Antarctica: My new home

The final big day of training involved heading out onto the sea ice to check out and identify ice cracks and measure ice depth. All of this is very important when traveling across the ice to remote field camps, because swimming around here is no fun.

McMurdo from afar

The Dry Valleys southwest of McMurdo across the sea ice. Piston bullys, the best way to travel

Me an a big ol' ice drill. I have a meter bit on, but you can continuously add bits dependent on how thick the ice is. The United States Antarctic Program declares that the ice must be at least 30 inches thick before foot or vehicle travel is allowed.

An iceberg trapped in the sea ice

Me demonstrating my Ti Chi capabilities as I balance on my water bottle.

A straight edge crack heading right up to an iceberg

Discovery Hut, this is the original shack used in Robert Scott's 1901 exploration of Antarctica. It was prefabricated in Australia based on the houses used in the Outback. This was a very bad design to model the hut after, because typical Outback houses are made to shield one from the heat not insulate one from the cold. Aside from basic design flaws the Discovery Hut was insufficiently insulated with felt, making the structure so cold that the explorers all slept on the boat. It was used primarily as a storage shed and theater. McMurdo base is right next to the hut, and so I took a guided tour of the grounds.
Oldtime vittles

Me in the hut

The Meat locker

Vince's cross, erected in memory of George Vince, a member of Robert Scott's crew who died in an accident during their exploration of Antarctica.

Antarctica is the coldest and driest place on earth - the best way to combat this harsh environment is to kick back in a warm humid greenhouse every now and then.