From New Zealand to Antarctica

The departure schedule for Tuesday was exactly the same as the day before, only this time around, there were no delays and the shuttle was waiting just outside the hotel at 5:15 a.m. I arrived at CDC by 6 a.m. and began gathering my luggage and changing into my ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) gear.

Me with my boarding pass...you can't really tell from the photo, but I am relatively terrified, though I do look a little pale already!
They key to wearing ECW gear, I was told, is layers: I put on my undies and a bra, long-underwear pants, a tank-top, a long underwear long-sleeved shirt, a t-shirt, a heavy-weight long-underwear long sleeved shirt, my thin smart-wool socks, my thick USAP (United States Antarctic Program) issued gray wool socks, Carhart coverall snow/wind pants, my bunny boots (space-like boots with an air chamber for insulation - on which I had to make sure the valve was open for air travel), hat, face mask/neck cover, gloves, goggles and BIG RED (my parka).

Me in my Big Red!

Yep, that's me! The name tag will come in handy when I have to hang my Big Red in the coat cubby along with everyone else's Big Red!
After getting into gear, I lined up to go through yet another security line, be weighed (along with my carry-on bag) and check in my luggage. Since I had left my three main bags of luggage at CDC upon arrival in Christchruch, I had assumed those bags had already been loaded - this was not the case and my first of what will surely be many FIN-G mistakes. I was quite luckily assisted by my new lead and an operations woman who helped me get my bags onto the plane. However, despite my careful planning and previous weighing of my luggage at home and at the airport in Denver, my Boomerang bag (a bag of civilian clothing and items that would be returned to me in the event that the flight to Antarctica would have to turn around and return to New Zealand due to bad weather - referred to as a Boomerang) and ECW put my total luggage weight over the limit by about 40lbs. Fortunately they let me slide with no more than a frown and “don’t do it again.”

USAP Terminal.
Before boarding the military busses that would take us to the plane, there was a briefing (safety, procedures, etc.), not the first and certainly not the last briefing, on the flight information to Antarctica. This moment is important, for it was the first moment for me when it actually started to sink in that I was doing something extreme. And the moment the C-17 Military jet came into view, I knew my adventure had really begun. Boarding the C-17, I felt like GI-Jane on an important and heroic mission to kick bad-guy ass, only wearing a huge red parka instead of camouflage. We were given a pair of ear plugs and a sack lunch. I even got to tour the flight deck. The entire time, I kept thinking: WOW - this is amazing, I can’t believe I am actually doing this.

Seating in the C-17.
The flight from Christchurch to Pegasus Airfield, Antarctica was six hours. Despite the ECW and forewarning of the “awkward” C-17 bathrooms, I could not hold it for the entire flight. While it was rather inconvenient to peel off so many layers in an incredibly small closet/toilet, I’ve had to accomplish much more difficult tasks in my life, and the relief was well worth the inconvenience.

C-17 Flight Deck.
Compared to the long flight from LA to Sydney, a six-hour flight in jump seats in a Military cargo plane seemed overly comfortable. Just before landing, reminders to check our ECW gear and ensure we had all our belongings came over the loud speaker. The temperature when we landed was -26 F (-56 F with wind chill). I wanted to pause and take a picture of the outside of the C-17 and my first thought peering out onto the ICE from inside the plane was, “how amazing and incredibly beautiful,“ once my body hit the wind and air of Antarctica, my only concern was finding the shuttle and getting out of the cold. HOLY SHIT! COLD! Instant snot-freezing, ice-headache, can’t feel my fingertips COLD. I felt cold in places I never knew existed.

Touchdown on the Ice! (I Drive Photo)

Guiding the plane. (I Drive Photo)

Unloading cargo and passengers. (I Drive Photo)

US Air Force...yes sir! (I Drive Photo)

Unloading cargo from the back. (I Drive Photo)

Shuttle Drive to McMurdo.
But as my trip has been (and I hope continues to be) filled with good fortune, I got the front seat of the shuttle, with a full view of the drive in to McMurdo Station (about 20 miles from Pegasus airfield).

McMurdo Station nestled amongs volcanic rock mountains with the Volcano - Mt. Arabus steaming in the background.
Upon arriving at the station, we were immediately herded in to the Galley (Cafeteria/Main Meeting Area) for another briefing (room assignments, safety, etc.). After the briefing I had to go outside to another building to pick-up my bedding, and yet another building to pick up my luggage (which thankfully I could then take with me via shuttle back down to the main building (155) where my room is). My dorm room is probably about 12x12 with five beds, five small night-stand style dressers (with only 3 drawers each), one large closet, one phone, two chairs and one small refrigerator. Fortunately I was able to squish all my luggage under my bed. I have three roommates, all women, and all scientists. They are all only staying at the station (McMurdo) for 10 days and then going to field camps (ummm…insane camping in Antarctica - and y’all thought I was crazy) for 7 weeks. One woman is studying microbiology in the Dry Valleys and another is a diver doing research under water. VERY INTERESTING STUFF. And, I’m hoping, will allow my to have the room to myself most of the time. Everyone is quite impressed that I am Wintering Over (staying a year) my first year on the ICE.

My first bed. Yeah, a little messy, but so are my roommates'!

I even put up some decorations.
After finding my pajamas and alarm clock, making my bed and brushing my teeth, I curled up and was in a deep sleep coma within five minutes. Day 1: Antarctica: Done.