A Return to the Ice

Several years ago in 2007, I ventured to Antarctica for two seasonal contracts, a summer at the South Pole and then a winter at Palmer Station. Once those and a few months of travel were complete, I returned to Portland and not sure where my life was taking me, I got a job and a home and basically grew some roots.

Then this February, an email from a close friend changed my path as it prompted me to apply for at a contract at the South Pole again. It's the 100 year anniversary of when humans first stepped foot on the bottom of the globe after all, sure to be an epic season. Without actually believing it would happen, I ended up getting the contract, and I'm now writing this blog from my room in the elevated station at the South Pole.

It was harder to leave Portland this time as I love almost everything about my life there, but adventure called and I couldn't resist. I'm supposed to be related to Daniel Boone, so perhaps I have some of his wanderlust in my blood.

Regardless, I left the States one Thursday and arrived at the South Pole the next. Below is a pictorial timeline of the journey south from Christchurch.

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A room full of Antarcticans in ECW gear, a requirement on to board the plane, waiting to depart Christchurch

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Rhiannon and Jeremy boarding our C17 that would fly us to McMurdo, our layover for the South Pole

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It's a surreal feeling to ride in a plane without windows

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A different sort of flight attendant and a different sort of oxygen mask if we lose pressure. Hope I could work one of those if I had to.

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Understandably so, no flight to Antarctica is complete without cargo loaded in the back

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My favorite part of the flight, going up to the flight deck to look at the instrumentation and take in the scenery

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5 hours later we land on not land, but a sea ice runway at McMurdo

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My first steps on the Ice! Those are called bunny boots by the way and were originally developed by the military

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Ivan the Terra Bus, our transport to and from the sea ice runway to McMurdo Station proper

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A very quick turn around, we boarded an LC-130 (often referred to as a herc, short for hercules) around 12 hours later for our flight to the South Pole. Only aircraft with skis can land at the Pole as it does not have a hard surfaced runway

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The LC-130 is way smaller and less comfortable than a C17. Those are our carry-on bags in between our rows of seats.

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3 hours we land at my new, albeit temporary, home! It was a cold (almost -40C with -50C windchill), white, no-horizon and windy day at the South Pole