Nov. 4th - Flight to the South Pole

Monday, Nov. 4th, was a beautiful day in McMurdo.  It was hard to contain my excitement because my goal was 830 miles away.  Ivan the Terra Bus hauled us out to the sea ice runway one more time.  As we loaded into the LC-130 you could look over and see the steam coming from the vent from Mount Erebus.  Soon we were taxiing and took off.

The C-130 is an interesting airplane.  It was built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) in the 1950's and has been in continuous use and production for over 50 years.  The U.S. Air Force had attempted to replace  the C-130 in the 1970's thru the Advanced Medium STOL Transport project which resulted in the C-17.  The C-17 is the aircraft that flew me from Christchurch down to McMurdo.  My son-in-law, Chris, flew C-130s during the Iraq War.  OK, OK, back to the flight to the South Pole. 

Now the LC-130 is a far cry from the luxurious flight on the Boeing 777 from Sydney to Christchurch flight.  You sit in web seats along the sides with luggage strapped down between you. It is very noisy and you have to wear ear plugs and you are unable to talk to the person next to you. The plane has small round windows near the back.  When you go back there to look out you have to carefully step over every one's legs which I did because I wanted to see if I could locate Mt. Kirkpatrick. 

There are many mountains in the Transantarctic Mountain Range but Mt. Kirkpatrick is interesting to me because paleontologists have unearthed dinosaur bones from the Early Jurassic era for the last 20 years there.  It just goes to show you that Antarctica was a much warmer place many, many years ago.  Not being able to locate Mt. Kirkpatrick, I went back to my seat and read.

It didn't seem long before it was announced on the intercom that we were 20 minutes out from The Pole and to prepare for landing which we did because a lot of us had taken our jackets off and stuck them in the webbing to make our seats softer.  We landed and pulled over to the apron. As the airplane was still moving, the back door went down, the cargo was pushed out and the back door was closed to save the heat inside the aircraft.

I looked down at my watch as any explorer would have done.  It was 12:25 PM on the 4th of November, 2013.  The outside temperature was -44 degrees F with a wind chill factor of -73 degrees F.  The South Pole sits at an elevation of 9,301' but barometer reading is low right now so it has the effects of being at over 11,200'.    

Yes, I'm at the South Pole, living my dream. I'm at the coldest, driest, windiest, cleanest and most remote place on the face of the earth. Since I left Fairbanks last Monday, I have traveled 14,568 miles. I guess I can check this off my bucket list now.

Boarding the LC-130 in McMurdo.

This is how we ride in an LC-130.  A far cry from the Sydney to Christchurch flight.

Flying over the Transantarctic Mountains.

Opening the back door to shove the cargo out on the apron and then to get the door closed quickly because "Baby, it's cold outside!"

Walking up to the SP Station.

Me and the LC-130 at the South Pole skiway.

McMurdo

I'm at The Pole and I'm not feeling very well because I have altitude sickness.  I want to catch up my blog so I'm going to be less detailed.

After landing on the iceway in front of McMurdo we were hauled up into town by "Ivan' the Terra Bus, dropped off at the main building, had orientation and found our rooms.  When we landed on Friday we heard the that the first flight of the season (P-001) made it into The Pole.  So the next flight into The Pole (P-002) was scheduled for Saturday and I was scheduled for Monday's third flight P-003.  When we got up on Saturday, we found the weather to be bad and no flying happened on that day.  Because of that, P-002 was moved to Monday and I was moved up to P-002.  They dropped some of the cargo on this flight and put on more people.  I'm guessing the old crew down at the South Pole Station had a long winter and they want to get more of them out sooner.

So we had our 'bag drag' as they call it where you have to drag your bags while wearing your cold weather gear on up to the flight office so they can weight you and your bags.  After that I visited Mike Epperson, the fellow who hired me to work at the South Pole.  I read books, checked email and ate meals with my new found friends from Christchurch.  Saturday evening was the Halloween Party.  I didn't go but I heard that it is THE big event of the year in McMurdo.  As soon as one year's party is over, some revelers start planning their costumes for the next year's party.

Sunday was bright and beautiful.  My friend Tom and I hiked around McMurdo and saw most of the sites, taking lots of pictures.  McMurdo has a rich Navy history which I won't get into now but is in some ways typical of other some towns across America and in some ways not typical.  The typical part - it has one church and three bars which is about the average ratio of American towns.  The non-typical part - it doesn't have any schools, nor children, nor McDonald's, etc. which is just like Deadhorse back in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska where I worked before heading down this way.

My friend Tom by the old Navy officer's club which is now a coffee shop.

A Halloween reveler using the only ATM on the continent.

Another Halloween reveler.

Chapel of the Snows - the southernmost church building in the world.

Scott's Hut (Robert Scott 1901-04)

McMurdo as seen from Observation Point.

Scott Base - a Kiwi research base about a mile away from McMurdo.

Many nations in the Antarctic but none of them own an inch of it.

Mount Erebus - the southernmost active volcano on earth.

Nov. 1st - Ice Flight Day

We were up early because the vans were picking us up 5:30 AM.  We rode to the airport in silence, with nobody talking, just listening to the BBC news on the radio.

At CDC, we changed into our cold weather gear.  You have to wear it when you fly in and out of McMurdo.  We also had to pack a boomerang bag.  A boomerang bay is what you pack with essentials if the flight gets turned around because of bad weather and you have to try again the next day.  They don't unload your bags for the night back in Christchurch and that is where the boomerang bag becomes very useful.

We picked up our bags and suitcases which we carted next door to be weighed.  Our gear and suitcases are limited to 150 lbs.  Then we were excused to go to breakfast next door.  The little cafe next door is always open early on ice flight days but they were closed on this day.  Apparently someone didn't get the word.

We got our briefing, put on our coats and filed out to the bus for the ride out to the plane, a C-17.  Before getting on the plane, we were all handed a bottle of water and a lunch.  There were some seats up front but most of us sat in jump seats with our boomerang bags under us.  In front of us were large pallets of cargo.  And so we began our 5 hr., 2415 mile flight to McMurdo.  Mostly everyone slept, read or worked on their laptops.  It was odd to look around at all the red coats with both first and last name Velcro tags on them.  We had only known each other for 2 days and only by first names.

About 3 hours into the flight the plane started to get cold.  I walked back to the round window and looked out.  We were definitely over the Antarctic continent.  We landed on the sea ice runway on the sound in front of McMurdo.  The ice is 10 feet thick there this time of year.  They hauled us up into town.  I was now standing on a new continent, the second in three days.

Inside the C-17.

 

Over the Antarctic continent.

Standing on the iceway.

Taking a ride back into McMurdo.

Christchurch, NZ

About 4:30 AM on Oct. 31st, an earthquake rocked and rolled us out of bed.  It had a magnitude of 4.2 so it was mild by Alaska standards. After breakfast at the Elms, we were shuttled with vans over to the USAP.  We had Antarctic orientation, got our flu shots and picked up our cold weather gear at the CDC (Clothing Distribution Center). There were long rows of two bags each with our names on and a list of all the items inside.  I had filled this list out months ago but for some unknown reason the computer had selected a Doug Eckman who had worked at McMurdo in the past.  This Doug Eckman was a lot taller and skinnier than me.  A white haired man pointed the way to an office and said, "Go see Marlene, she hasn't had a headache this morning yet."

So I found Marlene in her office with pictures of her grandchildren all over her desk and computer screen and I said that a young man with white hair sent me to see you, said that you need a headache.  "That young man is older then I am and he knows that I have been here since 3 this morning" she said with a laugh.  I explained my problem and she adjusted my checkout sheet.  She ripped Doug's name off the jacket and made a new Velcro one with my name on it.  She said something else which I didn't quite catch so I asked her to repeat because I had a little problem with my hearing at times.  Marlene said "So that's it.  I thought you were having trouble with my accent but wait a minute that can't be it because I live here.  You're the one with the accent."  We both laughed.  The white haired man (whose name I can't remember) popped his head in the door and asked "Everything OK then? I said, "Yes, Marlene is fixing me up." Marlene said, "You can't say that here.  That means something different in this country. You can't say that." I was shocked and I felt my face go flush red.  They both looked at me and laughed heartily at my embarrassment.  This Marlene was turning out to be a real hoot.  I still don't know if they were pulling my leg or not but I must say that the Kiwis that I have met at the USAP and around Christchurch all seem light hearted and quick with a laugh.  I liked them immediately.

Back in the warehouse, we all were trying on our cold weather gear, men in one large room and the ladies in another one.  If the clothing didn't fit you went to this half door and traded it in which I had to do with half of my stuff because of the mix up.  It was a scene from my past.  It reminded me of boot camp at Lackland AFB, TX some 43 years ago.  We were told that after the clothing issue we had the afternoon off but tomorrow was our 'Ice Flight' day.

Four of us decided to take a bus downtown and see the sites.  Downtown you can still see the damage of the Feb. 2011 earthquake that killed almost 200 people.  It had a magnitude of 6.3. Some buildings still lay in rubble and I saw the heavily damaged famous Christchurch Cathedral. We also shopped and saw the Botanical Gardens which is one one the prettiest places that I have seen.  It has lots of flowers and smells so good.  I saw lots of ducks, geese and squirrels, etc. while you are walking down the trails and people are boating by on wooden canoes in the small river.  Lindsey, a repeat 'Polie' (someone who has worked at the South Pole) said that this is the first place that she comes to when she comes 'off the ice' because the South Pole is void of wildlife and vegetation and has no smell.

Before we took the bus back to the Elms, we popped into a Sports Bar for dinner.  On one of the many silent TV screens I saw the Red Sox receiving the World Series trophy.  I had missed the last baseball game for this year.  Now that winter is looming on the horizon for North America, Spring Training seems so far away.  By the way, baseball season will open 2014 in Sydney and the Australians are excited about it. I think the Dodgers are playing the D-backs.  

Flight to Christchurch photos

I'm at the South Pole now and I will now have time and computers to catch up my blog.  I want to keep the events in order so let's go back and look at that luxury flight on a Boeing 777-300 from Sydney to Christchurch.

Coming in over the coast of New Zealand.  It looks like Alaska, doesn't it?

The journey begins (part 2)

LAX was a zoo and it would take about 3 paragraphs to explain that but I'm sure the folks reading this don't really want to read anything about LAX airport and it's negative aspects.   I had an 8 hour layover so I found a TV and had dinner as I watched Boston beat St. Louis in Game 5 of the World Series.  I moseyed up to the gate about 2 hours early and found several people chatting and one of them had a red USAP ball cap on.  I figured these folks were 'Polies' and going the same place as I was so I introduced myself.  My new friends were Greg, Mick, Cheryl and Ian.

We began our 14 hour flight to Sydney about 7,500 miles on Qantas Airlines.  It was the first time that I had flown on a Boeing 747.  Basically they fed us a big meal and put us to bed.  The meals were prepared and served like airlines did in the late 1900's where the tray had little containers for each food and the wine glasses were, well, glass.  After we were all snug in our chairs with pillows and blankets, the lights were turned out and we slept.  Near the end of the flight, they again fed us again (breakfast) and after another hour or so we landed in Sydney at about 9:30 in the morning.  We left LAX on the 28th and landed in Australia on the 30th, skipping a day by flying over the international dateline.

We didn't have to go thru customs because we officially weren't entering Australia and stayed in the international area of the airport but I must say that I had added another continent to the list of ones that I had been in.  Technically, I had my feet on the ground there.  As we walked towards the next gate we met more and more people who were headed for 'The Ice'.  We boarded our Emirates Airline flight for the last leg of our trip to New Zealand.  it was a Boeing 777-300 and the stewardess said they had just moved it over here from Dubai.  Most of us 'going to the ice' folks had seats in the business class for some reason.  Our seats levitated out like Lazy Boys but electrically. the entertainment consoles were huge with so much room around them and the seats. We couldn't believe our luck.  We acted like a bunch of kids in a toy store, moving the seats, back and forth, up and down, figuring out how the remotes worked, switching back and forth between the cameras looking outside of the airplane and the entertainment channels, etc.  When it was time for the meal, we pulled out these big tables from their slots and the stewardess put linen tablecloths on them and produced fancy menus just like an upscale restaurant.  With our menu they produced a wine list.  I order the Stir-fried chicken with cashews and a glass of Sarget de Gruaud Larose 2001-  they really did serve a 13 year old wine and for desert I had Indulgent dark chocolate dome with a delicately flavored lavender vanilla cream sauce. The food came on real dishes with real silverware.  This was all free.  Not once did they ask for my credit card.  Unbelievable for an airlines - so this is how the people of Dubai live.  Eat your heart out, Alaska Airlines.They also ran their duty free store right on the airplane.  Needing a watch before I got 'on the ice' I purchased a Sturmanskie at a very reasonable price. 

Soon we were flying along the coast of New Zealand.  I have always heard how beautiful it is and it really is.  It looks a lot like Alaska to me but warmer.  Most of us were put up at the Elms Hotel in Christchurch.  I went to bed early being tired from all of the traveling.  Day by day I was getting closer 'to the ice'.

The Journey begins ... (Part 1)

On Monday, Elsie dropped me off at the Fairbanks airport in the dark. We kissed and I walked away.  Before entering the terminal, I set my bags down and turned to look.  We looked at each other and I nodded as she drove away.  It was the last look that we would have of each other for 3.5 months until I come off the ice and she meets me in Christchurch, NZ in mid February.

Inside the terminal, I tried to get my tickets at the kiosk but I wasn't in the system.  The ticket agent asked me for my passport and visa.  She told me that my visa was only good for three months.  As she read the info on her computer screen, I could see that I had a growing problem.  "Where is Christchurch?" she asked.  "New Zealand.  It's the jumping off point for the folks working in the Antarctic." I explained.  My visa asked New Zealand for an extension to 12 months since I was working in the Antarctic.  Deep in thought pondering what might happen, I heard her ask, "Are you going to be in the Antarctic less than three months?" Not wanting to spend the rest of the day in the Fairbanks airport to sort this out and miss my flight to Sydney tonight, I fibbed, "Yes, less than three months".  I figured that I would let the Antarctic Support Contract folks rescue me in Christchurch if need be.

Next was TSA.  For some 'unknown reason', I was selected for extra security.  Finally I get thru to the gate.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Janna, my ex-O&M supervisor at Pump Station 1 waiting for a flight to Prudhoe Bay.  I hate to call her my ex-supervisor because I'll be back working at Pump Station 1 next spring.  I just think of it as taking a 'leave of absence' from her supervision until my return.  Janna and I chatted a minute, shook hands and bid farewell.  I got to my gate just as they were starting to board.

As the 737 lifted up off the runway in the gathering light and gained altitude, I looked over at the Chena River and picked out our home standing by the river looking like a silent sentinel. It was a bit sad but I'm guessing that most explorers/adventurers have this moment of reflection as they leave home to be gone for awhile.  As the plane turned southwest we flew over the Tanana River which looked like a table lace in the half light.  We flew over North Pole, Eielson AFB and Salcha down towards Delta Jct.

We lived in Salcha on an old homestead on the banks of a river for most of the 80's and 90's.  Our grown children call it 'the place where we grew up'.  I couldn't pick out the homestead but I did see Pump Station 8 (where I worked for 12 years or so) and the Trans Alaska Pipeline.  My livelihood has been on the Pipeline for over 30 years and has provided a good living for me and my family.

While I looked out the window and was reflecting, the clouds marched in and I could no longer see the features on the ground.  I withdrew my book from my pack.  I'm reading 'Dark Winter' by William Dietrich.  It was recommended by our son, Daniel.  It's an adventure, psychological thriller novel that takes place at the Amundsen-Scott Station at the South Pole.  Hey, wait a minute, that is where I'm going.  I'll give you a little hint - the first person doesn't turn up missing until Chapter 9.

On approach to Seattle, we flew low over Ballard where our daughter Heidi lives.  I looked for her townhouse but wasn't able to pick it out.  It was interesting to see the whole Ballard Locks system from the air and the harbor where where some of the fishing boats in 'Deadliest Catch' call home.

It was a beautiful day in Seattle.  After deplaning, I texted Heidi and after 15 minutes of no response I called and left a message on her phone.  I'm sure she is very busy with being assigned to Boeing's 737 MAX team. Now onto LAX.