Our Journey to Antarctica

Many of the TRACERS team departed the US on Friday, February 1^st to arrive in Christchurch, New Zealand between the 3^rd and the 4^th, so we could be outfitted for our “extreme cold weather gear” (or ECWs) on the 5^th at the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) Christchurch headquarters. It was common for our flights to depart the US from Los Angeles en route to Sydney, Australia, where we then connected to Christchurch, spending at least 18 hours total in flight. Once our long flights were over and we had landed in Christchurch, we were greeted by the USAP staff who pointed us in the right direction for catching the airport shuttle to our accommodations at the Elms Hotel, where we are all currently staying. Since our arrival, we have taken many shuttle rides to and from the airport and the USAP, which are always pleasant rides since the drivers like to chat about our work on Antarctica – or “The Ice” as Kiwis commonly call it.

Blue footprints direct us to the Antarctic Centre and USAP headquarters from the Christchurch International Airport. Photo credit: A. Margolin.

Once we all got settled in Christchurch, with some of us still a little jetlagged, we took the shuttle to the USAP’s Clothing Distribution Center to be outfitted for our ECWs on February 5^th. We were each issued two bright orange duffel bags filled with winter clothes, which we tried on to make sure there were no issues with the sizes or the gear itself. One of the duffel bags is to be used for storing all of the gear we will need once we board the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer, and the other duffel bag is to be used for carrying the clothes we will need once we exit the plane on Antarctica. The second bag is also referred to as the “boomerang bag”, since it will also contain a change of clothes and personal items in case bad weather does not permit us to land at McMurdo and we have to return to Christchurch. If we end up having to return to Christchurch, the boomerang bag will be returned to us while the other duffel bag remains in the cargo hold until the next flight out to McMurdo. Hopefully we won’t get boomeranged back to Christchurch, but the USAP requires us to be prepared for the worst-case scenario – as we are traveling to one of the harshest environments on Earth – and they have prepared us well.

Extreme Cold Weather Gear at the USAP's Clothing Distribution Center, which is issued to anyone who travels to the Antarctic through the USAP. Photo credit: A. Margolin.

Allison, Sarah, Meredith and Rachel demonstrate their ninja moves while wearing the ECWs issued to them by the USAP. Photo credit: A. Lee.

In addition to preparing us for the worst-case scenario, the USAP has also prepared us for delays, such as our delayed flight to McMurdo, which has been postponed from February 6^th to the 7^th. The USAP prepared us for this delay by extending our stay at the Elms Hotel, and allowing us to continue to enjoying the Kiwi culture, food and beer for an additional day before our eight-hour flight on the US Air Force’s C-130 Hercules, which should begin tomorrow morning.

A list of the ECWs that we are required to wear or have with us during our flight to McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Photo credit: A. Margolin.

The US Air Force's Hercules C-130, which we will carry us to McMurdo Station on February 7^th. Photo courtesy of the US Air Force.

Many of us, however, have taken advantage of our time in Christchurch and more broadly, New Zealand, beyond the scope of our one-day extension by arriving earlier than February 5^th to travel around the South Island and explore the country, visit family, see friends, and/or check out some of the attractions that Christchurch has to offer. One of the attractions, relevant to our work in the Antarctic, was the exhibit Scott’s Last Expedition at the Canterbury Museum on Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova Expedition. The exhibit told the story of the history of Antarctic exploration and the expedition that Scott organized to claim the South Pole for England between 1910 and 1912. After claiming the Pole, only one month after Roald Amundsen had claimed it for Norway, Scott’s return journey ended tragically with him and four of his companions perishing at the Beardmore Glacier and the Ross Ice Shelf between February and March of 1912.

The Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, displaying the Scott's Last Expedition banner. Photo credit: A. Margolin.

There are many great and tragic stories that came from early Antarctic expeditions, not only as stories of what was discovered or of the cold and suffering that was endured, but also as stories of the time and life that was expended when compared to the expenses of similar expeditions today. For example, the TRACERS Project requires us to be in the field for just over two months, while the Terra Nova Expedition required Scott and his companions to be in the field for over two years, and for five of them to never return. We are fortunate and grateful that we get to travel to the Ross Sea in such a short time frame with little risk to no risk of us suffering the same fate as Scott and his companions.

Map of seven-month journey aboard the Terra Nova in 1910 for Scott's expedition to the South Pole based on Ross Island. To be compared to our one-week journey to McMurdo Station, which is located on Ross Island. Photo credit: A. Margolin, courtesy of the Canterbury Museum.

Approximately two posts will be added every week… so stay tuned!

–Andrew