Delta Dawn

"Conjunction Junction, what's your function?" ~~School House Rock

Current Weather:

-16°C|3°F Temperature
-16°C|3°F Wind Chill
Skies: Partly Cloudy
Visibility (miles): Unrestricted Winds (knots): Calm

Delta Bus Driver training, informative and awesome all at the same time. There are three Deltas in the shuttle pool of vehicles that we operate. Delta Dawn, Tina Marie, and Gale. Delta Dawn spawned from 1977, Tina Marie: 1981, my birth year! And Gale: 1987, the baby of the fleet.

Thus far, Delta Dawn is my favorite just because of the name in honor of Tanya Tucker’s first number one hit, “Delta Dawn.”

Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by
And did I hear you say he was a-meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky

She's forty-one and her daddy still calls her "baby"
All the folks around Brownsville say she's crazy
'Cause she walks around town with a suitcase in her hand
Looking for a mysterious dark-haired man

In her younger days they called her Delta Dawn
Prettiest woman you ever laid eyes on
Then a man of low degree stood by her side
And promised her he'd take her for his bride

Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on
Could it be a faded rose from days gone by
And did I hear you say he was a-meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky

Before I flew for Antarctica, I was able to do a little research on the Deltas through Foremost, but now that I’m actually here, I’ve been eye to eye with the beast. They are indeed formidable, yet they purr like a kitten all at the same time.

Delta Dawn sits at 43,500lbs of steel and gadgets. She’s 27ft and 2inches long, 10ft and 2inches wide, and 9ft and 2inches tall. She’s a hefty girl. She can hold 90 some gallons of fluid and her flavor is diesel.

What scared me most about driving the Delta was the articulated steering. I had never driven a vehicle where the cab moved separately from the body. However, I quickly learned that it was my new best friend. Due to the articulated steering, you could almost turn the Delta on a dime, its turning radius in some ways better than the 12 passenger vans we drove. My first day driving them, I was doing figure eights in the Delta. Talk about a good time! You could turn the wheel so far that when you looked in your mirror, it looked as if you were going to jackknife the back of the vehicle because it was so close to your wheels, but it was perfectly fine. I had made the mistake of thinking that it operated as though you were hauling a trailer behind you.

Not at all. 

Myself driving Delta Dawn

The articulated steering allowed the box to move almost separately from the cab. You could stop the Delta, put it into park, take it out of gear, turn the vehicle off, and yet you could still turn the steering wheel to straighten up the box behind you if you wanted to. It wouldn’t affect the front wheels at all. It was pretty amazing.

Another thing that was interesting about the Delta was that you had to shift into higher gears to gain a faster speed, yet it was an automatic. I’ll reveal a little secret. Before I arrived to Antarctica, I had a brief panic that maybe the vehicles were standards. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do since to this day I still don’t know how to drive a manual vehicle. I know, I know. What’s wrong with me? What can I say; I’ve lived a sheltered life. I figured that was something they would have asked during the interview and since they hadn’t, I was probably safe. But I was still nervous since I knew we would be driving vehicles from the 1970’s. But it turned out the Deltas as well as Ivan, are automatic, yet in some ways they acted like a manual. There were four gears, as well as a forward, reverse and neutral. You had to reduce your speed on the accelerator to down shift or up shift so you weren’t grinding gears.

If you made the mistake of attempting a hill in too high of a gear, you could risk stalling the engine. With the Deltas, if the engine stalled, you would lose your breaks. The steering and brakes relied on air pressure delivered by an engine driven hydraulic pump. If we lost air pressure, no brakes. A slightly scary concept considering a few years ago, a Delta turned over onto itself head over heels on this steep hillside near the backside of McMurdo due to losing its air pressure. Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident.

There are limited roads we are allowed to drive the Deltas on due to their sheer size and maneuverability. 

Interactive McMurdo Station Map

In town the speed limits are 10mph or less. Just outside of town, you can pick it up to around 15mph. And if you are out on the Ice or Snow Roads, maximum speed limit is 25mph if conditions allow for it. This usually means you are either in 3rd gear or 4th. Due to the balloon tires the Deltas have, at higher speeds the ride often turns bouncy. As a passenger in the back, this makes for uncomfortable conditions as I found out the other afternoon on what they called the “Delta Sleigh Ride with Bill.” They loaded all us new staff into the back of the Delta and took us out onto the Ice Road toward the Airfield. 

All lined up like ducks in a row in the back of Delta Dawn

The speed limit is 25mph there so Shuttle Bill (Our 72 year old Senior Shuttle Driver) opened Delta Dawn up and let her rip, giving us the full affect. If we hadn’t had our seatbelts on, we would have been on the floor of the box or bouncing so high that our heads would have hit the ceiling. The key concept of the lesson was to drive at a reasonable and safe speed to keep our passengers comfortable. Despite the fact that we all thought the “sleigh ride” was a blast because it felt like we were off roading in a Delta, it was obvious that you could easily get hurt in the back if you were driving at unreasonable speeds and hitting every bump you came across. Plus, it just wasn’t good to be bouncing a 43,500lb vehicle over six feet of sea ice. Not exactly the smartest thing to be doing.

A little comic relief

The First Four Days of Life at McMurdo

"When you live your life with an appreciation of coincidences and their meanings, you connect with the underlying field of infinite possibilities." ~~William James

 

Current Weather:  

-21°C|-6°F Temperature  

-21°C|-6°F Wind Chill
Skies: Overcast
Visibility (miles): Unrestricted
Winds (knots): Calm

It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for four nights, five days and it already feels as if I’ve been here much longer. The transition from stateside to instantaneous winter went smoother than I expected. I had my momentary brief breath taking stab of cold air when I exited the Airbus and from there, I pretty much hit the ground running. Acclimatization occurred in a matter of 24 hours.
 

The last four days have been filled with meetings, lectures, power point presentations, driving lessons, hands on learning, and social interactions. Little down time and it was great.

McMurdo Station was like no other community I had ever been a part of. It was a town and yet it wasn’t a town. It was like a college, but a college for mature, professional adults who enjoyed letting their hair down at the end of a long six day work week. Parties were hosted in style, yet when it came to work, it was some of the most quality, professional work I had ever seen. We lived and worked with limited resources, yet McMurdo was one well oiled machine. I had flown from Alaska to Antarctica and had arrived with not a single glitch. All I had had to do was get on the plane and hand my life over to Raytheon. They took care of the rest. They delivered me safe and sound into the arms of McMurdo.

Friday, the day we arrived from Christchurch, was a day of rest for us. We were briefed on the harsh climate of Antarctica, told to drink LOTS of water, make ourselves eat even if we weren’t hungry, and try to get some rest at a reasonable hour.
 

We were told in no uncertain terms that the weather would kill us if we let it.
 

It was quite the welcome speech.
 

From there, we were turned loose to find our dorm rooms and get our linens for our bed from the laundry room. I discovered that my room was located in Building 155. 155 was one of the biggest buildings on the station and it had been recently painted a vibrant blue. You couldn’t miss it. It was also the same building where the cafeteria, the store, the recreation department, the library, the weight room, and the computer kiosk were located. I soon discovered that it was the building where they put all the 1st season newbies.

Blue Building 155 (My Dorm)

I then met my supervisor Sharona Thompson. It was great to finally put a face to the name. As soon as I shook her hand I knew I was working for a good person, everything about her exuded confidence and genuineness. She made sure I was situated and knew where I needed to go. We agreed to meet the next morning at 7:25am to go to the Shuttles Office where I would be working for the next four months.
 

From there it was time to locate my dorm room and get my boomerang bag from up at the ATO Building (Antarctic Terminal Operations). I had discovered that my checked bags would be coming in on the second flight from Christchurch (the C-17) so I couldn’t get them until around 5:30pm.
 

I knew I would have roommates, but the quantity of roommates was unknown. Some people would have anywhere from three to six. I soon learned that I would be living with three other women. We had a tiny room and since I was the last one to arrive, the other three had already arranged the room, making it so that a bed was in each corner and that was our designated space (home) for the next four months. It was the smallest space I’d lived in other than my car in a while. But thankfully I didn’t have much. I had a twin bed, a decently large wardrobe, a bed stand, and a lamp. It was all I needed.
 

Due to the fact that quite a few people who work here at McMurdo work different schedules such as night shifts, some roommates will be on different schedules. It turned out all four of us would be on varying time shifts. We had one “day sleeper” as they termed it. She worked night shift in the kitchen so she slept from 10am to 6pm and then went to work at 9:00pm and worked until 9:00am. Another worked 10:00am to 9:00pm so I wasn’t going to see much of her, and then the other two of us would be working a 7:30am-5:30pm shift for the time being. Once the season got into full swing, I would be working night shift from time to time as would my other roommate. We would also eventually be working 12hr days so I would have the opportunity to get two days off a week when most people got one.
 

My first night in Antarctica I crashed early. The 4am wake-up, long flight, adjustment to cold, and zero humidity had all caught up to me. I ate dinner in the cafeteria and was soon passed out in my bed by 7:30pm.
 

I woke up feeling as if I was coming down with a cold, but I knew it was because of the lack of humidity in the air. The lymph nodes in my neck felt swollen, that feeling you get when a sore throat is coming on. Antarctica is so dry that every part of your body feels it. They weren’t lying about the need to drink water. Every cell in my body was craving agua. Giving into my thirst, I threw on my cold weather gear, brushed my teeth and made my way to the cafeteria for breakfast.
 

At 7:30am I met a few of my other co-workers in the shuttle department. It turned out our offices were located in the same building our boomerang bags had been in, the Antarctic Terminal Operations Building (ATO). We were informed that we still had at least ten or more people coming in to work shuttles over the next two months. So we weren’t the last to arrive. Eventually there would be a total of 26 shuttle drivers in our department. There were four that had arrived a week before us and they seemed as if they were veteran warriors in the world of shuttles. The rest of my co-workers were termed “Senior” drivers. They had been there for several seasons and could drive all the vehicles, including Ivan the Terrabus. Our ages ranged from 72 to mid-twenties. We were from all over the globe with all different backgrounds. It was amazing to see such a diverse group of people put together as co-workers. We were all different, but it was obvious that we had been chosen carefully and for a reason.
 

The four of us that had just arrived spent the day getting acquainted with the vans and the Airporter. We watched a video on “light vehicle” safety and how to properly check out the vans for a day of service. We were driving Ford Econoline Vans, something I have been driving for years. However, these vans were nothing like I had ever driven. They were equipped for extreme cold weather climates.

 

These vans were four wheel drive and equipped with a specialized mico-brake that worked as the emergency brake. The tires of the van were so gigantic that the van’s bumper was about chest level on me. There was a special step welded to the side of the van to help you get into the vehicle.
 

The Airporters which turned out to be dual wheeled in the back were just as interesting to drive. We soon learned that all “small” passenger vehicles were kept in four wheel drive for better traction on the ice and snow since some of the roads we would drive would soon be nothing but an ice slick as McMurdo warmed up.

We drove around to get a feel for the vehicles and before we knew it, our first day of work was over. The next day, Sunday turned out to be the station wide day off so we had the opportunity to sleep in and get officially settled into life at McMurdo. I spent it hiking around and getting caught up on the Rugby World Cup at the Southern Exposure (One of three bars on station). We were in Antarctica, but even people in Antarctica need to be able to watch the Rugby World Cup play offs.
 

I had had one day of work in Antarctica and I knew without a doubt that I'd made the right decision. It was indeed a life changing experience. It had already changed my life in just two days. There was a lot to learn when it came to operating the radios and learning all the dispatch lingo, but it was going to be awesome. I was driving these gigantic badass vehicles in harsh climates, shuttling people such as scientists and researchers all over the station. It was all in the name of science. Could it get any better? So many people were asking how I was getting adjusted and what I thought. Did I have any second thoughts?
 

No. 

 

I haven’t had a single second thought. They looked at me a little surprised. Well, give yourself a week, they said. It takes about a week for your body and mind to really realize what you’ve gotten yourself into. I just smiled. I knew what I had gotten myself into. I was exactly where I wanted to be. It was all in the way you looked at things.

To the naked, inexperienced eye, McMurdo looked like a dirty little mining town. My world was devoid of all colors on the outside except for white and red really. There were no trees, no birds, no sounds other than machinery and the rumble of voices. Inside the buildings, it was easy to forget you were in Antarctica until you stepped foot outside and got blasted in the face with a stiff -46 degree breeze. You were quickly brought back to reality.
 

And that was what I liked about it. I was brought back to life and put into survival mode every time I went outside. You could get frost bite in seconds on the right kind of day. Your eyelashes would freeze together in a matter of minutes. My skin stung from the cold. We were driving gigantic vehicles out onto sea ice that was constantly shifting and creaking with the tides. My life had turned into something where it took twenty minutes to get dressed just to go outside. Maybe a total of five inches of your face showed from time to time. Eyes were often hidden behind reflective glacier glasses or ski goggles, hair hidden beneath a beanie. You quickly learned to recognize people by the way they walked rather than their faces.

You learned to adapt to a unique environment because you had to do so in order to survive.  

 

Five days have passed. I still feel the same as I felt the first moment I stepped out of that plane on Friday. I’m here for the adventure and the adventure has officially begun. It’s now time to live it.
 

Yesterday another C-17 and Airbus landed with new arrivals. This morning we had four new co-workers, looking as wide eyed as I’m sure we looked on our first day of work just three days ago. We were standing outside of the office doing our morning stretch routine and one of the new men turned to me and said, “You just look so seasoned. Like you’ve been doing this forever.”

I took that as a compliment.

Leg Three of the Journey: Christchurch, New Zealand

"Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost." ~~J.R. R. Tolkien

Kiwis. Flowers. Birds. The chirp and smell of spring time. Rugby. The 2011 Rugby World Cup in fact. All of these things equated New Zealand. I had made it!

As it turned out, Qantas didn’t strike and we landed safely in New Zealand yesterday morning in Auckland. It felt amazing to walk off of the plane after a 12 and 1/2hr flight as we made our way towards customs and then to the Jet Star terminal where we had to transfer our bags for the Christchurch flight.

On the flight to Auckland from L.A. we were served dinner, breakfast and had at our disposal a variety of movies or TV. Within ten minutes of the first movie I attempted to watch, I was sound asleep, as comfortable as I could get in a tight space against the window. I woke up about three hours before we were supposed to land in Auckland, just in time for breakfast.

In Auckland we went thru Customs which was relatively painless believe it or not. I was given a twelve month visa and sent on my way.

Two hours later we were back on a plane headed for Christchurch. We landed in Christchurch around 1:30pm, were greeted by the U.S. Antarctic Program, shuttled to our hotel and the rest of the day we had to ourselves.

There were three things on the immediate list after getting my hotel room: 1) Shower, 2) Food 3) Exploration time.

Due to the fact that I didn’t have access to a car or the time to get access to a car, I settled for walking to what I could get to. For one, the first thing that I realized was that we were in a city in New Zealand, but Christchurch could have easily been mistaken for a city in the United States. The only exception was that fashion seemed to be a bit off the wall and everyone had a Kiwi accent. Otherwise, there were Subways, Borders, Starbucks, and a Kmart.

This all was a little sad to see. I wanted to be removed from anything and everything remotely American. I wasn’t here to eat a Subway sandwich or drink a latte; I wanted to see New Zealand. What saved me was that I knew that when I returned from the ice I would have the opportunity to get out of the city and see the real New Zealand. I had full intentions of getting to the mountains and the land of Lord of the Rings. I knew Gollum was waiting for me somewhere out there.

The hidden gem I did find that captured my attention for the two afternoons I had to wander around Christchurch was Hagley Park and the Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Gardens was comprised of acres of unique trees and a variety of plants and shrubs that were in full bloom. Birds fluttered from the trees, mallard ducks with their ducklings swam in the small stream that meandered through the park. In the background were the shouts of a pick-me up game of tag rugby. It was surreal to suddenly be thrust into the world of spring when I had just left fall in Alaska.

All I wanted to do was soak up the smells and vibrant colors. I knew my world would become suddenly very white, filled with the smells of petrol and diesel, although amazing in its own way. 

The actual city center of Christchurch was closed off to the public due to all the damage from the earthquakes. We were able to walk within a few blocks of some of the damage and were able to witness some demolition and what little repairs they’ve been able to do that were going on. Walking by historic old brick buildings that were in ruins was in some ways heartbreaking. I had no way of knowing what the city had been like before. Businesses were just gone. Buildings blocked off, streets closed to the public, yet looking into the windows revealed that everything within still remained as it had become after the earthquakes. People had just left. But where had they gone?

We had the opportunity to stumble across a Rugby festival in honor of the Rugby World Cup that was supposed to have been held in Christchurch, but due to the earthquakes had been relocated to Auckland and elsewhere. I had played rugby in college for three years so it was awesome to wander around and watch men and women play against one another in skirmishes while listening to live music. It made me slightly nostalgic for the wild rugby days of college.

The All Blacks Rugby Festival

Today my hotel group met at the U.S. Antarctic Program headquarters that was near the airport, the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center). It was here that we would get issued all our ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) gear. We had a short briefing on how to check over all the gear, pack the bags properly and label everything appropriately.

It was finally feeling very real as I pulled out my “big red” (the big, red puffy National Science Foundation parka that we’re given) from one of the gear bags they had issued me. I had my very own name tag on my jacket. I was an official participant of the NSF. I felt nervous as I tried it on to see how it would fit. It was a lot heavier than I expected. I felt as if I were lugging around twenty pounds of insulation. 

AKA: "Big Red"

Packing and gearing up

An example of all the ECW gear we are issued.

The key thing when trying on all your gear is that you want to make sure that it’s not too big, yet not too confining since you will be wearing a million layers. As it turned out, I ended up exchanging a lot of my gear for smaller sizes. It’s always tough when you’re short and you’re wearing men’s clothes. They’re either too long or too wide. But finally, I was outfitted and everything seemed to fit pretty well.

My final ECW Gear List Consisted of the following:

Big Red

Carhartt Hooded Insulated Jacket

Carhartt Insulated Bibs

2 pair socks

1 set of expedition weight long underwear

1 set of polypropylene long underwear

1 fleece jacket

2 pairs insulated leather gloves

2 pairs glove liners

1 pair of insulated leather mittens

1 fleece hat

1 balaclava

1 neck gaiter

1 pair of the blue FDX (Frankenstein) boots

1 pair of insoles

2 pairs of insulated bootie slippers that are supposed to be worn with the FDX boots

1 Smith Snow Goggles

It was then time to pack my boomerang bag, my carry-on, my checked bags, and what gear I was going to leave behind in Christchurch to wait for my return from the ice. I had decided to leave behind a small backpacking stove, a lightweight sleeping bag, and a set of lightweight clothing for warmer climates. The boomerang bag was to be filled with pj’s, a spare set of clothes, toiletries and whatever other small items we might need in case the flight was turned around and sent back to Christchurch due to bad weather. If we were required to return to Christchurch, we would only be given our boomerang bag until we flew again for the ice.

We were allowed a total of 150lbs for the flight to the ice. Our carry-on bag was not included in this weight so this was where we could add on a few extras. These extras often included such things as: fresh avocados, fruit, chocolate, coffee, teas, snacks, liquor. We could add whatever we wanted as long as the bag fit into the appropriate carry-on bag specifications that the military had set for us.

While at the CDC we also learned what time we would be flying for the ice and what aircraft we would be on. Some of us would be on the C-17 while some of us would be on a military Airbus. I had kept my fingers crossed for the C-17 because that was where the true Antarctic fly-in experience was, but I was on the list for the military Airbus. Either way, it was going to be an experience. We were flying into McMurdo on a giant military plane that had skis on it for landing on the ice.

I would be checking in for my flight at 05:00am on Friday (tomorrow), expected to be in the air by 07:00am. That meant we had to be awake at 04:00am to get picked up by our shuttle at 04:30am. When we stepped onto that plane we were required to be wearing the following: our cold weather boots, insulated bibs, long underwear, Big Red, fleece hat, neck gaiter, and have accessible our goggles, balaclava, and gloves.

Once we boarded that plane, we would blend together as one. Identities virtually lost in the vastness of our red puffy parkas, our names the only give-away as to who we were behind that fur lined hood.

The experience that would be ever life changing was about to commence. I was going to board that flight as one person, and I was going to return a very different person in four months.

I was eagerly waiting to see who that person was that would re-deploy in late February, 2012.

Leg One and Two of the Journey South

“Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.”~~Erich Fromm

The last two days have been a whirlwind, but a good whirlwind. There’s been a lot of sitting, a lot of listening, a lot of meet and greet. But all the questions that have been running rampant in my mind for the past few months have finally been answered for the most part.

Saturday’s Orientation consisted of learning what you can and cannot do on the USAP’s (United States Antarctica Program) intranet network at McMurdo. You were told that anything and everything that was sent thru the USAP network became the property of the USAP while you were down there. Personal emails, blogs, anything that you posted within a social network could easily be followed or tracked if they felt there was a need to. While you were in Antarctica you were representing the USAP and therefore had to maintain a professional face to the outside world. We were required to take a class and then pass a test in order to qualify and be allowed to connect our laptops to the network down there.

I passed with flying colors!

We then met with finance and human resources and learned how to do our Labor Allocation Sheets (basically our time sheets so we could get a paycheck) as well as document any expenses that we could get reimbursed for. We were briefed on what options we had for medical and dental benefits. We were given our travel funds that would get us thru to New Zealand and then at the end of the day we were handed our travel documents and given a rather extensive presentation on exactly how we were going to get to McMurdo.

Our bags would be checked from Denver all the way to Auckland, NZ where we would have to pick them up and go thru Customs with them and then board a domestic flight to Christchurch. In Auckland we would also have to exchange all our travel funds to whatever the New Zealand currency was.

Once we flew to Christchurch, we would be taken to our hotel and have the rest of the day to ourselves. The next morning we were required to go to the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center) at the USAP Complex on our designated outfitting time to get fitted for our extreme cold weather gear. It was there that our expected departure time to the ice would be revealed to us.

Oh, the suspense!

The day we would officially fly to McMurdo we were supposed to arrive to the station around mid-afternoon sometime on the 14th. If the weather was good, we would land with no problem. If the weather was bad (and for the last few days it has been too cold and stormy for them to land) we would then do what was called “boomerang” and turn around and fly right back to Christchurch and wait the storm out. In Christchurch we would then be on call, waiting in suspense for them to say it was clear to try to fly again to McMurdo. If we made it to McMurdo, we would have a brief orientation there, get our housing arrangements and roommates, and then we would have the rest of the day to ourselves.

We were told to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and get plenty of rest since we would be going thru multiple time zones as well as the International Date Line. By crossing the International Date Line, we would be losing a day. We would be flying on October 10th, but we would be landing in New Zealand on October 12th. October 11th would be gone.

October 11, 2011 would not exist for me.

Today’s orientation consisted of a presentation on environmental and safety concerns/hazards, serenaded by none other than the awesome 80’s one hit wonder, The Safety Dance by Men Without Hats:

And say

We can dance, we can dance
Everything's out of control
We can dance, we can dance
We're doing it from pole to pole

We can dance, we can dance
Everybody look at your hands
We can dance, we can dance
Everybody's taking the chance

its a Safety dance
Oh well its safe to dance
Yes it safe to dance

With our presentation over, we then boarded the complimentary shuttle and were trucked off to the Denver airport to board a flight to L.A.

And that is where you can currently find me. I am sitting here in L.A. on a six hour layover. We are supposed to board our flight to New Zealand at 11:59pm and off we go for the third leg of the journey.

I have to laugh a little bit as I reflect on all of this. There has been absolutely nothing about this journey that has gone normally or “easy,” by any means. I had thought for a brief moment that once I got into the hands of Raytheon and orientation got rolling, it would be a smooth ride from here on out.

Not exactly.

We had just gotten onto our shuttle to go to the airport when the woman who gave us all our travel documents yesterday boarded the shuttle with one last announcement.

An earthquake rating around 5.0 on the Richter scale had hit Christchurch last night and had done a bit of damage so the city was a little shook up. This was a pretty major concern for us because in February New Zealand had been hit with a massive earthquake (6.3) that had pretty much devastated downtown Christchurch. The damage was so bad that the city center was still closed to all public even now in October. Since then, the area has been hit with several pretty large tremors/aftershocks all summer long.

I have never been to Christchurch, but I was told that the economy has been hard hit due to the damage that occurred. Hotels are very expensive and far and few between. A lot of the buildings that have survived the quakes are slowly settling and crumbling apart and are not safe to be near. They’re upright, but many are leaning precariously toward other buildings or even collapsing with little notice.

We were told to be prepared for the possibility that we may be evacuated out of there if another earthquake occurred of such magnitude. It was advised to not necessarily walk around the city, but if we did, we were to take a backpack of spare clothes, money and other basic necessities in case we found ourselves stuck somewhere if another quake happened.

If that weren’t enough to think about, we were also told that Qantas Air had gone on strike last night. Qantas was the airline we were supposed to fly with out of L.A. to New Zealand. What that meant was that we might not fly or if we were able to get on another flight, our bags may not follow us until a few days later since they would be checked in Denver to Auckland.

With those promising words, we were wished a safe and successful journey and shipped out of there to the airport.

There is truth behind the words; flexibility is a key to success.

There are just some things that are out of our hands. You can’t get frustrated. All you can do is listen, nod, and move onto plan B. If we didn’t fly, we’d be put up in a hotel. I’ll admit, I wanted to be on my way to New Zealand and Antarctica more than anything, but I knew I’d get there when I got there. If my flight was cancelled, there was a reason I wasn’t supposed to go right away.

My time would come.

Until then I would settle for acquainting myself with the numerous people that were going to be a part of my experience at McMurdo.

I’ve only been here for two days and I already have a good feeling about things. Granted, we are still very much in the honey moon phase. Being an outdoor educator I am all too aware of the stages of group development. I know that there will come a time when our friendly, uncertain pretenses will fall away and we will see the true colors of ourselves presented to one another. This is not a bad thing. It’s simply that right now we are all consumed with this new experience and are eager to put our best foot forward.

That being said, I know that I am surrounded by unique, amazing people. My orientation group consisted of around 30 individuals that were coming from all walks of life across the globe. I found myself surrounded by 20 year veterans of the ice as well as people who were just as wide eyed as me.

The common theme behind every conversation consisted of three questions. 1) Where are/did you come from? 2) What will you be doing on the Ice? 3) How long have you been going down to the Ice?

When the response to the last question was 15-20 consecutive seasons, I found myself wanting to bow my head to these seasoned, wise veterans. They’d been going to Antarctica for decades, yet they were still there taking part in orientation and they were full of energy and enthusiasm. Just one look at them and you could see the quiet wisdom they exuded. I could only imagine the things they had experienced and seen. And they were all eager to take us young pups under their wings and show us the ropes.

I felt as though I were in good hands. Ages within the group ranged from mid-60’s to early 20’s. There were women and men that had just gone thru their second retirement and then made the decision to go to work in Antarctica “just because.” I met people who had been going down there for years and it was clearly obvious that they were people who were good at what they did, yet they had no need to boast of their accomplishments. It was obvious that it was more than just a job; it was a way of life for them.

It was inspiring.

Operation Antarctica Has Commenced

“At the edge of the cliffs, the wind is a smack, and D-day becomes wildly clear: climbing that cutting edge into the bullets.” ~~John Vinocur

Well here I sit, in the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport waiting to board my first flight that will start it all.

I’ve been here since 4:30am. I should be curled up on a bench somewhere getting a little shut eye while I can. The thing is; I can’t.

The hamster has been released from his cage and is doing cartwheels in my head. He’s been doing them since yesterday afternoon. I treated myself to another hotel room last night with the hopes of relaxing before today. Those plans fell through since I wasn’t dropped off at my hotel until about 11:00pm and I was going to have to be awake at 3:15am to catch my ride to the airport. I didn’t lie down to “attempt” to sleep until about 1:00am. Even then, it was a fitful sleep. I considered pulling an all nighter, but I wanted my wits about me for when I arrive in Denver and get all my information for orientation. So after a few tosses and turns I made myself try to sleep.

My attempts were thwarted by the resident homeless crowd out in the street whooping it up on a Friday night. They hooted and hollered until about 2:30 in the morning.

I wanted to go out and shout, “Hey! I’m trying to sleep here! Somebody’s gotta fly to Antarctica tomorrow!”

But what would they care? And besides, I wasn’t really flying to Antarctica until the 14th, despite the fact that it felt like tomorrow was the day. D-Day.

There’s currently a myriad of thoughts floating thru this insanely overactive brain of mine.

Yesterday I did the final packing of what little I’m bringing. We’re allowed two large duffle bags weighing up to 70lbs for international flights. When I get to New Zealand I’ll be given about an additional 10lbs of cold weather gear. We’re allowed 150lbs of “checked” baggage for the flight to McMurdo. Each duffle weighs about 22 lbs, giving me a total of 44 lbs of gear. Guess I went for the light weight initiative without even realizing it. I’m currently wondering if I packed too little.

(My gear for the next six months of my life (Currently a little less b/c I left a few things behind.))

It’s been a while since my life consisted of a couple of duffle bags. It’s kind of a nice feeling; getting back to simplicity. After all, it was the novelty of being able to live off of what little you carried on your back that got me hooked on this adventure life style anyways. You could survive off of nothing basically. You learned to be frugal and creative. And here I am, still living it.

Everything else I own (which isn’t really much in the scheme of things) is packed away and stored inside my trusty little home on wheels, aka: Minnie Mouse and parked in the back yard of the kayak shop. My cell phone is turned off and stored in the shop in Seward, the service suspended until I return. It was easy to leave the cell phone behind without a second glance. I love the freedom of not being easily reached.

Leaving Minnie Mouse, however, was a different story. It was hard to walk away from her. She’s been my home pretty much for the last seven years and has been a part of about every major trip I’ve ever gone on. We’ve seen so much country together. She has gotten me up and down the East Coast on numerous road trips. She’s brought me back and forth from the East side to the west side (again, on too many cross country journeys) and up and down the ALCAN (Alaskan Canadian Highway) two and a half times. All trips executed safely with no mechanical upheavals. She’s also made the nautical journey from Juneau, AK to Bellingham, WA via a ferry on the Alaska Marine Highway. In summary, she’s a well traveled/cultured vehicle.

(Boredom that can occur when you've gone on too many road trips by yourself!)

(A short clip taken along the ALCAN in January of 2010

  
She’s sat for a few months here and there when I would be in the field for months at a time, but six months sitting unattended by anyone was going to be a long time. I feared what I would find when I returned in April. Not so much vandalism, but more what I’d find under the hood after six months of idleness. I was afraid Minnie Mouse might revolt and crumble apart on me for leaving her behind. My friend Zack helped me unattach the battery before I locked her up. I felt like I had just flipped the switch on her life support as I set the battery on the floor of the driver’s side. She seemed naked without her juice.

I stood in front of her for a moment before I walked away. Was this what a neglectful parent felt like, a subconscious filled with silent guilt?

“Sorry old girl, but this is a trip you can’t tag along on,” I wanted to say, but how foolish would it be to get caught talking to a car.

Well, maybe not too foolish, but Minnie Mouse and I had an understanding. I think she knew how I felt as I gave her one last pat on the hood and finally walked away.

I have absolutely no idea what to expect when I arrive in Antarctica. You can read and read and talk and talk to as many people as possible, but you’re not really prepared for something until you’ve arrived and seen it for yourself. It’s that way with any journey. If it were a journey to somewhere in the United States, I wouldn’t be sitting here with a fluttering heart. There are still many places I have yet to visit for the first time in this country, but I’m relatively familiar with how this land operates.

I have a confession to make: flying to Antarctica is going to be my first time flying international. I’ve flown to Mexico, but I don’t feel that counts considering our borders touch.

This, this is the maiden voyage. And I’m going all the way to the bottom of the world. Why not, right?

May as well go all the way if you’re going to go any at all.

As I sit here contemplating this, I’ve realized that I’ve kind of faced my whole life with this motto. There are several key “life changing” opportunities I’ve been given that have been executed in this same manner.

Ten years ago, at the tender young age of 20, I made the decision to fly to Baja California to embark on an 80 day NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) semester course. I was a sophomore in college. I had never flown before, I’d never left the country, and I’d never been that far away from my family without a means to communicate before. I was going to be wandering the remote wilderness, land and ocean of Baja Sur for 80 days. That very trip is why I am here today about to head to Antarctica. Day one in Mexico with a backpack on my back, I was hooked for the rest of my life on adventure. My parents probably still rue the day I made the decision to fly to Baja and go on a wilderness semester to get college credit.

I remember calling my mother up one day when I was in college and told her that I was thinking of signing up for this semester course in Mexico.

“Oh, yeah?” she asked. “How are you going to get there?”

“I’ll figure it out somehow,” was my response. And I did. I worked and I saved and I took out a loan for the rest of the tuition and I got myself to Baja California.

A year later, I called my mom up and said, “Hey, I think I’m going to go to Colorado to work for the summer doing trail work.”

“Oh, yeah? How are you going to get there?”

“A one way greyhound bus ticket is $80. I have $80 in the bank. I’m going to buy a ticket.”

I bought a ticket and traveled for two days from Binghamton, NY to Steamboat Springs, CO via greyhound bus and worked that summer all over Colorado and Utah with the Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. It was my first job in the outdoor industry and my first job in the conservation sector that spurred a five year commitment to conservation and backcountry trail building.

Four years later, it was a NOLS Instructor Course in the southwest. Two years after that it was Alaska.

Today it’s Antarctica.

Here I am, about to embark on a journey that tops anything I’ve ever done. I’ve realized that I’ve topped myself and I have absolutely no idea what to expect. When I drove the ALCAN for the first time, I classified that journey as expedition road tripping because it was like no other road trip you will go on in North America most likely. How to classify a journey to Antarctica? I don’t even know. I’ve stumped myself and that’s not always an easy thing to do.

Nearly ten years from my first grand adventure and I’m still adventuring. I turned thirty years old this spring, but the spark for the unknown is still very much alive as it was when I was twenty.

This spring as I drove back up the ALCAN to Alaska I made a vow to myself. I decided that something “epic” would occur every year for the rest of my life. What that was, was all in the eye of the beholder. It could be a journey to Antarctica. It could be paddling the Inside Passage for 90 days. It could be getting married. It could be having a child. It could be anything you wanted it to be as long as you did it.

I made it a goal of mine to go to Antarctica and I achieved that goal. By no means is it an easy thing to achieve and I am beyond humbled to have this opportunity. But it proves that if you want something, you just gotta go for it. It might not be straightforward in the beginning, but will it mean as much to you if it’s easily achieved? What’s there to challenge you? What’s there to keep the drive going? We all have to start somewhere. So next time you find yourself saying, “I can’t do that for ‘X’ number of reasons.” Stop and catch yourself. The answer you’re actually looking for, is, “Yes, I can do this.”

Because you can.

Delta Bus Specs

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” ~~Mark Jenkins

So a lot of friends and family as well as acquaintances have asked what I’ll be doing at the bottom of the world. I thought I’d go ahead and dedicate a post to the where/how/what behind the drive to go to Antarctica. Some of the following information will be taken from other sources; however, I’ll do my best to keep it to a “Fran original.”

Thanks for reading!

The Wikipedia Definition: Antarctica—(ant·arc·ti·ca /antˈärktikə/): is Earth's southernmost continent, encapsulating the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 5.4 million sq mi, it is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. For comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia.

The definition that I like to refer to: Antarctica is the highest, driest, coldest, windiest, and emptiest place on Earth.

Brrr…sends a chill down my spine. A chill of excitement and anticipation that is!

Antarctica Facts:

• An ice sheet covers approximately 98% of Antarctica.
• At its thickest point the ice sheet is nearly 3 miles deep.
• This ice is approximately 90% of all the world's ice (by volume) and is 70% of all the world’s fresh water.
• There are many penguins and abundant sea life along the coast – but there is little life on the continent, and there are no indigenous people.

And just to set the record straight. THERE ARE NO POLAR BEARS ON ANTARCTICA!! Antarctica is as my geologist friends Justin and Reid say, “The land of no bears.”

Antarctic Temperatures:  

• During the austral summer, temperatures at McMurdo Station may reach as high as a balmy 50°F, while at South Pole Station; the summer temperature may reach minus -0.4°F. 

• Palmer Station has a milder climate, with summer temperatures reaching as high as 55°F.

The myth behind the abundance of and or lack thereof of light:

• Much of the area above 66.5 degrees South enjoys one long day and one long night each year – with weeks of sunrise and sunset in between.  
• There are spectacular displays of aurora australis (southern lights) during the winter darkness.

Who Owns Antarctica:

• No nation owns Antarctica. The Antarctic Treaty, which has been signed by 48 countries, reserves the area south of 60 degrees South as a zone for the peaceful conduct of research.

The Size of Antarctica:

• The continent is roughly 5.4 million sq. mi.  
• The United States is smaller at 3.6 million sq. mi.
• The area of sea ice around Antarctica varies from 1 million sq. mi. in summer to 7.7 million sq. mi. in winter.
• The distance from Washington, D.C., to McMurdo Station is approximately 9,920 mi.

From Alaska to Antarctica (The Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle) the distance would approximately be 12,416 miles as the crow flies.

Barrow, AK is one of the northern most cities in the world (It is the northernmost city in the United States) and sits within the range of the Arctic Circle. It is located 320 miles north of the edge of the Arctic Circle and sits roughly 1,300 miles south of the North Pole. Barrow is located 725 air miles from Anchorage. Seward is located 127 miles from Anchorage. I am currently living approximately 852 miles from Barrow, and thus the edge of the Arctic Circle.

McMurdo is 850 nautical miles from the South Pole station.

This is a rough estimate, but I will be traveling roughly 9,414 miles as the crow flies to Antarctica (McMurdo).

Science in Antarctica:

• Antarctica provides excellent conditions for scientific research on such topics as global climate change, ozone changes, UV radiation, earth sciences, glaciology, astronomy, oceanic and atmospheric circulation, marine ecosystems, meteorite studies and biology, among others.

A Brief History (More to come later):

• The existence of Antarctica was only a hypothesis until it was first sighted in 1820-21.  
• No one set foot on the continent until 1895.
• The South Pole was first reached in 1911 and a year-round research station was established in 1956.

Where I will be:

• McMurdo Station!

What my job is:

• Vehicle Operator.
•  I will be located in Terminal Operations based at Building 140, the Movement Control Center (MCC)

The Chain of Command within this department:

• Airfield Terminal Operations Manager has authority over all cargo and passenger movement logistics at McMurdo Station  
• Movement Control Center Supervisor – has authority over all cargo logistics at McMurdo Station
• Supervisor of Vehicle Operations – has authority over all passenger movement at McMurdo station and is acting supervisor of all Vehicle Operators
• Vehicle Operator Senior – has authority to train and supervise Vehicle Operators
• Vehicle Operator (ME—at the bottom of the Totem Pole) – has authority to operate vehicles

My Role:

• I’ll work as an Airfield Taxi.  
• Passenger Taxi.
• Drive to do what they call “pick up’s” and “take to's” for the C-17 transports.
• Pick up’s and take to's for the Kiwi LC-130, SAF (South Africa Air), and Airbus flights.
• Will operate Dispatch.
• Will run the Airfield Shuttle.
• Running Taxi-1 or Taxi-2.
• Will work Courier Service.
• May get the opportunity to do Happy Camper Pickups.
• Night Shift

What I’ll be driving:  

• 12 Passenger Vans  
• Old Navy Delta 2 Buses 

Information on the Delta Buses:

• Maximum Payload: 20,000 lb
• Tare: 24,000 lbs
• GVW: 44,000 lbs
• Maximum Speed: 23.7 mph
• Power @ 2400 rpm: 200 HP
• Ground Pressure: 18 PSI
• Fording Depth: 4' 6"
• Turning Radius 29ft
• Length: 32' 5"
• Width: 10' 8.5"
• Height: 10' 6"

General Description of the Delta:

• The Delta 2 is a two axle, all wheel drive, terra-tired transporter.  
• Utilizing proven power train components and heavy duty center frame steering, this high floatation vehicle provides economic transportation of payloads up to 10 tons in marginal terrain conditions.
• The Delta 2 provides superior "off road" mobility and it can be readily adapted for all chassis mounted equipment.
• It is the ideal mover for logistical support of remote drilling operations, pipeline construction or other specialized projects in problem terrain.

Engine Specs (For you nerds out there):

• Cat 3116 DIT, 200 HP (149 kW) @ 2400 RPM c/w full range governor and electric shut down.

Transmission Specs:

• Clark HR 28420 and Clark converter.
• Full power shift with bi-directional PTO.
• Direct drive hydraulic steering pump.   

Steering Specs:

• Articulated frame for steering, with self-aligning bushings.  
• Steering wheel controlled.

Brakes Specs:

• Parking: Internal transmission brake  
• Service: Totally enclosed wet disc brakes, hydraulic applied on all wheels.

Tires and Wheels Specs:

• Goodyear Super Terra Grip, 66 X 43.00 X 25-10 PR, tubeless.  
• Disc type wheels.  
• Optional 16 ply tundra grip tires.

Differential Specs:

• Rockwell SPRC671 planetary drive.  
• Metal face seals on planet hubs.
• C/W standard spiders and wet disc brakes.

Suspension Specs:

• Front suspension consists of semi-elliptical, multi-leaf springs, full floating and stabilized by torque arms.  
• Rigidly mounted rear axle.

Cab Specs:

• 4 man, cab-forward design with heavy steel exterior, fully insulated and lined.  
• Heavy duty two speed windshield wipers.
• Bostrom Viking T-Bar driver's seat.
• Escape hatch.  
• Full intrumentation: engine water temperature and engine oil pressure gauges, voltmeter, transmission oil temperature and transmission oil pressure gauges, tachometer/hourmeter speedometer/odometer, air pressure gauge and fuel gauge.

Frame Specs:

• Heat treated, high strength alloy steel channel rails.  
• Frame articulated joint with self-aligning ball bushings.
• Bolted construction.

Electrical Specs:

• Two batteries, Delco 1151 (580 CCA).  
• Heavy duty wiring for all-weather operation.
• Alternator is 100 amp, 12 volt.

Air Cleaner Specs:

• Heavy duty dry type, with replaceable element.

Gradeability Specs:

• Side 30% Max. Forward 50% Max

Fuel Capacity Specs:

• Two fuel tanks with a total capacity of 132 U.S. gallons (500 litres).

That is the nitty gritty to it all. There is one thing to keep in mind when referring to all these specs. These are the specs from the 2011 most recent Foremost Model Delta 2.

Foremost Delta 2

What I will be driving is actually a Foremost Delta version from the 1970’s. I have a feeling these vehicles won’t be exactly to what I have just described. But it will give you an idea.

Wish me luck!