The Base

September 07, 2019

Current conditions: Con 3, Temp -2F (-19F with wind chill), cloudy. Population: 277

McMurdo Station is an ugly place. Watch Werner Herzog's documentary, Encounters at the End of the World, and you'll see what I mean. The buildings largely date from the 60's and 70's. Because construction is challenging in this climate, the structures are built for utility, not for beauty. Powerlines, smokestacks and pipes obstruct views of the mountains and the sea. Conex boxes litter the grounds. Most are used for storage but some are cut in half and used as smoking huts. There are five or six three-story dormitories, at least two of which are boarded up for the winter. The few wooden buildings (the Chapel and the Chalet--an administrative building) smell like decay when you go inside.

The Chapel

The remaining buildings are large and industrial, with aluminum(?) siding, few windows and garage entries for heavy equipment. One exception is the Crary Science Building that has broad windows looking out over the Ross Sea. It smells good! Snow and dirt roads that traverse the base are wide, icy, and deeply furrowed by heavy equipment. Fortunately, because nothing ever melts, there's no mud.

Inside, the buildings are utilitarian. The central building for the base is Building 155. It harbors the large cafeteria (more about the food later) where everyone meets up three times a day for meals. In Bldg 155, on "Highway One", there's a small store (selling mainly alcohol), the housing office, a laundry, a computer kiosk (where I am now), ATMs, a room where you can check out skis and musical instruments, and a number of bulletin boards with information about weather, mail, flights, and accessibility of trails. "Highway two" has the safety office, a craft shop, and a radio station where, if you want, you can practice being a DJ.

The computer kiosk with a familiar face

We are currently lodged in Bldg. 155 and we're likely to remain there since it's closest to the clinic. Our room is on a long hallway with about 20 others along with men's' and women's shared bathrooms. The room itself looks like a threadbare dorm room but without a window. We're currently in a triple with one empty bed. In addition to the three twin beds, the room is equipped with three metal armoires, a mini-fridge and a TV. One of the two overhead lights doesn't work and, although we turned off the heat, the room is broiling. Since there's no window, we flip on the TV in the morning to see the weather report.

The alternative to our living situation, apparently, is a room with a curtainless, leaky window. The lucky occupants often can't sleep, either because of the neverending sunlight or because they're getting covered with snow blowing in through the cracks. A lot of time is spent figuring out ways to inventively rig blankets to block both the leaks and the sunlight. At some point, we'll have to change rooms. It may be a tough choice of which we'd prefer--window or no window.