Rubbing Shoulders with the Best and Brightest

Today I was thinking about the coolest things about my job. Other than living here and getting to see the scenery every day from up close, I am in a melting pot of some of the best a brightest scientists and mountaineers. Part of my job is doing science support for the trips going out into the field. They take small puddlejumpers for a few hundred miles to drop off passengers and supplies to the deepfreeze field camps throughout the continent. The other day I had some time to help load a plane for a british crew collecting rock samples on the ice shelf hundreds of miles down and an American team testing the ice on a glacier. I spent about an hour talking to mountaineers, search and rescue leaders, and scientists excited to get out and see what the place was like. The other day I saw a film crew return from a field camp in a snow Cat. They went out for a few days and from that they will make a documentary with some deep-voiced Englishman talking about the harshest continent on earth. I still cannot believe that I am meeting some of the best and brightest in the world. This is a crazy place, and the people here are just as nuts!

The best field trip in the world

I received a notice from my boss that I would need to attend a class on sea ice safety. I was excited about the class, but I did not know it would actually be the best field trip I could ever imagine. After an hour in the classroom talking about safety on the ice, examining sea cracks, and how to drill and test the depth we loaded up. The vehicle of choice for the day was called a haglundd. These are similar to snowCats, but they have a driver control panel cab and a caboose for passengers. It was a bumpy ride out but we cruised into our first stop after an hour. Riding in these vehicles was a thrill. This and snowmobiles are the most coverted vehicles for riding in on station. A tourist might pay a few hundred dollars for a joy ride in one of these bad boys, but instead, I was getting paid for job training...pretty cool. We learned emergency shelter building techniques on the ice and use of ice screws for anchors. From there the adventure began. After about an hour and half of rolling over drifts in the rubber tracks we arrived at Cape Roids. Cape Roids protrudes out of the coast like a lighthouse to an otherwise white and blue island. We stepped out of the Haglundd to find seals all around us...maybe fifty of them, and huge ice formations called pressure ridges. The sea ice was very weak in these spots and the seals come up through the holes here to hang out in the sun. We were directly at the base of sea ice cliffs and glaciers on smoking Mt. Erebius. The sun was as bright as I could imagine and we were in awe. Being twenty miles from station surely brought the feeling of being in backountry Antarctica. We then did some drilling in the ice, took some quick samples, and headed home. It was my favorite field trip ever!

Hiking the Ridge

After getting off work and scurrying to get some hiking clothes on I hit the trail. The hut ridge trail follows the line of the sea cliffs along the bay and heads up toward Mt. Erebius, the active volcano near base. The hills here, surprisingly, are not all snow-covered. There is so much wind here that the snow is blown off Ross Island and onto mainland Antarctica. This leaves exposed rock in many places- black, sharp, volcanic rock. The trail shot up and down a few ridges and then plateaued out into one of the most beautiful high country trails I could imagine. Directly in front of me was Mt. Erebius rising over 12,000 feet from the bay. To my left was the "virtual sunset." The sun does not set here in the summer time, but it circles the sky. Each evening and night it passes the Royal Society Range and leaves the sky pink and orange. It was shimmering off the glaciers at the base of the mountains and reflecting off the sea ice. For a second I imagined that the sun was going down in the Caribbean- the snow was sand and the reflection off the windswept sea ice was the Caribbean sea. Well, not so lucky this time, but the beauty here is incredible in it's own way. After returning from hut ridge trail I felt as if I had taken the remote and flipped off the special I was watching on pristine Antarctica. It's hard to believe, but today is the first official day of summer on the ice.

Extreme Weather Notice: We have reached condition 1!

When those words came over my radio I was glad I was inside a shack and not outside. I had come in about ten minutes before when condition two was designated. The wind was blowing so hard I could barely hear a thing. The snow was being blown horizontally and getting frozen in my beard. I could not see more than 50 feet in front of me. We're talking blizzard condition here in the coldest continent on earth. THIS is what I thought Antarctica weather would be like! McMurdo, and other Antarctic bases, run on this 3 condition system. Condition three is good or decent weather suitable for travel. Condition two does not allow anyone to hike off the base and no travel is advised. LCondition one means take cover- DO NOT go outside under any circumstances. I have heard stories that if condition one hits for a long time they tie huge ropes between the dorms and the galley so people can safely come get food. It is not uncommon that condition one storms blow doors off and move planes on the runway. While the weather was scary, I loved it! One can be humbled here by simply walking outside into the cold. Days like yesterday make me thankful for little things like coats, shelter, and hot drinks. I have NEVER been in a storm like the one yesterday!

Adventures in community

People have asked me what it is like here, and until now I have not been able to explain it. I'll start with what I thought it might be like...a hut, bad food, fingers falling off from frostbite, and a few others crazy enough to move to the coldest continent on the face of the earth. I do not live in a little hut, the food to pretty good, my fingers get really cold working outside but frostbite is not a normal occurance here, and there are many other people here. Many people here seem very normal, and they are here working very ordinary jobs. Lawyers and business men and women have quit their well established and high-paying jobs to come and be part of this community...and community is what keeps people coming back to Antarctica. I can't help but think this is somewhat like college with a greater age range and instead of going to class we go to work. We work hard and play hard. We eat meals together, live in dorms together, go to town meetings together, and face the cold together. Many people have come here to change something in their life, to get a new start and forget the call that corporate America has been screaming in their ear. People are not focused on status or money at McMurdo, no one really cares too much about that when you're down here. This station is all about people. It is fun to be part of, and after less than a week here I feel immersed in it. I believe the Christian community can learn much from what I have experienced here. It must be about relationships if we are to truly experience life in Christ. It is about loving people face to face and not caring about status, money, or the side of town we live on. If we understood the value of relationships we would live differently. No one wants to be a number, a project, or a profession. It is not about what we do, and we must get to the heart of it. I simply love being known for who I am.

Contact Info Again

Alan Briggs, RPSC McMurdo Station PSC 469 Box 700 APO AP 96599-1035 AlanBriggsis@gmail.com

The hike to a room with a view

Well, it's about time! I've been here for a day already and I hadn't gotten a hike in yet. As soon as I finished dinner tonight I scrambled to get all my Emergency Cold Weather Gear in my pack and set out for the trail. Ob hill shoots directly up from McMurdo Station, and I had been longing to climb it since getting out of the plane. I ran much of the way and hiked the steep and slick part at the top. The view of the bay, the Transantarctic mountains, and Mt. Erebius was incredible. Mt. Erebius blew me away! It looks like Mt. Rainer and it rises 12,000 feet above the sea in only a few miles. From the top I also spotted the ice shelfs miles down shore and another range of mountains to the East. On Sunday I hope to hike a long loop that is supposed to have the best hiking around. It is nearly time for bed, and yes, the sun is still up.

Summer is here and so am I!

I have experienced no other feeling like walking out the back of the Air Force C-17 and stepping onto the ice. We touched down in the middle of the bay , and I felt like I was walking onto the moon. Coming in on the plane in spent as much time as I could by one of the three windows on the plane. I HAVE SEEN NOTHING IN MY LIFE AS BEAUTIFUL AS WHAT I SAW TODAY! To see cracking frozen ocean below you and the Transantarctic mountains behind it takes your breath away. I have also felt no other cold like I feel here. When you walk outside the wind rips you apart, and I will be working outside nearly all day every day. The science station here is cozy, but feels a bit like college life. I live in a small dorm room with two other guys. There is a crazy mix of people here, because it is essentially it's own town down here for 5 months a year. Work begins tomorrow and I will learn everything I need to know to thrive out in the butt cold every day. McMurdo looks down across the bay (it's frozen) to beautiful mountains and there are plenty of mountains around the station for me to climb in my time off. It is light 24 hours a day right now, and it feels weird to get ready for bed when it looks like noon outside. I am simply amazed at what I have seen and cannot wait to see what adventures will come.

From the land of the Kiwi

Hello all! I am writing from Christchurch on the south island of New Zealand. It is as beautiful and rugged as I could have ever imagined. I spent yesterday morning getting my cold weather gear for the ice and then headed out to see the countryside. This city is quaint and the people are so friendly. I caught a bus to a nearby town nestled in the hills with a small harbor. I then took a ferry with three others across the harbor to a small fishing village. I got off there and headed out on a hiking trek by myself. The coastal trek i took led me on cliffs and along the waters edge for a few miles. Coastal New Zealand is as green as you could ever imagine and the sheep to people ratio in this country is 14 to 1. I have been to many places, but none as magnificent! This place is simply unbelievable. I saw the mountains out the window on the way here, and I cannot wait to explore them when I get off the ice. I would say you're getting close if you picture the Oregon Coast, the hills of Scotland, the culture of Ireland, mountains like the Alps, and accents like Australia. So, back to the trek. I hiked for a few more miles past a little village on a wide beach, and from there I headed into the hills. I hiked a few more miles along a gravel road leading through pastures. It was perfect! I hadn't seen an American since leaving Christchurch and I was in the heart of real countryside...on foot...alone. After heading over a cliff to get an amazing view out of the bay, I saw a car bouncing toward me. Without even thinking I put out the thumb and hitched a ride back to the fishing village. John told me that the best pub around was the Godly House and I should give it a whirl. So picture it....me and a bunch of Kiwis (New Zealanders) at an old manor on top of a hill overlooking a rural harbor with the sun setting eating the best fish and chips I could ever imagine. That is life my friends...wow! I cannot believe what I am seeing, but I cannot wait to head to the ice. I leave early in the morning wearing all my gear with a bag lunch in hand.

The Time Has Come

So tomorrow is the day, Friday October 7th, when I will head to the ice via New Zealand. For the last few months I have been excited to leave, and tomorrow is the day. All my gear is laying in a pile, my bills cancelled for the next five months, and it is time to take on an adventure I have dreamed of for a long time. I will try to post pictures and updated writings on what's going on down on the ice, but here is a short intro. I will be living at McMurdo Science station on Ross Island at the edge of Ross Ice Shelf. When I arrive there will be only an hour or two of darkness per day. About a month in I will live in 24 hours of daylight for the next months. I will be living on the edge of a frozen bay and looking across at mountains. Stay tuned for more updates of my adventures in New Zealand and down on the ice.

My Antarctica Contact Info

Mail would be great, but please do not send the following items... 1) Dog poo 2) Rotten foods 3) Swimming goggles Alan Briggs, RPSC McMurdo Station PSC 469 Box 700 APO AP 96599-1035 AlanBriggsis@gmail.com