Dec 25: Christmas!
After a lovely morning of sleeping in, the team gathered for brunch before the galley closed for the day in prep for Christmas dinner. We had signed up for a 5pm dinner timeslot so we had to survive off brunch and snacks until then.
I opened some lovely letters from family and the team hung out in Crary, calling family and relaxing. Ilyse and Ellen had promised to demonstrate their musical talents by playing Christmas carols outside of the galley while people waited in line for Christmas dinner. Ilyse plays the cello and Ellen plays the violin. They were a huge hit and played at the 3pm and 7pm dinner slots. I had the important task of holding the music for the Nutcracker which was long and required two music stands (which we did not have). Ellen got bonus points for also singing in the choir before the 5pm dinner service. I’m so lucky to have incredibly talented teammates! Dylen and I get 0 credit for our nightly Justin Bieber jam sessions while we’re brushing our teeth but the passion is there.
We ate dinner with the rumples team, who is studying the flexure in the ice shelf nearby. We’ve bonded with them these past few weeks since we sit in Crary together. The galley served lobster, king crab, mashed potatoes, honey glazed carrots, roast beef, and about a thousand desserts including 5 types of truffles, a yule log, our famous shortbread and jam cookies, and cheesecake. It was a great meal with great company.
After a food coma, we came back to the galley to witness a ceremony; Zig was graduating from cook to lab assistant! He stumbled upon this new role when Dr. Chu, a PI here who uses LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to study the atmosphere, had a lab assistant cancel. Zig has a degree in atmospheric sciences and was up for the commitment. The commitment is no joke – it’s 12-hour night shifts in a room with a dangerous and sensitive instrument. Someone has to be present at all times to fix the instrument and quality check the data. Zig will now be staying for the winter, until September, despite only expecting to be in McMurdo until February. After his last shift working Christmas dinner, Dr. Chu and the galley workers gathered for a sweet celebration of Zig and his new role.
Later, the team gathered in the band room to watch Luke’s band perform again. I have officially become a band member – they passed me a guitar and I pretended to know what I was doing! I’m probably their biggest fan. Dylen and I then played pool (I got schooled) with Christian, who owns a restaurant in Wisconsin and is a cook in the galley.
Dec 26: Softball tourney
On the second day of holiday break, there was more brunch and a softball tournament! The softball field was complete with a mill van wall in the back, bleachers, and dugouts. There were six games back-to-back, including the Plain Chickens (galley crew), Parsons (construction group), SeaBees (United States Naval Construction Battalions), Misfits (assorted players), Firefighters, Carps (carpenters), ATO (Antarctic Transportation Operations), and assorted facilities workers. There was a solid turnout all day and there were even hot dogs and burgers being grilled out at the field.
Some players took the tournament incredibly seriously and you could tell that some had played their fair share of baseball/softball. There were lots of new players, too, which was fun to see. The Plain Chickens and their fans (galley cooks and stewies) brought flags, plates, and serving trays and spoons as noisemakers. Some of the Plain Chickens came only for the game, which was at the galley’s break time at 3pm. After the game, they headed right back to work. The Parsons crew had a mascot with an enormous construction helmet who was running around and generally wreaking havoc.
There were a few home runs which went on top of or over the mill vans at the end of the field. There were also a fair number of “Tee Times” which happened after three balls were thrown. The player at the plate had one opportunity to hit the ball off of a tee, which is harder than it looks.
After a fun tournament, the team prepped for tomorrow’s travel by packing and grabbing some lunch food. Dylen and I dropped the Christmas tree off in Skua since we wouldn’t be needing it in the field. We think that we will end up flying tomorrow since there’s supposed to be relatively nice weather at Taylor Dome tomorrow and Sunday. Another storm is supposed to roll in on Monday, though, so we are crossing our fingers that we’ll fly tomorrow or Sunday before we have to hunker down for another few days. It’s bittersweet leaving here now – despite having been in McMurdo for wayyyyyy longer than we expected, we’ve had a chance to integrate into a wonderful community here and there are familiar faces everywhere. It was extra sweet being here for Christmas since the community definitely got tighter with the Christmas spirit.
Dec 27: We made it!
This morning, we made a point of saying goodbye to all of our friends since it’s a good weather day at Taylor Dome. We’ll see everyone in late January/early February when we get back.
Of course, after all the hugs and exchanging contact information, we saw a 30 minute delay then a 6 hour delay. The primary mission has been activated – SWAIS2C will try to fly this morning and we’ll have an opportunity to fly at 1600. Unfortunately, Ilyse was feeling under the weather and couldn’t join us on the flight. They’ll have to wait until the next one out there. So, Ellen, Dylen, and I reluctantly got ready for the flight one last time – stripping our sheets and packing up our bags before boarding the shuttle to head out to the airfield.
On the way to the airfield, the shuttle was required to take the Magic Carpet out to the airfield. Since we’re driving from land (Ross Island) onto melty ice (onto the Ross Ice Shelf), the driver parked the shuttle on a long piece of rubber(?) and a tractor drove us across the land-ice shelf transition. The ice shelf is completely safe to drive on (that thing is hundreds of meters thick and holds planes and buildings), but the 24/7 sunshine melts the top of the ice shelf creating puddles. Only tracked vehicles like tractors, Ski-Doos, and Hägglunds are allowed to drive across without the Magic Carpet. The enormous tractor dragged four vans behind it on the Magic Carpet and we made it out to the airfield!
When we got there, the crew and workers (including our cargo friend, Rob, on the forklift!) loaded our cargo onto the Basler. Kaiser, the Basler pilot, was very excited to fly after more than a week of bad weather at various field sites. Kaiser, our copilot, and our flight attendant crammed themselves in the cockpit while Ellen, Dylen, and I squeezed in the back amidst all of our cargo. The Basler is angled at ~30º above the ground and has skis on it for easier cargo loading and smoother landing on the snow and ice.
The flight was incredibly smooth and beautiful – no one took their eyes off the windows even for a minute. We flew over the Dry Valleys and onto the ice sheet. Kaiser swung down low and at an angle to check out the status of the skiway, then ascended and turned around again to land. It was incredibly impressive – Kaiser runs a right ship. We were greeted by Zoe, Forest, and Elliot and Naomi and Mary from the FAST team then hurried to unload the plane since Kaiser and the crew had to head back to McMurdo before their duty hours were up. Taylor Dome is at ~8500 feet of pressure elevation so, as we adjust to the altitude for the next few days, we’ll have to take it easy and hydrate lots.
When we got to camp, we got a tour and set up our tents and sleep kits before enjoying some dinner, courtesy of Forest, and caught up with the team before going to sleep.
Dec 28: Settling in
Today, us newbies slept in since some of us were feeling the altitude adjustment. It’s about -15ºC (5º F) here with 9 knots of wind – apparently some of the nicest weather they’ve had here. We ate breakfast together and made a plan for the day. Things take extra long in the cold – everything from human bodies to wires to electronics move stiffly and slowly so it’s often necessary to warm things up before using them. Also, at this elevation and with this cold, I found myself getting winded after walking even just 20 steps. So, we moved slowly today.
Forest and Zoe headed to the 8cm field site to continue drilling. While they’ve been here, they’ve drilled 77 meters of firn cores, despite many weather days that prevented them from working!
We set up a science tent for some protection from the outdoors while we assemble equipment. We then moved the science tent since it’ll create an enormous snowdrift behind it during the next storm that will block the skiway. Ellen and I moved around our heavy radar gear using Ski-Doos and set it up in the science tent. We have some barriers to hop over before we can really get to work on science but we could get a tiny bit of work done between shuffling things around (did I mention that everything takes forever out here?).
Elliot and Dylen headed out to the 8cm site to do some core logging and help with drilling while Ellen and I held down the fort here, struggling to move boxes. The drill team drilled an additional 19 meters of cores today, woohoo! Ellen and I were on dinner duty so we got started on that. Last night, we had taken food from outside into the kitchen tent to let it warm up a bit so we could cook with it. It’s incredibly difficult to work with food when everything freezes.
We have a camp stove to cook on, which we use to make water at almost all waking hours. This is another large but incredibly important camp chore. We have a designated snow pit, upwind of everything for cleanliness, that we shovel clean snow from. We transfer that snow into a clean bucket then into a large pot on the stove, where it sits for a while before we pour it into our coolers for easy dispensing. Cold water is quite unpleasant to drink so we often drink hot or warm water out here.
Anyway, while Ellen worked hard in the kitchen, I FaceTimed my family. It was the first time in over a month that we saw each other’s faces. There was slow wifi at McMurdo which was also limited so I couldn’t video call. I eventually joined Ellen in the kitchen and cooked until the rest of the team arrived. After clean-up, we hung out in the tent and made a plan for tomorrow. Ilyse’s flight may be arriving (yay!!) so we’ll have to be at camp to help unload.
Sidenote: Quick camp tour
I gave my parents a camp tour so I’ll do my best to do the same here. There’s a main kitchen tent which is tall enough for everyone to stand up in the middle. We have a couple of tables, some chairs, water coolers, a heater, and some food. The rest of the food lines the edges of the kitchen tent. We have a Scott tent that serves as a toilet tent. Our toilet is a hole in the ground with a Johnson box over it to sit on. You have to crawl in and out of the Scott tents which is… less than ideal. We have a science tent and a generator tent. The generators have been giving the FAST team grief so Mary has a workstation set up in there to fix them. We use generators to power the Starlink and charge devices (one to two at a time). Ellen and I will also take a generator t0 power the EAGER radar in the field. We can’t run the generator 24/7 since it runs on gas (which runs out eventually) and since they’ve been dying during storm events. Scattered around camp are a couple of pee flags – flags which mark where we can pour urine from pee bottles, gray water, waste from doing dishes, etc.
Next on the tour is the sleeping area. Everyone has their own tent and they’re lined up so that they don’t drift snow in the way of other tents and bury them. We have cargo lines scattered around since we have a LOT of cargo. Also, Ski-Doo parking for the FAST team’s Ski-Doo (with a groomer on the back to drag along the skiway) and our science Ski-Doos. In between these tents, there is a fair amount of topography from dunes that have been built up from storms and blowing snow events. Some of these dunes reach up to my chest and they’re quite hard to see since everything is white and it was cloudy today. There are flags to mark safe roads out of camp and to demarcate any hazardous areas in camp (like a weirdly choppy pile of snow). There’s also a fuel storage area for the Ski-Doos which is flagged and kept clear of.
Overall, camp is quite comfortable. I’m lucky to have arrived to a camp that is already set up, organized, and has been lived in for a few weeks. I can’t imagine arriving here, unloading cargo in a flat, white expanse, and setting up ~10 tents in the cold while fatigued from altitude adjustment.
Dec 29: Windy day
This morning, it was a bit windier than yesterday but we thought weather might improve later in the day so Forest, Elliot, and Dylen got ready to go out and drill at the 8cm site. However, the trip ended about 3 flags (750m) away from camp since visibility was super low.
Meanwhile, Ellen and I got our ApRES antenna boxes ready. We have to assemble the antenna inside a plastic box which has to be sealed together so that snow doesn’t get in. However, tape doesn’t work in the cold so we spent an hour and a half warming up the tape in front of the heater, assembling a box, and rubbing the tape with our fingers so it would stay warm while it was being applied. It’s like when you get KT tape applied by a personal trainer before your soccer game when you’re 15 and they rub the tape furiously to warm it up so it sticks. Niche experience?
Anyway, after assembling three (3!) boxes, we had to clear the area because Ilyse was going to arrive!!!! Somehow, in yesterday’s clear and not windy weather, the plane didn’t take off. However, despite the wind, Kaiser landed the plane and out popped our final missing team member! We scrambled to unload cargo, including two 800 lb battery boxes and organized it a bit before hunkering down.
The storm eliminated all chances of working- no visibility, no moving things around or else they might blow away, no wifi because the generator doesn’t work in this weather, and even no heat in the kitchen tent!!! So, we rearranged the kitchen about three different times to account for a 130% increase in personnel. I did my hair for a while to protect it from the cold and since I won’t be showering (and combing/conditioning) for 4 weeks. Others took naps and relaxed.
Dylen and Ellen made grilled cheese and soup for dinner, I beat Forest at chess, and Ilyse, Elliot, and Ellen played an intense cribbage game. Dylen handed out more Christmas presents: everyone got a custom homemade felted penguin (mine is a chinstrap!) and socks from Kait. Dylen passed on some gifts to the FAST team, too! Tomorrow is unsure but we will likely have similar weather until it lets up on Wednesday.
Sidenote: Sleeping
Since my tent is organized, I took some pictures of the setup. I have a tiny cot (~3in tall) on one side with a super warm Feathered Friends sleeping bag on top of a foam pad and an air-filled sleeping pad. Inside my sleeping bag is frequently filled with lotion, my phone, a GoPro, a portable charger, and a hot Nalgene at night to keep things from freezing. There’s also a lovely fleece liner inside there for extra comfort and warmth. On the left side of my cot, I keep my puffy things – my Big Red coat and another unzipped sleeping bag to use as a duvet when it’s cold. My tent is warmed by the sun 24/7 but can get cold when snow blows onto/into it. There is a large temperature difference from the bottom (cold) to the top (warm) so when my boots sit on the ground, they are still covered in snow in the morning. I’m warm at night – sometimes so warm that I get sweaty which is really not good. Overall, my tent is comfortably warm!
The right side of my tent holds my luggage – one bag of mostly clothes, another bag of toiletries, shower wipes, and hair care things, and a bag of stuff I probably should’ve left in McMurdo. I put a foam pad on the ground as a lovely little carpet to protect my delicate toes. I also have a clothesline paracord, a pee funnel, a decoration I picked up from the craft fair in McMurdo, and my InReach to text my buddies when Starlink is down.
At night, I have a long routine. I get inside and roll around on the floor for a bit, trying to take my frozen clothes off so I can hang them on the paracord to attempt to thaw and dry them overnight (it never happens). I put a Nalgene filled with hot water inside my sleeping bag to let it warm up. I grab my shower wipes (of which I have a lot and I have reasons for having this many) and put them in a pocket or in my pants to thaw and warm up before using said shower wipes as fast as I can and climbing into my sleeping bag before I freeze. I stuff the baselayers and socks that I’ll wear tomorrow inside my sleeping bag so they’re warm in the morning. I have dedicated sleeping clothing that I put on inside my sleeping bag that are less stinky than my other clothing <3.
After this, I shuffle around in my sleeping bag and take out my eyeballs (contact lenses). I wear a sleeping mask since it’s bright 24/7 and earplugs since the wind is unbearably loud. Then, I lay in my sleeping bag and oscillate between being too warm and too cold for a while until I fall asleep. Next, I wake up in the middle of the night since an earplug fell out or something, then wake up again because I’m too hot. Finally, my alarm goes off and I am primed and ready for another 12-14hr day of manual labor.
Dec 30: Solar panel
The team slept in a bit since the plan was to wake up at 7 and listen to the wind to determine whether to wake up. It was quite windy still so we slept in! Ellen and Dylen made pancakes and we enjoyed those while we made a plan for the day.
The weather seemed to get a bit nicer so we decided to get to work. Elliot, Forest, Dylen, and Ilyse went out to the drill site. Forest and Elliot drilled 19 meters today while Ilyse and Dylen logged cores.
Ellen and I ran around looking in boxes for a few hours and started assembling things. I made a solar panel while Ellen made a battery box for the ApRES. We updated and tested every ApRES computer to decide which computers to put where, since they all have some quirks.
I made mac and cheese, veggie protein, and salmon for dinner then the team got back to work. Ellen and I are hoping to go out to the field tomorrow so we had to finish assembling and testing the ApRES bowtie antennae, GNSS, solar panel, and many other bits and bobs. Things are slow right now but we’re hoping that we’re making slow progress on many little things and that this small progress will amount to large overall progress soon.
Dec 31: Girlbossing
We woke up to lovely weather (-22 C in the morning and -18 C in the afternoon with 9kt winds) and everyone got their asses to the 8cm site to get to work! Zoe, Dylen, Ilyse, Forest, and Elliot went to the drill site to drill, core log, and assemble strain gauges while Ellen and I headed 1km away from the drill site to set up our first ApRES that we will leave out for the winter.
The ApRES antennae are in white boxes which Ellen and I taped up the other day so that snow doesn’t get in when they’re buried and left for 1-2 years. We constructed a battery box and solar panel that will power the device both during 24 hour sunlight and during 0 hour sunlight times. We dug pits for the boxes (which I am really good at according to Ellen but no one can know since I can’t afford to be the dedicated snow shoveler here), made sure they’re level, and tested the computer while we ate lunch.
During lunch, we headed over to the drill site to hang out with the others and eat lunch. I snacked for lunch but Forest and Elliot brought a kettle out there to boil water for dehydrated meals and ramen. Zoe was playing Ethel Cain on a speaker which was lovely to listen to during lunch. Elliot gave me a tour of the site and showed me the core boxes full of firn cores.
After dilly-dallying and bragging about how well our setup was going, Ellen and I headed back to our ApRES site to finish tying guy lines for the solar panel to keep it in place during heavy wind events. We buried four metal poles in the ground with guy lines tied to them, stopped our test acquisition, and switched out SD cards and threw the ApRES computer and battery box into another snow pit. We took a celebratory photo since the whole thing went without any major hiccups and we had Girlbossed our way to the top!!!
Ellen and I headed back to camp early, built three more solar panels (after drilling holes in one), prepped another ApRES battery box, and quality checked the test data from earlier. The data looked great! And, we now know what the ice thickness is. Ellen and I rejoiced and planned for tomorrow. Forest’s weather check (which is rarely accurate but at least it’s something) showed that today’s “wind” might be the most we will see for the next five days. Also, temperatures should be fairly consistent for the next few days (negative single digits as the low and positive single digits as the high in Farenheit). The team is hopeful that, considering the weather, we will have more successful days in the coming week.
It’s been a great end to the year settling into life at Taylor Dome and, though everyone is too tired to stay up until midnight tonight, we’re ringing in the new year with a successful day and great weather!
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of the National Science Foundation, the United States Antarctic Program, or the University of Washington. This blog is for entertainment purposes only.
Happy New Year, Girlboss! Love you!
you are so cool.
Happy New Year. Take one of those core samples home with you for a Father’s Day present
Glad your work is going well! It is fascinating reading everything you are doing!