Measuring time to redeployment

A Minke whale right next to hut point.  I was the only person out there (listen to that wind) and had
the first "official" whale sighting of the season.  Minkes and orcas frequent the harbor once the ice is
broken up.  The orcas eat the minkes, the penguins, the seals and, early in the 20th century, even some of Scott's ponies when they fell through the ice.

 Conditions:  Con3.  Temperature 18°F (Windchill 0°F). Winds to 24 knots.  Population = 831


Until this week, our time here has seemed endless.  This has become our home and, despite x'ing off the days on my calendar, a departure has seemed like a shifting and fading Fata Morgana.

Then, this week, the idea of leaving the ice solidified.  They began "Redeployment meetings", telling us how the process of leaving works (ticketing, stays in New Zealand, travel to other countries). All of a sudden, New Zealand and California seemed reachable.  My head became filled with visions of green and fantasies of floral aromas.

Our "redeployment date", the day we will purportedly leave the ice, is February 7th.  That's six days earlier than originally planned.  Apparently, they had scheduled too many departures late in the month and had to push some back. Of course, given the constant airplane delays, it will be a miracle if we actually leave on the seventh but we'll probably be gone not too long after.  Marisa is staying two more weeks, Shawn a month and Joe--well he may never get home (he's staying for the winter.  Maybe). But Dean's and my replacements will be here by February 3 and it's our time.

Until then, our days will be measured in events.  Here is what is coming up.

The Polar Star, a coast guard ice breaker, coming towards our harbor in front
of 30 or so sleeping Adelie penguins
  • Now:  the ice breaker arrived and is plowing the sea ice, making way for the ships to come in.  The open water allows us to see the Antarctic whales like the Minke at the top.
  • Tonight:  Dean's lecture on military medicine
  • Tomorrow:  A foray to Phoenix Airfield out on the Ross Ice Shelf to shovel out the runway lights.  I volunteered to get out of my windowless office.  Phoenix Airfield is for the C17's, the larger planes needed to transport everyone off the ice before winter starts in April.  I'm hoping we see some Emperor Penguins out there...
  • Sunday:  Marathon.  I'm signed up for the half but I'm waffling.  Participation will depend on how much my back hurts from shoveling and the weather. And I haven't run that far in 2 years.  Fortunately, the course is out on the ice shelf so pretty much perfectly flat (and slippery).
  • Monday:  The dentist arrives.  Maybe.  He's already been in Christchurch for a week and has been bumped from four flights.  My teeth are waiting with bated breath (picture that metaphor).
  • January 20th:  The first cargo ship comes in inaugurating a time of complete chaos for the base.  The crew will work around-the-clock for over a week to offload the ship and reload it with waste and old equipment from McMurdo.  All bars close, the store shuts down liquor sales  I'll be working the ropes.  The crew chief must be hard up for workers if they let a 62 year old weakling like me participate as a stevedore.
  • January 30th:  The fuel tanker comes in.  Continued chaos.
  • February 3:  Our medical replacements arrive  
    • McMurdians watching the penguins and the icebreaker on a cold, windy day.
  • February 7:  Goodbye us
 Leaving will be bittersweet.  I have enjoyed this place--the job and the camaraderie both--and have relished the lack of stress:  no grants, papers, attending, teaching, pet care, house chores, cooking, commuting, fires or floods, and vanishingly little Mitch McConnell or Donald Trump.  Our time here has made me rethink what I want in my remaining years of life.  Perpetual stress is not high on the list. But maybe in today's toxic climate, that's unavoidable.  Except in Antarctica.

Comments

Lynn said…
I hope we can see you when you are in Chch again, whatever the date. Cheers,
Lynn
January 9, 2020 at 8:21 PM
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