Camping on the Antarctica Ross Ice Shelf!

11-29-30-11

I got picked to go to a winter field survival training, aka Happy Camp. I am the first of the Fingies (FNG's, F-ing New Guys) to go, which I hope is a good sign for me and how my boss likes me. Ginny also said it's a good sign that Sharona is already sending people on morale trips (boondoggles) as it means we might get another one. I have a dream of going to the dry ice valleys or the south pole, but usually those boondoggles are reserved for 2nd or 3rd year people.

The purpose of happy camp is to teach people going into the field how to survive in case a storm blows in and they get stranded away from the camp or a helicopter or plane can't come in. They teach you winter and antarctica and snow survival techniques. It's basically car camping, so you can take plenty of gear and tons of food (one person called it fat camp on account of all the good food we got...trail mix, chocolates, m&m's, and those good mountain home freeze dried meals). We took a Heggland (a snowcat thing) about 5 miles out onto the Ross iceshelf and then walked another mile to our camping area. We only had to carry our extreme cold weather gear as the rest was brought to us by snowmobile.

We had some lectures before we got going in the field safety building, but the rest of it was learning out in the field. Most of what they taught us, I already knew from my own snow camping experience, but a lot of the scientists that come out here have never been in the field. They taught us things like building snow walls out of ice blocks we cut with saws, building trenches to sleep in, setting up scott tents with corresponding knots (truckers hitches and butterfly wraps) and snow anchors and dead-man anchors. Things like troubleshooting the stoves for melting snow and such.

We had gorgeous weather (condition 4 as the instructor said), so the mountain views were fantastic. We were close to the foot of Erebus volcano and Erebus glacier which is pretty much the closest we will get to Erebus without being scientists. The snow sparkled and the ice shelf seemed to go on forever. The temps were in the upper 20's for highs, but there was now wind and that intense sun, so we didn't even wear jackets and could hang out late into the night just talking and goffing around instead of huddled in tents like other groups. I built a trench with a slight snowcave built into it for sleeping, and b/c of the temps (lows in the upper teens to low 20's), I was quiet hot. I have definitely camped in much colder conditions (-25 on Klondikes on near Gould, CO and nasty wind ski trips with bro on the divide), but it was quite nice to have good reather really b/c then we all got to hang out and have a fun time. Some part of me thinks it would have been cool to have to do in a condition 1 storm there, but I am sure that would have been much less fun and only afforded bragging rights, not enjoyment.

On the 2nd day we tore down camp and then did some practice rescues and survival scenarios as well as practiced using the huge strong field radios. To practice we called the south pole to ask for their temperature...a balmy -48 degrees. We then went back to McMurdo to learn about helicopter safety and how to survive a helicopter crash. One of the instructors, a Denali/McKinley guidea and rescuer has been in 8 helicopter crashes on Mt. McKinley!

We made it back in the evening in time for pickleball and basketball.

12-1-11

I had to work late tonight, til 8:30, but on my last run, I spotted two cute little Adelie penguins on the ice runway road. I wanted to check them out more, so once I got back to base and I was finished with work, I grabbed one of the mountain bikes they have parked around (they're pretty nice bikes and for the taking by anyone) and rode out on the ice runway road since I figured this was faster than skate skiing. Yea, pretty awesome, biking on the sea ice of Antarctica! I made it there just in time to see a big snowcat scare them off so that they got up and waddled and then sledded there way away. Since I had the bike, I made a quick detour out to hut point to check out the seals before going to bed.