1/23/2002, McMurdo
This morning dawned with the sound of John Schutt's voice calling through the canvas of the tent that we could sleep in. Our 1.30 pm flight had been cancelled. You could almost taste the disappointment.
The Twin Otters were out chasing the long duration balloon, a difficult task since this multi-million dollar instrument can put down anywhere on this desolate continent and has in the past proved complicated to retrieve, particularly when it has in the past slipped down a crevasse. Even we must admit we're not as important as the payload of the balloon and so once again we resigned ourselves to kicking our heels on the ice and thinking up activities to pass the time. All of us wondering when we'd possibly get back to Mac Town.
At around 4 pm, whilst working in the endurance tent, I heard the shout go up. Pack your bags, the plane's on the way. Finding a gap in their schedule the Twin Otter pilots and Air Ops had decided to launch for us. It was just luck that we we're monitoring the radio. We had 45 minutes to pack our bags and pull as much of camp down as we could before the plane arrived.
We all cheered as the Twin Otter did a fly past before circling to find a safe landing spot. Watching the small plane circle once, then twice and then a final time was terrible. Would they land or would they give up and leave us for another day?
They did land and in next to no time we were up in the air flying over the awe inspiring glaciers and nunataks. Having talked about how we could perhaps snow mobile the 300 km back to McMurdo if we REALLY had to (not that it would ever come to that) it was sobering to see the massive crevasses cutting the Darwin and Beardsmore Glaciers that would have lain in out path. Far better to fly.
It was strange how arriving back at Willy's field on the Ross Sea pack felt like coming home. Only 6 weeks ago Willy's field, in the shadow of the volcano Mt Erebus with its ever present plume of vapour, seemed like the wilderness in the back of beyond.
Back in McMurdo we've rejoined civilisation. After several weeks talking about it we were finally able to have a shower and have a meal that we didn't have to cook ourselves on our tempramental stoves. For now we're content. However, we still have to get on to a plane going North and back to our former lives.
The picture shows the lower slopes of the volcano Mt Discovery as we flew over in the Twin Otter this afternoon.
1/22/2002, guess
Waiting out our departure is a little easier when one understands the nuances of what is happening on the other end. The other end being McMurdo and the flight operations that really involve all the deeper field camps. So I thought I'd talk about some of these details to describe what we go through when planning. It's a chance to further understand the massive logistical support that McMurdo gives not only us-but so many other field parties out right now. It really is a massive undertaking that so many folks never see, in other words folks that are involved that have a thankless job that deserve so much recgonition.
Three types of aircraft do our put-ins and now take out. LC-130's that are ski equipped, an incredible aircraft that has a very high "ACL", a term we become very intimate with, meaning "aircraft cargo limit", weight in other words. The plane itself is the primary aircraft used in shuttling passengers to and from the Antarctic from New Zealand and vice versa. Has 4 engines and can't land where we are, it would be nice but they can't hurt the skis on the ice around here. The next is not an airplane instead a helicopter. We are at the absolute limit of the range they can fly, problem is it would take a helicopter many flights to pull out our gear and passengers, besides that we do not have the type of fuel they need to refuel them once they arrive. The last and my favorite aircraft is the DCH Dehavilland Twin Otter. This plane has 2 engines and is ski equipped as well an incredibly versatile utilitarian plane. Perfect in other words for use in the Antarctic. It's "ACL" out of here is around 2700 lbs. In fact it can land and take off in very short distances, which for some of the landing sights here make it all the better. Our last resupply in fact when our plane was turning to short final for landing it had landed and stopped in probably less than 700 feet, an incredible feat.
So moving on...this time of year back in MCM the air operations office run by Raytheon employees do the difficult task of trying to figure what takes priority. Problem is it's almost impossible to do, or keep everyone happy. It makes it hard as well since science is still going on and others are done. In our case we're done obviously and ready to go, but we have too get in line. And since we're not a really high priority we wait.
The mood is still high still which is good. I'm used to it, John is used to it and by default everyone else is getting used to it, they just may not be happy about it.
1/21/2002, Near where the Twin Otter will land
Antarctic meteorite hunters, once finished with their field season, endulge in a variety of diversions and sports in an all-out effort to wait, wait, wait in good spirits for the first of many plane rides home.
Besides French Cricket, DVD movies, crossword puzzles, books, packing personal gear, and meals:
Matt constructed a sailboard using a banana sled, bamboo poles for a mast, and skidoo canvas-cover for a sail. Cari and Maggie took it for a few rides also. It seemed to go pretty fast actually. Then the winds went away for the next few days. Which of course is great! Except if you want to go sailing on the blue ice. Funny thing, that weather and what you have to hope for one day as compared to the next.
On a beautiful, windless day, a group went for a hike to Score Ridge to enjoy the expansive view from the top. No skidoo bumps, exhaust, or noise to bother us!
Duck went for a walk to another nearby ridge and brought back pieces of fossilized sandstone from the rock formation underlying the Ferrar Dolerite.
Nancy went for a walk and found a meteorite! Hooray! That makes our total count 333 for the season.
Matt, Nancy, and Linda built a snow castle. It probably looks more stable than it actually is. John came by and offered the comment of "well, this is truly boredom." But really, for those of us who didn't grow up with snow, it was quite fun!
We are on the flight schedule for, hopefully, two afternoon flights tomorrow. So, perhaps this time tomorrow, we'll be in McMurdo!
If not, talk of the ANSMET games has been floating around, including three legged races and sleeping bag hopping...
1/20/2002, Meteorite Hills
No Otter yesterday and no Otter today. Maybe tomorrow and maybe the day after tomorrow.
Yesterday we started to break down camp. The emergency survival gear, the ice axes and most of the ice chippers, the broken skidoo parts, the flags, and the meteorite kits are all packed. The meteorites and the chocolate bars for the JSC meteorite folks are all in their shipping cases. The skidoo tanks are almost empty and the skidoos are all sitting in a row where the Otters like to park.
Matt built a wind surfer out of a sled, a skidoo cover, and some flag poles. It skims along the ice at a nice clip in even a light wind. We got up to roughly 10 mph with two of us aboard.
Here are some phrases that I've picked up in the last six weeks.
Antarctic Salute: A one-mitten gesture of contempt used in place of the one-finger gesture of contempt.
Clean Underwear: Underwear that has been worn for less than ten days.
Crowd: A group of more than eight people.
Equalizer: A girl's best friend or her worst enemy.
Feast: A meal that requires more than one pot to prepare.
Health Food: A meal that contains less than a stick of butter or any vegetables whatsoever.
Lunch Break: An interval, usually around noon and lasting no more than ten minutes, in which you huddle downwind of a rock, a skidoo, or a friend and cram chocolate bars and slim jims into your mouth.
McMurdo: A magical place that has showers and toilets.
Micrometeorites: The dirt at the bottom of the water pot.
Nice Weather: Any weather condition in which the wind speed is less than 40 mph.
Safe Ground: An ice field or a snow field in which the width of the crevasses is less than the width of the skidoos.
Slim Jim: A unit of currency worth about a US dollar.
Wildlife: The skua bird that flew by a few weeks ago.
-Mags
