Thanksgiving and The South Pole

A few of us went for a ski today. The original plan was to ski the roughly 9-11 miles (depending on who you talk to) from Cape Evans (dropped off by a vehicle) back to McMurdo. But the sea ice is softening as the weather starts to warm so the last few miles to Cape Evans had to be nixed. We had a great skate ski on an absolutely stellar day after feasting on a huge Thanksgiving meal prepared by the very hardworking kitchen staff. I can't lie. We feast here pretty much every day. The chefs are amazing. Some of them work at wineries or bed and breakfasts back home. So they don't mess around. It's quite lovely really. We gorged and some of our New Zealand friends came over to join us. For some of them it was their first Thanksgiving meal and they were intrigued and very much enjoyed the festivities. While skiing off some calories we eventually came upon some penguin tracks. And then the penguins found us. Last time I saw Emperor penguins. This time there were about 14 Adelie penguins. They are much smaller and act a lot like little kids. They dart around and fall forward and are hilarious to watch. The Emperors were much more stoic and in control of their emotions.

These curious little guys came right up to check us out. They were not quite sure who these big red giants were on their skis.

It felt a lot like watching little kids at a playground. There were some that were very disciplined and some who liked to push the limits. But pushing what set of rules I can't say. They have a lot of freedom to roam and some beautiful terrain to cover.

These are seals. Even though they look like rocks. They don't do a whole lot except sun and warm up when above the ice. Below the ice is apparently where they do all their work. Once they are fed they go back topside. I need to take a lesson on how to relax from these masters.

The pressure ridges over by Scott Base are fun to walk around. They are where the sea ice meets the Ross Ice Shelf (or where the "fast" ice meets the "slow" ice). Huge crevasse-like ridges form creating dramatic features where there will soon be open water. In fact the melt pool below shows where the sea ice is becoming more like the sea and less like the ice.

Apparently in a few months this will be open water and there is the possibility of seeing whales in these waters. If we get lucky. Some years people spot them and I'm hoping this is one of those years.

I was lucky last week to get to go to the South Pole station to treat some people up there. "Up there" rather than "down there" because it's an elevation gain of about 10,000 feet (depending on the barometric pressure). The flight to the Pole is quite dramatic. Over the Transantarctic Mountains, above the Beardmore glacier and over the polar plateau to 90 degrees South latitude. The polar plateau is quite stunning and is really an endless plateau. In fact, it feels alot like being on the ocean. An ice ocean.

The temperatures were cold on an entirely new level at the Pole. The station used to be housed as individual buildings in a Dome to protect it from the wind. This Dome is being taken down this year (parts of it are going to a museum). The new station replaced it in 2005 and it is very nice. The gym and workout facilities are particularly popular. It is wonderful to have a getaway like this gym when the temperature outside isn't so pleasant for exercise. At least at McMurdo there are some hikes and outdoor running/skiing available. Not so much at the Pole. At the Pole it's skiing or walking for a short period of time followed by a hot, albeit short (2 min), shower.

The folks at the Pole work very hard in cold conditions. I was happy to help them as much as I could with their musculoskeletal ailments. They were great hosts (especially the station manager). I got to see the old Dome, tour some of the famous research projects (AMANDA, Ice Cube project) and see the underground ice tunnels that carry the water and sewage pipes.

There is an area a few minute walk from the station called Summer Camp. It has not so much a summer feel to it as a deep Antarctic cold feel but it is where a lot of the workers live in Jamesways. Basically the Pole is above its capacity to house all the folks. Some people are on their way to AGAP (Antarctica Gamburtsev Province Project) in Eastern Antarctica and are just acclimatizing.

The geographic pole moves about 30 feet per year since it is on a moving ice sheet. This is where Amundsen (Norweigan) and his men first planted their flag. They made it safely home. Scott and his men (British) followed about 5 weeks later only to find the Norweigan flag already there. They ran out of food on their way home and succumbed to the cold.

The station was very warm and clean. The lack of humidity was very evident though. I drank 4 Nalgene bottles of water every day and still felt quite thirsty.

I had some good runs in the gym. There were some crazy hard core runners able to run some long distances on these treadmills. I guess you might get used to it. They were rocking out to a Talking Heads documentary. And by rocking out I mean ROCKING OUT!

Here is a shot of the old Dome. It's slowly getting covered by the drifting snow. It will be emptied out and taken down in the next months.

The ceremonial South Pole. All the Antarctic treaty nations are represented. Behind me is the station and in front of me is endless white.

The South Pole station is nice because whether you are in the actual station or out in the Jamesways you get your own room. Your own space is so nice in this community environment.

The polar plateau. Can you imagine skiing across that with dog sleds or man-hauling? I'm glad I was flying although my inner ear didn't favor it so much.

The LC-130 being unloaded. I got here at 4:30 am. It was a rough start to the day. But luckily they gave me that first day to sleep and acclimatize.

The TransAntartic mountains were gorgeous. No sooner had I gotten up to see them and the upcoming Beardmore Glacier than my fierce motion sickness kicked in. Let's just say the crew of the New York State National Guard had some cleaning up to do after taking me to the Pole. All in the first 15 minutes of the flight. It's always been a problem for me. Reading in the car, skiing moguls in cloudy conditions, anything with "boat" in its description. I should have stayed in my seat but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to take in the view. Next time I'll tell them I have to sit in the cockpit to see the horizon. By the way, I've always wondered, when someone is getting motion sick, why is there a tendancy to tell that person about the last time you got sick? I know it's an attempt at empathy. But I don't want to be told about the milkshake that didn't sit well, the Alaskan fishing trip that went awry or the daughter-in-law with such bad morning sickness she couldn't even eat a Saltine. Not while I'm still in the throes of a vestibular system that doesn't work. It won't end well for anyone.

Sometimes in life you have to put the camera down and just look with your naked eye.