Welcome to the Antarctica Files - 2009

I've arrived in McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Actually, I arrived here a little over a week ago, but the first week of work is usually so busy (and I had a cold) that blogging was far from being a priority.

Once again I am working as a Field Instructor for the United States Antarctic Program. I work with five others like myself to educate new arrivals (both scientists and base staff) on survival techniques and proper field practices in the remote parts of Antarctica. I'll be down here on the ice until early January, and I'm looking forward to a few good adventures and some good light for shooting.

It's still early season down here. Temperatures are around 0°F (-18°C) and fluctuate as the weather changes.

During the first few weeks of the season our priority here is getting as many new arrivals moved through the myriad requisite training (Happy Camper, Sea Ice, GPS, high altitude physiology, etc) so they can get out into the field and do their work. The beginning of October is the beginning of "Mainbody" (the catch phrase for the start of the summer season). Winter is slow to end, but none of us that are here now are able to comprehend the extreme cold and darkness that our Winterover and Winfly colleagues experienced just over a month ago. In just five days or so, we'll have our last sunrise of the summer, and the sun will stay up until mid-February.

My work as a risk manager for science groups continues tomorrow, when I fly to the Dry Valleys to see how safe re-using the old Blood Falls tunnel from 2007 might be.

I'll post photos later this week.

-Dylan