Thursday October 7 – Catching up on everything

Me on the Trail
Some views of awesomeness

Today is my first day off. Wow has it really only been a week. Someone said that there are only two days here on the ice: your day off and not your day off. That’s about right. In the galley (kitchen in warmer climates) we have food days. Wednesday is Waffle and Cookie day. Everyone looks forward to this day. For lunch there are at least six to seven different types of cookies to choose from. I’ve never seen more adults revert back to 12 year olds with looks of glee and happiness as they try to decide which ones to eat on this day. I myself have that same look of wonder and drool as I peruse the dessert bar.

I helped in the bakery the other day which was deliciously fun. I helped sliced and plate those same cookies for Wednesday. Everything from the bakery is made from scratch in giant mixers. I’ve never been behind the scenes of a working bakery so everything is new and different. I also got to turn rosemary bread dough into mounds with my gloved hands. It’s easier than it looks I’ll have you know. People even ate the bread that night and I had a moment of pride at that. Although I did not mix or create the dough so it was just a minuet moment.

Since I was granted freedom today I went on a hike around Observation Hill known as Ob Loop. I started out in the morning but the wind literally blew me back so I took the hint and turned around. The moment I made it back to base the sun came out and all was calm.

Each time I do something here it is a learning run, or dry run. My first hike attempt out I wore jeans under my snow pants and my legs were freezing before I even reached the trail head. When I decided to go out again, I changed into stretch pants, with fleece over them and then the snow pants and I was much warmer. I now have glove liners inside my heavy gloves so warmer hands. No more frozen fingers. They have been the best investment yet. I can now take more pictures while wearing them and I have.

-Side comment: I originally thought my day off was yesterday - Wednesday because that is what I remembered. I was wrong, looked at the scedule and realized it was actually Thursday. I was a little depressed having planned to do stuff that day but then on Wednesday it turned out to be a Condition 2 so I couldn't have done much of what I wanted too anyways. God knew what he was doing, like usual, when he moved my day. He understood how much I needed to get outside!!

On my second hike attempt there was no wind and the sun was out making it pleasant below zero adventure. The markers are few and far between, bright red, and with snow covering the path, sometimes hard to follow. Most of the time you just line up with the marker and make your way towards it on the path most traveled. Other times you are shimming across the side of the mountain, soft snow and volcanic dirt slipping away beneath your feet as you look down to the frozen water below. I wondered how long it would take to find me if I fell, a lumpy red parka in the white landscape below. Probably not till tomorrow when I didn’t show up for my shift. That made me step carefully and slowly. I was breathing so hard it echoed inside my hood and I realized I was getting a great workout.

The air here is equal to the density of Denver, meaning it is as thin as being a mile high up from sea level. Even though the base is sea level, the air is thinner and less humid. One of the guys I work with said something that kind of struck home. He said that Antarctica tries to kill you. In every way possible there are signs that human beings are not supposed to be here. It is amazing how we rebel and have established our presence here. 100mph winds, -68 degree temperatures, volcanic dust, vast expanses of white abyss and we are 3000 miles from the closest mainland city. Our food is shipped in by cargo plan and waste carried away by cargo ship. Still here we are, living, working and exploring the last, coldest, driest, frontier here. We don’t even show up on most world maps, but we are here. Scientists, firemen, hairstylists, Dining Attendants, cooks, bakers, helicopter pilots, cargo loaders, postal workers, and more have all chosen to maroon ourselves here and continue life as usual.

Mail is precious here. Letters, packages, you name it, anything sent is golden. Mail comes in by cargo plan when they bring in supplies so as the season progresses there will be fewer and fewer cargo planes arriving. Things sent now will not arrive till after Halloween. Its like going back in time where it takes months to receive a letter or package, there are more VCRs then DVD players, limited cable (six channels), calling home is with a land line push button phone and people have pagers for work. I marvel that there are no cell phones here, no one texting during work or chatting during break. People are reading, conversing, or simply staring out the window at the white marvel of beauty. I found out where the post office was today. It is like a treasure hunt where I try and find a building a day. Today was the post office and mail room. I got my passport stamped with an “imitation” stamp of Antarctica. Apparently there are a few options, but right now I have on that looks rather official and I am thoroughly psyched.

Now it is education time. There are three conditions of weather here. Condition 3 is the best, you can go and do as you like, Condition 2 is high winds lower visibility and travel is allowed but with caution. Condition 1 is the extreme, 100mph winds, and no leaving the building you are in. No going outside period. If you are in the gym, you stay in the gym. For the last couple of days it has been fading between a Condition 3 to 2. it just rolls in, one moment the view is crisp with clear blue skies, the next visibility is 10 feet and you can’t see the mountains. This sort of abrupt weather change also adds another dynamic in hiking.

With my limited Antarctic experience, hiking with such rapid changing weather conditions makes you constantly watch the skyline. I’m not sure if I’d know if a Condition 2 was rolling in, but I like to pretend I do. I did reach a point where the winds got strong and I could lean back at a 45 degree angle and rest comfortably. It is unnerving when you are going down a trail and the wind is pushing you off it in a hurry. Grabbing a hold of my hood I plowed forward and dropped down below the gust channel to an eerie calmness that made me pause and glance up the mountain to make sure something more ominous was not following.

Side note: - I will probably only be able to blog once a week so just keep tabs that often. During the rest of the work day is pretty busy without much change. I will report the important things though so do not worry.