Scott Afar

Antarctic Perfect: “All kinds of disappointment wrapped in a package that looks like something you’d want.”

~ Thomas “Tree” DaCosse, Antarctic Fire Department, Summer ´09 -´10

While my trip to Antarctica was by no means disappointing, the above quote sums up how things aren’t always what they seem, how you often need to make due with what you have, and how humor can make a harsh environment more bearable.

As I review photos of my time at McMurdo Station, I realize how deeply I miss it. I’m happy to be home with family and friends of course, but there is something about that far away place that I’ll never forget. The following photos still give me a chuckle.

Due to the extreme cold, all the water and other utilities are run in utility chases with heat trace to keep them from freezing. Fire hydrants are enclosed and stuffed with insulation and equipped with drains to prevent them from becoming unusable.

Not all stop signs in McMurdo have been obscured. (No, there are no traffic lights.)

Snoopy and Charlie Brown riding the perpetually blowing wind.

Random funnies:

In one of the supply yards, locations were not indicated by a boring numbering system…

…they were referred to by mustaches.

Things need to be weighed down to prevent them from blowing away.

The summer sun is very strong in Antarctica. On the rare occasions when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun is not obscured by clouds (Yay – Pink Floyd reference!) it feels downright pleasant. The thermometer pictured below was mounted at the entry of my dorm building. The high temperature was 34°F that day, but this photo was taken prior to 7:00 am so it was probably around 25°F at the time.

The power plant is undergoing an upgrade. And one of the generators crapped out.

At times it felt like I was on another planet. This little fella reminded me of Star Wars.

I’m not sure how heavy this thing is, but whatever.

Keeping people entertained without hurting or killing themselves was the responsibility of the recreation department. I was only able to find this one Frisbee Golf thingy. Oh well, it’s a harsh continent. At least the scenery is splendid.

Keeping the infrastructure maintained is the responsibility of FEMC – Facilities Engineering, Maintenance and Construction. Here are some examples of infrastructure stuff.

One day, while attempting a photo of scenery, I took a bit of a tumble.

I believe this is what I was aiming for:

“May the time not pass so slowly before I set sail again.”

Green and Red of Mayo
The Saw Doctors

After six flights taking me from McMurdo Station to Christchurch, New Zealand; Sydney, Australia; Honolulu, HI; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL; and finally Newark, NJ; I arrived home on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010.

Thanks for following along on my travels.

“The sun is down, enjoyed the dream
I’m full of hope that you think of me.
I think of you and how much you mattered
when I’m torn, torn and tattered.”

Torn and Tattered
Carbon Leaf

Only Him or Me

Townes Van Zandt

Don’t go saying I’m leaving you
thinking I never got close enough to stay.
Time runs in, and then runs out
starts again and it’s always been that way.
You’re gonna drown tomorrow
if you cry too many tears for yesterday.
Tomorrow’s half of all you’ve got
so treat him good, ’cause when I’m gone, he’ll stay.

I won’t be forgetting you.
You won’t be forgetting me, I know.
If memory comes a summer cloud
rains her sweetness down to me below.
I’ll see you like you look right now
maybe wonder why I had to go.
But heaven is the way she is
rain falls and rivers flow.

So here’s to feeling good
and here’s to feeling bad.
Here’s to being thankful
sorry for the pleasures that we had.
And autumn days and window panes
god forgive us if you feel deceived.
But the clock don’t know you like I do
and it’s only him or me you got to believe.

The bags have been dragged. I’m scheduled for the next flight out on a C-17, the big military plane on Thursday afternoon, 2/18/10 (Wednesday evening, 2/17/10 in the States). Kind of hard leaving this place, but it’s time to go.

Update: My flight is scheduled to leave McMurdo at 3:30 pm Thursday, 2/18, McMurdo time, which is 9:30 pm Wednesday, 2/17, Eastern time.

I’m obviously looking forward to seeing my wife and pets, family and friends, but I’m also curious to see other things people see everyday, like night and stars and trees. (Like everyone else in the northeast U.S., I’ll have to wait a little longer for spring, rain, and grass.) I’ll have to remember to pay for stuff like food and coffee and that traffic moves at speeds greater than 15 miles per hour.

I’m looking forward to driving on a highway, walking in the woods, sleeping in my own bed and maybe going to a hockey game where there may be fifteen times the number of people in one building than I’ve been with in McMurdo since October, 2009.

Of course, there is no Frosty Boy at home (it now comes in lime, and for a brief period we had chocolate), and I’ll miss the McMurdo library. Hopefully I’ll continue my habit of reading rather than watching television, although it will be interesting to see a television commercial rather than the military public service type messages we get here.

I’ll greatly miss the scenery here too. I never tire of seeing mountains, sky, snow, ice, and the effects of wind; and penguins, seals, skua, and whales.

“The land looks like a fairytale.” ~ Roald Amundsen (1872-1928)

I’m all done with work here at McMurdo Station. Tomorrow afternoon, I bag drag, the process of checking and weighing bags and gear (and people) in preparation for the flight out. I’m scheduled to leave at a yet to be determined time on Thursday, 2/18/10 (Wednesday, 2/17/10 in the States).

Update: My flight is scheduled to leave McMurdo at 3:30 pm Thursday, 2/18, McMurdo time, which is 9:30 pm Wednesday, 2/17, Eastern time.

Stick around, I’ll still be posting here for a while as I review photos and notes I’ve accumulated over the past several months and as I answer questions folks have been sending me via email.