Antarctic job overview, LINKS; excited to be going!

Hello friends and family, old and new, near and far,

I stand wide-eyed on the cusp of my adventure.

On Wednesday I fly to New Zealand for search and rescue training, then on the 30th we fly “onto the ice” for 4 1/2 to 5 months working in Antarctica. I am psyched.

Really psyched.

I am finding that I am more excited about this adventure than I have been about anything I can remember in my entire adult life. I’ve been fixated on this for weeks and can hardly sleep some nights.

As many of you have expressed an interest in hearing what's up down there, here’s some information to help you picture the setting. I’ll be based out of McMurdo, the main US station (there are 2 others, and a number run by other nations; all for science). A very industrial little town with a dynamic population, so I hear. It is located on a dry spot essentially on Ross Island and houses about 1100 people during their summer, about 35% which are women. I think the population is about 1/4 scientists, and the rest of us are support staff. All kinds of sciences: atmospheric, astronomical, biological (esp marine), geological, geophysical; glacial; including a lot of climate research. They also have an Artists and Writers in Residence Program.

I will be working in the Field Safety Training Program as an Instructor, one of seven (all guides). I have reason to believe my supervisor is both a good person and a good guy to work for/with; very important. We'll teach classes to prepare the scientists (and I think everyone else too to varying degrees) to stay safe on the glaciers, sea ice, and in the chilly temperatures: “Happy Camper” class and Survival School.

We also accompany scientific expeditions as guides while they conduct their research (this is the part I’m most psyched about, the science exposure as well as seeing remote parts of the continent). We also function as the search and rescue team. I look forward to gaining that experience, but hope to do so in non-gruesome or tragic situations.

We will have email access, but working 6 days a week 9 hours a day probably won’t leave me a lot of time/energy for extensive emailing. A certain amount of my free time will be getting real exercise. Rumor has it that skate skiing is the activity of choice around the flats of McMurdo so I’ve bought the gear and I will learn. I am planning to send out occasional updates on the life I experience down there, hopefully with photos attached. I am guessing I won’t write a full-on solstice letter this year.

Lots of daylight during the solstice at 77 degrees south! But not for awhile. It‘ll be cold when we arrive.

I’ve been reading about the continent, the wildlife, the landscape [would you believe there are ponds down there in the dry valleys, the saltiest water in the world, about 35 times saltier than oceans, so salty they NEVER freeze. That‘s just the tip of the-- I won‘t say it], the history, the job, the local culture to some extent (interesting, it sounds like), and trying to learn some of the language down there to reduce the clueless feeling while I figure out what's going on. There are of course many kinds of sea ice (cool!), endless acronyms for facilities and bureaucracies, types of aircraft and snowmobiles I have to learn about (no wait, I mean “get” to learn about. Insert forced smile. I love the noise and stink, really. Industrial mountaineering, yee haa.). All kinds of new realms.

My goal while down there is to get to the South Pole Station and do a yoga headstand next to the ceremonial South Pole (100m or so from the real one) with the camera held upside-down (I know, I know: just rotate the photo). I've been practicing getting up into the headstand without a wall, but don't know what it'll be like wearing 20 pounds of clothing.

I can receive mail down there; below is my address. RSPC is Raytheon (yup, I’m selling out) Polar Services Company, which has been contracted by the National Science Foundation’s US Antarctic Program, which oversees the entire scene. The NSF contracts the military to fly us around and handle that type of burly logistics. Apparently the flight to the ice is heinous: a noisy, cold, and cramped cargo plane for 6-7 hours; lovely.

If you’re curious, here are some websites that might be of interest (as if you don't have enough to do):

This is the USAP/Raytheon website with numerous links:http://www.polar.org/
“USA Today” article describing what goes on down there: http://www.usatoday.com/news/science/cold-science/life-work/mcmurdo-station.htm
Here is an article about diving under the ice, something in which I will NOT be participating. However, it does describe the Field Safety Training Program in which I will be working: .http://scilib.ucsd.edu/sio/nsf/diving/index4.html http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/media/99/fs_usap.htm

I have to say I’m bummed to be leaving now. It’s cooling down (snow in the high country!) … a nice time to be around.

I hope you've had a rewarding summer and are looking forward to a cooler fall. I also hope you're able to live the life that you find the most deeply satisfying, whatever form that may take.

Love, health, and a wonderful winter, Susan

Did I mention how excited I am?