Getting some perspective

I was chatting with someone today about the enormity of our big red parkas. He said, "Yeah, it's like getting a warm hug from a really good friend every single day." I laughed and agreed. So every morning I get a TJ hug. I'll take it. Thanks for the hugs Teej.

Before I forget here is my address for those of you who've asked. I'm looking forward to whatever that brings.

Mandie Majerus, RPSC
McMurdo Station
PSC 469 Box 700
APO AP 96599-1035

We have officially seen our last sunset for a while. Now the sun will just stay visible in it's circuit around us. It's decieving though. The wind still whips and layers are still key. In fact, when undressing, it's at least 20 minutes until naked -- they call it the Carhart striptease. Very attractive. How cold is it exactly? And what makes up the different weather conditions I, II and III? Condition III is observed when the wind speed is less than or equal to 48 knots, visibility is greater than 1/4 mile and wind chill temperature is greater than -75 degrees F (yep, need all those things to be III). Condition II is observed when wind speed is greater than 48 knots but less than or equal to 55 knots or visibility is greater than 100 feet but less than 1/4 mile or wind chill temperature is greater than -100 degrees F but less than -75 degrees. Say what? That's right, OR, only one of those conditions need to be met for it to be Condition II. Condition I is observed when wind speed is greater than 55 knots or visibility is less than 100 feet or wind chill temperature is less than -100 degrees F. Kind of like your freezer. Except windier and less visibility. The Farenheit and Celsius scales meet up somewhere down in these low temperatures. An easier way to think of it is I Can't Feel Part of My Face, I Can't Feel Any of My Face and Do I Have a Face?.

I've been told by a lot of folks in the know that I have the busiest job on the station. I have to give a lot of talks and my schedule is full. In between patients I give lectures on back safety and/or stretching. They are strict about prevention here which is great. Soft tissue injuries heal much slower here and the tissues shrink 10-15%. So it's as important as ever to hydrate. As I walked around today with my spine (model of a spine that is) the weather changed from Condition III to Condition II. Nothing like walking backwards into the wind with a fake spine and lunging into a deep squat as to avoid being knocked off your feet to ask yourself, "What exactly am I doing here?" Anyway, I tell people to drink 3 Nalgene bottles a day and then I go back inside and drink nothing but tea to warm up. I'll get around to the water, I will. I thought I'd take a walking tour of McMurdo and show you where I spend most of my time. You'll just have to imagine lots of beauty all around me.

Here is a picture of the Crary Science Lab. This is where some of the grantees analyze their data (some wait until they get home). There are tours here every Sunday and it's a great place to listen to people talk about what they are doing here. I'm just a little jealous when I hear of them getting to go to the Dry Valleys or diving.

Every Sunday and Wednesday evening there is a lecture by a different research group. Last week the BBC was here talking about their next season of Planet Earth. There was a huge turnout. Now there is a job to be jealous of. They showed us clips that won't make the cut. It's astonishing how they get some of those shots.

Here are the dorms. Mine is on the far right. My first roommate was part of science support staff and worked in the Crary Lab. She spent the winter at Palmer Station and then spent Winfly at McMurdo. I'll be getting a new roommate tomorrow.

It doesn't really look like it but this is the gym. It's called the Gerbil Gym which means it has treadmills and elliptical machines. This is one place where wiping off the machines is essential and you really do feel like a Gerbil. Germs can wipe out lots of folks at once here. I got sick on my third day here and haven't stopped coughing yet. I blame the gym. Oh, and they also have a punching bag. I haven't used one before. But I had some steam to blow off. I almost broke my wrist though. Not good for the PT to break her wrist. Kind of landed an awkward punch and had to ice/Ibu for a few days. Even with gloves on. Next time I'll go meditate instead.

This is Hut 10. It's where the head of the Navy lived when this was a military station. Now it can be rented out to host gatherings. It has a living room and kitchen so it's a nice place to have access to if you want to get away and invite certain folks to join you. This is where I met the Medical Staff my first night here. The Showbox has nothing on Hut 10.

This is the Chapel of the Snows. It is where I do yoga 1-2 nights/week. There is a Catholic priest and a military chaplain, bible studies and even Baha'i practitioners gather here for prayer. The guts and butts class used to be here. Now they have that in the laundry room. Talk about crazy. All these people crammed into, that's right, a laundry room (think industrial size) doing an abdominal workout to Eminem between machines, boxes and piles of pillows. If I wasn't crying from the pain I'd be laughing at the oddity of it all.

Hotel California is the dorm for folks who are either married or who have been back many years in a row and have moved up the ranks in dorm living choices. I come here on Tuesday nights to watch foreign films. The guy who leads yoga hosts this independent movie night.

Here is the lounge to my dorm. It's a wonderful place to read a book at night or chill with friends. There is a TV to watch rented films and it looks out on Hut Point which is a walk to Scott's Hut. Believe it or not it was 11 pm when this photo was taken. You can tell why you have to pull the shades to get some sleep.

This is the big gym. It houses the climbing wall and a court for basketball, volleyball, badminton and rugby. There are 2-4 girls and 20 guys who show up on any given night for basketball. I've never seen so many beards on a basketball court before.

Here is the coffee house. It has a great wine bar, coffee bar, computer station and stage. The stage is for nightly movie showings and open mic night. Wow, there is some talent here. Jam sessions go on and you really feel like you are in a bar. Then you walk outside at midnight and it's bright and freezing. Then you remember...oh, yeah, I'm in Antarctica.

They opened up the Cape Armitage loop for skate skiing, running or hiking. It is a loop from McMurdo to Scott Base on the road but then back from Scott Base to McMurdo via the sea ice. It was a spectacular walk. I tagged along with the head of the trail system and helped him put up signs to mark the trail. While we were out there we ran into some of the medical staff skate skiing. From left to right is the lead physician (Ken), the dentist (Kressley) who will be leaving, me, the flight nurse/nurse manager (Hansgeorg) and the new dentist (Catherine). McMurdo station is in the background.

Here is McMurdo from the end of the Cape Armitage loop. The ice runway splits off here too. This will be another place to skate ski but is only open for about 2 months. It just opened and I plan to get out on it this week (Pegasus, where I landed is used the rest of the time).

Trail maintanence in Antarctica. It was warm enough (only -22 degrees) to take my big red parka off for a while. FYI...one big parka fills up an entire backpack. It had been -44 degrees the day before so this was a treat.

Flags mark the route. Otherwise it would be tough to know when exactly to turn. Snowmobilers come by as do skate skiers and it makes for some jaw dropping views. I ran into a group of New Zealanders and chatted for a bit. They are planning a man-hauling expedition (using sledges) to Cape Evans (16 miles) just for the sport of it. They don't know it but I'm going to see if they need an American to join them.

Hut Point (what I can see from my lounge) is just a short walk from town. It takes you to the hut built by Robert Scott and his expedition in 1901-1904. They used a design meant for the Australian outback. It didn't work so well. They didn't use it (except for storage) when they returned for their S. Pole mission in 1910-1913. They were able to find it and dig it out of the snow.

The black object on the top of this pile of ropes is a dead seal. Presumably it's been there since 1904 (ish). It stays so cold it just froze in place. It's pretty much intact.

This cross is in memory of George Vince. He was on Scott's first expedition and was lost in a storm. The hill in the background is Ob Hill (Observation Hill) which is a nice quick hike outside of town as well (and from where my upcoming video clip was taken).

Me at the top of Ob Hill. A nice place to think and to get some solitude.

Mt. Erebus from the top of Ob Hill. It was clouded in when I got there. Then the clouds just opened up and "bam."

Here is a quick video to show you what the view is like atop Ob Hill. A wonderful place to steal away to once and again. A peaceful place to find calm, get some perspective and honor a wonderful friend I am so thankful to have known.

TJ Langley

I was lucky enough to cross paths in life with one of those people you might meet just once in your lifetime. He passed away last week doing what he loved...climbing. Since I can't be at his memorial in Seattle I wanted to dedicate today's entry to him. I think his primary gift in life was to pick people up with cheer and acceptance. To put them under his wing. That's TJ Langley for you. My thoughts and condolences go out to his family and to his friends back home. I know a lot of you knew him a lot longer than I did but he had an effect on people. For me it was profound. I met TJ at a New Year's cabin party (hi Chiwawa gang). Going there I only knew the hosts and was a little hesitant being the new person. TJ included me right away and chatted with me in the kitchen since I was a little embarrassed to go out to the group having forgotten that it was a costume party. Sometime in the morning as people were preparing what they were contributing to breakfast I mentioned to TJ that I forgot about bringing something to share. I had brought dinner items but who eats chips and salsa for breakfast? He had brought something and as we sat down and each person pointed out what they made I was nervous. Nervous that as it got to me I would have to admit to my double-lameness of no costume and no breakfast food. Instead, when it was TJ's turn he said "Mandie and I brought this to share." I can't remember what it was. Here was someone who had met me 10 hrs before and he totally had my back. We were fast friends after that. TJ had that effect on people.

This summer TJ and I planned to climb Forbidden Peak together. I had tried to plan it 2 years in a row but the weather never matched up. TJ and I had to reschedule 3 times this summer due to weather. If the weather was bad he was the first person to say, "on a ridge during a lightning storm? -- let's go grab beerses (TJ's plural for beers)". We finally had a weekend that said "partly cloudy with a chance of clearing" so we decided to go for it. When we got to the trailhead the rain was coming down hard. We came up with a plan to get up at 4 am and hit the trail no later than 5 am. If it didn't clear up by 10 am we would call it since we didn't want the rock to be wet and because the fog was imposing. When we started out it was no longer raining but there was a load of water on the leaves of the trees all along the trail from the previous night's rain. TJ went first. He got blasted with water coming off every branch. So did I but he got it worse since he was in front. Within 5 min it looked like we had literally stepped into a shower with all our clothes on and then had gone hiking. We did some damage control by changing our layering system so as to have some dry layers later. The trail crossed some avalanche debris. We temporarily lost sight of the trail and worked hard to get through the mess. We followed the tracks of other folks who had taken a higher route aroud the mass of tree trunks and rocks. In the trees, I occasionally offered to go first to get the brunt of the water for a while but TJ grumbled something to the effect that he would rather be miserably cold than make me miserably cold.

As 10 am came it wasn't raining but we were still soaked, the mountain was completely fogged in and TJ called it off. I quickly agreed. But he suggested since we were close to the base of the route that we keep hiking for "15 min" so as to know exactly where to go next time. We hiked and hiked having a nice conversation. I laughed at everything he said that was funny and pondered everything that he said that was serious. Man his wit was a talent. But so was his love of books, knowledge of current events and understanding of the human condition through the best of times and the worst. Part of the reason I enjoyed TJ's company so much is he was best friends with his sister, Joy. I have the same friendship with my brother and I love it when brothers are close to their sisters. They are the best protectors. We talked about a variety of things but he kept checking in to make sure I wasn't too cold.

Instead of 15 min we ended up going over an hour more. Not that we weren't paying attention. Now that our outing had turned into a day hike and it had stopped raining there wasn't really a rush except that I was dreaming of a hot shower. TJ said "let's just go to that point up there" and when he beat me to the spot I was reluctant to keep going. I admit I was a little grumpy at that point. That hot shower calling again. He yelled "come on, you're almost here." When we got there I was a little short with him. TJ said "I made a nice lunch spot for us." He had leveled out a fantastic picnic spot with a good deal of effort. I felt like a jerk. Then we sat down to eat and he pointed out what mountains were all around us (that we couldn't see). He painted me a picture, "Sahale Peak is over there, El Dorado is over there, Johannesburg is over there." As TJ described it it was "Purdy." TJ didn't talk about himself much. He would rather hear about your story. We hiked at TJ-pace coming in but by the time we knew we weren't going to summit we just enjoyed a leisurely hike back to the car (well, leisurely for TJ). In the end his assessment about our conversation was "Wow, you really are tightly wound." And he was exactly right. I am. When we got to the avi debris TJ spent 20 min moving a key tree trunk out of the way so nobody else would lose the trail. He was such a great steward of the mountains.

TJ was so good at listening to people's heartbreaks and making them okay. On a different occasion I had told him about a hard time I was going through. He said "Have you ever read Calvin and Hobbes?" I told him I used to read that all the time. A few days later we met over a beer. He had a stack of Calvin and Hobbes for me to read for as long as I needed and gave me 2 hrs of amazing advice and counsel. A week later I got an email. "How is C and H?" He did that kind of thing for alot of people. I got permission from his friend, Morgan (thanks Morgan), to relay a story she shared. She wrote, "TJ had a dance he called the 'The Away Bad Feelings Dance'. When something was upsetting, you were supposed to flail around, arms and limbs akimbo saying 'Away Bad Feelings, Away Bad Feelings'. I'd be on the phone with a sadness and he'd say 'do the Dance.' I'd hesitate. He'd say,'doooo it, you'll feel better'. If we listen closely, I bet we'll hear him saying, 'do the dance. Dooooo it.'"

TJ was one of the people I wanted to see before I left for Antarctica. Partly because he was so excited for me and partly because he had become such a good friend. We planned to have coffee but then as the date of my departure approached I became busier and busier. I called him that day and said I knew it was kind of lame but I really needed some stuff at REI. Would he be okay if we went shopping at REI instead of having coffee? Knowing he probably had a climb that weekend and needed a few things it seemed like a good idea. He said "Yep, let's do it. I'm overcaffeinated today anyway". Then he helped me pick out the big duffel bags for my trip. His world traveling experience came in handy. We got all our shopping done but since it didn't last very long we stayed outside on the bench visiting for a while. We talked about Blackberries and Iphones of all things. Just randomness. Then we had a really nice conversation about life and such. As we got up to leave he said "How are you doing?" Thinking he meant how am I doing with my preparations I said "Good, I actually feel pretty prepared". He interrupted me and said "No. How are you Doing?" He was referring to my C and H associated sadness. If you are the type of person who expects a lot out of your friends he is the type of person that makes you set your standards high. He had everyone's back. He was rich with friendships.


I was feeling sad in my room the other night. Thinking about him and staring at the duffels he helped me buy. The midnight sun isn't quite here in Antarctica yet. The sun sets at about 10:30 pm right now. It's so powerful and stunning. I watched it a lot when I first got here but hadn't watched it for a while. This particular night I felt a huge pull to go watch the sunset. As I walked down the hall I heard people saying "Did you see the sunset tonight? No...I know...it's always beautiful, but did you see it TONIGHT. Go see it TONIGHT!" It was odd to hear that from someone when I had been in a room with the window shade drawn, about to turn over to go to sleep, but still felt a pull to go outside. I had seen the sunset a lot walking back from the little gym here so I thought maybe this person just hadn't been out at that time of night before. As I walked out of the door everything metal on McMurdo station had an orange glow to it. The buildings, the stairwells, the doors. Unlike anything I'd ever seen...but happy, like a really warm smile. The sun was glaring off everything and I walked all the way to the edge of the sea ice. To where we aren't allowed to go any further. I felt TJ really strongly (like he was on stage) and had a little conversation with him. I kind of whispered while staring at the glorious orange ball against the Royal Society Range.


Me: Hi TJ


TJ: Hi Mandie.


Me: I miss you and really wish this hadn't happened.


TJ: I know, I'm sorry. I was doing exactly what I loved though. And it was beautiful. I have alot of people I'm watching over right now in Yakima and Seattle but I just wanted to come down South of 60 to say I haven't forgotten you. By the way, the climbing up here is fantastic and my new and improved beginner ski skills are improving.


Me: We are all really going to miss you around here.


TJ: I know. But I'll always be here. Quit being so darn sad and just make sure you live a good life.

I think that there are certain things that we as mere mortals don't know yet or might not understand. Things that don't make sense right now but they will someday. I know for one thing...for TJ's sake and for mine too...I'm going to try to enjoy the spice of life, to live a life not so tightly wound. Not focusing on being who I wish to be but rather who I am.

http://www.tjlangleymemorial.com/

Think Penguin

I am starting to settle into my routine now. The days I get to take showers are not that different from the ones I don't. I just get in and get out and then head to the galley for breakfast. Then onto the clinic for work. I am relying heavily on my old REI mug from my Missoula grad school days. Hot tea is the drink of choice since I can nurse it all day. The New Zealand station (Scott Base) invited me over for dinner on Thursday to meet the medical staff there. It's "America Night" on Thursdays for drinks and socializing. The dinner is "invite only" since their station is so small. I got to join them for dinner which was very nice. They were such generous and gracious host. Here is a photo of Mt. Discovery from Scott Base (the peak that I saw when I first landed). Scott was the Brit who wanted to be first to the South Pole but ended up being second.

Here is Scott Base with pressure ridges in the background. These are ridges that are formed when the "fast" ice meets the "slow ice" and creates a transition zone.

McMurdo station is much bigger than Scott Base. They are connected by a road which I plan on running when the weather improves.

Here are more pressure ridges. Just to the left of the island in the picture is the way to the South Pole.

From Scott Base you have a better view of Mt. Terror and Mt. Erebus. These were named after Ross' ships when he discovered this area long before the race for the Pole. Mt. Terror (below is an inactive volcano).

Mt. Erebus (below) is an active volcano as can be seen by the plume over its summit.

We sort our garbage on a whole new level here. In accordance with the Antarctic Treaty everybody has to do their part to minimize our impact. I already thought I was diligent with my recycling but the bins shown actually extend the whole length of the wall and there is a bin for anything and everything.

The daily allowance of alcohol one can buy from the store is regulated. So far I've only gotten a bottle of wine but the beer moves out of the store quite fast.

My schedule is starting to get busy. The winter-over folks are mostly gone now and the poeople that make up Mainbody (the term for the summer people) are coming in continuously as long as the planes are cleared to land. There is a period between winter and summer called Winfly (winter fly-in). People who come in for Winfly get here on the first possible flight after the winter. The only flights in/out during the winter are Medevacs. It's starting to get busier around here. When the researchers (grantees) come they come for shorter periods (2-18 weeks depending on what their project entails). To get a research grant here is very competitive. Only the best of the best are here and they are in the top of their respective field. That being said, I met a group from Montana State University today:-)

Here is a nice shot of my physical therapy clinic. It's one room in the back of the medical clinic. Notice the volleyball net holding up the exercise ball and the space heater pointed right at my chair.

And best of all I found a game of Trivial Pursuit! It's my favorite boardgame. Now I just have to find a willing opponent.

New in town

First things first. If ever my wicked motion sickness was going to be a factor I guessed it would be on a flight on a military plane to Antarctica. So I made sure I was hydrated, well-rested and full of my favorite motion sickness meds from PCC.

I can finally say hello from Antarctica! I made it safe and sound. We flew on a US Air Force C-17 from McChord AFB (near Tacoma). It was fun chatting with the pilots about that. They were happy to get 3 weeks worth of flying time to and from Antarctica to give them a break from going overseas into much warmer climates. Here is a pic from me in the flight deck. I look constipated because I am sitting near some important looking things. It was the wildest view I've ever seen. Flying south to Antarctica and all you see is white. The cockpit was huge as was the rest of the plane.Notice the cargo behind all the people. We sat facing each other (ala Graviton) with earplugs and sack lunches. It was quite the ride. Noisy but surprisingly comfortable. About 2 hrs into the nearly 6 hr flight it started getting really cool and I never took my beefy parka off after that.

The folks in red are working for the US Antarctic Program. The folks in orange in the front are working for the New Zealand Antarctic Program. They are very nice folks and they will be working out of the Kiwi base (Scott Base) about 3 miles (round trip) from McMurdo.

The first 5 minutes of my time here made the whole trip worth it. We landed at Pegasus air strip, basically a landing strip on sea ice. Later in the summer there is an ice runway that is used. A frigid blast of -33 degree air hit my face as I stepped off the plane. The sea ice looked like a valley with stunning mountains sourrounding us in the distance (the Royal Society Range). My mouth was wide open. McMurdo sits on Ross Island. The sea ice covers McMurdo Sound which then becomes the Ross Sea to the North. In the summer the sea ice will melt (some) and vessels will enter (via Winter Quarters Bay) to deliver supplies to the station. Part of it will stay frozen enough to skate ski, snowmobile and even run on.

They rushed us pretty quickly to the shuttle so I'll have to take some better pictures in upcoming weeks. But it was a cold shock to the system for sure. I sat there a little stunned that I was finally here...a childhood dream coming true. Looking around it was almost more beautiful than my eyes were prepared for. But I tried to play it cool.

Here is Mt. Discovery, named after Robert F. Scott's ship. Mt. Terror and Mt. Erebus were behind me and just as glorius. Frozen islands (Black Island and White Island) were off to my left but due to the frozen sea ice they looked like part of the land.

I already saw my first patients in the physical therapy clinic. Lots of folks wintered-over and are very glad to be seeing the sun again. The PT clinic has all the amenities (well, not the 1 o'clock brew -- shout out to RPT). But it is suprisingly well-equipped if not a little circa 1980. It is really interesting to talk to folks. Everyone has a different reason for being here and there are a lot of stories to hear. There were some Category 1 storms this winter (the worst) and with wind chill the temps were more than -100 degrees. At that same time the generators needed some work so people were having to minimize use of electricity to an extreme, all the while in total darkness. I'll take the summer thankyouverymuch!

In a few days I will go to Scott Base (the Kiwi Base) to introduce myself. It is "America night" on Thursdays there. It's a time to socialize with our Kiwi friends. I'm going to walk there just to see how it goes. It might be chilly but I'll be bundled up. I am more and more impressed with the polar explorers every day!

In a holding pattern...

The weather gods haven't allowed us to land at McMurdo yet so I'm still in Christ Church enjoying an unexpected week of vacation. There is some of this... Some of this....

And some of this...

And to top it all off I got to use a bike with a kickstand. I haven't used one since I was 10 so it was all good. Everyone knows the inevitable fun that comes with a bike with the fixings. Except when I chained it up to go have lunch I came back to the tide having come in and almost swallowing little Red. When I left it the water was just to where the water turns to glass in the picture. Oops, forgot my tide tables. By the time I got it unchained the water was ankle deep.

The kickstand worked as well as it did when I was 10.

Just a glory picture here.

The cathedral is gorgeous and the sunsets from here are amazing. We got some hiking in but the fog rolled in just in time to ruin our view. Lots of time has been spent having morning coffee while watching people enjoy the market, listening to musicians and catching up on my reading.

The Avon River weaving through the Botanical Gardens. The last river I'll see for a while.

I'm enjoying fine cuisine and great wine from local wineries. Of course I'm studying about hip dysplasia and lumbar pathology in most of my spare time. I swear! I'm on the manifest for tomorrow's flight to McMurdo so I hope the next update will be from the ice!