Book #4 (Shackleton's Forgotten Men)

Shackleton's Forgotten Men wasn't a great book, but if over the winter you are looking for an interesting story then I recommend it. The book starts off slow and by no means is there a Hollywood ending, but it is history. From the little I remember about Shackleton from the IMAX movie I watched with my brother back in Boston, it was a failed attempt at crossing Antarctica. Shackleton's story is interesting because after his ship was trapped (and crushed) in sea ice, he and his men, survived by hunting seals and traveling from ice flow to ice flow. Shackleton then built a small sailboat from the scrap wood and sailed to a small island that he needed to traverse to find help at a whaling village. The great part of the story is that out of the 20+ crew, everyone survived even after spending 2 years in the barren place.

Shackleton had a great outcome, but on the other side of the continent, he had a team of men setting food caches for his trip. These are the men of this story. The best part of the story is when the men are marooned after a storm that rips the ship from its mooring. This leaves 10 men with few supplies and equipment. To survive (and complete their task of laying the food caches), they found old food and equipment left behind by Scott and his men.

I don't want to kill the story, but like the other books I read, scurvy takes its toll. It may be worth while to research this trip on the Internet instead of reading the whole book.

About Antarctica

In less than one month I'll be on my way to the ice. I have sold my home, given my notice at work, and have begun the final preparations. I thought that before I head south I should share some interesting facts about McMurdo Station and answer some FAQ.

Where am I headed? I am headed to the largest US station in Antarctica, McMurdo Station. That station is located on a small island connected to the the rest of the Continent by the Ross Ice Shelf and was used by many of the first explorers as a jumping off point. The station sits about 850miles north of the South Pole. The US runs two other stations, Amundsen-Scott Station at the south pole and the Palmer Station on the Antarctica Peninsula. To get there I will be headed first to Denver Colorado for orientation. Then to Christchurch New Zealand to pick up ECW and then on to the ice. I copied a map off the Internet to help show what the continent looks like. In the role I have on the Ice I may get to travel to locations like the Geographic South Pole and the Dry Valley.

What is ECW? To the military it is Extreme Cold Weather clothing. While in Christ Church the NSF (National Science Foundation) will issue me the proper clothing for the job. Each station has different requirements as to what clothing will be issued, but the following is a list of what can get issued. It may be difficult to work wearing all this clothing.

• Duffel Bag
• Balaclava, polar fleece
• Boot, Rubber, Thermal
• Cap, Yazoo
• Carhart Coveralls
• Neck Gaiter
• Goggles
• Polar Fleece Jacket
• Glove Liners
• Mittens
• Polar fleece pants
• Bibbed wind pants
• Parka (Big Red - you will see many pictures with big red after I get there)
• Wool Tube Socks
• Thermal Underwear

What is the weather going to be like? Well it won't be as bad as you may think. The mean temp is 0F and can reach a high of 46F. However the mean wind is 12 knots and can reach over 100 knots. The following is a list of how weather can be classified. If you wish, search the Internet for more info on the mean temp or YouTube for a great movie of Condition 1. Although the summer is warmer than the winter, this is also the time of year for the worst storms.

Severe Weather Condition 1
Issued when at least one of the following conditions is occurring or imminent:

• Sustained wind speed greater than 55 knots
• Wind chill temperature colder than -100°F (-73°C)
• Visibility less than 100 feet

Severe Weather Condition 2
Issued when at least one of the following conditions is occurring or imminent:

• Sustained wind speed 48 knots to 55 knots
• Wind chill temperature -75°F (-60°C) to -100°F (-73°C)
• Visibility 1/4 mile to 100 feet

Severe Weather Condition 3

• Issued when all conditions exceed criteria for Condition 2

What will I be doing? My job title is Operations - GA (General Assistant). This means I am going to be jack of all trades. Some days I may be shoveling snow while others helping input data into the database. I could help with building projects or even use heavy equipment. I know I didn't go to school to drive a big forklift called a "pickle", but how cool is it to do that in Antarctica? I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing, but I assure you if I do anything worth mentioning, I'll post it on the blog.

How many people are at McMurdo Station? Each year about 1,200 people are sent to spend the summer (your winter) at McMurdo. 34% of them are women (I know the odds aren't in my favor) and all of them are as crazy as I am. I will be working 6 days a week with 9hr days but in my spare time I'll be able to enjoy such activities as bowling, rock climbing, soccer, XC skiing, hiking, drinking at 1 of 3 bars... Above is a picture of the station. Most of the orange specs you see are large crates used to ship supplies in.

Will it be dark the whole time your there? Nope! I'll be there in the summer when the sun is up the whole time. Because it is not at the exact pole, McMurdo does not get one long day/night a year but pretty close to it. I'll get to see the sun circle over head until it will set for the first time in Feb when daylight over a day will quickly fade to a longer nights.

I hope this answers some questions and please feel free to add comments after a post. Also don't forget to sign the guest book!