Dirt Guide

Wanna see McMurdo? Just arrived and feeling disorientated? Come see me. I'm a Dirt Tour Guide. No I don't show you the black volcanic soil that covers the station now that the snow is melting. I show you the hot spots, the tourist attractions, even a few hidden secrets only the locals know about.

How did I get this fabulous job you ask? Well I volunteered for it. I'd been waiting for some friends at the hand washing station a while back and noticed a group of lonely souls wandering about. They looked lost and a little forlorn. They were waiting for a Dirt Tour I found out. Only their guide never showed and they were left to find their own way around. Welcome to McMurdo I thought, and knew then I didn't want new arrivals to have that feeling. I'll tell you a little secret too, I never took a Dirt Tour when I arrived. There wasn't time.

So here I am showing people around the lovely American Base wearing my fashionable orange vest and making jokes that only a few laugh at. Oh well, at least I'm there to show them around - even if I do get a little lost. I've taken one group now, a large number of seven and it was great getting outside, people forced to listen to me ramble, while breathing in the Antarctic air and getting Vitamin D. See why I love doing this. One group down and the rest of the season to go.

One highlight is I was asked to recommend a good place to get a cup of coffee and I suggested the coffee shop. My guest came by later and thanked me for the suggestion. Turned out the coffee was good - I only suggested it because it is the only other place besides the galley where they serve coffee. Who knew? ------ Me!!