10/26/2022
I don't know how well I'll be able to describe the feeling of landing in Antarctica, but I'll try.
We touched down at 5:07 PM on 10/26 at Phoenix Airfield on the Ross Ice Shelf. We can't see a thing from inside the windowless C-17 so the time it takes to taxi just builds the suspense. The excitement was palpable. Some people waited for a flight for over 2.5 weeks in CHC. Some people were returning for their 15th+ season on the Ice, and even more were arriving for the first time. Everyone collected their things and donned their ECW (extreme cold weather gear). We all look the same in our "Big Red" parkas so its a good thing we have name tags.
I knew the cargo doors had opened before I turned around to look because I could smell it. The icy air blasted through the plane and was so cold it smelled like nothing and it smelled sweet at the same time. It reminded me of the coldest winter days in Alaska. Maybe it was the nostalgia that made it smell so sweet. That was a moment I'll never forget.
It took a little extra time to deplane because the Prime Minister of New Zealand was on our plane and she of course got to go first. But the wait is worth it.
The minute I'm in the doorway of the plane my jaw drops. To the right is the Royal Society mountain range, straight ahead is flat Ice as far as you can see, and to the left is Mt. Terror and Mt. Erebus, the southern-most active Volcano.
It was absolutely exhilarating, euphoric and surreal. And at the same time such an in-body, tangible experience because it was VERY loud from the engine turbines, the sun reflects off of every single surface, and it is so cold everything just hurts.
Here are some shots from Christchurch, doing the "bag drag" at the USAP airport terminal, my teammates and I on the C-17, and the first minutes on the Ice getting on the large traverse vehicles.
It isn't as cold in town all the time, it is much less windy, so layers are enough most days!
(Thanks to Jared and Suren for more pictures of me)
Work update:
We finally got out to our work site at the Long Duration Ballooning (LDB) facility today (10/29). IT is about 8-9 miles away from base, on the Ice Shelf, near-ish to the airfield. We were able to unload our two 10 foot shipping containers into our high bay. Still waiting on the 20 foot, and our cryostat crate that will hopefully arrive next week! Now the real work begins!
Love your descriptions, I relate so much! The sensory overload of the first steps out of the plane, such an experience. Get all your safety trainings out of the way and go climb castle rock before all the real fun starts when Lloro shows up!