Bye Bye South Pole

The past two weeks I have felt so excited and anxious about getting out of the cold and hitting some beaches down under. Those plans vanished when my boss presented our crew with the opportunity to work for an additional month. No one took the bait except for me and two others. I figured I needed the extra money because I don’t have a job lined up when I get back to the States. And I know I am going to travel the nations until my wallet tells me to go home. That equals a recipe for trouble so I thought I would earn an extra month to supplement my expenses. I also applied to work at McMurdo Base next year and thought this will be a good way to gauge if I would like to return or not. I could choose between here and the Pole. At McMurdo, the carpenters go on helicopters and small airplanes into remote locations to set up field camps for scientists. What better way to experience Antarctica than to camp on a glacier that no one has ever set foot upon.

So here I sit at McMurdo Base. I felt a lot mixed emotions today seeing all of my friends and coworkers boarding the airplane that would have dropped me off back in civilization. I hugged everyone and exchanged a few emails before I didn’t want to be in the cold anymore and turned around for warmth of the station. The other two guys who were originally going to work with me here, both boarded the plane to Christchurch as well. Each of them will winter over at different bases on the continent and were taking a week off before reporting to their respective locations. So here I sit alone once again.

Only McMurdo has about 6 times the station population that the South Pole does. The computer lab displays fewer computers for use and there is a 20 minute time limit. So although I now have 24 hour a day internet access it will still be a pain in the ass to use the computers. The temperature here is about 55 degrees warmer than what I have become accustomed to. I’ll be working inside too, from what I understand. If only I knew where to go. When the plane landed, I was dumped off and waited around for a shuttle bus to pick me up. The airstrip, just minutes from the base when I came here in November, no longer exists. The warm air melted all the snow, so instead of flags and runway, there is now a shimmering body of water. McMurdo is actually on an island in the middle of the Ross Sea. The shuttle bus driver quipped that the ride back to base would be 40 minutes.

That confused me, until I asked why. Minutes later I saw with my own two eyes. The same flat, white, sterile scene I have looked at day in and day out for three months vanquished and before me erupted 10,000 foot mountain peaks, bays of water, and volcanic rock forming hillsides. Once we got to McMurdo I noticed the complete lack of snow on the ground and even saw a guy walking around in shorts. Don’t think it’s warm; it’s still only twenty degrees as I type. But twenty feels down right pleasant after working in negative 55 wind-chill for the past week. I saw the first bird I’ve seen in three months glide in huge circles above me as I stared mesmerized. Soon I saw another and then another. I walked closer towards the water hoping perhaps to spot some penguins and seals. I saw neither so I wandered back to a main building.

I still didn’t know where my room was, where I was supposed to be working tomorrow, what time to be there, where my bags were or anything. I ate dinner in the galley looking around at all the new faces, but trying not to be too obvious that I was a newbie. I finally went to the general store and asked the clerk where I should go to find my room. She told me where housing was located and found an envelope with my name and key inside, dangling on one of several small hooks attatched to the door. They had been closed since the time I arrived. I huffed up a hill to the cargo area and grabbed my bags before heading to my room, complete with new roommate. Our beds are two feet apart. This should be interesting. I haven’t met him yet but from the looks of his bags, he’s from Arizona.

So as one door in my life closes, others open, and those will open more. I feel privileged and honored to have worked at the South Pole. I know most people at this base would like to even just take a photo next to the pole marker. I felt sad leaving today, even though I have been looking forward to the moment for some time. I said goodbye to friends I became quite close with. I'll miss their smiles and laughs, their sense of adventure, and our relationship. And while I will undoubtedly see some again, others I know, I just crossed paths with for a brief moment in each of our weird and wonderful stories.

written by

JCinTheSouthPole on February 7, 2010 from Escalante, United States

from the travel blog: South Pole

Send a Compliment

Just wanted to stop by and send you some love from home. I am so excited for you that you are experiencing this awesome adventure, and your blog gives an amazing insight into your travels so that your family might experience it along with you.

peace, love, and otter pops

-Andrew

written by Andrew Latta on February 11, 2010

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