Stand by to Stand by
26 Oct 2016
I was told to expect this phase of the journey to change frequently. Yesterday, we went over tot he headquarters of USAP for our Extreme Cold Weather gear (ECW) issue. We then went back to the hotel, expecting a 05:45 shuttle this morning that would take us to the plane for a 06:30 check-in. However, that was all canceled with a 04:45 phone call, so I'm now sitting through a 24-hour weather delay. We'll try again tomorrow morning around 6ish. I expect this to happen a few more times, both here and in McMurdo.
Until then, here's some pictures:
Here's the entryway to USAP's terminal. If you're ever in Christchurch, there's an Antarctic Experience tourist destination. The USAP HQ is right behind that building. We spent about 3 hours here yesterday having our computers' anti-virus settings verified, trying on our ECW, and getting some safety briefs about life on the Ice.
Here's a wall display of one set of ECW gear. I was issued more or less all of this for my year on Ice. Starting from the left, we have our parka (known as "Big Red", which is an awesome name for pretty much anything). There are two models of bibs, we take the version we prefer, a lighter carhartt jacket for summer wear, and a fleece jacket and pants. We also get a small fleece hat, a fleece balaclava, a fleece neck gaiter, gloves, mittens, bigger mittens, and boots (only one pair. Here you see the three models that are available). The red jacket on the right (known as "little red") is too light for pole.
All of that fits surprisingly well into two orange bags:
When we first arrive at CDC, everything is packed away much like you see here. We then open it up and try everything on, exchanging anything that doesn't fit. We then pack it all back up, and leave it like this to be loaded on a pallet whenever our flight goes.
As I am also a gawking tourist, the staff let me into the general distribution center to get some behind the scenes shots:
And there is the first answer to the question, "What do you pack for Antarctica?"