Lake Bonney, The Dry Valleys

I am currently at Lake Bonney, one of the dry valley camps. It is an established camp with such luxuries as wireless internet, albeit slow, a radio telephone, a microwave oven, and a big jamesway. I am one of two people here right now and will be here for a little more than a week. We we came by helicpoter last Thursday, and being only my second helicopter ride I've ever had, I was quite excited. The movement in the air is quite extraordinary and I loved it all. I had my camera in one hand and my video camera in the other hand. Felt like a tourist, but sometimes you have to do it.

I am here with a scientist who is involved with the studies of the water of Lake Bonney as well as what is known as Blood Falls, a rust-colored stain (and sometimes waterfall) that emerges out of the toe of the Taylor Glacier, which we are camped nearby. (It is neat to be have been on the Taylor Dome and now be at the toe of its glacier.)

The camp is great. I sleep in a tent and when I wake up, I know if it's a sunny day because my the temperature in my tent will have risen about 40 degrees in one hour (usually from 0600 to 0700.) Then on the way down to the jamesway, passing underneath the wind generator, I rotate the two big arrays of solar panels, then come in check in Mac Ops over the radio telephone. After a breakfast of microwaved quick oats, yes, my favorite, we load up the all terrained vehicle (ATV) four wheeler and we drive to blood falls - a 20 minute speed ride across the chopped up ice. I was told by the scientist, named Jill, during my first trick at the helm that I drove like a granny. I hold by my stance that it was out of concern for the precious samples. Nevertheless, I am up to good speed now having gotten my bearings on the ATV, the ice surface, and the required navigation skills. Upon return, I usually spend a few minutes chipping ice from the lake to melt for our drinking and hand washing water.

This valley, Taylor Valley, is incredible. There are large mountains on both sides and glaciers pour over the saddles from all directions, some almost reaching Lake Bonney. The toes and sides of the glaciers all seem to be about 20 meters high. They are incredible. Apart from the glaciers there is no snow and the day we got here I was wearing just a t-shirt outside. Since then it has been mostly cloudy and blustery. I have had some time to hike around the toes of the glaciers and seen all sorts of "ventifacts" or wind carved rocks that take on all sorts of shapes.


Every now and then I have to stop and remind myself that I'm in Antarctica. The sights are amazing. Dodgeball Championships are this Friday, and though I will still be here, I am hoping the team carries on in my absence.

Back in Town

Back in town. Had a wonderful thanksgiving dinner. All the normal things, and very good it was considering where we are. Earlier in the day was the Turkey Trot 5k race. It was lots of fun, and I somehow managed to come in 2nd, passing a few folks on the last hill.

My dodgeball team folded in my absence but has since risen from the dead to be 2-0 in the post-taylor dome era. One more game then the post season starts. And I now have video footage of our games. Outside of regulation games, we experimented by throwing with only our weak arms and then another game where the thrower had to spin three times before throwing. Very entertaining.

I made the SAR team and had an all day practice last week of "Industrial Crevasse Rescue"- everything done with a 10:1 safety factor. I suppose we must be prepared to haul out a snow machine or a litter (stretcher) with a patient and an attendant with it. Very interesting, it was.

Today, I went on a tour of the pressure ridges - where the sea ice meets the shelf ice. The sea ice hasn't gone out in seven years and each year the formations grow and become more pronounced. It was very neat to be among the twisted and jagged pressure ridges.

Later this week, I'm scheduled to go to Lake Bonney, in the dry valleys, to help a scientist for a week. People tell me I am very lucky to get an assignment like this. Needless to say, I am very excited to continue my exploration of the continent.

Sunday today. So nice to have a day off. Brunch with the HAM radio guys, like every Sunday. We're still trying to make contact with the U.S. but the eleven year sunspot cycle, on which radio propagation depends, is not too favorable right now. We shall continue to try though. Happy december to everyone at home!

Explorations and Departure

And so it begins...

...



Ever closer to the moon...

Below is Ragnar on our last morning at Taylor Dome.

And the team picture:

With that, it was time to leave. It was an amazing 16 days of excellent work, play and people. We flew back to McMurdo on a Twin Otter and had excellent views of the mountains. It is now comparitively warm and is sometimes even above freezing. The snow is melting and there are ditches everywhere to channel meltwater away from the buildings and cargo areas. Nice to have some "fresh" food and nice to be back with friends. Quite a contrast to Taylor Dome. The second team is scheduled to come back this week, having pulled everything out from the depths from all around camp. I am very proud to have been a part of the clean up project. In the picture below, you can see camp in the middle. We were at the old runway uncovering pallets of empty fuel drums. Quite an experience. That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

Tents, walks and sundials

Being outside of town and in the wilderness, I was very aware of the flattness of our surroundings. It was especially noticable in reference to the sun which circled around our heads in a strangely counter clockwise direction. (It is clockwise in the northern hemisphere.) It dipped a bit in the evening and so I decided it would be prudent to build a sun dial of flags. I loved the sundail that evolved and put my tent right next to it.

I slept in the polar haven for the first few days before we put out tents up. After I put my tents up, I spent a few night in it, then went back to the haven for some better sleeping. But when the storms would come, I had to be outside for the experience...Others followed, inspired. By the end of the 16 days, I had switched tents to a design I prefered and spent all the remainder there. Quite warm in my -50 down sleeping bag.

It was fun to be reading about Antarctic explores camped in tents on the plateau while I was doing the same. One stormy "night" I was in my tent reading about Robert Scott perishing in his tent with his companions on the return from the pole. It was strangly errie and I was happy to not have followed his fate.

During the bigger storms, I had to follow the line of flags to my tent, which seemed to hover in the whiteness.

But once inside, so cozy, and when it was nice outside, it offered a splendid view.

At some point during the stay, three of us decided to walk into the distance far enough so that we would not be able to see camp. We headed out with a radio, a GPS and took note of the wind direction and angle to the sun. Me, the leader of the project, Kevin, and Eric who is now known by the viking name of his creation, Ragnar Bloodaxe. The wind was blowing in our faces and it was a most beautiful sight to see the blown snow fly past our boots like we were in a huge wind tunnel. The lovely movement reminded me of the movements of the waves upon the land. I loved it. I very much wanted to keep on walking. Towards the pole, towards a destination. An ocean of white beconning for me to navigate across it. Perhaps another time...