A Warm Welcome to the Coldest Place on Earth

On February 2^nd, we all had to be packed and ready by 9 AM for the shuttle to take us from the hotel to the USAP’s Clothing Distribution Center, which is where we left our bright orange bags of ECW gear two days earlier. Once we arrived we promptly reorganized our personal items and dressed ourselves for the flight by wearing our wind pants, bunny (or snow) boots and red parkas. We then went through a line to check our bags, similar to the lines when checking bags for commercial flights. Once all of our bags were weighed, they asked us to step on to the scale while holding our carry-ons, so all weight would be accounted for. After our bags had been checked and the luggage that we were personally responsible for was decreased to one or two carry-ons plus our parkas, we convened in a waiting room where videos briefed us on our flight and arrival to Antarctica aboard the C-130. We had about an hour after the videos finished to take care of any last minute business. We then stepped outside of the building and climbed aboard a school bus that shuttled us over to the aircraft while its fuel tanks were being topped off. Before stepping off the bus and boarding the plane, the standard safety information and emergency exit plans for the C-130 were explained to us.

The C-130 that we took to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, after boarding in Christchurch on the morning of February 7^th. Photo credit: A. Margolin.

After we boarded the aircraft, we helped each other get buckled into our seats made of containment webbing, we made sure our ear plugs were inserted snuggly as the propellers began to spin, making the entire cabin fill with a rumble. The takeoff was so smooth it was hard to tell that we had even gained altitude, and we were soon soaring over the fjords of New Zealand, heading south towards the Southern Ocean and beyond. At this point, many of us were up and about, walking up to the small circular windows to catch a glimpse of the beautiful landscapes from above. Many of us attempted to get some reading, writing or movie watching in, but due to the hearty brown bag lunches that were packed for us and the lull of the engines, many of us found each other sleeping deeply in our confined, yet cozy seating.

 View of a fjord that we flew over as we left the beautiful country of New Zealand. Photo credit: A. Margolin.

 One of the chief scientists, Rob Dunbar, takes a nap after eating his hearty brown-bag lunch. Photo credit: A. Margolin.

 View of the cabin of the C-130 and us in our seats. Photo credit: A. Margolin.

About half way through the flight, many of us woke up from our slumbers and started to walk around the cabin of the plane to stretch our legs and peak out the windows, hoping to see icebergs in the ocean below. At a latitude of about 62°S, the first iceberg was sighted, appearing to be a thin white sliver on the open blue ocean. According to one of the three friendly pilots, the iceberg that we sighted was large enough for our plane to land on. Thankfully, the pilot didn’t feel the need to prove it so we continued on our journey south to Antarctica. Between 68°S and 69°S we began to fly over sea ice, known as pack ice. It covered the ocean and was so white it was hard to distinguish from clouds unless pressure ridges or leads in the ice gave it away. Once we got closer to the continent, some of the pack ice broke up, leaving open pools of water. After about an hour or so of flying over the sea ice, we began to see some mountain ridges in the horizon, and soon we were flying over Antarctica. Shortly after that we were asked to return to our seats to buckle in as we were about to begin making our decent to the frozen continent, and at that point we were all anxious to get off the plane and get settled in our new home for the week at McMurdo Station.

 View of some of the broken pack ice as we approached Antarctica. Photo credit: A. Margolin.

 Our first sighting of Antarctica! Photo credit: A. Margolin.

Once we landed, and stepped out into the bitter cold, we were welcomed by “Ivan” the Terra Bus, and the driver gave us a warm welcome to Antarctica after we boarded and headed off to McMurdo Station. Once we got to the station we all felt disoriented since the sun was shining bright and strong, and when we checked our watches to see what time it was we were surprised that it was 10 PM. We had to wait for about an hour before our baggage arrived, so in that time we made our beds and grabbed a bite to eat at the galley. The next day we had a few meetings in the morning to orient us at McMurdo for the next few days that we’d be living there, but we also had a few fun activities planned for us as well.

Amanda checks her camera in the foreground, as the rest of the group loads their bags onto "Ivan" the Terra Bus. Photo credit: A. Margolin.

The group loads their bags on to the Terra Bus immediately after stepping on to Antarctica after our 7.5 hour flight from Christchurch. Photo credit: A. Margolin.

At 11 AM the following day (February 8^th), a few of us met to go for a tour of Scott’s Hut, which was a 10-15 minute walk from our dorms. Our guide, Kelly, told us many stories about McMurdo Station and of Scott and his two expeditions, which were both based out of McMurdo Sound. Kelly showed us around the inside of Scott’s Hut to take a look at the main living quarters for Scott’s second Antarctic expedition. The first thing that surprised us when we entered was that it was actually colder inside the hut than outside, since the hut was originally designed for the outback as opposed to the Antarctic. It is incredible to think that 100 years ago, that hut was a luxurious home for the harsh Antarctic conditions that Scott and his companions had to endure. Later that day we also went on a tour of McMurdo Station to get familiar with our surroundings, and following the tour many of us hiked up Observation Hill to get a view of McMurdo. We also got to see Memorial Cross, which stands at the top of Observation Hill, which commemorates Scott and his four companions who died on their return journey from the Pole.

 Kelly our guide, wearing blue, tells us about McMurdo Station and Scott's Hut. Photo credit: A. Margolin.

Some of Scott's food stores, on display within the hut. Photo credit: A. Margolin.

 McMurdo Station can be seen on the bottom left from our view at the top of Observation Hill. Inscribed on Memorial Cross is a quote from the poem "Ulysses", by Alfred Tennyson, which reads "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." Photo credit: A. Margolin.

Many more stories of McMurdo soon to come! We are all very busy loading the ship and setting up labs, and looking forward to embarking on our voyage through the Ross Sea!

–Andrew

PS – Check out Cassandra's National Geographic blog post on our cruise! Here's the link: New Expedition Explores Fate of Antarctica's Ross Sea