EJ's Travels

Where did I leave off? In bliss I believe… muttering something about this feeling like summer camp. Well, the next morning – my first day of work – was a rude awakening. Not for any other reason than it was cold outside. Freezing cold as a matter of fact. Or more accurately, far below freezing. Go figure. I know it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise, but in the short 36 hours I had been here I had let the mild temperatures (-20 to -40 something Farenheit with windchill) convince me that Antarctica wasn’t all that cold after all. And, for the most part, at least in summer, it isn’t.

As long as there is no wind.

It is quite honestly reminiscent of winters in North Dakota and my first day in “Shuttles” began like one of those unbearably cold days growing up when we were mercilessly forced to go outside for recess. But out we went to learn the check-out procedure for all the vehicles. We have to check the fluids, tire pressure, lights, mileage, etc. every day and night before driving any of the vehicles. Our line-up includes 6 vans, 3 Airporters, 3 Deltas & 1 Terra Bus (the Terra Bus is a 56-passenger vehicle with 3 axles and equipped with large balloon tires.. it is 1 of only 7 in existence, the remaining 6 are used in the Canadian Arctic). The Deltas are parked up high in the “Ballpark” and it was there that the cold finally did me in. It’s easy enough to combat the freezing temperatures when staying active, but when standing in the relentless wind or sitting inside a vehicle that has not been heated, the fingers and toes have a tendency to lose feeling despite dancing in place and any number of fruitless attempts to get the blood flowing. By lunch time I looked at my fellow first year shuttle driver, Amanda, and exclaimed, “What was I thinking? This is ridiculous!” Turns out she had the same defeated thoughts and we laughed at ourselves and one another. In reality we have one of the most fun & relaxed entry level jobs on the station.

Amanda and I were the first two new drivers to arrive for the year. A handful of others have funneled in since. Our boss, “Shuttle Sam,” is awesome. I truly enjoy my entire crew. We range in age from 24 to 71. In fact there are four 60+ year old men who are an absolute riot to work with! One of them, Lonnie, is returning for his second season at age 71, fifty years later. After 3 whole days of getting familiar with the base and the vehicles, Amanda and I, *veterans* of McMurdo and Shuttles, began training the “new guys.”

Our department serves the base around the clock. For the first 6 weeks I am on day shift, 5 days a week, 12 hours a day. This means I get two days off each week as opposed to one like most others who work six 10 hour days. I prefer my schedule. One thing that is hard to find down here is down time, so having two days off when others are working is a saving grace.

The days I do work I am assigned one of three duties for the day:

1) Runway Shuttle: This means I drive shuttle for 12 hours back and forth between the base and the current active airfield on a set schedule. We transport Air Force National Guard personnel who are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the fleet of ski-equipped C-130 aircraft used primarily for intra-continental missions of cargo and personnel to the South Pole, as well as for transport to Deep Field Camps. We also transport air traffic controllers, weather observation personnel and cargo and fuel folks who work at “Ice Town” to support the incoming and outgoing flights.

2) Airfield Operations: This involves transporting and picking up the passengers that are arriving and departing throughout the day to and from said airfield. The current airfield is the Ice Runway just 1 ½ miles from town out on the sea ice. This means the “runway” that planes are landing on is approximately 70 inches of ice with nothing but sea below. Crazy.

3) On Call Services: This includes taxi service, dispatch, bellhop for those folks coming & going, shuttles to Scott Base and other work sites outside of town.

I enjoy each of the above categories for different reasons. We rotate every day which helps break up the monotony. I also have the pleasure of meeting everyone who funnels in and out of this place. Although it can get a bit hectic at times, it is a pretty chill job. Probably the most stressful thus far has been getting familiar with and comfortable with the procedures surrounding the Airfield. Approaching the planes is a very delicate operation. There are often 6-8 planes on the ramp or apron (where the planes are fueled and loaded with cargo and passengers before entering the runway itself) at one time and there are very specific rules about how and when we can approach. And we must always ask permission, “MC1 this is Shuttle Erica with flight crew for Skier 96, requesting permission to enter the apron.”

Favorite vehicle? The Deltas are surprisingly easy to drive since they are articulated, making turning a breeze. However, as much as Ivan (the Terra Bus) is a bitch to drive, I can’t help feeling all-mighty when driving that bad boy. The turning radius is about that of a baseball field, including the outfield. Both require climbing ladders to board. The first time I drove Ivan with passengers on board was exciting and a bit nerve wracking, but thankfully without incident. After closing the door I stood up with my camera and told them all to smile, they were my first live cargo transport in Ivan!

Since arriving we have had two Condition 1 weather days. Condition 2 requires that we check in with the firehouse when leaving and returning to town. Condition 1 requires staying put exactly where you are until the condition has been lifted. It is pretty exciting when the wind begins to gain speed, it happens so fast. Unfortunately I have been stuck at dispatch both times Condition 1 was called. Why unfortunately? Because believe it or not Mom, I have a desire to be out in the thick of it when it comes. The storms are so wild and unlike anything I’ve experienced, even back in North Dakota, that I can’t help but want to experience them from somewhere other than inside a building. Granted, I don’t need to be outside, but inside a running vehicle out on the sea ice would be fine by me. Hmmm…as I write this I am reminding myself to be careful what I wish for.

This is Shuttle Erica signing off for today.

see more of my photos at: http://ej.smugmug.com

Tags: Travel

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 1st, 2005 at 1:59 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.