Arrival in McMurdo!

Hi everyone,

This is my first blog post!  I can't promise it will be the most memorable posting, but over the next few months I hope to contribute some thoughts about what it's like to live and work in Antarctica.  While it's certainly not easy, and can often be frustrating, the rewards you receive from working in such a beautiful location along with other hard-working scientists from around the world is fantastic.  As a graduate student at Virginia Tech, this is my third time traveling to Antarctica.

Eric Sokol and I are now in McMurdo (Ross Island, Antarctica; mcmurdodryvalleys.aq) having arrived late yesterday.  We traveled here from Christchurch, New Zealand.  This is the city which all people heading to McMurdo must pass through.  Here we had a two night stay, a requirement so that no one arrives "on the ice" (slang for "in Antarctica") with severe jet-lag from the trip.  During our time in New Zealand Eric and I visited beautiful botanical gardens (December is summertime in the southern hemisphere) and also visited some portions of downtown that are still being reconstructed after major earthquake damage that took place in the last few years.  Although that was sad to see, we also had the chance to view The Hobbit in 3D!

Christchurch is also the home of the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center), another important stop for Eric and I before leaving for McMurdo.  This is where all Antarctic workers get the cold weather coats, gloves, and boots necessary for working in subfreezing environments.  Some of the gear may look funny, but it's designed to provide protection from the cold and could save our life in an emergency.  Because of the long history of Antarctic travelers passing through Christchurch, this city also features a number of museums and interactive centers that describe life on the icy continent.  Statues of famous Antarctic explorers, such as Robert Falcon Scott, are found in town too.

Once we had all our gear and were rested from the trip to New Zealand, an 8 hour flight took us to McMurdo on a C-130 military plane.  In contrast to normal passenger airliners, these planes are designed for transporting cargo and so there is little insulation in the walls (which makes the interior very loud and usually cold during flight) and seats are mostly cargo netting suspended along the walls.  But, the perks include having a fairly large area to roam around in during flight to stretch your legs.  This is a BIG benefit when your over six foot tall like I am.  Commercial airlines are not able to land at McMurdo because no concrete runway exists.  Instead, planes like the C-130 must be able to land on ice and snow!

Once our plane landed, all 15 passengers and 6 crew members were herded onto a Delta for the ride into the town of McMurdo.  A Delta is a large machine (about 15 feet tall) that pulls an equally tall, enclosed trailer where people can sit.  Although it's a bumpy ride, this machine has very wide tires that makes driving on snow, particularly slushy snow, much easier.  After an hour trip we were dropped off in town, we picked up our luggage, and got keys to the dorm where we are staying.  Now for the past 24 hours Eric and I have been attending many training sessions that are designed to make all McMurdo residents familiar with how to live and work successfully here (more about that in a later post).

Well I guess it's dinner time in McMurdo, I should stop writing for now!  On the menu tonight is pork chile verde and grilled flank stank, yum yum!  Everyone in town is fed at the galley, a large building with professional cooks that prepare meals for all McMurdo residents, about 1000 people right now.  Eric will be posting pictures to accompany this post, so feel free to look them over ("Antarctica 2012-2013 Travel To McMurdo").  If you have questions, please post them on the "Ask Questions Here" tab and we'd be happy to answer you!

Kevin Geyer