Polar Briggs

Musings from Uncle Al

2007-04-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

The last year has had it's share of uncertainties and confusions in the Briggs family. Most directly and deeply I think of JR and Megan, my brother and sister-in-law, dealing with the pothole in the road of not being able to have children. I'm not sure if that was harder for them or harder for me to watch them navigate through it. Just after the new year they volunteered to have a much deeper view of our loving God. They adopted a child from birth. This has been an amazing process to follow and has ripped open a new understanding of God to JR, Megan, and those around them. God cares, enough in fact that he will not abandon us, leave us alone, or watch his children tread in the barrel of our own despair. He has adopted us as sons and daughters just as my bro and sis-in-law took in little Carter. The little guy is named Carter Nathaniel, because Nathaniel means gift of God. I made the trek to Pennsylvania a few weeks back to meet Carter. It felt like a blind date with someone I already knew. He cried a lot and slept more than I do on vacation as he bobbled his head trying to keep it up on this little neck. It was an amazing time to celebrate with JR and Meg, to look at a little life and truly be amazed. Is he gonna be a baseball player? a rockstar? a professor? a father of 5? a committed follower of Christ? a ladies man? a pastor? a rock climber? We have no idea, but what an exciting ride it will be. If you want to email JR and share your excitement with him it is jrbriggsis@gmail.com . Praise God for his care and his desires that are strange and creative enough that we might never guess them 126 years.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

2007-03-30T23:29:00.000-07:00

Wow, the year has flown by faster than I got shot down by the cute blonde next to me in sixth grade. A year ago today I was packing wet clothes into my pack after a day surfing on the island of Kauai and preparing to head back to "regular life." I had been away for 6 and a half months and it was time to head back home to Colorado. Instead of comfort back home all I found was uncertainty...relationships, jobs, a place to live, future plans- ALL up in the air. I was down. I was wondering where I might fit into this matrix of potential energy that seemed to mount and plateau. The adventure of working on a lonely continent and delving into the beauty of the world was put on pause. What about all that "you have a bright future" talk? Where is that now? I wanted stability, but instead God gave me a true look at himself. Father. Author. Understander. Best friend. And fellow Journeyer. Slowly things fell into place to make this the biggest year of growth in my entire life. For years God has been real to me but this year God made life around me real- REAL hard, REAL new, REAL exciting, REAL unpredictable. Now I feel more prepared to minister to others going through REAL life right next to me. Of the biggest things I have learned I will just say this, TRUST. Trust that God understands and gives immeasurably more than we can imagine. Trust that He gives what we need, usually not what we want. Trust that the morning will come and the light again will remind us that we are part of something much bigger than us. Trust that springtime of the soul is not just near but it is waiting to spring from the depths on his command. For all who are hurting, uncertain, cautious, striving, and desperate- I can identify. God hears you, He understands, and He reminds you that He is bigger still. I would love to hear your comments and emails about how God has changed you in the last year. AlanBriggsis@gmail.com

An age-old debate; Separation of Church & State

2007-01-04T13:35:00.000-08:00

It's pretty obvious our country has changed quite a bit in almost every way in the last hundred years. The least of that change certainly has not been in the debate on church vs. state. I have often heard people refer to our nation as a godless one and use the removal of prayer in schools as their biggest argument. I DO believe we have fallen short of some of God's best plans for us as a nation, but I do not believe that this is one of our more serious issues. Many Christians would disagree with me, but I believe the loss of prayer in schools is not the worst thing that has ever happened to this nation. Let's take an example from history on this one. Constantine, the Roman Emperor who converted to the Christian faith after seeing a vision in the sky during battle, paints an early picture of the separation of church and state (church and empire I guess). When he converted he made Christianity the national religion of the Empire and what happened- it declined. It got crusty and turned into motions in spite of, or maybe becuase, the fact that faith merged with government. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying government and religion are warring; all I'm saying is that God is in control. Three of the gospels record the story of Jesus saying "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" in response to a question about whether money should be given to the church or for taxes. Jesus seems to be more than okay with some separation here. God is bigger than governments and people, even when governements make laws that seem to opposed to God. His will cannot be thwarted by us, we can't screw it up. Maybe when government seems to be far from God and injustice is clearly seen we have a look at the deepness of our sin and our need for more reliance on God. I hope you don't see that as a trite little answer for my view on this. I'm not discounting injustice, sins of the nations, and all the people that are hurting because of corruption- but God is still in control and He deeply cares about each person in each nation of this world. I welcome your comments on this.

Tolerance vs. Endorsement

2007-01-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first Muslim elected to Congress says he will take his oath of office using a Quran once owned by Thomas Jefferson to make the point that "religious differences are nothing to be afraid of." Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, D-Minn., decided to use the centuries-old Quran during his ceremonial swearing-in on Thursday after he learned that it is kept at the Library of Congress. Jefferson, the nation's third president and a collector of books in all topics and languages, sold the book to Congress in 1815 as part of a collection. "It demonstrates that from the very beginning of our country, we had people who were visionary, who were religiously tolerant, who believed that knowledge and wisdom could be gleaned from any number of sources, including the Quran," Ellison said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "A visionary like Thomas Jefferson was not afraid of a different belief system," Ellison said. "This just shows that religious tolerance is the bedrock of our country, and religious differences are nothing to be afraid of. USA Today" So...tolernace. Where is the line between tolerance of other people living other kinds of lives and adhering to other religions and speaking the truth of the gospel? I don't know exactly, but I do know that we can do both. We can tolerate without endorsing, we can accept without agreeing, we can love without fully identifying. In these changing times I encourage you to lead with love and hold back a bit of your words on these issues long enough to think about God being in control, long enough to realize that the world is not going to hell in a handbasket, and that God will reveal his truth as He wishes to who He wishes. I welcome your comments on practical ways that we can tolerate but not endorse.

My Dad took this of me in Chicago

2006-12-26T16:56:00.000-08:00

"The Pursuit of HappYness"...worth a few bucks

2006-12-26T16:46:00.000-08:00

My parents and I went to see Will Smith in "Pursuit of HappYness" tonight at the local theatre. As I saw the previews a month back I knew this would be a thought-provoking flick, and I was excited to check it out. It's interesting to watch an american movie on a very american subject looking at this idea from two different extremes. What is happYness anyway? Is the pursuit of it like chasing after the wind? Will Smith grapples with this idea from both the top and bottom of the American caste system. I like a movie that, for one, is based on a true story of a real dude and can fit soup kitchens, wall street, homeless shelters, and 49ers skyboxes into the same scene. In the midst of a season driven by buyng and getting, it is definitely worth your time and money to take a break from the shopping rush to go check it out. Question... what is happiness to you? What does success look like? You might just tweak your answer a little after seeing this movie. I give this film a B, a solid B, for a realistic look into the battle to keep life together in the midst of financial struggles. I like the ideals of sacrifice and following your purpose that often get pushed away into an awkward corner. If not viewed through a careful lens the movie can be misinterprited as a holiday prosperity wish that makes rich and happy into long lost buddies. Watch this one with a careful eye and let me know what you think.

Emergent Church..what is emerging?

2006-12-25T22:33:00.000-08:00

Have you ever gone out for a walk and not known where you were going? Or taken a Sunday drive just to cruise in your car with your windows down and your favorite CD pumping? I hope you have. Those are some of the greatest joys for me in life, and I need to make a point never to get too busy for them. Lately I've had thoughts doing that in my head- thoughts about the Church. Christ's bride, the Body, the organism that will exist until we see Jesus face to face, the hands and feet of God on this earth- thoughts about her have been stewing a little bit. The specific thoughts I have are regarding the idea of the emergent Church. I've bantered with many of you about this subject...is it appropriate to call it that? Is there something distinctly happening in the Church now that never has before? Are we over-doing it on ideas, books, and new philosophies about the age old topic? So here's what I've been thinking... If the Church truly is changing in a big enough way to get a new title I hope we are not focusing on the title more than the emphasis behind it. In other words, I hope we are not so caught up in it that we lose the point. I see this season of the Body of Christ like a marriage- I can see many people (me included sometimes) so focused on the wedding that we forget about what lies beyond- a life of sacrifice and service. While the wedding is fun, a kind of party even, it lasts only for a short time. SO WHAT LIES BEYOND FOR THE CHURCH? Only God knows, but I do wonder how long we can call it emergent church...when will it stop emerging from the cacoon and turn into something, anything, a butterfly maybe? We can't call it emergent forever because IT IS HEADING SOMEWHERE. Humans like movements. We like following a new band, watching a friend grow and devellop, and political movements surely have their sway. I'm a little afraid that in the midst of following some new emergent idea we lose sight of the God behind the movement. If we are going to be caught up in a movement I hope it is a change that has found us and not a change that we are dragging behind us with all our might. The emergent church movement will die at some point, all movements do, but the Church will not. I challenge you to fall on your knees and worship God and remain attentive to the changes that He might have in store for His Body. Change is normal, healthy even; we just need guidance to remain reactive to God's pulse here on this globe. I hope the Church is doing more than just taking a joyride around the block in the 21st century... I am curious to see what this journey will look like down the road. I'd love to hear your comments about this! God, may we have the wisdom to know what is of YOU and what is of us as we question how your bride shall be respresented in the times ahead...

Bored?

2006-12-21T18:04:00.000-08:00

Besides the phrases "Why"and "No" the phrase I hear most from kids is "I'm bored". I hate to hear kids say this, I hated hearing friends say this as a kid, and frankly I don't ever remember being bored. Our culture seems deeply focused on the idea of being entertained. It's early Friday evening...you're home from work...and you pick up the phone to call a friend. The first thing that comes out of your mouth- What are you up to tonight? What are we gonna do? Our constant entertainment is growing up generations of people who are entertained for moments but for the rest of life they are...bored. What about you- are you bored? Be honest for a second- Do you like your life, your 40+ hours a week working for the man or woman? A while back my brother JR and I saw the Will Ferrell flick "Stranger than Fiction" and had various discussions about it. I loved it. It didn't bore me at all in fact. The story revolves around the idea of a guy working a boring job living a boring life around boring people. I don't know if you've seen this flick, but I'd recommend it now or sometime in the future when you happen to be bored and you're at Blockbuster. Is there more than a zombie walking through a monotonous life doing some dead-end job in some cubicle somewhere? The only thing worse than little ankle-biting zombies running around are grown up zombies stumbling around through life. Is there more beneath the predictable routine...I think so.

Exciting Opportunities Coming Up

2006-09-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Guys and Gals, I just wanted to let you know a couple cool things coming up for me. On Sunday morning September 24th we're having youth Sunday at Vanguard and the middle school pastor and I are teaching that day. I'm also leading worship. Services are at 10 and 11:30 Also, on October 7th I'm playing a coffee house at It's a Grind on Centennial with my friend Jeremy. Come hang out and get amped on coffee from 7-10. Random fact: I hate coffee. Booyah!

"Be noticed, Be rewarded, Belong"

2006-09-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

I passed a billboard with this written on it the other day. At first glance I thought they really hit a seam of gold deep in the ground of the human heart. After thinking about it for a few minutes I concluded that the seam they hit is actually more exclusive to the heart of the American Dream. What is missing? ANY HINT OF SELFLESSNESS. We are all about being noticed, being rewarded, and belonging...but those things cannot sprout from selfishness. We cannot belong without giving something up...vulnerability, time, friendship, generosity... Think about it...

Hope from the Hurricane

2006-08-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

I ran across this building south of New Orleans when I was down there a few weeks back. We must not forget that God has lined every inch of life with HOPE...sometimes we must just look harder to see it.

I sell cars

2006-08-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

In the Hills again

2006-08-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

As I write this I'm in a little coffee shop in Salida Colorado listening to a bluegrass band. There are few things I enjoy more than just relaxing and listening to a fiddle and mandolin. Salida is a cool little town full of granolas, river gurus, artsy fartsy folk, and ranchers. I love it! I am here for three days taking a Wilderness First Responder recertification course with NOLS. It will be a great few days to refresh my mind on this info, read, play guitar, enjoy the mountains, sit by the river, and get some solo time. It's great to be in the hills again.

Bloody-faced on a bicycle

2006-08-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

I was driving down Academy Boulevard on a Monday morning on my way to work. Normal day, beautiful views, windows down, and then it all changed...whether I wanted it to or not. I saw a woman laying on the groud with blood rushing down her forehead and her glasses bent to heck. I pulled over, picked her up, picked up her bike, and asked her what had happened. Crazy morning- two bad falls on the bike on her way to the courthouse for her hearing. As I we drove downtown the blood cleared enough to realize that she was going to be okay...her face at least. I couldn't believe that world of hurt that Cathy had bathed in each waking moment. Some call it life, for her it has been a nightmare. Sexually abused as a child, moved out of the house as a teen, promised herself she wouldn't marry a man that would do to her kids what her father did to her, married a guy like that, and here she sits today...in my car...looking at me through bent specs. And the worst part, she was always pushed away by the Church. When will we start loving the people that need love most? When will we realize that we are in the presence of the least of these? When will we realize that Jesus loved on the brokenhearted? I am grateful for those who are.

The tightrope of cyberspace and the real world

2006-08-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I'm not writing about the show where pampered, hissy people get crammed into one building to live together and call that REAL. Since when does real life have cameras, free living, and no job involved. I'm talking about E-connecting vs. face to face relationship. I'm not good with keeping up online. I E-crastinate. It's not that easy- that's not an acceptable excuse like "I'm bad with names...so I won't even try to memorize yours." So I'm bad keeping up with blogging and emailing...stay with me here. A quick snippit of my brain. I value personal contact, conversation, and real relationship over almost anything in life. I have no shoratage of cool adventures to write about, but there's only so much time left in a day to stop doing cool adventures, sit down, and write them out. Some people love looking at computer screens even more than checking themselves out in shiny glass windows as they walk by. But for me, computer screens don't do it for me. It is sometimes a struggle for me to take time away from face-to-face relationship to let my fingers and the keys do the talking. I want to get better at this, but please know that I don't neeeeeeeed to write down my thoughts to process them. I blog to keep others up on my life adventures, not to feel like I'm a good E-person. I have heard people say they enjoy reading, therefore, I should keep writing because I love making people think and sharing what God is teaching me. BOTTOM LINE: I'll try to be better with this, thanks for reading, and I would love to chat with you if you want to get more personal. Stop by my place (7330 Brentford Drive) to say hello or give me a call at 719.271.5866. I appreciate all your thought-provoking answers to my questions and thoughts...keep up the comments! You guys mean a lot to me!

In synagogues and on beaches

2006-08-11T23:28:00.000-07:00

Ever felt discouraged at the massive problems in this world in light of how little we can do to help them? I certainly do sometimes- but I'm getting over it. Here are a few thoughts... Everyone has a voice...That means I have a voice...Can they hear my little voice over the traffic of life in this crazy world?...Maybe my voice is heard even when I'm silent...If not proclaiming the name of Jesus with my little voice then what am I proclaiming? These are thoughts that have been coasting through and even stalling for a while in my cranium lately. At the center of all of these thoughts is one word- INFLUENCE. We all have it. Sometimes we use it well, sometimes we botch it up, and sometimes we trick ourselves into believing that we don't have it. I think that little voice I have in this world is really influence that has been given to me. I think everyone has it , but it's different. In the New Testament we read about Paul going into the synagogues and laying the metaphorical "smack down" on the smart dudes of the day. He was a Roman citizen AND a devout Jew and he was well schooled. That changed the degree of influence he had and the arena where he had it. My synagogue this week has been on beaches, boats, and on the dance floor. I am in Lake Tahoe California. I just performed a wedding ceremony (my first) for a friend. Those here in attendance are not believers and most have had a very judgemental, crusty, and impersonal look at Christ's bride, the Church. I have been given influence this week to speak and to live as a pastor and a firm believer that Christ is the only way to freedom. People seem quite surprised that I like to have fun, that I hit the dance floor after the wedding, and that I was able to talk about REAL things with them. Conversations have been great this week around the lake and it has been a huge honor to be the spiritual presence for George and Lindsay. I challenge you to this; find the places where you have influence and use that arena to proclaim the greatness and grace of God. You might not be Switchfoot, Billy Graham, or Mel Gibson, but take your little voice and speak the name of Jesus where you can. I take that back, LIVE the name of Jesus.

Coming Alive

2006-06-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

I have asked many others and now I will ask you...What makes you come alive? I believe it is one of the most important questions in life. It is deeply rooted in the soil of who God made us; it is an imprint that we can choose to trace the lines of or simply ignore them- but it is still there even when it is ignored. It's the thing that makes you pop out of bed in the morning before sunrise, the thing that keeps your heart pumping deep into the night when everyone else is in bed, and the thing that you wish you could get paid to do it but you'd do it for free. I love the outdoors. I love climbing rocks, hard routes up rocks. I love falling asleep looking at the stars. I love the idea of unmapped terrain, unclimbed mountains, and fish that have never seen an artificial fly. The wilderness seems like a kind of home for me and getting there is a passion of mine, but I don't know where it came from. Growing up as a young chap next to the Shenandoah mountains in Virginia I used to look up at them every day and long to explore them. Rarely did my family go for an outing in the mountains. The creek in the ditch behind our house became my terrain to explore. I remember one of my favorite birthdays near the Smoky Mountains. We were on vacation and my parents said I could choose what I wanted to do that day. Pull my net out and catch fish and crawdads...of course. So all day I waded in the stream as my parents and brother were bored out of their minds. It was my favorite birthday party. This weekend a friend and I had the chance to go camping with some friends and take people rock climbing that had never had the chance. It makes me tick, helping them overcome their fear and experience victory, watching them look up a hundred feet one minute and look down a hundred feet just ten minutes later. There are few things I love more and few things that bring me more joy than watching their faces at the top and hearing their hollars. What makes you tick? Go do it...

The Next Season

2006-06-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I know it's been a while since I've blogged, and I really have no excuse. If you didn't hear, I got the job! I'm now a youth pastor at Vanguard Church in Colorado Springs. Their mission is to "love people into a REAL relationship with God." The people here are real, transparent, excited about what God is up to, and ready to stomp out traditional Christian views that life is perfect once you are in Christ. I line up SO well with this church's model and am amazed that God has drawn me here. The whole story of how I ended up here is pretty incredible. It started in a coffee shop, it continued in Antarctica, and it finished in an office sharing vision with the elders of this church. I am truly amazed at how this has been all about God and not about me. The job found me- I didn't find it. So, the next season of life will be spent in Colorado hanging out with high school kids, doing stupid stuff, asking them hard questions, sifting through film clips that convey truth, pouring over scripture before teaching, and certainly the unknown. The adventure continues, but the season has changed. Most often God gives us what we need, not just what we want....but a very few times those two converge. That is the case for me right now.

The Mountain

2006-05-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

There is a mountain, a large mountain Where the rock exposed is so vast, so endless Where my foot will not slip nor my arms fail me A place where God is big and his glory evident Yet I clutch the very smallest of rocks If not for my lack of faith I might grab one larger But the size of the rock must not concern me For even that small rock is a piece of the mountain I am learning that the mountain of God breeds epic storms and wild winds.... But it cannot be shaken I feel as if God cannot help but invite me in... "Come on up, the view is great" From here I can see my old life, but a wrinkle of a hill And my mountain, the one on which I stand, is towering. Grab hold of the mountain!

"So what IS that joker up to?" you're wondering

2006-05-15T22:54:00.000-07:00

Hello buds...and people who I barely know. I wanted to give you a little insight into what the heck I'm thinking these days. Well, many of you know that I am working landscaping/construction while waiting to hear on a youth pastor position. Wednesday's the day. It has been an exciting time of life after returning from my travels, not simply because I would love this job- but because I am fully aware that life will change...SOON. I wait expectantly. Why would He bring me this far to leave me in the dust? The truth is that I want to live the adventure that God has invited me into, but I don't even know what that looks like. And I love that part. The mystery, the expectation, and the knowledge that God will keep my heart beating and my soul awake. I don't know if I'll get the job, I don't know if I'll stay in Colorado Springs, I don't even know how to plan for what's next- But God is good ALL the time. I am excited for Wednesday because I am confident that sometime during that day I will learn a new dependence on Him that I have only known in pieces. Eat up the adventure folks- the unknown is the mortar of life, the glue that keeps our souls stuck to hope. That's life; I love it!

The cries of rescued ones

2006-05-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Without a doubt the most intense book I've ever read is "Endurance" It is the story of Ernest Shackleton and his men on a failed expedition to cross the continent of Antarctica from 1914 to 1916. I read this while living on the continent of Antactica which made it all the more real and harsh to imagine what these men lived through. Here's the bottom line about the book. Sub zero temperatures. Boat gets stuck and cracks in the frozen sea. They head out on foot...dragging their row boats behind. Survive eating penguins and seal blubber. Wait on floating icebergs. 28 men survive two dark winters. Sail across the one of the roughest passages in the world...in row boats. These men were amazing! They survived for 18 months on ice with very few supplies and they should've died, every single one of them. The most intense part of the book is on the last page. A third of the party had sailed ahead to find an island that housed the first known civilization, a whaling station. Each moment gets more and more intense as they are forced to outfit their worn boots with screws (makeshift crampons) and climb over glaciers and huge peaks to get to the whaling station on the other side. Not having eaten for days the men pressed on for their deliverance. As they walked into the whaling station the men stopped what they were doing as men with long hair and shaggy beards walked by, like ghosts that had been hiding out on the island. Dazed by the feel of deliverance Ernest and his men walked to a shack where the head of the station lived. As the man opened the door he did not even recognize Shackleton...his good friend. When Shackleton said his name the man turned away and wept. There is nothing more captivating to my soul than deliverance...being rescued from the jaws of death, being ripped out of a desperate situation and assured that everything is okay. David Crowder sings the words, "...the sound of rescued ones". I get chills when I sing them, because at my core I realize that I have been rescued from the jaws of death into the arms of Jesus. When we don't realize we are rescued we are not grateful for life, people, time, God, mornings, etc. I can only imagine the chills the prodigal had when he saw his father running toward him. I like to think he also turned away and wept. Deliverance! I feel it every time I walk out of a cave, when get off a scary route rock climbing, when I am nearly hit by a car that came into my lane, when a teacher decides the test I failed was too demanding, or when I get back to base camp after climbing a big peak. Our hearts cry out for deliverance. We know down deep that we have been rescued...but we get over it. Life isn't so fresh sometimes, so crisp, so new. How can we remember our desperate cries for life when we are amidst the joys and routine of "normal" life? Go back to the basics. The prodigal must remember his rebellion, Shackleton must remember the most desperate and frostbitten situation, and I must remember the feeling in the depth of the cave as I wondered what I might be like to never get out of here alive. We must remember our sin, our rebellion, and our desperate situation before we knew the arms of Jesus were so loving. Deliverance!

A happy birthday to J.R.

2006-05-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

My bro JR, who I also call Jota, Billy, Boudreau, and reverend, had his B Day yesterday. It was a blast spending the whole day with him and his wife Meg. I videotaped him and friend skydiving (and wrecking his tailbone on the ground) in the morning, went canoeing at a reservoir in the mountains, and made dinner for him and Meg. We laughed our butts off all day long!!! For those that don't know JR and Meg are heading for Philly in less than a month. I am excited for them, but I'm going to miss days like yesterday when my brother is half way across the country. There are few greater gifts in life than siblings and friends. I thank the Lord that JR and I have both of those.

Always changing yet always the same

2006-05-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about the Church...and how it must change in order to meet different needs in different times in different cultures. The irony is that we must change our presentation in order to be effective in communicating the timeless message of an unchanging God. I will continue to wrestle through this, but I'd love your thoughts. I finally picked up Rob Bell's book "Velvet Elvis" and it's encouraging me a lot on this idea. "Times change. God doesn't, but times do. We learn and grow, and the world around us shifts, and the Christian faith is alive only when it is listening, morphing, innovating, letting go of whatever has gotten in the way of Jesus and embracing whatever will help us be more and more the people God wants us to be." Page 11 Change is scary sometimes, but it happens gradually when we are being attentive to the people around us. There is only one thing more scary to me than the Church changing; empty church buildings that once were alive and kicking with the gospel message. After my ninth grade year I took a mission trip into inner city Philly. I saw drug deals, heard drive-by shootings, and got my butt kicked on the basketball court, but nothing shocked me more than the amount of empty churches there. Beatiful, old, striking buildings boarded up because no one could fill them on a Sunday morning. Each one of those churches failed to take a hint from culture around them and adapt to the times. Slowly those churches (bodies of believers) died off and only wood, stone, and stained glass remain. I will continue to wrestle through this (probably for my whole life), but I'd love your thoughts.

Back yard vs. Front yard theology

2006-05-06T00:48:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been making ends meet by building fences and it has gotten me thinking a lot. It seems that suburban America is captivated by fences. It's not the cheap wooden pickets that we love but what they represent. What is everyone trying to keep out? ....or keep in? Why does the American suburban dream include a white picket fence instead of wide open spaces to roam in? I suspect the business boom with fences has much to do with privitization. Suburbia is a mass of people trying to live a dream and keep something in...or out. On a service trip a few years back I was immersed in the inner city of the town I grew up in. It wasn't the Bronx, but it certainly didn't feel like it was only a few miles from where I had taken shelter in our nice little neighborhood. While on this trip I loved observing the people and their simple, and somewhat strange, way of interacting. My biggest observation; they were front yard people. At the moment of that realization it hit me that I had grown up in a back yard culture in the suburbs, one that valued privacy more than the open-door policy. The people I observed in these inner city neighborhoods were always together pumping tunes from their car, sitting on chairs on the front porch having a Coke, or yelling hello to a neighbor in their yard down the street. I can't imagine these people calling their next door neighbor and making sure it was a good time to stop by. Some of my favorite memories of growing up in Virginia were sitting on the front porch, sweet tea in hand, watching the sunset or playing baseball in the street with my friends. Looking back though, I remember far more family dinners and jam sessions on my guitar in the privacy of the back yard. As Christians there is much danger in living a back yard lifestyle. We cannot privitize our faith, hide it, shelter it, keep it in, or keep it out. People are one of God's greatest gifts to us and often one of His greatest ways of showing us his character. We must live life face to face, and we must be intentional about not being caught hiding from the world in the back yard. I don't believe that we live our life as a spectacle for others to see, but instead we leave our faith open and exposed so that others will feel free to just "stop in" on us in conversation. It gets a little old looking at the wooden fence posts for too long. Try it out, just grab a friend and a few chairs for the front porch and enjoy the view...together.

Just call me Aunt Jemina

2006-05-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

Some days I am challenged more by the idea that life is very short. Today was one of those. It was a good reminder to not just live...but to think intentionally. -----Today is a new adventure------Our lives are so short------Acceptance of routine can murder the soul. It was a foggy, cold, overcast day at work (I'm doing landscaping/construction for the time being), and being outside didn't exactly make me want to shake my booty and sing out loud. Around lunch time my roomate and I talked up a sweet idea, a different one- a home-made breakfast feast for lunch. It was the best lunch break I can remember in a long time, maybe ever, because we decided to step out of the routine. Standing in my kitchen smelling heaps of bacon, eggs, hash browns, and pancakes for three hungry dudes just made me laugh. Today's a new day; you never know what you're gonna get.

Look back

2006-05-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

How did you use today to give God glory?

More than beauty sleep

2006-04-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

It seems that every dude has (or had) ADD. As a ten year old I remember thinking of nothing worse than sittling in a desk all day at school or getting grounded. I kind of wish someone would ground me once in a while so I would just chill out in my room for a day or two. I would always start to squirm once it seemed like the southern baptist preacher had been going for at least ten hours- it was time to play outside! Anyone who is a teacher can tell you the same thing- the most normal boys have problems paying attention. I am beginning to see the habits I have formed while going through life as a "normal" boy. The most prevailent one is that of that of constant activity. When I call a friend I often skip the old "How are you doing?" and go staight for the "What's going on?" I seem to be more fixated on what I am doing than who I am becoming. It has only been in the past two years that I have come to a realization about this frenzy of constant activity that fills my brain, and in these last few years I have learned to deeply value one of God's greatest gifts. REST. I'm not just talking about sleep, but about a blessing God promises his people. The Old Testament is full of curses breathed out on wicked nations that they will never enter God's rest. Rest is not valued in our culture, in fact, it's often looked misconstrued as laziness. SO WHAT IS REST? While it might be hard to explain, it's easy to know when you've had it... a clearing of your head, a long sunset, a relaxing nap in a lounge chair, a time when you and friend sat silent next to one another for an hour, a walk in the mountains, a paddle in the canoe, a walk to a friend's house, a long chat over sweet tea on a neighbor's porch, a dinner that lasted three hours, or sharing a tall cup of coffee with your favorite book. THAT is rest. A time to just be, to relax and let life soak in and not think about a list of things to get done. Psalm 46 encourages us to be still and know that God is God, that He's big, and that He has everything under control. I love that Psalm because it suggests that when activity stops a clear realization of God's presence can begin. Does it seem weird to anyone that we work ourselves to death so we can get more vacation? Isn't there a happy every-day medium? I truly believe there is, but it takes intentional thought as we fight a counter-cultural battle to lessen the activity and increase the time that we feel like something more than robot. Rest makes us realize that we're human again, catch our breath, and smile at the little things. Those things all sound good, but why do so few people take intentional time to do them? Here is a list of things that might help you enter God's rest in the midst of the craziness of life. Feel free to leave comments if you have more ideas. - Turn on your favorite worship song and dream about what heaven will be like - Skip the TV show you watch every week and take a walk instead - Recline the seat in your car during lunch and turn on some sweet tunes - Have a cookout - Sit in silence - Have a friend over for a sleep over (no one is ever too old for a sleep over) - Chase a sunset - Go camping for the weekend - Stoke up a campfire - Eat dinner on your deck - Get up extra early on a week day - Get up extra late on a Saturday - Invite a good friend over for a long dinner - Drink lots of sweet tea!!! - Wait thirty minutes before ordering your meal at a restaurant - Read your Bible instead of the sports page - Go find a friend's hot tub - Take a Sunday drive with the windows down - Grab a friend and walk to the store to get ice cream - Paddle into the middle of a lake with a friend...or by yourself - Sit on the rocking chairs on the front porch of Cracker Barrel - Plan a picnic - Curl up and read a good book - Pack a sack lunch instead of eating fast food - Drive to a lookout point at night and sit in a camping chair - Pray...a lot - Postpone dirty laundry or dishes for a day to get outside - Plan a night to do nothing - Take an easy bike ride after work - Go to bed early - Brush the dust off an old instrument and play your favorite song - Move to the south (just kidding...only partially) - Turn off the cell phone for a few hours - Re-read Psalm 46 - Remind yourself that life is a marathon, not a sprint

To Frame a Sunset

2006-04-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I am back home in Colorado after six months of travel. What an amazing experience it was to see something each and every day that blew me away. So much so that I have a hard time desribing exactly what I saw. Some of you reading this came over last night to see pictures of my trip and hear about what I learned. Thanks for coming, by the way, it was amazing to see all of you and a reminder why we all need a place to call home. I tried to pack half a year of awe into a fifteen minute slideshow, and I enjoyed seeing your faces most of all as you were fixated on the screen. There is somthing about pictures that captures us. I absolutely love pictures, especially pictures of the great outdoors. I have many framed 8x10's on my wall reminding me of adventures that have taken me deep into places that most will never lay eyes on. I'm fascinated by the things that I have seen and try very hard to capture that on a memory card so others can get a look and maybe feel for a second what it was like to glimpse so closely at the works of God's fingers. It's hard for me to believe that the most beautiful things I've ever seen are only the smallest bit of what we can look forward to in heaven. The thought blows me away when I see huge mountain, crystal clear oceans, glaciers, and the speckles on a brook trout. One of my favorite songs reminds me of this each time I hear it. Chris Tomlin writes, "We have only heard the faintest whispers of how great you are." How true that is, and how excited that gets me to glimpse at my creator some day and to be wooed for all eternity by the works of his fingers. It makes me wonder... Maybe a sunset is just a time-out from life to remember that we are not home yet.

To Wear a Blazer

2006-04-22T23:10:00.000-07:00

Me and a few buddies sporting our best "La Tigra" look for cameras in Paris. For more pics check out www.fashionfool.com Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I know nothing about fashion. My sister-in-law, Megan, and my Mom seem to get good laughs out of moments when I claim to be "dressed up." I'm just fine in my comfy Carhartts and Tshirt. I will admit that I like dressing up and feeling a little spiffy once a year, but it feels like I'm a middle school boy dressing up like a rock star or a little girl walking around in her Mom's high heels. I'm blatently aware that I'm not quite me when I'm trying to be a little smooth by dressing up. Last year a good friend, a pastor in fact, let me in on a huge discovery that has changed his life....the blazer. As a few of us waited for him we were a bit surprised when he walked in with jeans, New Balance shoes, a nice Tshirt, and a blazer on. He seemed relaxed, yet dressy. He was more excited to tell me about his blazer than a seventeen year-old girl is to show you her prom dress. He took me aside, thinking that I would really value this as much as he did, and shared with me the joy of a blazer. "You can wear jeans and tennis shoes, yet you look completely permissable, even respectable." His conclusion; he had beated the system of fashion as we knew it. Since that day I've been fascinated by the theology of the blazer. I'm still quite infatuated with the idea of relaxed and respectable dress, in fact, I'm still looking for a sweet khaki blazer if you wouldn't mind keeping an eye out. Everything in me says, "You can't be dressed up with jeans on; it's too comfortable." The blazer principle seems like a pretty ridiculous idea to entertain, but it has come to take on so much more meaning to me. I am living life in a blazer on a daily basis, and it's seems wrong. I am strangely me- relaxed, normal, ordinary, usual- yet I am strangely more than that too- extraordinary, unusual, and inhabilited by somthing that makes me feel so... respectable. The reality is that I am quite ordinary, but my best friend and my biggest influence is an extraordinary God. At times I've tried to play dress up, forgetting my sin and my smallness, but at times I've also felt so grubby as I look down at my jeans and forget that a mighty God has chosen to wrap his arms around me. It feels so wrong, yet it's so right. Although I'd be pretty surprised to be in the next J Crew catalog, I shouldn't be surprised when God chooses to blow me away by the things He can do through me- the regular, ordinary, relaxed dude wearing denim.

A Hollywood Easter

2006-04-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a relaxing Easter and were able to slow down and enjoy a time of rest. I have always loved Easter, except for the passion play we used to go to at a local church that scared me half to death as a kid. Kids have been on my mind a lot over this last week. There is something about the way that a child sees a story that I absolutely love. They put all the emotion into it and they jump into the characters skin and the scenes come alive. They feel scared, valiant, excited, and courageous as they watch or hear a story unfold in front of them. I will never forget Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ", and am grateful to him for using film to shock me and help me feel the love of my father in heaven, but I did not watch it again this Easter. Instead I watched the "Chronicles of Narnia." I have always loved the book (C.S. Lewis was a stud in all respects), but the movie affected me deeply. Just like a little kid I found myself inside Narnia feeling the chill of a place that is always winter, never Christmas... sounds strangely like a place I just spent a few months. As I watched I felt the sting of winter, the expectation of springtime, and the hope that "Aslan is on the move". What an unbelievable picture of a Lion giving himself up to be humiliated, shaved, and murdered to save the life of a rotten little boy named Edmund. As much as I hate Edmund's character I realize that my desire for Turkish Delight sent Christ to the cross. What an amazing depiction of the Easter story on a screen told with animals, a deceiving witch, and a fierce lion that is GOOD above all else. I hope we never lose our love for story, the wonder of what is and the hope of what could be. Take a moment to think about your story and how God has written it. Through doing so I have begun to find that it is not my story at all, but that I am walking through God's bigger story.

Who turned the light out?

2006-04-18T10:40:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine just sent me this pic from Antarctica. This is about as light as it gets down there right now, and it will soon be dark 24/7. Dang, it's good to see all your smiling faces instead of just a cold, dark world. Just a reminder for you guys that life is good. Get outside and enjoy the sunshine!

Colorado Contact Info

2006-04-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hello all, just wanted to leave my contact info for you guys. Call, write, or visit. I miss you all. AlanBriggsis@gmail.com 719.271.5866 1921 Bristlecone Drive Colorado Springs, CO, 80919

Amidst Changing Seasons

2006-04-16T20:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a crazy and unexpected adventure life can be. I am back in the states now, and it is amazing to be around people that I love. I realize that most people that were keeping up with the blog won't be reading this anymore, and that's fine, but I intend the keep writing my thoughts and life lessons of the adventure of living life in Christ. While it might not sound as crazy as living on ice, climbing big peaks, sea kayaking, or picking fruit off wild trees please don't be fooled- it certainly is. The adventure of living life side by side with God is a race of sweat and tears but one that brings unimaginable joy. It's so much easier to go see the world for a time on a wild vacation or work trip intending to return home and "see what's next", but the adventure lies in being found amidst the story of a God that has wilder (and often tougher) things for us than we could ever imagine. About eight months ago I met a man in a coffee shop who calmly asked me if I might be interested in working in Antarctica. From there the adventure took off clearly as something from God, not from me. I have discovered a few huge things during this time away that have changed my life. Number one. Take the wildest dream you can think of... God can think of much bigger. For some people that is marriage, for some missionary work, for others that is working in a business around amazing people. Don't limit God. Number two. Community is the glue that life is made of. Some of the lonliest people I've ever met are travelling the world, running from something, and "living the dream" that we might all like to get a piece of. They're not happy because they are not pouring into people and taking on the adventure of doing life together. All the beauty I have seen in the world cannot compare to the relationships I have with my God, my family, and my very best friends. Loving people is ALWAYS worth is. Number three. You might never get a chance to see God's greatest gifts if you don't risk anything. For example, while hitch hiking and backpacking across New Zealand I often had NO IDEA where I was going, no idea what the towns ahead would look like, where I would buy food next, or how I would get to the next place after getting dropped off... but it all worked out. My travel buddy and I even lost our map with two weeks to to go. So often I doubt God, "What is next?", I wonder. Or, "Now I'm really at a dead end!", but each time I am able to trust a little bit more that it will work out. One of these days I'm actually going to believe deep in my soul that God is big enough to handle my predicaments. As some of you know I was dating a girl when I left on this adventure. Well, we just broke up a few days ago after six hard, but good, months away. Many of you also know I'm pursuing a youth ministry position right now. Two of my best friends in the world (my brother and sister-in-law) are moving from just down the street all the way across the US. Oh yeah, my housemates and I were informed that our townhome has been purchased, and we will be moving. Life is not easy or comfortable right now. Nothing is set before me, nothing is falling into place, but is God any less good than he was when I was travelling around the world? Is life any less adventurous than it was as I stepped off a plane onto the sea ice on the most remote continent on the earth? NO WAY! The adventure continues and my best friend, my creator, is still next to my side. I like to think of life in chunks, or seasons. Each section of life is a new season that is undoubetdly new, yet strangely familiar. I thank God for an amazing season of life-perhaps it was a winter season full of beautiful snowy days and plenty of stormy and windy ones also. I also wait in expectation for a fall, summer, or spring season of my life that is to come; one that in time might be full of orange/red trees, fireflies in the night air, or the feeling of new life springing up from the dead ground again. I don't know what is next, and that's exactly why it is called an adventure.

Kauai pics

2006-03-31T11:19:00.000-08:00

Living it up in paradise

2006-03-31T11:08:00.000-08:00

Kauai is as beautiful as I had heard! It is hard to believe the shear cliffs and waterfalls flowing right into the reefs and surf. It's paradise! I hiked the legendary NaPali coast trail for a few days and was blown away. I met up with a few other nice folks that decided to brave the muddy trails and had a great time hanging out. I slept under the stars with the sound of a rushing waterfall right near me. The wild orange and guava trees were full, and it was nice to stop every once in a while for a fruit break along the trail. It has rained quite a bit here, but it's a rainforest...what did I expect? Everyone has been very friendly and hitch hiking has been easy. I have a few crazy stories I'll tell you guys in person too. For a look at Kauai, the "garden island", watch Jurassic Park again or I'll post some pics when I return to Colorado. I leave Kauai late Saturday night and fly out of Oahu early Sunday morning. It's hard to believe that I am at the end of six months away from home. Colorado here I come! I miss you guys!

Sea kayaking in paradise

2006-03-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

Wow! What an amazing couple days on the northern coast of the south island. My buddy and I took off for a two day sea kayaking trip in a tropical paradise. It was great to feel the warm sun again, camp next to a little beach in a cove, sea baby seals, and land wherever we pleased. Here are a few pics to give you an idea what it was like. I'll be leaving NZ in three days and heading for Hawaii. It's been an amazing time here, but I'll be ready to head on soon. I miss you guys.

On the summit of Mt. Aspiring

2006-03-14T19:56:00.000-08:00

Hey there, I can't even describe what the last three days were like as me and three others climbed Mt. Aspiring. The Southern Alps on the west coast of New Zealand are the most rugged mountains I have ever seen and Mt. Aspiring is one of the most alluring peaks I have ever seen. These pictures won't even do our trip justice, but they will give you a better idea of what it was like. More later on Mt. Aspiring...

Rock climbing, hitch hiking, and crazy weather

2006-03-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

Well, things here in NZ are going great. I've had chances to do so many different things in such a short time here. I am writing from an internet cafe in Lake Wanaka at the base of Mt. Aspiring national park and the Remarkables range. It has been a wild ride the last week, and the weather has a lot to do with it. Four days ago we were planning on climbing Mt. Aspiring and we were just waiting for another good day. Mt. Aspiring is a classic New Zealand climb and a very technical one due to the glaciers surrounding it and the tempremental weather that blows in off the coast. As we woke up the next morning we realized that the weather would be bad on the peak and we should do something else in the area. A Candian that I met down here, also named Alan, and I headed out to go rock climbing in the area. What a day! We did eight routes, and as the day progressed the wind got worse. On the last climb of the day the wind was nearly pulling Al off the rock (The pieces of protection he placed still would have caught his fall, but it was scary still). From there my travel buddy and I realized that we wouldn't be climbing the peak until this bad weather moved off the peak so we hitched a ride toward the Routeburn Track, a classic New Zealand backpacking trail. We landed in the small town of Glenorchy after hitching two rides in the rain. After a great meal in a cozy little pub we slept in a bunkhouse cabin for the night. As we woke up we saw the BEAUTIFUL mountains around covered in snow. This snow had made the route impassible and the department of conservation closed the route. Plan C. At this point we were soaked so we decided to hitch back to Queenstown and Wanaka in search of decent weather. once back in Wanaka I took a hike up a nearby peak and enjoyed the sunset at our camping spot. So here we are again, waiting on the weather to climb the peak. We have checked the forcast and it looks like we'll be heading up tomorrow, assuming all stays clear. There is much more snow on the mountain than when we first saw the peak only a week ago. This is good for climbing conditions, and we are anxious to get up on the glaciers. I will try to keep you updated on the peak climb in the next week. I love this place!

In the mountains again

2006-03-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's so good to be in the mountains again, and these mountains are like none I have ever seen. My buddy and I have gotten to meet incredible people, do some trekking into the hills, camp on a glacier, stay with a friend, and make some plans for this next week. We have gotten lucky in every aspect except one night of bad weather. We were in the shadows of Mt. Cook camping when we met a guide from Canada looking for some guys to climb with. We immediately made plans to get up onto a glacier the next morning. After trekking for most of the day we got onto the glacier. In just a few minutes the weather turned on us. We were getting knocked over by the winds. Our new friend estimated the winds at 90 Km/hour! The rain was pelting us and we were barely able to get ice screws into the glacier and anchor our tents in before our hands were freezing. We warmed up in our sleeping bags and rode out the crazy storm all night. The next day we woke up to beautiful views of Mt. Cook and the surrounding glaciers. I would love to write more, but internet is expensive here. I will try to keep blogging and putting pics on.

Out of the Wardrobe

2006-02-25T15:15:00.000-08:00

There is no way to describe what it is like to step out of the frozen land and back into life as I knew it. It is as if I walked into Narnia for five months and now I have left the unreal world of the ice. As soon as the door opened on the plane I smelled earth and plants and felt warmth again, things that I missed so much while I was away. My friends and I were like little kids as we walked away from the airport with our bags smelling the flowers and sitting on the grass. We probably gave the Kiwis driving past us a good laugh. It is so good to be back in New Zealand again. I have never been so amazed by little things as I am now. As we walked the streets of ChristChurch the darkness was a strange feeling. This morning I bounced out of bed as the birds woke me up- the sunrise was awesome! I took a stroll for a while in the botanical gardens and cashed out for a short nap on the grass. It is good to see pets again, have children around, and have choices about where I can go and what i can eat. New Zealand is truly an amazing place. It reminds me of a mix between Scotland, England, and Switzerland. Summer is coming to an end here, and I have never been so glad to wear shorts and sandals. I am currently travelling with one friend from the ice and we are staying with a Kiwi we met on the ice for a few days. I think we're heading to the beach in about an hour!

A farewell to the frozen land

2006-02-24T00:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, five months walking on snow without darkness, plants, bills, or any of you. I will never forget when I stood in the back of the C-17 and the rear door on the plane lowered. It seemed like an eternity until they would let us off. The gusts of wind blew the cold air into the plane as we scrambled to put our jackets on. I did not know a single person, and I had no idea what I would experience. It has been an incredible five months- breathtaking and harsh, beautiful and daunting, lifechanging and reaffirming, isolated and connected. In some respects it seems like I have only blinked and the time has whizzed by, but in other respects it seems I have been here two years. Regardless, I am grateful for the opporunity to live on a continent that most will never dream of visiting and fewer will ever make it a reality. Thank you all for your encouragement through emails, letters, packages, and comments on this blog. Every moment here is not full of amazement as some might think. I have gotten out of bed each day, as many of y'all have, and dragged myself to work when I just felt like sleeping in. Work has been tiring and the weather has beat me up many days with no apology for the soar fingers or numb nose. Some days are full of routine, never-ending storms, or grouchy people at work, but there have been many times when I looked up to be amazed at this place. At the risk of being unoriginal I was going to give a top ten list, but I decided to go for the top 16. These are in no particular order.... - Looking down on the Transantarctic mountains from a small window in the back of the plane - Being attacked by a skua...twice - Extreme sledding! - Driving to work and seeing storm clouds cast beautiful colors on the glaciers - Being blown over by the wind in a white-out condition 1 storm - Being a part of the church community at the chapel each Sunday - Seeing three penguins...they look so awkward, like seventh grade boys - Snowboarding on fresh powder - Being the only american at dinner at the cozy little Kiwi base - Brunch on Sundays. The cinnamon rolls, oh the cinnamon rolls! - The polar plunge...after warming up - Every time I got a letter or package - Finishing the marathon- and eating a TON of food an hour later! - Grabbing some hot chocolate after coming in from the cold - Convincing myself it was warm enough one day to run 14 miles shirtless. Not a good idea. - Sitting by myself in the middle of a bright night watching the icebreaker come in Thanks for tuning in and reading all these. I will be adventuring in New Zealand for about a month and then Kauai for a week. I will try to keep you updated on crazy adventures.

By myself on skis in the Antarctic

2006-02-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

What an amazing night! All by myself on cross country skis, the sun dropping low in the west, about five degrees with just a little wind, and the powder on the trails was untouched. I was amazed at the views (yet again) when I hit the trail. I grabbed some skis earlier today in hopes of getting a short trip in, but I began to realize that a long ski would be better tonight. Since it is getting near the end of the summer the sun is dipping very low each night as it circles around the sky. The first sunset is about a week away, the night before my departure in fact. Another amazing thing about tonight was seeing the moon. I have not seen the moon since I got here, but with its coming I am reminded of the fall and the fact that I am at the bottom of the world. There are very few things I have enjoyed here more than being by myself in the backcountry of this lonely land. Everything is just so huge, so vast, and so beautiful that is is easy to get wrapped up in it and lose track of time. What a great night of letting the time slip right through my fingers. Seeing virtual sunsets gets me excited to see the darkness again once I get to New Zealand in ten days.

Napolean Dynamite is coming to Antarctica?

2006-02-12T12:25:00.000-08:00

No way, why we he come here? He lives in Idaho, plus his friend Pedro couldn't bring his bike down here 'cause he might break his pegs off in the ice- GOSH! I do have some sweet new pics though...

Picture #1: Some Antarctic backcountry after some folks boarded the fresh power

Picture #2: Family vans Antarctic style

Picture #3: Both ships leaving MacTown for the season

Missing the simple pleasures

2006-02-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! I just wanted to update you all and let you know that I'm alive after the crazy time of the ship offload. About a week ago I was told that I'm leaving a little earlier than the original plan. Twelve days and counting until I'll be in New Zealand. After being in such a crazy place for five months I miss little things. I miss green! I have only seen a few live plants in the greenhouse here in five months. I miss darkness and stars! I have not experienced darkness at all for five months. I miss good smells of trees and flowers! Snow, ice, and rock doesn't smell like anything. I miss warmth! Although 15 degrees can seem balmy when the wind stops, I miss sitting outside and feeling the warmth of the sun and not having to bundle up and face the elements. There is no doubt that I miss other things, but the simple joys of life that I have so often taken for granted are all of a sudden things I cannot wait to get back to. So here's the question....What would you miss most (besides people) if you were in Antarctica?

The busiest time of the year

2006-02-05T06:57:00.000-08:00

The supply ship pulled into MacTown three days ago, and the place is in full swing right now. As you can see from the picture, the Russian icebreaker cut up the channel yet again to escort the supply ship in. We have been working all season to get cargo to the South Pole on planes that was brought here by the cargo vessel last year. This ship supplies much of the cargo for the whole year at McMurdo and the South Pole. Everyone on station works twelve hour shifts and no one gets a day off until the ship has been fully unloaded and all cargo has been put away. Sorry I haven't been emailing as much lately or blogging, but the ship offload will soon be over. It is amazing to think that ships are cutting through the rock hard ice that is over six feet thick!

Antarctic explorers...and us

2006-02-01T07:44:00.000-08:00

I do believe that the men who first explored this icy cold and forbidding continent are among the toughest men who have ever walked this earth. Some days as I work in the cold I find myself asking, "How did they do it?" I have never known cold like I do here. Some days it is fine but others seem to take your breath away when the wind blows it cuts right through you. The cold seems to be an element that has held certain places untouched for longer than others. Among the most popular of the explorers are Shackleton, Scott, and Amundsen. Shackleton is famed for his leadership and his strong leadership and ability to keep men alive through the worst of conditions. I just finished reading the book "Endurance" about his failed expedition to the South Pole which ended in the victory of keeping every one of his men alive for almost two years sleeping on drifting icebergs and frozen islands in route to their rescue at a whaling station on South Georgia Island. Alfred Lansing describes that last leg of their voyage to safety. “The sight that the Caird presented was one of the most incongruous imaginable. Here was a patched and battered 22-foot boat, daring to sail alone across the world’s most tempestuous sea, her rigging festooned with a threadbare collection of clothing and half rotten sleeping bags. Her crew consisted of six men whose faces were black with caked soot and half-hidden by matted beards, who bodies were dead white frm constant soaking in salt water. In addition, their faces, and particularly their fingers were marked with ugly round patches of missing skin where frostbites had eaten into their flesh. There legs from the knees down were chafed and raw from the countless punishing trips crawling across the rocks in the bottom. And all of them were afflicted with salt water boils on their wrists, ankles, and buttocks." On a later expedition Shackleton and his men spent months here on Ross island within twenty miles of where I live. Scott and Amundsen raced to be the first to reach the South Pole first, but Amundsen reached the Pole first. Scott died on the continent returning from the Pole. I have seen traces of where these men have walked and come to understand the elements which they stood up against. Scott has two huts close to the station, one less than a mile walk down the peninsula. I have been in this hut and seen empty food boxes, the clothes they wore, the table they made, and even the seal remains from their meals. Everything is almost exactly the way it was when these men left. About fifty years after the Scott expedition on Ross Island men were left near the McMurdo area and they made their way to his hut, surviving by eating well-preserved fifty year-old caches of food from Scott's expedition. Less than a hundred years ago men came in wooden ships, wearing wool clothing, and using primitive means of mapping in order to explore the most inhospitable place on earth. Today there are no dogs allowed here, people live in dorms, and we have heated buildings. These men amaze me and their huts are time warps that make you feel out-of-place in a common windbreaker and modern boots. These pictures have all been taken on Ross Island by my friends and I. One is Shackleton's Hut twenty miles away, one is Scott's Hut here on Ross Island, and one is the inside of Shackleton's hut. There is no Museum feeling, and these items aren't behind glass.

Frozen Dream 2006

2006-01-28T12:36:00.000-08:00

On this weekend two years ago nine friends from Taylor University and I headed into the coldest weather we could imagine for a four day snow camping trip. With our heads down to block the wind and blowing snow, the other guys dissapeared across frozen Lake Superior in front of me. We were in Pictured Rocks National Seashore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and we did not know exactly what would come of the trip. I will never forget the last night of the trip as the wind and snow finally died down and we trekked across the lake in the silence guided only by the moonlight. After four days together we all said it was a surreal time of community as we fought off the elments together. We called that trip the Frozen Dream, and from that trip a tradition began. Last year on this weekend my brother, J.R., and I headed to Hoosier pass at over 12,000 feet with camping gear and snowshoes to continue the tradition. In spite of some altitude sickness and J.R.'s toes getting a bit too cold, a two day brother trip was successful. Last night two friends and I took on the challenge of the third annual Frozen Dream on Ross Island Antarctica. What an amazing time! The snow was falling in huge flakes as we left the station, and the wind had not yet begun to blow very hard. We were the only tracks on the trail and excited to get to our spot. We got to the spot, an old snow cave at the base of Castle Rock. We dug the drifts out of the cave and expanded it so that all three of us could fit. After a while of taking in the views and building stuff out of snow we hunkered down for the night. I woke up only once as I got dumped on by a huge batch of snow in the face from a hole in the roof. When we woke up in the morning the cave was covered with more fresh snow and the wind was blowing hard. There are few finer feelings than waking up warm in a bad snow storm, and there are no trips quite like the annual Frozen Dream. Camping and exploring in the outdoors are thins that I love very much, and I am incredibly lucky to have the chance to come do some of those things here in this frozen land. If camping in the snow sounds like a crazy enough adventure for you then give me a call next winter and let's plan the 4th annual Frozen Dream!

The Polar Plunge

2006-01-23T12:16:00.000-08:00

So there I was, already freezing cold, standing in my shorts and running shoes next to a hole in the ice, a harness belt around my waist with everyone yelling 1-2-3! Without thinking I let loose into a cannonball that soaked those at the ice edge. The water was shocking, and it was the saltiest water I had ever tasted. My plan was to try to play it cool- yeah right! Involuntarily the body seizes and all available air is immediately pushed through the mouth and nose. I waited about ten seconds for a guy to snap this picture, nine seconds too long. The water beneath the ice is 28 degrees (salt water freezes at 27), so it froze immediately in my beard as I climbed up the ladder. My coat was waiting there to greet me along with others cheering. Everyone who is stupid enough to jump in the water hollars a little because they can feel your pain. As I was walking the path back to the overlook my shoes froze.

The tradition of the Polar Plunge is carried on each year by the Kiwis (New Zealanders at the nearby base). I suppose lawsuits and safety warnings aren't as common in New Zealand as in the states. I had looked forward to this day since I first heard about the plunge. There were about fifty people stupid enough to plunge on Sunday, and after I got feeling back in the toes I was glad I was one of them.

Leave your comments

2006-01-21T10:25:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, I just wanted to say hello to anyone and everyone who is reading this. I have no idea who all is tuning in, and I know that I have not talked to some of you in a long while. There is a "comments" hypertext at the bottom of each posting and I changed it so ANYONE is allowed to post comments now. I would love to hear your serious, insightful, ridiculous, or stupid comments and reconnect with those I haven't talked to in a while. Also, my email is AlanBriggsis@gmail.com and feel free to email any time. Internet access is limited here and satellite internet is usually not fast, but I will try to get back to you. I am planning to leave the ice March 3, but I will continue to post about my trip to New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands and about Colorado when I return. Stay tuned...

Precious Cargo

2006-01-21T09:57:00.000-08:00

As most of you know my job here is to handle, chain, move, strap, lift, drive, load, and unload any and all cargo leaving the station. Much of my job involves handling delicate science equiptment. The other day a co-worker and I unloaded ice samples from a plane that came from a field camp where they were drilled from about 900 feet below the surface. It is some of the oldest ice in the world, and I later had a chance to drink a coke with some ice that had been drilled from about three hundred feet below the surface. We sometimes unload small planes that fly from remote field camps, but much of our cargo is sent to and received from the south pole. Much of this season in McMurdo cargo has been focused on sending large amounts of steel to build the new station at the South Pole. The Scott-Amundsen South Pole Station dome, named for the first two explorers to reach the pole, was finished in the 70's, and no longer fits the needs of the science program. In the extreme cold it just does not insulate from the storms, and it will be torn down at the end of this season. In this picture you can see a typical shipment of steel that we have built and chained down at the runway, 12 tons of it. We build them on these orange sleds, and when it is time to load a plane we push them to the back of a C-130 Air Force jet with a track loader. The steel sits on large metal pallets and they sit on rollers that can be pushed in by a few of us (on a perfect day) or bumped in with a forklift. It has been exciting to be part of transporting supplies for the building that will keep the south pole station running for the next 30, 50, or 100 years. Plus it's just cool to move huge stuff in big machines. It's like playing with life-size Tonka trucks!

Extreme sledding!

2006-01-16T10:44:00.000-08:00

So my buddy and I are both on night shift, and things get a little quiet around here when everyone else in MacTown is sleeping. We decided tonight was the night we would finally make our run at extreme sledding. Following with the tradition here, many people "borrow" dinner trays and head out for the hike to Castle Rock, sliding the slope a few times until they are too cold or have gotten an ankle injury. Kevin and I had bigger plans. We heard that there were a few trekking sleds stashed in a storage shed that were calling our names. So we hitched a ride out to the shed, picked up the sleds, and hiked about four miles up the start. The ride was over three miles, and it would take us all the way down to the sea ice. With Kevin in the front steering and me in the back...well, just chilling, we hit terminal velocity. For three miles we were cracking up as we bombed down the slope trying to control the speed. When we picked up so much speed that we couldn't steer we bailed. We hit several spots that sent us fully airborne with unexpected bumps, meanwhile almost losing control fully. It was one of my best times here on the ice! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time or feared for my life so much. After hiking the bottom of the run a few more times and perfecting our form we called it a night. Stay tuned, because next week I might be blogging about starting an Antarctic bobsled team.

Bowling at the bottom of the world

2006-01-15T14:09:00.000-08:00

I have never pictured myself as the bowling league type... bright bowling shirt with "Big Al" embroidered under the left shoulder, a wrist guard, my own bowling shoes, and a sizeable gut to fit the part. Yeah, all that mixed with stale alley smoke don't exactly excite me, but as soon as I heard there was a bowling league down here I said two things. First of all, "Ha ha, I'm not falling for that one." And second, "I'm in!" A couple buddies that live in my dorm had scouted a few guys that might fit into a "non bowler" overly-serious attitude but would be decent bowlers. I apparently fit into that group. So me, Barry (an Aussie), Al (a Kiwi), and Matt decided that we would win the fun game each week, and we tore it up in that bracket. Much to our surprise we also tore it up in the total pinfall column. Out of 30 teams we got into the top eight and lost by eight pins to the number one seed. What a blast! As you can see, the alley is two lanes. There are only a few pairs of shoes, you score your own game, it is in an old metal shack not much wider than the lanes, and two pinsetters work for tips scrambling to keep up with your desired pace. I think it's crazy that of all places I joined a bowling league it was here in Antarctica. It was one of my favorite activities of every week.

More marathon pics

2006-01-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, thought you might enjoy seeing more pics of the marathon course and all the runners and skiers in action.

The best and worst neighbors

2006-01-09T15:36:00.000-08:00

While both of these cute animals might look harmless, only one will disrupt your day. Both the Weddell seals and Skua gulls are sighted every day in MacTown, but one will make even the bravest antarctic sole scurry of for cover and be the laughing stock of the town. Believe it or not, the skua is the biggest predator here in MacTown. They are huge, their beaks are made for tearing, and they are greedy. Each day they hide outside the galley and wait for unsuspecting victims to walk back to their dorm with food. They swoop down and go for the food and sometimes the person too. I have had two unfortunate attacks. Both times I was looking for the skua and was blindsided. The first time I was carrying my gloves in one hand, and he swooped in and stole one of them. He then took it to a nearby roof and stared at me. I had a cold left hand the rest of the day at work. The next incident occurred last week, and a ham and cheese sandwich was my loss... along with my dignity. Seals on the other hand lay around on the ice and play happily in the water pools not posing a threat to anyone. Before the strict Antarctic Treaty was signed explorers were known to play a game where they would run full speed at the seal and plunge into it. The winner was the guy who flew the furthest distance back off the blubber trampoline. I'm serious! Early explorers also killed and ate seals as their easiest kill and most abundant source of food. They discovered that the blubber was flammable and they used it to light their stoves that would keep them warm and melt water from the ice. Without seals the explorers would not have survived the Antarctic cold. Moral of the story: Best neighbor= seal Worst neighbor= skua New phrase: The verb skua. To SKUA something is to steal something with reckless intent

All is well, and it is done!

2006-01-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

All is done, and how good it feels! After six weeks of training I finished the McMurdo Marathon yesterday in 3 hours and 50 minutes, which was good enough to take second place. It was my first marathon, and the furthest I had run was 17 miles, so I didn't know what to expect at the end of the race. The day began with a ride in a snow Cat out to the furthest runway. The sky were perfectly blue, not a cloud to be a seen and a very warm day. It was about 26 degress with a cold breeze blowing into our faces, but once the run began everyone seemed to warm up. The whole marathon was run on the Ross ice shelf with amazing views of all the biggest peaks and rock formations around McMurdo. At mile two my breath had settled into the beard and there were crystals hanging around my mouth. The first eight miles were into the wind and the snow was very soft. With each step I would sink down a little and after a few miles that got frustrating. At the eight mile mark I got to the other runway and took a turn with the wind now at my side. The road was much harder here, but it was very slick so I had to be careful of footing with each step. The next 18 miles were kind of a blur. Occasionally I would snap out of the zone and think to myself, "What am I doing? A marathon in Antarctica?" The mind took over, and I had to convince myself that I could sustain this pace until the finish. Later I realized that I had hardly looked around or thought about anything except the snow trail in front of me for about an hour. The snacks I had brought were giving the muscles just enough juice not to cramp. I feared the legs cramping and locking up more than anything, so I did not stop at the rest stations. I snapped out of it big time when I was a mile from the finish, and the body felt as good as it had for the last ten miles or so. Anyone who has run a marathon knows that there are not many things sweeter than crossing the finish line. So as of right now I have no plans for inflicting pain on myself in this way again, but I am very glad I trained for it and did it. I am walking like a old man and eating and sleeping a lot. Now that it's done, back to work tonight.

Polarmoron.com

2006-01-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

Well, the time has arrived to see how stupid I really am (please, no comment). I have been training for about six weeks to run the only official Antarctic marathon. 26.2 miles on the Ross ice shelf on a flagged trail route, it should be interesting. It will be a huge challenge, but much of the grewling part is done. Many miles and a few frozen beards later I am ready to take this thing on. Tomorrow morning me and twelve others will be transported to the starting line to take on the challenge. The weather will be the determining factor. If the weather turns bad and it is really windy it could be very dangerous on the ice shelf. My goal- to finish. Stay tuned for an update... if I even have enough energy to write tomorrow.

The big wigs have arrived!

2006-01-06T02:53:00.000-08:00

For the last few days we've been making this little village look as nice as we can. We were informed last week that some senators, representatives, and their aids would be coming to check the place out. As I arrived at work tonight the craziness began. Me and two others were told to go around to a few different locations and deliver their bags to them. As we went to a few small huts and a couple of the dorms they were waiting for their stuff. I met some representatives and a few senators, looking smooth with nice collared shirts and antarctic pants, jacket, and boots to clash a little bit. They were very helpful and mingled more than I thought they might. I carried John McCain's bag over to his hut, but did not see him. They will be eating normal meals with us, will take some sightseeing trips, and will take a trip to the pole. If this trip goes well, the National Science Foundation hopes they were support the Antarctica program (USAP) in the coming years. Pretty cool stuff going around here these days. There is never a dull moment in MacTown...and if there is....maybe you're just a dull person.

Free pics...for only $19.95 plus shipping

2006-01-03T13:43:00.000-08:00

So I'm not sure what order these will show up in but I have included pictures of... -my view out the window on the way to my work at the runway -my buddy on our snowboarding adventure -me next to some pressure ridges -me next to a pisten bully at sea ice training -me getting excited about a condition one storm -the frozen cracked ocean on the way down -the most remote bathroom in the world (and coolest) -and the inside of the C-17 Air Force jet I flew down in Enjoy! Thought you guys might enjoy seeing some more pictures from my daily life here. I will try to keep posting these every once in a while. Feel free to leave comments about your favorites, and I can even send some of these to you guys.

New polar pics!

2005-12-31T08:40:00.000-08:00

1) Camping out a few weeks back 2) An Adelie penguin 3) The Russian icebreaker

Penguins ahoy!

2005-12-30T07:55:00.000-08:00

At times I feel like I am stepping into a discovery channel special when I walk out of my dorm. Tonight was one of those times. The weather was perfect, feeling like a typical winter day in the Rockies, and the sun was shining brightly off the ice. I grabbed my binoculars to head out to the peninsula to look for wildlife and watch the icebreaker head into the dock. After taking the short hike up to the hill on the top of the peninsula I was blown away. I was less than a hundred yards away from the Russian icebreaker as it crashed back and forth into the ice with all its might. As it surged forward you could hear the ice moaning and groaning like it wanted to shatter and crack, but the only ice cracking was directly in front of the bow. The ice would splinter, get pushed to either side of the bow, and then huge chunks would roll up on top of the sea ice from the sheer force of the ship. That, however, was not all. On the other side of the peninsula an adelie penguin was putting on a show about a hundred feet away! Adelies are smaller than emperors, but they love to flap their little nubby arms and waddle around. He would lay on his belly for a while, stand up, shake his nubs, and dive head-first into the water. After a short swim he'd get out and do it again. I can't believe that I have not seen one of these little guys until now, even though I seemed to just miss seeing them many times. They truly are as cool as everyone thinks. I just couldn't stop wondering how far I might be able to punt one of those little guys. Oh well, maybe I'll be able to try that out later in the season. Tonight was one of my favorite moments yet at McMurdo. As everyone else was sleeping I was getting the best show in town.

Finally...a picture of Antarctica?

2005-12-29T14:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I hope this whole picture thing works. This is my favorite hiking route and the best view of the Mt. Erebius volcano. Castle Rock (which is climbable via the back side) is in the foreground. This hike is about an 8 mile loop from McMurdo, and skirts the narrowest part of the whole Ross Island peninsula.

We have water!

2005-12-29T13:49:00.000-08:00

After hearing the buzz for the last month that the icebreaker ship was on the way I finally believe it. I came back from a run yesterday to find a huge ship crashing through the solid sea ice and cutting a channel. I used to work on the runway right where the ship was zig zagging and making water where there used to be land. I saw the ship on the horizon, but it is the strangest thing to actually see it here, only a few hundred yards away floating where I was driving trucks and loading Air Force jets only weeks ago. The Russian icebreaker will make more rounds to cut up the bay for the next few days, and then it will dock. In a few weeks we will get our resupply vessel. This ship is McMurdo's main way of keeping supplies running in and out for sustaining overall life on station. The plane cargo that I work with deals more with science-related material and food to sustain immediate needs. The wildlife around here should be out in full very soon. We are already spotting seals regularly, and people have seen penguins within a few hundred yards of MacTown. There is new life to McMurdo Station, the place is buzzing.

A special thanks to Miss Goff's 8th grade class!!!

2005-12-29T13:31:00.000-08:00

Wow, today was a special day. Shortly after arriving at work headquarters this morning I was told I had gotten a huge package. The post lady was curious and said she thought it might be the biggest Christmas package they'd seen down here. Much to my surprise, I saw that the package was from an 8th grade earth science class in Madill Oklahoma. Their teacher is good friends with my girlfriend and Kelly had mentioned to her friend (also named Kelly) that she and her class could follow my adventures in my blog. I opened up the huge box to find 54 pounds (yes lbs.) of candy, food, hot chocolate, books, shirts, hats, 2 ply toilet paper, notebooks, toothpaste, shampoo, coffee, handwritten letters, and much more. I was blown away! To Miss Goff's class, thank you all! I have read many of your letters and am excited to hear about your lives there in Oklahoma. I am amazed at the time and effort you put into making it a special Christmas treat for me. I shared much of the candy with friends at work and people in my dorm (not all of it of course), and I plan to write your class letters on the paper you sent. It means a lot that you are following the blog and keeping up with my adventures here. I will compile as many of the questions as I can and try to answer them through email to Miss Goff or letter mail. You made my day today!

A white Christmas

2005-12-23T05:29:00.000-08:00

I have been lucky enough to be in some interesting places for holidays; sitting on the sea of Galilee for Thanksgiving, hiking in Alaska for the fourth of July, walking the streets of Dublin for Halloween, and sleeping in an igloo in the Tetons for another Thanksgiving. Somehow none of those compare to Christmas in Antatctica. Not only am I a whole globe away from Santa and his crafty elves, I have a guaranteed white Christmas, it will be light on Christmas Eve night, the plane bringing our packages from New Zealand broke, and I am with people that I had never met until a few months ago. What a weird look at Christmas! I can't say it has really felt like the Christmas season, but part of that is good. There is no commercialism here, no store windows, no 1 week non-stop Christmas music on the radios, no traffic, not late runs to Wal-Mart for missing Christmas supplies, and no sweet Christmas sweaters with turtlenecks underneath. It certainly makes you do some thinking as to what our society has placed importance on. Despite being away from family and friends I am not going to sit around feeling sorry for myself. I have conjured up some cool Christmas plans for this year. It is now Christmas Eve and I am going for a hike to the Peninsula to check out the ice breaker ship that is cutting the channel to McMurdo. If the weather is good on Christmas, not horribly stormy or windy, I will grab a chair and head outside with a few buddies to chill out with my Hawaiian shirt and sandals to soak in some rays. We might freeze after two minutes, but it should be a good time. I am excited to read my cards from many of you and spend time thanking God for what amazing family and friends I have. I hope your holidays are filled with quality rest and family time. Merry Christmas to you all!

Home Sweeeeeeeet Home!

2005-12-21T08:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I pinch myself expecting to wake up from this polar dream, but usually I just end up saying, "what on earth am I doing here?" This was one of those times. Suddenly I'm sitting on a comfy chair next to a stove eating a chocolate bar with my boots off...on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica on the 22nd of December. "Snap out of it!" It felt more like I was in a mountain cabin in backountry Colorado. I had wondered what the Kiwi A-frame was like and finally I got to see it. It was about an hour hike from the road to get to this cozy little nook. I walked in from the cold and was amazed to see a quaint cabin- with worn wood walls, a table for playing cards, a few books, and a small outhouse out back. What a cool little place to escape the busy life at the science station! My friend, who I had hiked in with, decided to go on a hike for a few hours and I opted to chill out in the cabin. He is dating a Kiwi so he was my connection into this place. The first thing I realized was how much it felt like home...maybe not my home, but home. You know, a place where you can kick off the boots, pull out a good book, play some cards with a friend, sit by the stove, and cook up a little sweet goodness in the kitchen- that kind of home. I have not had that feeling for months, and I miss it. It felt so right to sit around sipping tea, reading, and writing as I heard the wind whipping against the sides of the cabin. Life slowed down for a few hours as I remembered to thank God for the little blessings in life. May we never forget to grin at the little things that give our lives joy.

My contact info again

2005-12-17T23:23:00.000-08:00

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

Commuting to the Suburbs

2005-12-17T22:53:00.000-08:00

I suppose I've been living the American urban/suburban life here on the ice as of late. As many of you know, I work on the runway here in shifts of about a month loading and unloading all kinds of cargo from big and small planes with forklifts and by hand. For the last month or so I have been based on the runway each working day. The runway moved a few weeks ago from the sea ice to the ice shelf 8 miles away. So I guess that means I am living in the city and commuting to the suburbs for work each day. They moved the runway to create space for the icebreaker ship that will come in less than a month to cut a channel. Before the planes landed on wheels on hard blue sea ice, but now they land on skis on the softer snow piled on the Ross ice shelf. Due to the soft snow on the road out to the new runway we have been driving vehicles with HUGE tires described as "dinosaurs of the ice." They don't go very fast, and that has changed my work day quite a bit. Instead of taking about five minutes to get to the sea ice runway it has been taking just under an hour each way. The days feel brutal sometimes leaving at 5:30 and returning at 7:15, but the window time is nice for just enjoying the view, sleeping, or reading. I am a bit blown away that the longest commute I might ever have to work is on snow trails in Antarctica. I have enjoyed the time at the runway, but for the next month of so I am stationed mostly in town. One more change in my schedule as of late is the switch to night shift. I will be eating breakfast for dinner the rest of my time down here. While that sounds weird at first, be reminded that it is always light here so adjusting the schedule just takes pulling an all nighter and then sleeping a lot. I continue to love life down here as I take time to learn, grow, hike, and prepare for the exciting things ahead in life. There is nothing I have experienced that is as different as life in this frozen land.

Not exactly camping the back yard

2005-12-10T00:16:00.000-08:00

Thursday evening I was checking my email for a few minutes and I found out the good news. I would finally be going on the Field Safety camping trip! I was told that I had been accepted into the program to get to do some outdoor survival training sessions, and this was supposed to be the most fun. I couldn't wait to hit the field for a few days, brave the weather for a night, and get paid for my regular work days. After getting to sleep in a bit I met the ten others and our Search and Rescue trainer that would be taking us out. We talked about a few things in the building and headed out to a field hut in a Snow Cat. The field hut was where we got our supplies, an orientation, and a hot cup of tea. The hut was cozy, even heated with a small stove, and would house our instructor for the night. We would learn a lot about building snow structures and establishing camp the first day, spend the night, and then focus on rescue techinques and other emergency procedures the next day. Getting out in the field was a dream come true! We built quinzies, igloos, snow trenches, and snow caves to sleep in. After our instructor gave us the directions we needed to survive the night we were on our own. Being the only one who had any snow shelter experience, I was able to spearhead a lot of the building and get dinner ready. Our camp was composed of a huge wind wall made of igloo blocks dug from the ground with a row of emergency mountain tents behind it. About six people decided to sleep in the tents and the other six decided to build other stuctures. I helped two others build a quinzy (a dug out mound of snow) and I built an individual snow trench. A snow trench is about three feet deep, seven feet lont, and is covered by blocks leaning in over the middle like an A-frame. After some hours of hard work our camp looked more like a village of snow. before dinner I decided to begin some domestic work and build a kitchen and dining room. About two hours later we were chilling in a small round ampitheater where we sat, cooked, and hang out. It was complete with stadium seating, cupboards and a cooking platform, and a slide down into the quinzy. There is probably nothing i love more on any camping trip than sitting around with hot drinks enjoying a hot dinner in a dining room made of snow. The weather was quite nice, for Antarctic standards at least, and the wind died down for most of the time. Even when our skies were a bit grey the sun was shining on the Mt. Erebius, Terror, and Terra Nova all all their glaciers with brillance. Although we were not more than twenty miles from McMurdo we were in a different world. Before heading into my trench for the night I made a lounge chair for myself, complete with foot stool, and sat behind the wind wall taking in the views of the mountains down the range. This trip was exactly what I pictured before coming down here. It was one of those moments when it really sunk in that I am living in Antarctica. Not many people ever get to come to this continent, and very few of those people ever get to camp out. I am a lucky guy, that's all I've gotta say.

Snowboading in Antarctica?

2005-12-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

A buddy and I had talked about it for a few weeks. On the first beautiful Wednesday we decided on hitting the Castle Rock trail for a hike and bringing some snowboards along to try out the run. I borrowed a snowboard from the rec department here, loaded up the pack, grabbed a few sandwiches for lunch, and hit the trail. It was the most beautiful day I could imagine here. Until reaching the summit of Castle Rock there was very little wind. The sun was shimmering off the snow in a blinding and beautiful way. Castle Rock is the highest point for miles so the views from the top of the run were amazing! Icebergs stuck in the frozen sea ice, the Ross Ice Shelf, far off ice caves, and crevasses protruding from the side of Mt. Erebius were a few of the things that blew my mind. There was not another sole out there, and to our surprise, the powder was perfect. Five inches of powder, a beater snowboard, and a mile and a half slope to bomb...booyah! I was so excited about doing this and finally getting out there that I seemed to forget that I had only been on a board for about fifteen minutes before. Once I started down the hill I remembered that fact quickly. No matter how many falls I had, it was simply one of those things that you cannot believe you're doing. Those moments will be frozen in my mind for a long time. I improved quite a bit on the way down, enough to turn onto the narrow bridge over the crevasse- heads up! Once we got to the bottom it was simply too much fun to go only once. We hiked back up the slope and went for it again. As if coming to this frozen continent isn't rare enough, snowboarding here has to be one of the adventures I never would have dreamed of. It certainly made it easier to be away from the slopes in Colorado this winter.

Trotting with turkeys and laughing in the snow

2005-11-25T19:55:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a fun day it has been here at McMurdo. I woke up this morning with a few hundred others ready to run the Antarctic Turkey Trot only to find out it had been cancelled. There was a fresh coat of five inches on the ground and the sun was shining brightly from a blue sky. After talking with a few others at breakfast we realized that a little snow and some "unsafe" icy conditions weren't going to keep us from our morning jog. The thought of not working up an appetite for the big meal just wasn't right. My friend and I showed up at 10 to find that almost everyone signed up thought the cancellation was bunk also. We took off in the bright sun and headed out toward the sea ice runway. Everyone was hooping and hollaring, and it really got crazy when the kitchen staff came out in full work clothes to run a few miles on their breakfast break. I cannot rememeber another time when I was more glad something fun was cancelled. The conditions turned out to be just fine, and the fresh coat of snow on the mountains and on town were perfect. Some people sported huge whigs, some men wore tights with sequin dresses, and a few people ran in their 10 lb. arctic boots. I was laughing my head off and loving every minute of it. After finishing most of the race I decided to strip off the shirt for the last half mile, which proved to be a mistake when I was pelted with snowballs at the finish line. Time just stopped for about an hour this morning to laugh, gobble, pelt others with snowballs, cheer, and laugh my head off. If anyone is wondering, there is no shortage of fun in MacTown!

A Thanksgiving like no other

2005-11-25T00:24:00.000-08:00

Hello all, and happy Thanksgiving! It is strange, to say the least, to be here away from you all. It is November 25th here, and confusing the heck out of me. No one is sure if yesterday was Thanksgiving being that it was the 24th, today is Thankgiving because that's when everyone else back home is celebrating, or tomorrow because we get the day off work and eat our big meal. Anyhow, it's weird, and I miss you guys. Being away from American culture you get an interesting perspective on things. Suddenly a holiday is not about watching football or parades, gorging myself with my Mom's amazing treats, or traveling 8 hours in a car trying to keep the pumpkin pie from tipping. It is suddenly only about being thankful for the amazing things that God has given me. While I am missing people and am lacking some "normal" festivities, I am grateful to be here on this adventure and to have people back home that I love deeply. I felt very loved by cards from you guys. Thanks. While I will be running the Antarctic Turkey Trot in the morning and eating New Zealand turkey in the galley tomorrow I will be missing you all. I thank the Lord for what my friends and family have meant to me. I am also thankful I have clothes... otherwise, I would be frozen... and neked!

What it looks like here

2005-11-24T23:37:00.000-08:00

I realize that words are limited when describing a place that no one really has any idea about. I got the final word that I will not be able to post pictures for you guys, so I guess my words will have to do. If that bores anyone and you swear to never check this site again, no worries, enjoy the time away from the computer screen. But for those of you who would like to read on I will attempt to describe what it looks like here. Like I have said in past entries, McMurdo ("Mac Town") is like a little town displaced in an island bordering the coldest and most remote continent in the world. As for Mac Town, it is not what comes to mind when you think of a ski town or a village in the Alps. Think of a military post established and quickly assembled by the navy in the 70's. Many buildings here are shacks that have been pepped up a little bit inside. The buildings are cozy and the views out the windows are unreal. There is a water plant, power plant, coffee house (shack), basketball barn, science lab, dining hall, dorms, offices, a greehouse, a bar, and many warehouses. People are busy throughout the day going to work in their various jobs that support the scientists. There are about 1,000 people here at most times from all walks of life. It is very comapct and simple. I could throw a baseball three times and traverse all of Mac Town. There are gravel/pebble roads and they are usually covered with snow, although not all areas around Mac Town proper are snowcovered. There is only one road (not counting sea ice tracks) that leads away from McMurdo. It goes to the Kiwi (New Zealand) base about a mile and a half away. Less than 2% of the continent is not snowcovered, and we are considered part of that 2%. The Navy should have seen that as a warning sign that no snow meant the wind had blown it all away in BAD storms... It's kinda like being cold when you're driving but instead of turning the heat on you roll down the windows and stick your head out. Yeah, not exactly well-planned military strategies in positioning this place. There are no trees and very little color other than deep white, deep blue, and the black volcanic rock below the sections of snow. The views from town rock my world every day! The Royal Society Range is across the frozen Bay beyond the sea ice runway that I have been working at. The peaks are over fifty miles away, but they appear about 10 miles away because there is nothing in the air to block visiblity. They rise over 14,000 feet above the sea ice and remind me of the Alps or the Canadian Rockies. From the sea ice Mt. Erebius is visible. It is the only active volcano on the continent and it is constantly venting steam in a huge cloud against the blue sky. Some days, of course, you can see nothing, and you can barely walk because the wind is blowing snow into your face and freezing you to the bone. On those days I see only the edges of my coat hood, the inside of my ski goggles, and my feet beneath me. We sit about a mile away from large glaciers and crevasses, but they are covered in snow making them unseen and very dangerous. Pressure ridges often form on the sea ice around the peninsula. These are up to 30 foot tall ridges that have formed from sea ice pressing together over the years. Occasionally seals will emerge from these ridges, and I am told that later in the year penguins too. I can spot no open water here as the mass of ice covers this all to a thickness of over 6 feet. Last but not least is Observation Hill. This the classic Mac Town hike. It is a huge hill (small mountain) shooting up on the South end of town directly between us and the Kiwi base. Sledding on dinner trays is popular at the base to reward summiting the steep trail. The view from the top is unbelievable! Being the highest point for about 4 miles, it looks over all of Ross Island and makes one want to simply start hiking as far as possible in any direction. One last thing you must remember about this place; it's light all the time. The sun rotates around the sky in a circle, but never goes down in the summer. I hope that gives you a little better idea what it looks like here. Please know that I cannot describe to you how wild, vast, empty, and just plain HUGE this land is. It is like nothing I could have ever imagined.

Science that blows my mind

2005-11-16T23:02:00.000-08:00

As I drove the huge flatbed truck past the glaciers and crevasses I had no idea what I was carrying. I was told that I had a very important piece of cargo for the balloon projeft that is going on this summer. As I arrived at the secondary runway and science post past the Kiwi base I had no idea what to think. A door flung open to one of the temporary shacks on the ice and fifty scientists emerged in huge red coats wearing cameras around their necks and acting like they just got out for summer break. They came toward us wondering if all the materials had arrived safely. I told them I had taken care of their box and would help them unload it and bring them the contents. As we opened the 8 foot box minutes later I saw the most complex piece of scientific equptment I have ever laid eyes on. After having a short conversation, and dodging fifty cameras taking my picture opening the door, I realized what I was carrying. It was the brain for the biggest ozone and atmosphere project ever conducted! LDB, Long Duration Balloon, is a project that many scientists have worked on for years and only now has it come time to launch the balloon. This brain, a mass of cords, cables, computers, cameras, and crazy scientific devices, is worth millions of dollars and thousands of hours. It will be launched as soon as possible by a mosaic of international teams and will measure the ozone layer here and take pictures and readings of what it sees. This will give evidence of what it looks like, why it is thinning here, and what this means for the rest of the world in the future. After safely moving the piece and placing it exactly where they wanted it, they all applauded my two teamates and I while we realized we had nearly peed our pants trying not to drop this thing. On certain days the magnitude of these things just hits me. Today was one of those. I am living out the discovery channel every day and being a small part of some of the newest science in the world. Well, that was my day at the office.

It's warming up!

2005-11-16T22:53:00.000-08:00

After being here about five weeks I am beginning to feel a hint of what they call summer here in the Antarctic. The other day at work I took off my coat and beanie for the first time fearing I would overheat and actually begin to sweat. For the first time I felt the wind on my face and didn't think, "IT'S BURNING MY SKIN OFF!" I hustled home after work to change out of my insulated coveralls and checked the weather. It warmed up to 10! With the windchill it was below 10, but it was an amazing thought...my body has begun to get used to this. I am looking forward to both the warming in the next few months and getting used to the cold even more. I continue to be amazed by this place, and the weather is a big part of that. Blue skies lead to stormy winds with no visibility. You never know what you're gonna get when you wake up here, probably another condition 1 storm tomorrow morning.

How to get a hold of me...

2005-11-15T02:25:00.000-08:00

Alan Briggs,RPSC McMurdo Station PSC 469 Box 700 APO AP 96599-1035 AlanBriggsis@gmail.com Or call my cell...just kidding

The Pole Traverse

2005-11-10T23:38:00.000-08:00

As my radio chimed in I was loading cargo. It was one of those moments that makes you stop and realize that something big is going on. "On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month we start our engines for the journey. Departure, immediate. Estimated time of return, late January or February. We wish you all the best, and thank you for your support." I stopped for a minute thinking of the journey these men were about to take on. An expedition has been assembled- men, vehicles, food, maps, supplies, and warm clothes- to take on one of the greatest challenges of the last hundred years; the traverse to the south pole. While not done on foot or with huskies pulling their sleds, they will creep along dodging crevasses, ice falls, and snow pits for 800 miles in SnowCats until they reach the coldest and most southern place in the world. It gets me excited to be a small part of adventures like these. My team and I have dealt with logistics for getting their gear off planes and into their pile along with other field camps and scientific experiments. Just the other day I was driving around a large box from the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) that was worth over a million $. How about that for pressure not to drop it. I simply cannot believe all the world record events that leave from this place. Just today I downloaded a plane that the Italians flew in from South Africa on the sea ice runway. I hope things like that never feel normal. I will write an entry or two in the next few weeks dealing with the science experiments going on here. There is simply no place like this- so strange, exciting, unfamiliar, frozen, and simple.

I'm a lucky man!

2005-11-06T14:38:00.000-08:00

So I thought it might be good to give a little update as to how I spend my time here on the ice. Lately I have gotten some exciting news that I got into the Field Safety Training Program and the Mass Medical Response team. In addition to getting an exciting and non-repetitive job down here (especially for my first year on the ice), I get to take a few courses that give me free training in things that I love. I am heading off very soon for a GPS course, I have already taken a sea ice course, I get to go on a two day camping trip later in the season, I will take an altitude course later on, and I might get random chances to go out into the field. The mass medical team is only put into action in case of a disaster, but we meet to train, go over logistics, and do drills with live "injured" actors. I definitely have some of the least experience of anyone on the team, but at least I've got a beard. I will bandage wounds, give people oxygen, apply splints, and keep monitoring vital signs. So overall, I am a lucky guy to get to do both of these bonus courses that train me to do cool stuff. Sometimes all you've gotta do is ask!

Dinner with the next door neighbor

2005-11-04T00:31:00.000-08:00

Here in icetown we have only one other house in the neighborhood- the kiwis (these are people from New Zealand if you didn't know). Scott Base is located just over the pass with a small mountain seperating us from our jolly neighbors. I have gotten to know a few of them lately, and I really enjoy getting to shoot the breeze with them and learn new phrases from them. I am also realizing that I speak American, not English. Anyway, a Kiwi buddy named Scott invited me over for dinner the other night and I immediately accepted. This is considered a huge honor, because Kiwis only ask close friends over for dinner. This base is very small a well-kept, kind of a dorm and a commune all in one. We shot the breeze for hours talking about Scott's last thirteen months on the ice and the things he has experienced here. After eating a great home-cooked Chinese meal and getting a tour of the place I came to a realization...we long for neighbors, people we can take our shoes off with, kick back, relax, and slow down. It was truly one of my best nights here and certainly very relaxing. It's the little things I miss here. Somehow I never realized the privilage it is to have neighbors or friends over for dinner until I got down here. On a side note, I believe the Kiwis have taken over sole possession of first place for my favorite people group. I have no idea why people from a certain country are named after a special bird, but I guess that makes sense to them. In conclusion, you're all invited to our place for dinner when I return!

Rubbing Shoulders with the Best and Brightest

2005-10-30T23:08:00.000-08:00

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

2005-10-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

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!

2005-10-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-12T00:43:00.000-07:00

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

The hike to a room with a view

2005-10-12T00:23:00.000-07:00

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!

2005-10-11T01:09:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-09T23:46:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

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

Adventures in Search and Rescue

2005-09-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

At 2 A.M. I laid down for a quick nap with a knot in my stomach. Two of my friends had not yet returned from possibly the most burly mountain climb they had ever done. They were 8 hours late at this point and had hit the deadline on which it is my responsibility to only freak out but also do something. I thought their plans sounded a little rushed and the mountain was at least 3 hours away, so wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. By 5 A.M. the sun was about to rise, and I had organized a search party and left our plans with a few others. I scrambled to get my gear together, and I racked my brain to think of what I might need for a high mountain rescue situation. To clear things up a little bit this is not a mountain hike, this is a vertical ascent of the mountain on a rope using gear that they placed along a 2,000 foot exposed corner of this rock. My gut feeling; they had misestimated the route and they were in some deep trouble. After the rocky ride up South Colony Road (more like 4 WD boulder garden) we got to the pull-out where we would park and go in search of our friends. At that time we were a group of three friends setting out, nervous as all get-out, prepared to either find our friends tired but okay, maimed, or dead. That 1 1/2 mile hike seemed like ten. When we got to the basin below the peak we searched the side of the cliff faces intently for a few minutes. Nothing. So we headed on. Just a minute or so later I saw a hiker. "Levi!" I yelled, only to have a man turn around that I saw next to our car. My heart dropped for a second, but behind him sat my roomate Matt. The feeling of seeing him okay is indescribable. The burden of being the rescue men for our friends was fully complete, and the day turned from a possible disaster into a holiday. We gave hugs, food, and water to rejuvenate their seriosly tired souls, and we waited for the story. 30 hours on the mountain, summitted just after dark, slept on the peak in a small crevice in the rock with no extra gear. That's enough to call it quits on climbing mountains for a little while. They were lucky. If the weather had not been good they should have had hypothermia or lost their lives. In conclusion to that story I have two things to say. 1) Be careful in the outdoors; it is nothing to mess around with. 2) To love is worth it. At times it will leave you exhausted, inconvenienced, and wondering if it is worth it. Yes, to love is always worth it.

Adventures Below the Ground

2005-09-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it is good to see the light of day again. About two weeks ago me, Derek Shiels, and an older guy who funded the expedition exited the highest caves in North America after 17 hours. This is also considered the most dangerous cave in Colorado, and we heard many legends about it. I have writted an article about our time in the cave that I have submitted to Adventure Magazine in hopes of being published. I know it's long, but it will be worth your time.

To the dreamers and planners go the spoils

As I sat in the pitch dark in the bottom of the cave all I could hear was the steady drip of water from the stalactites and the sound of my own breathing. There I was alone in the cold more than three hundred feet into the ground in what experts have called "the most dangerous cave in Colorado." With the trust that my two fellow cavers were safely off rope above me I began to ascend. "Hand over hand", I thought, "keep it slow and steady." The feeling of complete dependence on your ropes, your hardware, and your team members is enslaving at times and freeing at others. I think the freeing part happened on the way down and now it was time for the enslaving part. I started to ascend by edging my body up the walls and over one long crack that I had nearly slid into on the rapel down. While we believed we had reached the end of Spanish Cave we were never confident that we had reached the bottom. "Could there be more pits leading even deeper? Could this cave hold the Spanish treasures that the legends spoke of?" One begins to ask such questions when bidding goodbye to the end of the cave we had dreamed of exploring for over a year. The careful expedition planning was the only reason we we three hundred feet into the ground with more than a death wish. "Off rope!", I yelled as I got to a flatter resting spot. Carrying up the rear of the expedition was tougher than I had imagined. Draping a coil of rope over each shoulder while trying to keep the ropes taught would prove the be a challenge all the way up, but this was not the time to let my burning muscles stop me or complain about the cold ,wet air filling my lungs. The next two hundred vertical feet would prove to be even tougher. The two others had gone first and ascended into a small hole in the roof of the room. The walls of the room split thirty feet between them and the roof stopped abruptply at about seventy feet with a waterfall making its way down from the top. "This is wild!", I thought. "The expedition, the bowels of the cave, and now the thought of returning to life above the ground." As I was waiting for the first two to ascend I began to feel the cold breeze of the cave and the reality that I needed sleep....badly. While most caves are full of dead air Spanish Cave inhales and exhales due to the atmospheric pressure at such high altitudes. Without my watch I would have never known that we had been in the cave for thirteen hours now, despite still being over two hundred vertical feet from the top. So finally I began my hardest ascent, no walls to touch and no one to hold the ropes taught, just myself, the ropes, and my acenders. Finally, I left the Aladdin's Cave of Wonders (minus the piles of treasure) and pulled myself into the small crack in the roof where I would take my next rest. After more than an hour of dozing off and wiggling my toes to keep them warm it was my turn to slide through the corkscrew. It would take a few twists and tight squeezes for about sixty vertical feet, but I knew that one step at a time would get me there. Minutes later I was standing on the ice shelf at the top of the corkscrew breathing hard, and excited to ascend the icy section above. It was there that I began to get ancy for the light at the end of the tunnel. We had been in the cave about sixteen hours now, and my focus shifted from exploration to survival. "One step at a time, steady feet on the ice", I kept telling myself. The ice on the vetical shelf was the hardest ice I have ever felt. My ascenders had become my best friend on the ice, and I had finally gotten into the rhythm of using them. While the other team members had taken a break to catch their breath and sort the rope I was ready to shoot for the top. The ice shelf lent its way to the steep rock face on which we had first rapelled into the black hole where we now stood. I reached the initial ledge and pushed myself out of the pit. Crawling toward the light at the end of the tunnel seemed surreal, not to mention blinding. Exiting the cave was the greatest victory I had felt all day. Seventeen hours inside the bowels of a seam in the side of mountain suddenly makes sunlight the greatest of God's inventions. The joy of knowing we had conquered the cave was made complete as I laid down to rest my exhausted body and dream of the next expedition. For me and my fellow explorers we had dreamed big, planned well, and conquered safely. "Well, that's my lesson", I guess, "to the dreamers and planners go the spoils."