From Middle Earth to the End

you know the old saying “if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all” ?

well thats me not saying anything about the 24 hour delay due to bad weather. Got a lovely little text message at 5:49  saying : Bad Weather, 24 hour delay, report at 0700 Tuesday morning.  So there I stood, fully dressed in my ECW gear, the birds chirping up a storm as the sun was well on its way up. I was semi conscious but awake enough to know that I was upset. It was yet another day to add on to my countdown.

Since then, I’ve had a really nice sleep in, made homemade carrot, kumara, and potato soup with my flatmates and been a huge bum. Yes, I’m still in my Pj’s and its 3p.m.  Also doing more blogging and reading The Worst Journey in the World by Cherry-Garrard. Now to get back to this very demanding agenda I have planned for myself. There is much eating and pampering to be attend to.

Do people in Antarctica wear Pj’s?

Does toothpaste freeze?

Would tears freeze?

How much faster will my hair grow?

Will my skin be very dry?

How is Santa going to find me? Does Rudolph fly in whiteout conditions as well as he does in the dark? Can Santa maneuver chimneys in Igloos? Does he still want Milk and Cookies are is a popsicle OK?

How will I survive with no stars for two weeks!?!? (well besides the sun)

Will I be able to see the moon? Will its orbit be different?

How crazy will my compass be? Will it still point North?

These are all questions I’ve been pondering as I head to the Ice. Anyone have any ideas or more questions….I’ll report back with as many answers as I can

Rarrrhhhh This is how I feel stomping around with the heavy boots

Did you know….

The whole of Antarctica is on the same techtonic plate

There are 2 active volcanoes, Mt. Erebus being one is located on Ross Island (where Ill be staying) and has several mini eruptions a day

Antarctica has less than 2% exposed rock

35 Million years ago the Trans Antarctic Mountains formed

15 Million years ago Ice became a permenant features

If the current trends continue, it is estimated that the 2008/2009 Antarctic Tourist season will bring in 40,000 visitors.  Contemporary tourism only begain in the 1950’s and was off to a slow start. Your typical tourist is 60 or over with lots of extra money lying around, weeks with nothing better to do and wanting to check the last continent off the list before they kick the can.  With these growing numbers there are lots of debates over enviornmental impacts.  Currently, the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators is trying to regulate and document all impacts.  Heres a question for you: Do the tourists have a bigger impact with higher numbers or the scientists who have more days on the ice?

The Antarctic Treaty System signed in 1957 system was an international agreement between the 12 original signitories. It was agreed that Antarctica would be reserved for Peace and Science efforts, amongst other issues.  All scienctific findings would be reported and freely shared. With even more countries in agreement today, the Treaty has been withheld. Even when countries have been fighting across the sea, all tensions were disregarded for the greater good of Antarctica and science.  Pretty remarkable if you ask me.

The antient Greeks believed there must be a white place at the bottom of the world to balance out the one at the top of the world. The ‘North Pole’ was called Arktos so fittingly the ‘South Pole’ was called Antarktos, meaning the opposite or anti. Even though it had a name, it still wouldn’t be discovered for thousands of years.

This is the first time I can 110% guarantee I’ll be having a white Christmas. It will certainly be one to remember. I have to be honest, as fun as it sounds I’m offley concerned about my usual feasting habits. Its bad enough that Halloween has not escalated to a Hallmark monstrosity  and is still modestly reserved for children under the age of 8. Then Thanksgiving was forgotten about as I was stuck at Cass field station being the only American. Oh well, I was never a fan of the football games anyway.  However, missing Christmas is unacceptable. The tree, the food, the snow, the not having to go to work or school, its my favorite holiday.

   Just as I thought there was no hope for a traditional Christmas, my grandma came through again and went up another notch or 10 on the My Grandma is So Awesome scale.  This past Sunday, my family came from all over Canterbury and we had a huge Christmas feast. It was absolutely wonderful! I loved catching up with my family, some of whom I hadn’t seen yet. It was a beautiful sunny day and the food was amazing. There was chicken and stuffing, peas and carrots, stuffed tomatoes and cucumbers, fresh french bread, stir fry veggies in rice and salad. For dessert there was a special family recipe trifle, fruit salad and Ice cream. Note, all of this food may have tasted extra scrumptious because my uncle took me on a huge bike ride up Evans pass and around Godley Head. I didn’t bring my camera to take a picture but lets just say it was a big push uphill for longer than I care to remember.  After we whizzed down faster than I would have liked. It was all ‘training’ as my uncle called it. Ha. Well my calves are killing me today.

My Family

Anyway, it was a lovely day, and I was fully recovered and ready for this week. Our literature reviews are due on Friday so its double time. Not to mention only 7 days till take off!

We had a lecture from a Mr. Patrick Shepard late last week. He is an artist by trade that was asked to go to Antarctica for a special program promoting Artists of Antarctica. He presented a very interesting lecturing on different types of Antarctic art, what makes art Antarctica art and how to capture the silence of Antarctica on a music CD.  Then during our question and answer period he inadvertently gave us the most valuable information we had receive yet in lectures: The Top 10 things to do in Antarctica.

1. Take pictures of yourself      

2. Sit on top of a hill and do NOTHING

3. Walk around Scott Base at 3 a.m.

4. Talk to people

5. Visit the bar

6. Write down email address

7. Go to the library

8. Mark down where you visit

9.  Keep a diary 

10. Don’t wait until tomorrow, do it then, because tomorrow you could be off in a helicopter to another station, or the gift shops could be closed….

As you might be able to imagine, Michelle, our leader whose traveling with us to the ice, sat in the back and covered her ears.  She joked as everything she had told us about going to bed early, stay away from the bar and do as your told was shot out the window. 

I posed a question to Patrick after asking if he felt any different after going to the ice. He said that 4 years later he still dry brushed his teeth in order to save water. Before he was quite content to be himself, but now craved society. Upon seeing the efforts of humanity where we are so easily out powered by mother nature, he realized that we are all in this together.  I’m very curious to see what effect it will have upon me. In all the memoirs and historical accounts I’ve read, no one seems to come away completely unscathed. I hope I don’t turn in to an ugly purple monster with hair toes…..