South Pole Travers

Okay, before I create any confusion, no I am not going to the South Pole. However, today I got to work with the SPT team as they make their preparations to head south. A few years back, Ric Campbell got this great idea that instead of flying all the supplies to SP (South Pole) that they should create a road there and drive it. So after many years of mapping a route through the crevasse filled areas, they arrived at a "safe" route. Although there has been 3-4 attempts, only one was successful. The project was on hold last season, but they are kicking it off again and I got to join in on the magic. The plan is to have eight people drag twelve 3,000 gallon fuel bags to the pole. This round trip endeavor over the semi established route will take an estimated three months and the crew will return with Pole trash and Pole pooh. Not only will the team need to take the fuel, but they will also have to take all their own living supplies to be fully self sufficient during their journey.

While I worked with the crew I learned a lot about what will take place and I took some pictures. So here is some education on the SPT.

Above you see large tanks that will be used to fuel the pulling equipment not to mention the heating and generator as well. I'm not sure how big each tank is, but as you can tell, there is a ladder going up the side of each one. Each tank is mounted on large skis and connected together to create a long "pony parade." I believe there are a total of 8 of these tanks that will be used.
I really liked this little rig. This read vehicle is a Pisten Bully. I get to drive these around town and out on the sea ice. Attached to the front of the vehicle is a long boom with a sonar head. Bill will be driving this thing in the lead. The idea is that the sonar will pick up any crevasses before they are driven over with the equipment If a Crevasse is found, they use a hot water drill to drill a hole through the snow bridge. They will lower explosives and blow the bridge up. They then take their heavy equipment and fill in the crevasse until it is safe to cross.
NOTE: A crevasse is a large crack in the ice shelf cased by the snow and ice moving and flexing as it passes over the surface below. Wind then covers the crack with a snow bridge and hides the danger below. Often skiers or mountain climbers start crossing a snow bridge not knowing it is there until it gives way and they plummet to the bottom sometimes hundreds of feet below.
In the back ground you can see a huge tractor looking thing, this is a Case Quad Track. It has a 14L engine and is quite the workhorse as it pulls a load of up to 150,000lbs. That is a lot of weight.
In the picture above you and see the Case Quad Track in front of this giant sled. The sled has two 3,000 gallon fuel bags on it. I got to help strap these puppies on as the Fuelies (the fuel people) filled them with gas. Three of these sleds will be chained to the boom you see in the front of the picture meaning one Quad Track can pull 18,000 gallons of gas. The only issue is that in some spots they have built "bridges" across crevasses and they are worried that these sleds may slide off. However they are working on this issue to prevent dumping a few tons of gas into our nice clean snow.
The picture above is where I spent most of the day working. This is the food trailer. The door to the left is frozen foods while the door to the right is dry goods. I lugged 4 pallets of frozen food and 1 van load of dry goods into this trailer. I have pictures of all the food stacked up but I can show you those another time. I can say that these people will not go hungry!
This is the inside of the living quarters. Straight ahead is a bedroom with four bunks, and directly behind me are another four. You can see the sink, but running water is created from a 5 gallon pail under the sink with a pump in it. Water is created by shoveling snow into a box on the front of the utility sled. The box holds about 50 gallons of water and has a heating coil in it. The snow shoveled in quickly melts and is pumped to the showers and bathroom. The water can also be lugged from the utility sled to the living quarters to use in the sink. I don't know what happens to the waste water, but my guess is that it goes directly to the ice below.

I hope this was as interesting to you as it was for me. Tomorrow is the big Halloween party and my costume is all ready (I made it my self). I leave Monday for WAIS so I may not talk to anyone for a couple weeks. Take care and go Red Sox!

Getting Ready To Find An Ice Wife

I'll try to get pictures up soon, but I've had some issues with it. Well the last few days haven't been as exciting, but I still love this place. On Saturday I got paid to drive around all day and GPS the roads. This involved driving a Mac Track on all the local roads and trails and pushing a button at each turn in the road. Since the roads (and trails) are on glaciers, they move from year to year. To help out the SAR (Search and Rescue) team, each year the roads are updated on the computer. I use to think the O'Briens had a steep driveway, however after driving down the trail from Castle Rock, I'll never think twice about their drive again. The pictures don't do it justice, but it was one heck of a ride down tilted to the side and going down a very steep hill. When you hit the breaks, the back tracks would slide out forcing you to keep going. Plus the bottom of the hill was marked by a huge crevasse where you get funneled over a snow bridge they made with a snow cat.

Saturday night was fun, they had the Banff Mountain Movie Festival in the Galley. It was really cool watching the short movies on extreme and adventurous activities. I loved the climbing and skiing movies and can't wait to do some more of it when I get back home.

Sunday was my "day of rest" and I was able (after a few tries) to call home and talk to Big Skip. I wanted to tell him about my up coming trip. As I have told some of you, sometime this week or next, I will be flown out to WAIS (West Antarctic Ice Sheet) to help open (dig out) a remote field camp. Because of the nature of the field camp I won't be able to update my blog for the two weeks I'm there. I don't know when I'm headed, but I should be gone by the middle of next week depending on the weather. While at WAIS, I'll be sleeping in a tent trying to stay warm as temps drop to -40F. Sounds a little chilly to me, but this is why I came.

I hope I don't leave for WAIS until after this Saturday. This Saturday is the famous McM Halloween party. This is the night where single workers find their "ice wifes." I'm not joking about this. Girlfriends here are considered ice wifes and if you don't find one by Halloween, your next chance is at Xmas when the labor pool flops and night workers go to days and day workers go to nights. I thought it was worth sharing this interesting fact with you all and keep your fingers crossed for me.

On Monday I did food pull for the galley. Picture how much food it takes to feed 1,100 people for a week. That is how much food I handled. Now picture how much food it takes to feed 1,100 people for 6 months and 200 people for 6 months, that is how much food is in the warehouse. I didn't get any pictures of it, but I'll try to get back and get some. I had to do things like pull out 220lbs of pork, and 180lbs of chicken... I saw more dead animals than I ever thought existed. Not to mention seeing tofu in 10lb blocks, or 75lb boxes of beef, or hundreds of half gallon cartons of eggs. It was so cool. (sorry Diddy, I pulled this from the email I sent you)

Weather on Monday was Condition 1 everywhere except on Station and at the Ice Runway. This means that traveling anywhere besides right in town was forbidden. In town it was condition two which is a little breezy, but the temp was warm. However, the wind piled snow up on all the steps I just shoveled. I guess being a snow shoveler in Antarctica has some job security.

Tuesday wasn't as much fun as I was hoping it was going to be. I was suppose to go out on snowmobiles to map cracks on the sea ice. However the weather was still a little iffy so instead I was inside all day helping clean up the gear room for the SAR team.

I hope every one is doing well. If there are any questions people have please email me (although it may take a while for me to get back to you). Some things I plan to cover in the future are pictures of Mt. Erebus (the active volcano, peeing on the yellow flag, and life on station. Alison, when I get back from WAIS, I plan on walking the town and take a bunch of pictures of the "everyday" type things to better fill you in on how life works. I also plan on putting together a "day in the life of a GA" post. One of the posts I'm going to get a kick out of is funny signs on station. This one may not be fully appropriate for younger viewers, but everyone else will get a real kick out of it. Go Sox!

I'm A Happy Camper

The last few days have been packed full of fun. Tuesday and Wednesday were Happy Camper school. An yes, "I'm a happy camper." This class is intended for anyone who travels off the station. Since my job will drag me to very cool and remote places, this class was mandatory. After learning some basic survival information, 20 of us loaded up onto a Delta (huge bus) and headed to a spot on the ice shelf just south of Scott Base (the NZ base just around the corner from McM). I wouldn't say we roughed it but, it did make us use some of our knowledge.

In the course we learned how to set up a base camp, set up a Scott Tent, Mountain Tent, Snow quinsy, survival trench, and make a wind break. We cut a ton of snow blocks from our quarry (as seen in the picture) and built a huge wall around "snow mound city." I didn't want to sleep in a tent, so I dug a deep hole in the snow and slept in that. I stayed warm and slept well that night, but the design of my hole made it very difficult to get in and out. Things that kept me warm at night included my "P" bottle (for just what it sounds like), a bottle of hot water, candy to fuel my internal fire, sleeping pad, big red (the jacket) for a pillow, and a nice warm sleeping bag. Some people enjoyed the night out while others froze.

In the morning, we got up and broke down camp. The instructors came at 0800 to help us haul our gear to the I-hut on the ice shelf. In the warmth of the hut we learned how to use an HF radio which is like nothing I have ever seen before. The picture above is us setting up the antenna. I was told HF radios work in the same way HAM radios do. After we set it up, we called MacOps to get the weather forecast for the night before. We found out it was about -20F. These radios are what I will be using in the remote field camps to talk to people in town. Anyone in the field must report in daily at a predetermined time with MacOps to ensure safety.

We also did a drill where someone "went to the outhouse in condition 1 (bad storm) and is now missing." We needed to go find this person. To simulate this, we all wore buckets on our heads to limit our visibility. Using ropes and wands, we located our victim and hauled him back to camp but not before taking a good picture (I'm the guy without big red on).

After I got back to McM, I took a sauna, shower, and changed into my clean cloths that just arrived from Christchurch (yeah). I then went bowling with a bunch of friends. The bowling alley here is the last manually set one in the world, or so I've been told. So each lane has a person sitting above the pins. After you bowl, they hop down, pick up the "dead" wood, and roll the ball back. If you get a strike or spare, they hit a chime in the back that instantly brings a smile to your face. I don't know what my score was, but I cleaned up with 4 strikes and 2 spares.

After bowling we had a little get together for my friend Megan who left for Black Island. She will be stationed at the Com Center on the other side of McM sound at a camp filled with her and the camp manager. She will be in charge of cooking and cleaning but I joked with her telling her that she should be called "assistant manager" since she is the only other person there. She left this morning via helicopter but will return every few weeks to do laundry. She will get mail once a week, so we plan on sending all kinds of fun stuff out to her. At her going away party, we did Tim Tam Slams where we sucked hot coca through a Tim Tam cookie like a straw. After the hot coca hit your mouth, you quickly chuck the whole cookie in. The cookie then dissolves in your mouth in a rich chocolaty burst. I recommend it if you can find any Tim Tams.

Today I did my first real work. A storage building at Willey Air Field needed to be moved but the inside was filled with snow (since it doesn't have a floor snow drifted in). Matt and I headed out to the site with Rhoda and started shoveling. It took most of the day but we got it done. I got to drive on the ice road a bunch and even use the radio a little to communicate what was going on. Once again, I don't think life could get any better! Shoveling snow may not be fun, but shoveling snow in Antarctica looking at helicopters fly by an active volcano is a blast. Well, I'm off to open mic, I hope everyone here can handle my "music." Cheers

Sea Ice

I know I have written a bunch in the last couple days, but this place is very exciting and I enjoy sharing my experiences. Plus I'm headed to "happy camper school" for two days so won't be able to update anything then. Additionally, sorry Dad and Linda that I haven't called, it seems the only time I have free is in the middle of your night.

My first day of "work" was great. Since we work a 6 day work week, I had to work on Saturday. However this was our day of sea ice training. What this means is that since my job requires me to travel in work vehicles on the sea ice, I need to learn how to read and assess cracks. We started the day off with learning about new cracks, working/active cracks, pressure ridges... in a class room. After about an hour of theory, we loaded up the Hagglund to travel to the ice. A Hagglund is a tracked vehicle as seen in the pictures made up of the main cab, and trailer that is towed behind. After contacting MacOps to let them know where we were headed, how many of us there were, and when we would return, we left the primary road to the ice runway and headed in the direction of Mt Erebus (the smoking volcano on Ross Island). Shortly after turning onto the flagged route, we saw a huge seal but I wasn't able to get a picture.

We headed north for about 1.5 hours until we came to our training site. The site was chosen because a route was established to the future site of the penguin ranch early last week. After a couple days of windy weather, Fleet Ops (they drive the big rigs) tried to drag ~4 huts out to the site when the driver noticed something funny in the ice and lots of signs of wildlife. Wildlife can indicate a new crack as it offers access to the ice surface. The driver ditched the huts and returned to McM not wanting to chance it with the chilly waters below.

To evaluate the ice, we dug a trench through the snow to the ice surface across the area in question. We then drilled a hole about every meter or so down the trench using a cool drill made from a weed whacker engine. The drill bits are 1 meter long, so after we drilled each of the first holes, we added another bit to the end to extend it another meter and revisited each hole until we hit water. we then used a cool measuring tool to see how thick the ice was. We found that across the area, the ice ranged from 4+M (very thick) to less then 1M. We mapped the crack and came to the conclusion that this was the boundary where the old sea ice from last year (that never went away) met the new ice that formed this winter. Long story short, the driver made the right call, but it was still safe for us to drive over it with our Hagglund. However the wildlife seen at the area were penquins and these little birds can wander a long way from open water.

We also were able to learn about Fata Morgana. This is a cool phenomena where everyone can see something that isn't really there. At one point, we saw 3 pillars of ice standing up, a minute later we turned around and there were now thousands of pillars of ice making a ~5 mile trail across the bay. Everyone could see it, although it wasn't really there. What causes this is when there is cold air on a calm day, the moisture reflects up whatever is on the ground. Its kind of like movie projector showing you whats on the ground. I highly recommend researching this on the Internet. I have never seen anything like it before.

Other cool things that I have done include have prime rib for dinner (two helpings), drove a Pisten Bully (snow cat), drove a Mac Track (Ford F-350 with tracks instead of tiers), climbed Ob Hill (that's me in the picture), shoveled some snow, yoga in the chapel, and much more. So far, I love this place, I love my job, I have great new/old friends, and there isn't much more that would make me any happier. I now fully understand the "Life is Good" slogan. Cheers.

The Happiest Day Of My Life

I made it! After an early rise, I dragged my bags through the rain to the CDC. While Paul returned the damaged van to the rental place, I changed into my ECW for the flight. I checked in my bags (later to find out that I forgot a bag at the CDC) with the military and ate breakfast. Around 7am we went back to the CDC for the flight debriefing and loaded up on a bus that took us to the awaiting C-17

The flight took about 5hrs and I even got a cool tour of the cockpit (this doesn't happen on commercial flights). Without windows in the cargo area, it was weird not knowing when you were going to land, but when the wheels touched down, I knew I was there.

I heard that the first time someone steps off the plane they become awestruck at the reality before them. I was determined not to be one of these people. However, after I saw the cargo door open, and a line of forklifts coming to remove the non-human cargo (sorry the picture is on its side), I lost cool. IT WAS SO AWESOME! I stepped off the plane to a -10F world only dreams could do justice. I knew this was "the happiest day of my life."

I loaded onto "Ivan the Terra Bus" with Amanda and Eric and all we could say was "we are in Antarctica." We headed to Building 155 (my new home/ cafeteria/ store/...) for a debriefing and afterwards met my new supervisor, Barb. Barb gave us (Sean and Zack) a quick tour of the town and showed us where to retrieve our bags. I quickly moved into my new room that doesn't have any windows with my new roommates Eric, Sean (different Sean), and Adam (Sean and Adam came in during winfly 6 weeks ago). After my first meal of turkey and potatoes, I headed to the Coffee house where I met a bunch of new people and started some great friendships. I know this will be a day I will never forget.

Buckle Up

I'm a little behind with all that has happened lately, but I'll try to catch up. I was suppose to fly out on Thursday for the ice, but because of weather and mechanical issues, our flight was delayed 24hrs. At 9am I headed to the CDC with a bunch of others to collect our travel funds ($230) and plan for another day in Christchurch. There were 15 of us that decided that we would pitch in on a 2 rental vans and head 2hrs north to Hanmer Springs to enjoy the hot spring pools.

To keep a long story short, "Buckle Up." I know what you are thinking, and no we didn't drive on the wrong side of the road although that was the cause of the accident. About 1.5hrs outside of CHCH in the middle of nowhere, we crested a hill to find a little red car trying to pass an RV. Going 120kph our driver hit the brakes and pulled to the left (in NZ this was the "right" thing to do). We almost hit the red car head on. However, the poor guy in the truck behind us did not see everything going on until it was too late and an wham!

No one was seriously hurt (although Bree is still not working b/c of it) but a few of us have sore backs. We called the police but they never came. The other driver called them back wondering where they were and they just asked us to swap info and leave. We made our way to the hot springs and after a few beers and some hot water, I was feeling much better. Our deductible is $250 so 5 of us split the cost and will be reimbursed later when the other insurance company pays up. It was an exciting day, and the O'Brien family curse lives on.

Drink Up Mates

Okay, I'm at a computer Kiosk in Christchurch so I don't have too long and I still can't upload any pictures.
On Sunday, I woke up in Denver and headed out to do the safety training. It was really cool to see a familiar face in the safety video. That's right, none other than Amber Morse. I didn't realize she was so famous. After the safety training, we pack up our bags and left for the airport. They dropped us off at about 1pm but our flight didn't leave until 5 so we had plenty of time to get to know each other. There are about 30 people in this group and I feel I already know most of them. While at LAX waiting for our next flight to NZ, I was talking to my new friend and fellow GA Sean. I asked him what seat he had and he informed me 40J. I looked at my ticket and I too was assigned 40J. It seemed that Sean and I were really going to get to know one another.

It was nice to know that they switched our seats for the 12+ hr flight to NZ and it turned out to not be as bad as I thought it was going to be. After arriving in Auckland, we had to go through customs. I thought I had washed my boots well enough, but I was wrong. However, since I had told them they were in my back, they took them and washed them for me. I was a little nervous at first, but felt much better when they came back with the shiny pair.
The trip to Christchurch was an easy 2hr flight with little excitement. After arriving at about 10am on Tuesday (we left Denver on Sunday) we took a shuttle to the YMCA and checked into our rooms. Paul, who had been to the ice before showed a couple of us around. We found great food and ended the tour with a great beer. Later that afternoon I took another group of people around to show them the sights. Of course it ended at the the same bar (The Bog), but this time with many more drinks. We found out that if you buy 6 drinks, you get a free beer mug. It seemed like a good idea at the time but I have to say, I was a little tipsy when I headed to dinner with everyone else. After dinner, we made the rounds to the other bars in the area including Baileys where they give "Ice" people a discount. We ended the night back at The Bog with free double shots of Jameson given to us by the leader of the Irish Jam that was going on. So we drank free drinks and sang drinking songs. Through out the day we had made friends with some of the staff and after they got off work, they drank with us. Trish, taught us how to do an Irish Jig, and Nick told us why New Zealanders don't tip. Needless to say, it as a lot of fun.
Today I went to the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center) and received my ECW. While I was there, I learned that my flight to the ice had been delayed so tomorrow I need to head back to the CDC to pick up travel funds for another day. I hope all is well and will post pictures when I get a chance. Cheers!