Ice Stories and Tango 1

Location:  McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Weather:  Sunny, 8F

I just wanted to let you all know that my first dispatch as an ice stories correspondent is published.  You can find it here.

Other than that, it's just been more training plus a lot of work getting the camping equipment checked and ready to go to Tango 1 camp on December 1.

Tango 1 is going to our deep field home for about 2 weeks.  It is located at 86 degrees south (obviously South Pole is at 90 degrees) and sits just above 8000 feet.  What does that mean?  It's going to be COLD.

We will be staying in tents, sleeping in sleeping bags, the whole nine yards.  But the combination of the temperature and the altitude is going to make it....well...interesting.

One thing about altitude in Antarctica is that it changes.  No, the land elevation doesn't change but the physio-altitude does.  Ok english?  Barometric pressure affects what you body thinks is altitude.  The lower the pressure in the atmosphere, it makes you feel like your at a higher altitude.  Antarctica is known for really low pressure systems coming across the mid-continent...exactly where our camp is.  Depending on how low the air pressure gets, an 8000 foot high elevation can change to +10,000 feet...this change can be done in hours.

I will start taking my Diamox the day before.

Fun huh?  I think so.