Hello from the Ice!

I'm writing this from the computer lab at McMurdo Station, Antarctica!  I wish this post had some pictures to prove it, but I'm working on that - hopefully pictures to come!

In my last post, I talked about being delayed because of storms-and those storms ended up resulting in me being delayed about 2 1/2 weeks! It was not a historic delay, but the longest delay for the program in decades, according to the news articles I read. It was great to get to explore Christchurch but I was ready to start my job and get down to the ice.

I rode a C-17 down to the ice, operated by the U.S. Air Force. This was a new experience for me, and a new type of aircraft - after all the small planes in Alaska and the various passenger jets, it was a completely different experience to be in a large plane with no windows. It was a remarkably smooth flight down to the ice and the crew did a great job handling us.

I can't really describe the moment I stepped out of the plane. The white ice world was almost blinding even though I had my sunglasses on, and the smell immediately hit me-it smelled just like sticking my head in a deep freezer! I had seen so many movies of arrivals to McMurdo and I'd anticipated the moment so long, and I wasn't prepared to feel so emotional about stepping out on the surface of a continent that many people never get to see. My seatmate for the flight had tears streaming down his face.

I'm transitioning to my sleep schedule right now and will start work tomorrow or the next day. I found out I'm working the overnight shift but lots of people are telling me that it's a great life - the group of folks that work night hours is a small, tight-knit group which sounds right up my alley. And considering that we have 24 hour light, I'll still get to do normal things on my days and hours off. Once I get used to the sleeping, I imagine it will be just like working any other shift.

I'm already scoping out the hiking trails around town. I'm eager to do some exploring!