Ice Life

Life here in Antarctica is the same as at home but different. Same because it’s daily life. All the same things; work, home, sleep. What makes it different?

For me the difference starts with routine. While for me a routine at home in the States was necessary, it was only an inconvenience if I forgot something. A day without music or podcasts if I forgot my headphones. Here it could lead to physical injury, or death. Remember the gloves, the extra gloves, the beanie, the under layers, the extra under layers, the down jacket (known here as Big Red because it’s big and red!), etc. Oh, and most days sunglasses. Good lord it’s bright when the sun is out. Forget anything and the day can be very very bad. It’s been consistently below zero, so climbing in and out of a machine; the exterior is at ambient temperature. No gloves and you grab metal that’s below zero. Forget the beanie and your ears freeze if you’re out for more than a few minutes.

Think about all the things you need in subzero temperatures to stay warm and safe for hours. It’s not often that we (my department) are outside, but breakdowns can happen and the rescue team could be hours away. Meaning you have to stay warm until they get to you. This is, of course, worst case scenario… Okay, let me say that again.

When working near town you could be out in the cold for a few hours. When out on a traverse or remote camp, it could take days to get rescued. So like a Boy Scout, preparation is key.

Bringing this back around to me, because that’s what this is all about… ME!! But I must have routine in order to make sure that I collect all the gear I will need for the day. I work at Phoenix Airfield, which is about a 30 minute drive away. We do have buildings to get into if needed, but If I am out on the runway and break down it could be up to a two mile walk to get to airfield town. Out on the ice shelf the wind is almost always blowing, so there’s almost always a windchill. And, it’s amazing how quickly it takes the heat out of you.

All that said my day starts differently than it used to. I am no longer interested in checking Facebook or Instagram or emails, or texts first thing. My focus is on the routine of showering and getting ready for the day. The most important thing is checking the temperature and windchill along with the weather forecast. Weather here is like weather anywhere, just colder! Things can change quickly, however we have miles and miles of sky to look at to see what’s coming. This gives us 30 minutes to an hour to prepare. But again, the morning prep is the most important. Having extra socks/gloves and under layers. Making sure I have my baclava, beanie and hand warmers (Thank you Shawn & Will). Making sure I have my sweatshirt, light jacket and Big Red. Making sure I will be okay for a few hours in the elements if need be. Chances of that happening are slim, but there is always a chance. Oh, and I forgot… goggles, having goggles just in case. They help block the wind/protect skin and they keep the dust out of the eyes. Yes, there’s a fair amount of volcanic dust being blown around.

To me, the morning routine is the most important part of the day, where I must focus. Because, any distraction can take me out of the process and I’ll overlook something. Could be as mundane as no headphones, or as detrimental as forgetting Big Red. While I don’t wear that coat often anymore, I might need it for a long walk one day.

After the shower and dressing and making sure all my gear is in my pack and head to breakfast. The galley is pretty good for food service food. I have only had a couple meals that were meh. For the most part there is great flavor and variety. To make you jealous (okay, it won’t make you jealous because you have all the meat you want) we will be having ribeye for brunch today. Sunday brunches are something to look forward to!! But the regular breakfast is generally scrambled eggs, a typical breakfast meat, over night oats, potatoes, canned fruit, etc. There is also a section where we can get eggs made to order, but that line is generally long and I don’t give myself the time. After breakfast and a cup of coffee it’s a phone call with Ruffles. We discuss… haha, I’m not telling!

After the phone call I wander my happy ass to work. About a 1/4 mile walk up to the Fleet Ops shop and wait for the morning meeting. This is a chaotic discussion about the days events. Most of it, like most meetings, does not pertain to to us out at the airfield. Then we make the 30ish minute drive from “the rock”, Ross Island, out onto the ice shelf to the air field.

Once there we fire up the equipment we need for the day. And the days vary from runway maintenance to helping other departments with their tasks to road maintenance… As an example we had to move some sleds, about the size of a short tractor trailer, because they were still buried in the snow from the storm. They were going to go to the cargo department to transport car from the airfield to town. But they were in a hole about two feet lower than the surrounding area. They can’t just be pulled out, the skis freezing to the ground. So they have to get dug out by machine and hand and then “popped” out of the ice before they can be pulled. Multiply that process by six sleds. After they are moved the holes have to be filled in and smoothed. Otherwise someone is going to drive into it during a moment of flat light.

If you have never experienced flat light, it’s when the sky is overcast and you cannot see any contour of the land/snow. You can be driving down the snow road and hit a massive drift you could not see. Everything looks flat, which is probably where the term “flat light” comes from! That’s my guess, because we humans either make up a crazy weird term for something or the most boring term ever!!

After nine hours out at the airfield either maintaining or supporting flights we return to town for dinner and for me, bed. Most people here socialize and do evening events. As I said in the previous post, I haven’t met people I really want to hang out with yet. I also haven’t tried. I’m also curbing my alcohol intake, it’s been 21 days. I had my last drink in New Zealand and I have been just fine with it! The bars here used to serve alcohol but have since stopped. They now only have NA drinks and each person has to bring their own alcohol. 

Funny thing is they are trying to limit the amount some people drink, because you know… those individuals that can’t control themselves. But the alcohol in the store is cheaper than buying back in the states. The NA is even cheaper. I say, if you want to limit drinking make it expensive!!

There is an Alphabet Mafia (my term not theirs) movie night here, however I am supposed to be changing shifts, meaning I won’t be able to go to it or any event event during the week. Sucks to suck!!

But, that is a typical day.

As I’m writing this I am in a bar, called Southern Exposure, which is currently serving coffee. Great thing, the coffee is free. Even specialty foo-foo drinks I like mochas or whatnot. What makes this place different is the people who volunteer to help out. So today, the barista is a kiwi named Cody. He makes a great mocha with the limited resources. Biggest thing is the lack of milk here. So they make these mixed drinks with powdered milk. It’s indeed different, but still good!

That’s another thing about here. Everything is everyones job. Stairs need some shoveling, do it. Cup try in the galley is empty, take it to the dish pit, floor needs a vacuum, vacuum it. Trash needs taken out… take it out.

It’s also Sunday, a day almost everyone has off. It’s the day everyone wants a washer and drier!! It’s the day everyone sleeps in because they partied too hard last night. Here, apparently, we work hard and play hard! God only knows what time my roommates came in last night. I was passed out by 9 PM and woke at 7 AM. I was able to sleep in, so that’s my win and reward for the week!

Here is my little slice of heaven on the bottom of the Earth:

I was the last of the four in this room, so I got the bunkbed. Thankfully I’m not number five or I would have gotten the top bunk and a room full of guys that hate me for the number of times I have to get up to pee!! None the less there is very little space here. Three drawers and a large upper cabinet and a small night stand with three small drawers.

As you can see I made it more home with Ducky and Lamb Chop and of course a frame with Ruffles and I. Seeing him here with me every day is so amazing. Of course this does not mean the rest of you are less meaningful, just a different meaning! He has captured my heart and I really enjoy that. So, he is here with me in spirit and in photo form!! The rest of you are in my thoughts more than you know. I also created a little cave with extra sheets to block out the light while I sleep.

Not an ideal situation but I have had much worse roommates in the past. And much worst neighbors in employee housing. There was Valleyfair where the three asian boys I shared a room with took over everything; the mini fridge filled with five gallons of milk and the rest of their groceries in the middle of the floor where they remained until used. And the couple in Montana that beat the crap out of each other and destroyed their room in the process.

All things considered this is a great place overall. Not great for everyone. I would not want to live like this long term, but for a few months… for five months, it’ll be a-okay. And, next year I get better housing. This is the “newbie shit hole housing” that’s much better than I anticipated. The showers are hot and the water has so much pressure it’ll rip your skin off!!

Speaking of the water, have I mentioned it’s salty? Our potable water is desalinized ocean water, but still has a slight salt taste to it!

The top bunk will be filled during vessel, when the ship comes. I feel sorry for that guy and myself when that happens. Hopefully that’s a short time.

Bonus, the mattress is very comfortable. Double bonus, any bed bugs and the mattress just goes outside for a couple days and they’re all dead! I have not had any bed bug problems. Another bonus, there are no bug here whatsoever!!