Leaving Soon

Our weather is starting to "normalize" here at Pole without as many wild temperature swings, but that can change in a matter of minutes. A few days ago I woke to a clear day and within the hour visibility was limited to a 1/4 mile. Winds bring "warmer" temps but also get ice crystals airborne and that's the big visibility killer. On the other hand the weather at McMurdo has been really bad all week with high winds grounding all flights in and out of McM and stranding our summer crew. We're looking forward to them arriving as that will signal the exodus for us that have been here for nine months.

Warm is a relative term here in Antarctica. You still need to protect yourself from the cold and winds. Today I was outside for a bit and felt the sun's warmth on my face for the first time in nine months. It was a strange feeling, but a welcomed one that reminded me of what awaits me in a few short weeks.

Some personal trivia: I'm the 1487th person to have wintered at the South Pole (more than 4,000 people have been to the summit of Everest). I'm also the first Uruguayan born winter-over at the South Pole ( I know of one other Uruguayan, an astronomer who has been here a few summer seasons ). By the time I return to the Mid Atlantic region I will have flown 30,000 total miles to and from the South Pole. I like flying, but not that much.

I'll be leaving soon and this will be my last post from the South Pole. We'll be very busy this week with summer reediness tasking and turnovers with the summer crew as soon as they arrive. We'll all start to pack and hope for good weather that will allow flights in and out of McM. Getting stranded in McMurdo with 700+ people is not what I would call fun, though some might see it differently. 

On station we haven't been exposed to any communicable illnesses since we have been literally isolated from the rest of the world. Once we leave, many of us will catch a cold, the flu and whatever else is floating around out there. Not looking forward to that.

Life at Pole for the past nine months has been very interesting to say the least. The six months of darkness were at times surreal and the vistas incredible. Being in close quarters with the same group of people for so long, living and working with no escape from anything is not for everyone and one can see why mental evals are very necessary to ensure that everyone will get along. Even with the stringent qualification processes in place some slip through the cracks and it's up to the rest of the crew to "take care" of things and maintain a harmonious existence. At times this can be trying, even for the calmest of people. Next winter NASA will be conducting studies here at the South Pole using the station and the long isolation as an analog for long duration space travel studying the effects of the experience on volunteers. This is the only place on earth that comes close to what it would be like being in space, or on another planet for that matter. Interesting stuff for sure...

Next Post? Escaping Antarctica