Our notice came under the door that we will be taking off at 9:30 AM tomorrow morning, that's Wednesday the 10th here. We should be out on the Ice around 2:30 PM for our first taste of Antarctica! That's the good news.... the disappointing news is that we will be arriving via AirBus, and not a C-17 Cargo plane. It turns out that it has been unseasonably warm in Antarctica over the past couple of weeks and therefore the ice runway is thinner than usual cannot hold the weight of the C-17 plane. All current flights are via AirBus only. Luckily though, we'll get that adventure on our return flight on November 16.
We also got our tentative schedule. It looks like we're booked for Happy Camper Snow School on Friday, October 12 bright and early, finishing on Saturday, October 13 in the evening.
Let the adventure begin!!!
EDIT : Looks like we have an updated takeoff time, which will now be 11 AM due to flight crew requirements. I'll gladly take a flight crew delay over a weather delay!
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
A Great Day in Christchurch
Wow, what a great day we had today! Christchurch has a lot going on. It's a beautiful historic city with lots of great architecture, but much of it was destroyed by the earthquake 2 years ago.
Today, we started our morning with a trip to the International Antarctic Centre, which is an amazing hands-on and interactive educational museum all about Antarctica. We went into a cold weather simulation room (practically a large walk-in-freezer with snow and ice on the ground). For an added experience, they used industrial fans and loud wind audio recordings to simulate a white out condition that ended up with a -20F windchill. While we weren't outfitted in our ECW's during the simulation, the cold air really does take your breath away. We also went in a 4D journey via Ice boat to Antarctica complete with gusty winds, sea spray, and boat-rocking ice breaking ride. We saw some blue penguins in a man-made habitat, learned all about Antarctica expedition history, and really had a great time exploring our way through the museum!
After that, we adventured on to Center City, which was loaded with hip pop-up shops in cargo shipping containers, since the earthquake devastation is still most present in the downtown area, this was their make-shift revitalization. Next, we took a walk through the Botanic Gardens and journeyed on to the Ice Festival, both in Hagley Park. The park was so incredible with so many gorgeous plants of vibrant colors. It would cheer anyone's mood just by walking through the park! The Ice Fest celebrates Antarctic culture and brings an interactive week-long festival to New Zealand. The highlights that we saw were ice skating, a photographic image gallery, and a look into Scott's Hut. There were several events during the Ice Fest timeline that we have already missed, but it was a great way to spend the afternoon regardless.
All in all, we learned a ton about Antarctica and experienced a simulation environment similar to what we should expect once we get off the plane.
Today, we started our morning with a trip to the International Antarctic Centre, which is an amazing hands-on and interactive educational museum all about Antarctica. We went into a cold weather simulation room (practically a large walk-in-freezer with snow and ice on the ground). For an added experience, they used industrial fans and loud wind audio recordings to simulate a white out condition that ended up with a -20F windchill. While we weren't outfitted in our ECW's during the simulation, the cold air really does take your breath away. We also went in a 4D journey via Ice boat to Antarctica complete with gusty winds, sea spray, and boat-rocking ice breaking ride. We saw some blue penguins in a man-made habitat, learned all about Antarctica expedition history, and really had a great time exploring our way through the museum!
After that, we adventured on to Center City, which was loaded with hip pop-up shops in cargo shipping containers, since the earthquake devastation is still most present in the downtown area, this was their make-shift revitalization. Next, we took a walk through the Botanic Gardens and journeyed on to the Ice Festival, both in Hagley Park. The park was so incredible with so many gorgeous plants of vibrant colors. It would cheer anyone's mood just by walking through the park! The Ice Fest celebrates Antarctic culture and brings an interactive week-long festival to New Zealand. The highlights that we saw were ice skating, a photographic image gallery, and a look into Scott's Hut. There were several events during the Ice Fest timeline that we have already missed, but it was a great way to spend the afternoon regardless.
All in all, we learned a ton about Antarctica and experienced a simulation environment similar to what we should expect once we get off the plane.
Monday, October 08, 2012
Another Delay
We just received notice that we won't be taking off tomorrow morning. We've been rescheduled for Wednesday the 10th (which is Tuesday the 9th in the US).
Until then, I'll explore Christchurch, which was destroyed by an earthquake about 2 years ago. The damage is still very much present, as most of the buildings in the downtown area are either non-habitable or have been completely demolished. We might head to the botanic gardens tomorrow, or the hot springs, or maybe go for a hike after a train ride. It all sounds great to me, though I am very much ready to see what Antarctica is all about. Fingers crossed for a Wednesday departure to the Ice!
Until then, I'll explore Christchurch, which was destroyed by an earthquake about 2 years ago. The damage is still very much present, as most of the buildings in the downtown area are either non-habitable or have been completely demolished. We might head to the botanic gardens tomorrow, or the hot springs, or maybe go for a hike after a train ride. It all sounds great to me, though I am very much ready to see what Antarctica is all about. Fingers crossed for a Wednesday departure to the Ice!
I'm here, in Christchurch, New Zealand!
Two days ago I arrived in Christchurch, NZ which is where the US Antarctic hub is located for Ice preparation. Right now, it's noon on Monday, Oct. 8 and we were scheduled to depart early this morning on our C-17 Ice flight, however there are Category 1 (highest) white out conditions at McMurdo so we have a 24 hour delay at the moment. We'll give it a try tomorrow, but it seems there has been no change in the weather over the past 3 days. We'll see! Speaking of weather, you can check out a live cam of McMurdo here.
While in Christchurch, we have been issued our ECW's (Extreme Cold Weather gear), had a brief orientation, and were able to meet many experienced Antarctic travelers. I've been humbled in realizing that my 6-week trip is a very short one compared to most of the Grantees and employees who will be returning home in February or March of 2013! Our 6 week trip is practically nothing, but a huge deal to me! Somehow we have double the bags that those long-termers have with them. I feel very prepared with everything I've packed, but maybe it's a bit too much.
We have nothing scheduled while we are in limbo waiting for our flight, so today I've gone to a great breakfast, transfered hotels to one closer to the airport, and am now catching up on all internet-related things. I'm still a little unsure of exactly what to expect in Antarctica, but hopefully we'll be in good hands with our teammates Lars and Tom. Lars is an atmospheric research scientist who is tracking ozone depletion at many locations around Antarctica, and he's been there a handfull of times now to calibrate his equipment. Tom is his assistant, a space engineer who has worked on several US shuttles and satellites. Both are experienced outdoor expeditionists, and they will be good guides to keep us safe. I will have so much to learn from them!
Well, that's it for now. Hope to write again soon with a report about landing in Antarctica!
While in Christchurch, we have been issued our ECW's (Extreme Cold Weather gear), had a brief orientation, and were able to meet many experienced Antarctic travelers. I've been humbled in realizing that my 6-week trip is a very short one compared to most of the Grantees and employees who will be returning home in February or March of 2013! Our 6 week trip is practically nothing, but a huge deal to me! Somehow we have double the bags that those long-termers have with them. I feel very prepared with everything I've packed, but maybe it's a bit too much.
We have nothing scheduled while we are in limbo waiting for our flight, so today I've gone to a great breakfast, transfered hotels to one closer to the airport, and am now catching up on all internet-related things. I'm still a little unsure of exactly what to expect in Antarctica, but hopefully we'll be in good hands with our teammates Lars and Tom. Lars is an atmospheric research scientist who is tracking ozone depletion at many locations around Antarctica, and he's been there a handfull of times now to calibrate his equipment. Tom is his assistant, a space engineer who has worked on several US shuttles and satellites. Both are experienced outdoor expeditionists, and they will be good guides to keep us safe. I will have so much to learn from them!
Well, that's it for now. Hope to write again soon with a report about landing in Antarctica!
Thursday, October 04, 2012
Packing, packing, and more packing
I've made several lists of the gear we've shipped, the gear we're carrying on, and even a giant list of my personal items to bring. Yesterday, I laid all of the listed items out in somewhat-organized piles, managed to stuff my two airline regulation duffel bags to the max - and will check them all the way through to Christchurch, NZ, plus one rolling carry-on. (I fly commercially to Christchurch, as this is where I have a couple of hours of Extreme Cold Weather gear distribution and computer screenings before my "ice flight"on a C-17 cargo plane to Antarctica on the 8th!)
The start of packing :
My little helper, Ella (she really wanted to go with me) :
The almost-finished luggage results :
And an extra-special thanks to my dear friend Katie for a wonderfully encouraging note and patch :
I'd give myself an A+ in packing and utilizing my space and weight restrictions! Now I just have to get through the next day until I'm airport-bound.
The start of packing :
My little helper, Ella (she really wanted to go with me) :
The almost-finished luggage results :
And an extra-special thanks to my dear friend Katie for a wonderfully encouraging note and patch :
I'd give myself an A+ in packing and utilizing my space and weight restrictions! Now I just have to get through the next day until I'm airport-bound.
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Ah! It's almost time!
The range of emotions over the past couple of days has been pretty wild. I've felt invigorated, stressed, nervous, excited, anxious, sad, proud, and just ready to get there!
A short list of especially exciting events to come for me :
- Happy Camper overnight training
- Snowmobile training
- Local Speight's beer in NZ
- My cargo flight landing on an ice runway in Antarctica!
- An all-white and almost silent environment
- 24 hours of daylight!
- Meeting the scientists and crew that will be in Antarctica with me
The 48-hour countdown to travel has begun. Wish me luck!
A short list of especially exciting events to come for me :
- Happy Camper overnight training
- Snowmobile training
- Local Speight's beer in NZ
- My cargo flight landing on an ice runway in Antarctica!
- An all-white and almost silent environment
- 24 hours of daylight!
- Meeting the scientists and crew that will be in Antarctica with me
The 48-hour countdown to travel has begun. Wish me luck!
Monday, October 01, 2012
Silly Quiz Results
Here are the quiz results from last weekend's Antarctica send-off. There are quite a few silly answers that were super amusing!
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