Retro-Trash

Location:  McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Weather: 28F, partly cloudy

Well.  I am waiting on my departure flight back to New Zealand today and hopefully will be back in the US on Tuesday night.  It's going to be nice to see Jenny, Jennifer, Baxter, Nana, my telescope stuff, my shower, my coffee pot, my front porch, living things besides people at McMurdo, no howling winds and blowing snow at Tango camp, Phu, TV, football, driving, and The Newshour with Jim Lehrer.

Report from New Zealand forthcoming. 

Back from Tango 1

Location:  McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Weather:  Sunny, 28F

We arrived back to Williams Air Field last night from our deep field camp at Tango 1.  Tango 1 didn't go as expected, or did it?

We, Pete, Kate, and I, arrived last Thursday, December 18, to set camp up and await the rest of the science team.  That didn't ever happen.

If you can recall it took over two weeks for our first plane to arrive at Tango 1 because of bad weather.  We arrived there and guess what?  We had bad weather for seven days and the decision was made just to pull us out of camp and limp back.

I have some awesome video of the storms at Tango so stay tuned.

Picture:  Me at the last day at Tango.

Video of Helo Work

I'd like to invite you to look at this page to look at a video I created today.  Click here!

Damn Diamox

Ok, so "if" we leave for Tango camp tomorrow I had to start taking my Diamox today.  Tango camp is at 8500 feet, so I will be leaving sea level and ascending to 8500 feet in five hours.  Not only that but we have to set camp which is going to take 2+ days of very intensive physical work...all this at -30F and 8500 feet...not to mention what the physioaltitude might be.

The damn Diamox has been screwing with me all day.  How it works:  it makes your blood really acidic by making you piss out your bicarbonates.  Your body says WTF! when your blood gets acidic and to counteract this imbalance your body produces more red blood cells.  In theory if you have more red blood cells then your blood can take up more oxygen, therefore trying to "somewhat" allow you to have less adverse affect from high altitude.

I reality I am pissing like a pregnant woman, my body tingles (rather feels like vibrations) throughout my whole body, sour stomach, and a sour "lower" half (get my meaning yaw'll?).

Well, if we go tomorrow then only three more days of Diamox.  If not, I will take it until we go.

Bitch I might, but it's better than getting HAPE or HACE.

Totally Tango Tomorrow

Well, as luck (?) would have it it looks like the second flight to Tango1 deep field camp will get in today, after nearly 2 1/2 weeks of bad weather.  That means that tomorrow's flight will have the first passengers to set-up camp--which includes me.

The only hiccup I see is that the weather at Tango is supposed to get bad again.  I say let's go.

Photos from Deverall Island are Posted

You can check out more photos from Deverall Island at my web site (link).

Deverall Island

Location:  McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Weather:  Partly Cloudy, 21F

We are headed to Deverall Island tomorrow (hopefully).  Today was our very first day of work because our deep field camp location has been impossible to get to because of the weather there for the last week and a half.  But we are still trying.

Deverall is just a day trip out of McMurdo so stay tuned and I will post some pictures on my picture page soon.